An Introduction to Messianic Evangelical Universalism (Apocatastasis)
The following is a brief overview of universalism which is treated in more depth in the articles that follow, the register of books, and links to other websites.
A. The Believer's Hope
Universalism or the Apocatastasis is a school of theology focussed around the doctrine of universal reconciliation that all of mankind will, at some point in the future, be saved, rescued and restored into right relationship with Elohim (God). It is our view that this was the doctrine of both the apostles and was the prevailing doctrine of the Messianic Community (Church) for its first 500 years:
"We have our hope set on the living Elohim (God), who is the Saviour of all people ('men'), especially of those who believe" (1 Timothy 4:10, NRSV).
In other words, everyone - "all people" - is/are saved, but true believers (those who trust in the atoning work of Yah'shua the Messiah/Jesus Christ and obey His mitzvot/commandments in the Torah) are "especially" saved, that is to say, they are "chiefly" or "most of all" saved in a special way: they are reconciled to Yahweh in the quickest and most suffering-free way, faster and with less pain than disobedient believers who are themselves, in their turn, reconciled far faster and with far less suffering than the wicked unbelievers. Yet there are different rewards based on the choices made during earth life.
B. The Three Choices Faced by Mankind
This means that there are different types or degrees of salvation based on the choices that mankind makes in mortality:
1. Choices to believe/trust in Messiah for salvation;
2. Choices to obey the mitzvot (commandments) of Torah as evidence of true ahavah (love); and
3. Choices to do good works to bring glory of Yahweh-Elohim and multiply ahavah (love) in all the earth among all people.
Messianic Evangelicals believe that all human beings are eventually saved fromhell but not all at the same time and not all to the same glory, type of resurrection, or eternal rewards.
C. Plural Universalism, a False Doctrine
Unlike non-Christian 'plural universalists', who maintain that all people will be saved by Elohim (God) through whatever religious system they belong to, NCAY - in common with conservative Evangelicals - strongly maintains a doctrine of exclusivism. 'Pluralistic universalism' marginalises Messiah's rôle in salvation and is quite clearly false and therefore unacceptable. Yah'shua (Jesus) alone saves.
It makes a huge difference whether you believe and obey Yah'shua (Jesus) or not - you can't be saved without Him because He is the only way back to the Father (Jn.14:6) - by Him alone is reconciliation with Elohim (God) possible. This therefore excludes all other pretended pathways to salvation. That is what is meant by the doctrine of 'exclusivism', and we make no apology for it.
D. Three Broad Theological Categories of Universalism
'Universalism' is used in three different ways by Christian/Messianic theologians:
1. To describe how the Besorah (Gospel) is not simply for one group of people (e.g. the Jews) but for all tribes, tongues, and nations (Rev.13:7). This kind of universalism is unamibiguously taught in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament), is anticipated in the Tanakh (Old Testament), and is accepted by nearly all Christians and Messianics;
2. To describe how Elohim (God) desires all people to be saved and that Yah'shua (Jesus) was sent to die for each and every person. It does not follow that Elohim (God) will achieve His purpose in saving all, so this view is compatible with with the final damnation of some. This is the majority view within Christendom though it is not shared by all Christians, and would be rejected by those Calvinists who espouse the doctrines of 'election' and 'limited atonement'; and
3. To describe how Elohim (God) will eventually save all individuals. There are, however, a variety of views about universalism, and the liberal, non-exclusivist, non-Christian 'pluralistic universalism' variety has already been named (and obviously rejected).
E. Reconciling Universalism With Exclusivism
How are universalism and exclusivism reconciled? By understanding the clear distinction between two important components of salvation:
1. salvation (deliverance) from; and
2. salvation (deliverance) to.
Also to be considered is the 'how' of salvation and the 'when' of these two components of salvation. Scripture clearly teaches that salvation is differential or graded, that not all are saved at the same time and that not all are punished in fire for the same length of time - or at all if they are the obedient, trusting and loving Bride of Messiah:
"If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Cor.3:12-15, NIV).
In other words, all unrepented sin or dross must be burned out in the next life if it has not been done in this one. Nevertheless, what we are saved to (the glory, rewards) cannot be altered once we have died:
"And it is appointed to men that they must once die (negating reincarnation), and after their death is the judgment; so also the Mashiyach (Messiah, Christ) was once offered; and by Himself, He burned away the sins of [the] many" (Heb.9:27-28, AENT).
