Was Jesus' death just a martyr's death?
No. Jesus' death was not just a martyr's death or the act of an angry mob. God had already set it in motion in eternity that He would die and shed His blood to pay the sin debt for the whole human race, not only for believers. It avails when personally believed.
Les explains that at the heart of the Gospel is not just that Christ died some martyr's death or was put to death by an angry mob. Instead, in the annals of all eternity, God had already set it in motion that Christ would die, shed His blood, and pay the sin debt for the whole human race—not just for the believer. Les rejects limited atonement, affirming that Christ paid the sin debt for every human being who has ever lived, but that payment goes for nothing until a person believes it personally and cashes in. He also warns that many mentally assent to the resurrection, singing and talking about it, yet never experience resurrection power in their own life.