At the same time, we must also differentiate between ourselves and our sins. Romans 5:8 says, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." But 1 Corinthians 15:3 says that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." To be "for us" is a preparation. But to be "for our sins" is a kind of realization. Even if a person is not yet saved, he can still preach the gospel. But he can only say that God sent His Son to die for us. This is absolutely right. But only those who have been saved can say that God sent His Son to die for our sins. This is because our relationship with the Lord Jesus is in the matter of sins. Hence, we can say that the Lord Jesus died for our sins. First Peter 2:24 says, "Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree." There is a distinction here. To a sinner, we can only say that the Lord Jesus died for him. We cannot say that the Lord Jesus died for his sins.

It will help you to understand if I illustrate this by a simple example. Suppose I have borrowed some money, but have no way to repay. A brother knows that my account number in the Shanghai Bank is No. 51. Suppose he deposits a sum of money into account No. 51. Then he writes a letter to me telling me that he has deposited a sum of money in the bank for me and that I can now repay my debt. He has paid the money and has sacrificed himself to prepare the money for me. But let me ask, Has my debt been cleared yet? I can pay back the debt. The money is in the bank. But the debt is not paid yet. It is only when I go personally to the bank and withdraw the money and pay back the debt that I can say that this brother has paid the debt for me. In the same way, the Lord Jesus has died for us. This death was prepared for us. But it is only when we receive the Lord Jesus that we can say that He died for our sins. Hence, brother, when you quote 1 John 2:2, you must be careful about the wording. Jesus Christ has become a propitiation for our sins, and not for us only, but also for the whole world. You can see how accurate the Holy Spirit is in choosing the words through His apostle. The Lord Jesus died for our sins. But the death of the Lord Jesus was not only for us, but for the whole world, so that the whole world may receive this death. One has to be careful here. Do not add the words the sins of to "the whole world." It is unfortunate that many have not seen this. We cannot add anything to the word of God, nor can we subtract anything from it (Rev. 22:18-19).

Finally, there is still one thing that we have to take note of. It is the difference between sin and sins. We cannot say that the Lord Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, for sins means all the wrongdoings and all the punishment that we need to bear. If the Lord Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, then all the wrongdoings of all the world were removed. Whether a man believes or not, he is saved. But the Bible is very careful in the use of words. It only says the sin of the world. It does not say the sins of the world. John 1:29 says, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The word "sin" is singular. The problem of sin is brought into the world through one man and brought out of the world through one man. What is mentioned here is the "abstract" dealing of the problem of sin by the Son of God. Objectively speaking, sin entered the world in an "abstract" way through Adam. Today the Lord Jesus is taking away and dealing with the problem of sin in an "abstract" way. This does not mean that He has borne the guilt of each individual sin. If He has borne the guilt of each individual wrongdoing, then the whole world would have been saved already. Thank and praise the Lord that the Word of God does not have any loophole. It never makes a mistake.