F. An 'Orthodox' Evangelical Christian Universalism
Christian Universalists come in all sorts of shapes and sizes but only two, in our view, are seriously worthy of consideration. Those universalists who claim that no one deserves to be damned and that the existence of hell is inconsistent with an Elohim (God) of ahavah (love) find no support in the Bible whatsoever and are rightly branded as heretical.
Before we look further into the Messianic Evangelical position, it is important to state the other most viable option which we shall call Orthodox Evangelical Universalism. The position of this teaching, adhered to by Gregory MacDonald, Keith DeRose, and others, is as follows:
1. The eternal destiny of man is not fixed at death and, consequently, those in hell can repent and throw themselves on the mercy of Elohim (God) in Messiah and thus be saved; and
2. In the end, everyone will do this, however long it takes (The Evangelical Universalist, SPCK: 2008, p.6).
Had it not been for the biblical teaching of multiple resurrections and glories, this probably would have been the Messianic Evangelical position too. As it is, it becomes necessary to incorporate other scriptural concepts into what is an attractive, if over-simplified, idea.
G. Universal Graded (Differentiated) Salvation
Messianic Evangelical Universalism is known as Universal Graded (or Differentiated) Salvation, there being essentially three different glories (spoken of by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:41-42), two chronological resurrections and three qualitative types of resurrection:
1. First resurrection (Bride of Messiah at the beginning of the Millennium) with a glory likened to the brilliance of the sun;
2. Second resurrection A (Torah-disobedient believers at the end of the Millennium) with a glory likened to the brilliance of the moon; and
3. Second resurrection B/'third resurrection' (the unsaved/unbelievers at the end of the Millennium) with a glory likened to the brilliance of the stars at night as seen from earth.
H. Fate of the Wicked
The remedial punishment of Torah-disobedient believers is completed by the end of the Millennium whence they enter into their own glory. The duration of the remedial punishment of the unsaved wicked is of unknown length overall.
There are two important considerations that must be born in mind when it comes to the ultimate redemption of the wicked:
1. A reason many, most, if not all, of the wicked refuse Yah'shua (Jesus) at the deepest levels of their inner being, is the belief that man is his own master and responsible for his own salvation or happiness. The first truth the wicked must realise is that this is a lie and that they require deliverance by means of an external divine agent (Messiah) and that they can never do it themselves, nor any other creature in the universe, including the malakim (angels); and
2. Having realised that they cannot save themselves, they must come to the voluntary, conscious understanding that Yah'shua (Jesus) alone is the only way they can be reconciled with Father, by bending the knee, confessing the sovereignty of the Creator (Is.45:23; Rom.14:11) and begging for deliverance. This realisation, apart from a physical body, apparently takes a long time, presumably because they are not aided by the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) as we are on earth. Once they have realised what their only escape from hell is, and who their Deliverer is, they must make a genuine teshuvah (repentance) for their sins one by one, which also takes a long time, for the same reason (they do not have the contrasts that physical existence affords, nor do they have the mechanism for cleansing offered in physical mortality any longer) and allow Yahweh's fire to do its painful, purifying work. Life in a disembodied state is very different to ours here in mortality and accordingly the working out of salvation is necessarily very arduous. Sin must be burned out of them by the purifying fire of Yahweh a little at a time, a long and particularly painful process, because they spurned the easier method available only in mortality to those who chose to trust and obey.
The wicked have a very long, painful journey ahead of them,
but there is an eventual end to their suffering, for whom Yah'shua (Jesus) died too
I. The Cosmic Jubilee
The final release of the wicked from hell we call the Cosmic Jubilee (a term coined by Dr. Stephen Jones) - the release of all human captives across the entire cosmos. (What happens to Satan and his fallen malakim (angels) or demons at this time is unknown to us, some universalists believing that they too are eventually released (after a considerably longer time and more painful purging than wicked men) and others who believe that they are not and meet a different fate (usually eternal torture or annihilation). Messianic Evangelicals have no definite position on this question though would probably tend, on balance, to favour the former view, for similar reasons given for the final deliverance of human beings. This is a vast and complex subject and likely beyond the full ken on the finite human mind.
J. Satisfied at Last
Hell, therefore, will one day be emptied of the wicked and itself be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed forever (Rev.20:14). The wicked are therefore saved from hell and saved to their own dim and feeble glory likened by Paul to that of the brilliance of the stars, and with which they will be satisfied, having no experience of, and therefore no possible comprehension of, the two higher glories reserved for the disobedient believers and the faithful Bride, respectively.
