SovereignGrace
Certified Flunky
Yep it is
For all mankind
If not for the gift of the cross. No one would ever have a thing to have faith n. We would all be headed to hell.
This was not directed to all mankind, but to believers.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.[Philippians 1:21-30]
Notice that Paul wrote "in no way alarmed by your opponents", meaning it was their opponents who would cause them to suffer for the Christ. Not all mankind has been gifted this, seeing that no unbeliever would die for Him. No unbeliever would be tortured for Him, but would denounce Him. When the United States recently got the leader of ISIS(I believe he headed ISIS), the operation was named after a woman who that guy repeatedly raped to get her to denounce her Christ. Rather than denounce Him, she went through the many rapes, and I am sure other tortures. No unsaved person would have went through what she did, but would have denounced Him.
Then notice this here as well "which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God." The destruction of them is from God as well. Let us look here, in 2 Peter 2, in that chapter Peter was talking about how God did not spare the angels who rebelled, saved Noah(and also seven in his family) and destroyed the rest of humanity, saved Lot and destroyed everyone else in Sodom, Gomorrah and the surrounding cities. Then he wrote this...then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.[2 Peter 2:9-10] God knows how to save His elect ppl and how to keep the non-elect under punishment.