According to Jesus (Luke 22:37) and to Peter (1 Peter 2:21-25), Jesus ultimately fulfilled this prophecy through his death on the cross. The expectations created by this prophecy regarding the atonement were that the messiah would bear "our grief" and carry "our sorrows"; that he would be "pierced" for "our transgressions," crushed for "our iniquities," chastened for "our well-being," and scourged so that "we" may be "healed." All this was to occur because the Lord would cause the "iniquity of us all" to be imputed to the redeemer. Repeating these ideas, the prophecy adds that the messiah will die "for the transgression of my people," and for "many." This vocabulary indicates the substitutionary nature of the atonement — the messiah was to take the guilt that was due "us," and also the consequent punishment. He was to die in place of others.

Nowhere in this chapter did the prophet indicate that the messiah would die for anyone who was not of his people. As the surrounding chapters demonstrate, his people consisted of believing Israel and those Gentiles who would serve Israel's God and be incorporated into Israel (cf. Isa. 51:2-4; 52:2-10,15; 66:20-24). Isaiah did not assert that the messiah would die for everyone in the world. Instead, he claimed only that his people, who were "many" not "all," would be redeemed. Many others would fall under God's judgment and be destroyed (e.g. Isa. 66:15-18).

The messiah's rendering of himself as a guilt offering appears to be the only condition upon which the "many" are justified, and his "scourging" appears as the only prerequisite for the people to be healed. This passage lists no conditions which the people themselves must meet before they can benefit from the messiah's death. There is no hint that anyone may somehow fail to be healed or justified if the messiah dies for him.

Putting all this together, this prophecy created the expectation that the messiah would redeem a remnant of individuals from the larger mass of humanity. It also created the expectations that he would justify them by atoning for their sin, and that this justifying atonement would not fail to save those whom it was intended to benefit (cf. Rom. 8:28-30).

As already noted, Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy. Thus, his atonement justified or will justify all those for whom he died. Since everyone who is justified is also glorified and saved (cf. Rom. 8:28-30), and since some people are not saved, it follows that the atonement was not intended to save every person ever, and that it did not save every person ever. Therefore, Christ died to save only a specific group of people, namely Israel (composed of both believing Israelites and converted Gentiles), and his death secured Israel's salvation. [See Appendix A for more information regarding the identity of Israel in the New Testament.]

Jesus's blood was shed on behalf of many, not on behalf of "every person ever." The disciples, to whom Jesus spoke these words, did not understand Jesus to be referring to all mankind. Rather, they assumed his words referred only to Israel. For example, Peter and the rest of the Jewish believers later displayed surprise when the Gentiles were granted salvation:

"And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also" (Acts 10:45);

"‘If God therefore gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?' And when they heard this, they quieted down, and glorified God, saying, ‘Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life" (Acts 11:17-18).

Once the disciples realized that Christ had atoned for Gentiles as well as Jews, they did not then begin to teach that Jesus had died for every person in the world. Rather, they maintained their belief that Jesus had atoned for a limited group of people, but adjusted their understanding of "Israel" to include believing Gentiles.[See Appendix A for more information regarding the identity of Israel in the New Testament.]

The Father wills that everyone who believes in Christ receive eternal life and be raised up on the last day (i.e. be saved) . In response to the Father's will, Christ will raise up those who have been given to him. Thus, those who will be raised up on the last day are described as: 1) those who have been given to Christ by the Father; and 2) those who believe in Christ. This means that those people given by the Father to Christ are the same group as those who believe, and that all of these will certainly be saved.

Therefore, the will of the Father regarding salvation was that a select group of individuals, namely believers, receive salvation. Since Christ came down from heaven to do the will of the Father, Christ came down from heaven to save the believers — that group of people who had already been given to him by the Father.

Some people will never believe, so these people cannot have been given to Christ by the Father. Because they were not given to Christ by the Father, it is not the Father's will that Christ save them, and Christ did not come to save them. Since Christ came down to do the will of God, he would not have atoned for the sins of those people whom God did not will to save.

Christ is the good shepherd who knows, is known by, and lays down his life for his sheep. All Christ's sheep, even those of other folds, will hear his voice, will join the flock, will follow Christ, will receive eternal life, and will never perish. In this metaphor, the sheep are those who believe. Christ specifically indicates that it is for the sheep (i.e. believers) that he lays down his life.

Not every person is one of Christ's sheep. Some are thieves; some are robbers. Specifically, the Jews whom Jesus answers in this passage are not of his sheep. Since the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep and not for the thieves, robbers, or any others, Christ did not lay down his life for these Jews, and he therefore did not lay down his life for every person ever.

Also, Christ successfully saves the sheep, who are those for whom he lays down his life, as indicated by his statement that he gives them eternal life and they shall never perish. This implies: 1) that Jesus saves all for whom he dies; 2) that he knows who these specific people are before he dies; and 3) that he intends to save only those whom he knows before hand as his sheep.

