Who Did Christ Die For?

June 27, 2025 | By Tyrone Johnson | The Biblical Framework |

One of the most misunderstood claims in all of Christendom is the idea that “Jesus died for the whole world.” Now, that might sound noble, even inclusive—but it’s not how the Bible tells the story. If we want to be faithful to scripture, we have to ask: Who did Christ actually die for?

Let’s let the Bible answer.

Christ Came to Redeem Israel

Let’s start with what Jesus Himself said:

“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24)

There’s no ambiguity there. His earthly mission was targeted, not generic. Why? Because Israel was under the curse of the Mosaic Law. And the Law, as Paul said, couldn’t save—it could only condemn:

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)

Paul reiterates this in Galatians:

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse…” (Galatians 3:10)

So Christ came to redeem those under the Law—Israel:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law…” (Galatians 4:4-5)

The Blood of the Covenant

Hebrews makes it even clearer. Jesus didn’t just come to die—He came to be the mediator of a new covenant for those under the first one:

“a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15)

Let that sink in. He didn’t die to cancel random guilt. He died to settle covenantal guilt—Israel’s guilt.

Christ, Our Passover

Jesus’ death fulfilled the typology of the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). Just as the blood of the lamb in Egypt marked the deliverance of Israel, the blood of Jesus marked the beginning of a new exodus—a spiritual deliverance from sin’s bondage for Israel under the Law (Exodus 12:1-42; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19).

“With His blood, you bought people for God…” (Revelation 5:9)

Those people were first and foremost Israel. But the story doesn’t end there.

Through Israel, to the Nations

God’s redemptive plan was always broader than Israel alone—it just had to go through Israel first.

Isaiah 49:6 foresaw it:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob… I will make you a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Jesus’ death had global implications—but covenantal beginnings. After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples:

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

The “mixed multitude” that left Egypt in Exodus 12:38 already foreshadowed this—non-Israelites who attached themselves to Israel’s God by faith. The same happens under the New Covenant: Gentiles are grafted in by faith (Galatians 3:8; Romans 11).

So, Who Did He Die For?

Christ died for Israel. That’s the covenantal root.

But through Israel—through her story, her Messiah, and her fulfillment—salvation extends to the nations.

He died to redeem Israel from the curse of the Law and then to make her a light to the Gentiles. Anyone, Jew or Gentile, who comes by faith through Christ is brought into the promises made to Abraham.

Next time someone asks, “Who did Christ die for?” you can say with confidence:

He died for Israel — But through Israel, and through the promises to Abraham, His death also opened the way for me to be saved.