The hard realisation that the wicked have to come to, without the liberties and benefits accorded to those in mortality, is that they can never save, or atone for, themselves, leading them to finally turn to Messiah as their only exit option, have their sins violently purged out of them, and to thereafter be assigned a permanent, if inferior, place of rest, thus answering to perfect justice, and harmonising with the biblical doctrine of exclusivism.
K. How Long Must the Wicked Wait?
Will the less wicked be delivered and released ahead of the more wicked or will they have to wait for a specific event - the Cosmic Jubilee? And will its coming mark both the emptying of hell and the end of time? There are valid arguments for both points of view. The good news is that, far down the timeline, each soul is finally saved from hell and punishment to their assigned glory (dim though it is) as the required criteria are met. They will, one assumes, be separated from the higher glories and not be able to visit them or their occupants, though the reverse will not necessary be true. Whether there is a possibility of advancement of the lower glory to the higher ones in the eternities is unknown but we presume for now the answer to be in the negative.
L. Salvation and Special Salvation
A very clear distinction is therefore made between those saved in mortality and those who are not. The exclusivism of the former is maintained. In either scenario, the atonement is applied per pro 1 Timothy 4:10 (and other scriptures), all being saved, but believers "especially" or in a "special way", apart from the others, not having to go through centuries or millennia of remedial, purifying punishment.
M. True Justice
In either situation, Yahweh will be vindicated and will be seen to "execute true justice [and] show mercy and compassion" (Zech.7:9a, NKJV) in the same way we are commanded to do to each other, "everyone to his brother" (v.9b).
N. Historical Evidence for Universalism
That universalism was widely held by the vast majority of believers in the first half millennium or the Messianic/Christian age is a well established fact of history which is examined in great depth in Dr.J.W.Hanson's book, Universalism, reproduced on this website in full. Today, as in the first half millennium of the messianic/christian era, there was a wide spectrum of universalist thought though Messianic Evangelicals believe that they have now resolved the differences into a comprehensive, biblical harmony.
The main historical evidence, summarised from Dr.Hanson's book, which is an adaptation of Chapter 23 of the same (A Summary of Conclusions), is as follows:
1. During the First Century the early Messianics/Christians did not dwell on matters of eschatology, but devoted their attention to apologetics; they were chiefly anxious to establish the fact of Messiah's advent, and of its blessings to the world. Possibly the question of destiny was an open one, until Paganism and Judaism introduced erroneous ideas, when the New Testament doctrine of the apokatastasis (reconstitution, restitution, restoration) was asserted, and universal restoration became an accepted belief, as stated later by Clement and Origen (AD 180-230);
2. The Catacombs give us the views of the unlearned, as Clement and Origen state the doctrine of scholars and teachers. Not a syllable is found hinting at the horrors of Augustinianism (the true origin of Calvinism), but the inscription on every monument harmonises with the Universalism of the early fathers;
3. Clement declares that all punishment, however severe, is purificatory; that even the "torments of the damned" are curative. Origen explains even Gehenna as signifying limited and curative punishment, and both, as all the other ancient Universalists, declare that "everlasting" (aionion) punishment, is consonant with universal salvation (see Time). So that it is no proof that other primitive Christians who are less explicit as to the final result, taught endless punishment when they employ the same terms;
4. Like our Master Yah'shua (Jesus) and His Apostles, the early Messianics/Christians avoided the words with which the Pagans and Jews defined endless punishment aidios or adialeipton timoria (endless torment), a doctrine the latter believed, and knew how to describe; but they, the early Messianics/Christians, called punishment, as did our Master, kolasis aionios, meaning discipline, chastisement, of indefinite, limited duration;
5. The early Messianics/Christians taught that Messiah preached the Besorah (Gospel) to the dead (1 Pet.3:19), and for that purpose descended into Hades. Many held that He released all who were in ward. This shows that repentance beyond the grave, perpetual probation, was then accepted, which precludes the modern error that the soul's destiny is decided at death;
6. Prayers for the dead were universal in the early Messianic Community (Church), which would be absurd, if their condition is unalterably fixed at the grave;
7. The idea that false threats were necessary to keep the common people in check, and that the emet (truth) might be held esoterically, prevailed among the earlier Messianics/Christians, so that there can be no doubt that many who seem to teach endless punishment, really held the broader views, as we know the most did, and preached terrors pedagogically;
8. The first comparatively complete systematic statement of Messianic/Christian doctrine ever given to the world was by Clement of Alexandria, AD 180, and universal salvation was one of the tenets;
