“Sir, what must I do to be saved?” cried a man as an old preacher boarded a train.

The train whistle blew, and the train started slowly inching forward. Realizing he didn’t have much time, the preacher grabbed the guardrail and shouted above the din of the moving vehicle, “Open your Bible to Isaiah 53:6. Go in at the first ‘all,’ and come out at the second ‘all,’ and you will be saved!”

There was great wisdom in the preacher’s words. The first “all” plainly indicates that all have sinned. We have all gone astray and turned from God’s perfect law. But the good news lies in the last “all,” where we find the substitutionary work of our Sin-Bearer, Jesus Christ, was effective to pay for the sins of all people.

A certain school of theologians holds to a doctrine which limits the sufficiency of the blood of Christ and salvation to a select group of people. They teach that members of the “elect” were born to go to Heaven without a choice, while others were born to face eternal condemnation in Hell. This dangerous doctrine forbids a Christian from being able to proclaim, as the old preacher did, that Christ died for everyone. Nothing hinders evangelism more – and nothing angers me more – than this teaching.

How much doctrinal confusion would we clear up if we simply took the Word of God for what it says! Consider Isaiah 53:6 for yourself and see if it can possibly mean anything other than all men can be saved.

Christian, you can confidently walk up to anyone on the street and tell them, “Jesus Christ died for you.” Why don’t you take the opportunity to tell someone right now?