>>But, Christ not only died for them - but for the ones who lived prior to His life and the ones who would live after his death.
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>One thing I never understood here is the meaning of "for". Is it "because of", or "appropriate to", or "to benefit", or "in favor of", or "on account of", or "to make possible" or what?
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>Since I haven't heard this in any language other than English, can't really grasp what is that supposed to mean. Specially, "die for" can mean several things - "these chocolates are to die for", "he is guilty and now has to die for it", "I don't care what he says, he's dead for me", "for that, you'd have to die first"... as usual, I'm having lots of trouble with the ambiguity of the English language. So, what does the doctrine actually say? Just don't tell me it's all of that at once.

Here's the quick version...

I believe we are all born sinners (Rom 3:23) and guilty before God. God's punishment for sin is eternal death (Rom 6:23) in a place called Hell. When Christ died on the cross, He took that punishment on Himself (Rom 5:8) for all who had and will trust in Him. By "trust in Him," I mean those who believe that they are sinners - believe that Christ took their punishment for them - turn from a life of sinning and begin living their life in a way that God requires in His word (the Bible.) Those who are trying to be good enough in hopes their good will outweigh their bad are not trusting in Christ - but trusting in themselves.

That's a summary - there is much more that probably could and should be explained. Hope that answers your questions...

Of course, if you have more questions, feel free to ask.