It has been claimed that Jesus died only for the world, or for sinners, but not for the church. Is this really true? Here is the confusion: when this statement is extended beyond its limited context, it becomes an error that can actually lead people away from the faith. If “die for” in that claim refers to bringing salvation to sinners, then the claim is consistent with what Paul wrote: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15). However, as we shall soon see from the Scriptures, bringing salvation to sinners is not the only benefit that results from Jesus’ death. Scripture also explicitly lists unique blessings given to us as a church because of Jesus’ death. Consequently, if the claim “Jesus only died for the world, not the church” is extended to mean that His death has relevance or benefit only for sinners and not for the church, then it becomes a serious error that could lead many astray.
A common misconception that may be used to defend this erroneous claim is the idea that only the resurrection of Jesus has relevance for the church, because if Christ was not raised from the dead, then our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:17-19). But here is what that statement overlooks: without the resurrection of Christ, sinners could not have benefited from Jesus’ death either, and no one would have been a beneficiary of His death as God intended. Furthermore, without the death of Jesus, the resurrection would have had no value. In fact, there would have been no resurrection if there were no death. So the underlying question we should clarify is this: does Jesus’ death have any relevance for His church, or does it benefit sinners alone? The answer is yes: His death has practical benefits and relevance for His church. Here are the biblical proofs.
First, our very standing before God, as His church, His bride, and as kings and priests to our God, is directly tied in Scripture to His blood. And His blood is the result of His death, for it was His death that caused the blood to be shed (Hebrews 9:22-28). In other words, our purchase price, as His church, is valued at His blood, which came through His death. Revelation 5:9-10 says of Jesus, “…Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” It is not the old man, our old self (cf. Ephesians 4:22), that has been purchased for God; that old man is dead and is no more. We, His new creation, who have been born again, have been purchased for God at the price of His blood, which came through His death. Moreover, it is not the old man who will reign upon the earth with Christ, but the new man. All these benefits for His bride are a direct consequence of our being purchased with His blood, which came about through His death. As long as we remain His church, our purchase price stands. Paul affirms this same truth to the church in 1 Corinthians 6: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We, the bride of Christ, have been bought at a price. And this price has been paid at the cost of His blood and His death.
There is a second blessing for the church tied directly to His death: our holiness before God. As a church, we are called a holy nation before God (1 Peter 2:9), and this standing is credited to Jesus’ death according to the will of God. Hebrews 10:10 says “And in accordance with this will [of God] we [who believe in the message of salvation] have been sanctified [that is, set apart as holy for God and His purposes] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) once for all (Amplified Bible). Ephesians 4:24 speaks this way to the church: “and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (NKJV). The holiness of the new man, which we are called to exhibit, came about through His death. How then can we say or imply that Jesus’ death has no practical relevance for His church? In fact, the death of Jesus did away with the old man; it is the new man who now enjoys the benefits of His sacrificial death.
Kwadwo Omari, PhD
June 26, 2026