Jesus died for all (2 Cor. 5:14-15).  Since that is the case, why did He say that His blood was “shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28)?

“All” (2 Cor. 5:14-15) refers to the whole of humanity.  Christ “died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6), which would be everyone since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  Thus, Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6).

Think of the picture described in Revelation 7:9-10:  “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'”  That’s a description of all who are saved standing before the throne of God in heaven and praising Him.

That’s a lot of people.  Many people, one could say.

And yet, Jesus inferred that those who are lost would be far greater in number than those who are saved (Matt. 7:13-14).  He died for them as well.  The grace of God has appeared to all (Tit. 2:11).  The reason God gave His only begotten Son was because of His love for “the world” (John 3:16).  Sadly, only a comparative few of the human population throughout history would accept His gift.  They would in the end be considered to be “a great multitude that no one could number.”  So add that, if you can, to the even greater multitude that will be lost…and remember that Jesus died for everyone in both groups.

That’s a lot of people.  Many people, one could say.

“Many” (Matt. 26:28) is semantically the same as “all” (2 Cor. 5:14-15).