It is also worth noting in this regard that Jesus ensures that his sheep will come to faith — they do not become sheep because they believe, but believe because they are sheep. This is proven by the fact that Christ asserts that some do not believe because they are not his sheep. Further, Christ's sheep belonged to him before he died for them. It would be logically inconsistent to argue that they became his sheep because they first accepted his death on their behalf, and then to add that he died for them because they accepted him. Such an argument would create the following logical ordering of events:

1. Christ died for these people.
2. These people believed/accepted Christ's death.
3. These people became Christ's sheep and were saved.
4. Christ died for these people.

1. These people became Christ's sheep.
2. Christ died for these people.
3. These people believed in Christ and were saved.

A propitiation is a sacrifice that satisfies the root cause of God's anger so that he is no longer angry. In this case, God's anger was directed toward men because they had sinned. By receiving the imputed guilt for those sins and submitting himself to God's wrath, Christ satisfied God's wrath. For this reason, God's justice has been fulfilled toward those for whom Christ propitiated, so that God is able to show these people mercy and grace by justifying and saving them.

It is important to note that Paul spoke here of two different aspects of Christ's propitiation. First, he spoke of the benefits of the propitiation that Christ obtained at the Cross (i.e. the impetration). This can be seen in Paul's reference to the public display of Jesus. Second, Paul spoke of the application of these benefits to believers throughout the course of history. This can be seen in his statements regarding God who justifies believers at the present time.

The idea that the benefits of Christ's propitiation are applied only to believers is common to the limited atonement position and the general ransom position. The disagreement between these positions pertains to the scope of the impetration. Limited atonement is the position that Christ's propitiation obtained benefits only for the elect (those who would believe). General ransom, in contrast, is the position that Christ's propitiation obtained benefits for every person.

With these distinctions in mind, it is important to recognize that Paul declared the actual death of Christ on the cross to be "a propitiation . . . through faith." Here Paul spoke directly of the impetration and not of the application, and he connected that impetration to faith. Although Paul's language is not precise enough in this text to reveal the exact nature of the relationship between faith and the impetration, it is at least evident that he did not consider faith irrelevant to the impetration (the general ransom position does not bring faith into the equation until the point of application). Rather, Paul strongly implied that the impetration was intended to purchase benefits for those who would later come to faith, and not intended to purchase benefits for those who would never come to faith.

According to this text, because God went so far as to send his own Son to die as an atonement for sin, it is impossible that God will withhold any blessing (including justification and glorification) from the people for whom Christ died. The very fact that the atonement took place proves that all those Christ died for will eventually be justified and glorified (i.e. they will be saved).

If Christ atoned for every person ever, then every person ever will be saved. Paul, however, did not say that Christ atoned for the sins of every person ever. Instead, he asserted that Christ died for "us," "the elect" whom God foreknew and predestined. Since those for whom Christ died must be saved, and since only the elect are saved, then Christ died only for the elect.

Also, in the series of rhetorical questions which Paul asked, he linked the ideas that God is for "us" and will not withhold anything from "us" to the idea that "the elect" can never have a charge brought against them. In asking these questions, Paul presupposed that "us" and "the elect" were one and the same group, and implied that Christ died only for the elect, and not for the non-elect.

Christ died for the church in order to purify the church so that he might present the church to himself. The purpose of the atonement was to secure a holy, blameless, spotless church, that is, a church composed entirely of saved members. This church must therefore be the invisible church composed of all true believers, not the visible church which includes both believers and unbelievers.

Christ's purpose was to purify and save those for whom he died. If Christ died for every person ever and not just for the invisible church, then Christ's purposes regarding the unsaved have failed. Since it cannot be true that Christ failed to accomplish his purpose regarding the atonement, it also cannot be true that Christ atoned for the sins of anyone who is not ultimately saved. [See also section IIB of the Arguments Supporting the Doctrine of Unconditional Election and section IIIF of the Arguments Supporting the Doctrine of Limited Atonement.]

In this passage, the "children" are the "brethren," the "congregation" (i.e. the church), the ones "given" to Christ by the Father (cf. John 6:35-40 and John 10:25-30). Christ took on flesh and blood not because mankind in general was of flesh and blood, but because the children who already belonged to him were of flesh and blood. Further, he took on flesh and blood so that he might die for these children who already belonged to him. His purpose both in the Incarnation and in the Crucifixion was to save only those who already belonged to him, namely the descendants of Abraham. "The descendants of Abraham" does not refer to mankind at large, but only to a subsection of mankind.

The rest of Hebrews indicates that the descendants of Abraham are "those who draw near to God through [Christ]" (Heb. 7:25). This indicates that Christ did not intend to die for all mankind, but only for those who are ultimately saved. Further, Christ became the "high priest" of "the children," indicating that they are worshipers of the true God, and as their high priest he makes propitiation for their sins. Since the high priest only makes propitiation for the sins of the people over whom he is high priest, it must be true that Christ only made propitiation for the sins of those people who are worshipers of the true God and who are ultimately saved.

It cannot be that these children were determined to belong to Christ on the basis that God foresaw their future belief in Christ. This would assume that Christ's decision to die for them was based on their belief that he did die for them, and would create the following circular logic:

1. Christ died for the children.
2. The children believed in Christ.
3. God foresaw the children's belief.
4. God gave the children to Christ.
5. Christ became incarnate in order to save the children.
6. Christ died for the children.

"Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:19-22).