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Romans 6:6
knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Did this event happen to all people, or only to those who believed in Jesus and were born again? 1 John 2:2 is clear that Jesus died for all people's sins, not just believers, so I wondered if Jesus' death on the cross crucified the old man for all people. (The benefits of the cross only applies to the people who put their trust in Him.)
I John 2:2 reads (without the italics of the KJV)
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for of the whole world.
και αυτος ιλασμος εστιν περι των αμαρτιων ημων ου περι των ημετερων δε μονον αλλα και περι ολου του κοσμου
The wording 'the sins of' (the whole world) is not in the original Greek text. I am referring to the TR, here.
'For of the whole world' (idiomatically, in English, this may be rendered 'for that of the whole world) refers to the sin of the world which is also spoken of by John the Baptist :
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. [John 1:29 KJV]
John speaks of two different things in 1 John 2:2 :
And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for that of us only, but for that of the whole world [Literal Rendering].
He speaks of sins firstly, the matter of personal culpability, one's own sinful activity. Then he speaks of that which is corporate, true of all humankind due to the deceiving of Eve and the transgression of Adam.
Paul treats of this in detail in Romans 5:12-21, the matter of headship, either of Adam or of Christ. They under the headship of Adam are under sin and, thus, under the sentence of death. They under the headship of Christ are under the ministration of 'reconciliation' (actually, restoration - it is katallasso).
The benefits and blessings of 'reconciliation' (restoration) are realised in faith and received from Christ himself, as ministered through the Holy Spirit.
'That of the whole world' is dealt with in the death of Christ (as opposed to the sufferings of Christ prior to death which deal with the sins of men, their personal actions).
The liability of sin entering the world, the liability of flesh and blood and its propensity, the liability of the created creature with regard to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil : all is dealt with in Christ, in his death.
As the question quotes, the body of sin is done away with, in the death of Christ he being 'made' sin, 2 Corinthians 5:21. That is eradicated in the death of Christ, sin being contained in him, within his humanity, and being eradicated in his own death.
But this is a matter of headship.
They who are under the headship of Adam, remain subject to death, because of sin.
The context reveals the answer. Paul is writing to the church in Rome, aka, the brethren. Those believers who get baptised in the name of Jesus, then share in his victory over sin - partly in this life, fully in the next when we are born again.
What shall we say then? Are we (the brethren) to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2May it never be! How shall we (the brethren) who died to sin still live in it? 3Or do you not know that all of us (the brethren) who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4Therefore we (the brethren) have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we (the brethren) have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we (the brethren) shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old self (of the brethren) was crucified with Him, in order that our (the brethren's) body of sin might be done away with, so that we (the brethren) would no longer be slaves to sin; 7for he (the baptised brethren) who has died is freed from sin.
The life and death of Jesus is for all creation - including all men.
We see several verses that show the foundational reason that God made anything.
All things were created through Him and for Him. Col 1:16, Heb 2:10, 1 Pet 4:11
This is not saying that Jesus created all things, but that without him, nothing would have the purpose intended from the start.
Jesus was the plan from the beginning, foreknown by God to be sent into the world to begin the second phase of creation. Jesus was always going to come, slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8) to redeem a broken creation.
While Genesis says we are made in God's image, this becomes true only in Christ - who is the image of God in EVERY sense! We are in God's image only through him. So the creation that began with Adam is concluded in Christ- the 2nd Adam.
Jesus did die for all men, but until God reveals this truth to people and calls them to repentance (2 Timothy 2:25, 2 Pet 3:9, Rom 2:4) they remain dead in their sin - i.e. uncrucified. Without knowing and accepting Jesus, the 'old man' remains and is not crucified in Christ.
All will have opportunity to know the truth and accept Jesus as the way to the Father and true life - being born again at his return or some other time according to the resurrections.