9. The first complete presentation of Christianity as a system was by Origen (AD 220) and universal salvation was explicitly contained in it;
10. Universal salvation was the prevailing doctrine in Christendom as long as Greek, the predeominantly used language of the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament), was the language of Christendom;
11. Universalism was generally believed in the best centuries, the first three, when Messianics/Christians were most remarkable for simplicity, goodness and missionary zeal;
12. Universalism was least known when Greek, the predominantly used language of the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament) was least known, and when Latin was the language of the Roman Church in its darkest, most ignorant, and corrupt ages;
13. Not a writer among those who describe the heresies of the first three hundred years intimates that Universalism was then a heresy, though it was believed by many, if not by a majority, and certainly by the greatest of the fathers;
14. Not a single creed for 500 years expresses any idea contrary to universal restoration, or in favour of endless punishment;
15. With the exception of the arguments of Augustine (AD 420), there is not an argument known to have been framed against Universalism for at least 400 years after Messiah, by any of the ancient fathers;
16. While the councils that assembled in various parts of Christendom, anathematised every kind of doctrine supposed to be heretical, no ecumenical council, for more than 500 years, condemned Universalism, though it had been advocated in every century by the principal scholars and most revered qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones);
17. As late as AD 400, Jerome says "most people" (plerique), and Augustine "very many" (quam plurimi), believed in Universalism, notwithstanding that the tremendous influence of Augustine, and the mighty power of the semi-pagan secular arm were arrayed against it;
18. The principal ancient Universalists were Messianic/Christian born and reared, and were among the most scholarly and saintly of all the ancient qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones);
19. The most celebrated of the earlier advocates of endless punishment were heathen-born, and led corrupt lives in their youth. Tertullian one of the first, and Augustine, the greatest of them, confess to having been among the vilest;
20. The first advocates of endless punishment, Minucius Felix, Tertullian and Augustine, were Latins, ignorant of Greek, and less competent to interpret the meaning of Greek Scriptures than were the Greek scholars;
21. The first advocates of Universalism, after the Apostles, were Greeks, in whose mother-tongue the New Testament was first translated from Hebrew and Aramaic. They found their Universalism in the Greek Bible. Who should be correct, they or the Latins?
22. The Greek Fathers announced the great emet (truth) of universal restoration in an age of darkness, sin and corruption. There was nothing to suggest it to them in the world's literature or religion. It was wholly contrary to everything around them. Where else could they have found it, but where they say they did, in the Besorah (Gospel)?
23. All ecclesiastical historians and the best Biblical critics and scholars agree to the prevalence of Universalism in the earlier centuries;
24. From the days of Clement of Alexandria to those of Gregory of Nyssa and Theodore of Mopsuestia (AD 180-428), the great theologians and teachers, almost without exception, were Universalists. No equal number in the same centuries were comparable to them for learning and goodness;
25. The first theological school in Christendom, that in Alexandria, taught Universalism for more than 200 years;
26. In all Christendom, from AD 170 to 430, there were six Christian schools. Of these four, the only strictly theological schools, taught Universalism, and but one endless punishment;
27. The three earliest Gnostic sects, the Basilidians, the Carpocratians and the Valentinians (A.D. 117-132) are condemned by Christian writers, and their heresies pointed out, but though they taught Universalism, that doctrine is never condemned by those who oppose them. Irenaeus condemned the errors of the Carpocratians, but does not reprehend their Universalism, though he ascribes the doctrine to them;
28. The first defense of Christianity against Infidelity (Origen against Celsus) puts the defense on Universalistic grounds. Celsus charged the Christians' Elohim (God) with cruelty, because He punished with fire. Origen replied that Elohim's (God's) fire is curative; that he is a "Consuming Fire" because He consumes sin and not the sinner;
29. Origen, the chief representative of Universalism in the ancient centuries, was bitterly opposed and condemned for various heresies by ignorant and cruel fanatics. He was accused of opposing Episcopacy, believing in pre-existence, etc., but never was condemned for his Universalism. The very council that anathematised "Origenism" eulogised Gregory of Nyssa, who was explicitly a Universalist as was Origen. Lists of his errors are given by Methodius, Pamphilus and Eusebius, Marcellus, Eustathius and Jerome, but Universalism is not named by one of his opponents. Fancy a list of Ballou's errors and his Universalism omitted; Hippolytus (AD 320) names 32 known heresies, but Universalism is not mentioned as among them. Epiphanius, "the hammer of heretics", describes 80 heresies, but he does not mention universal salvation, though Gregory of Nyssa, an outspoken Universalist, was, at the time he wrote, the most conspicuous figure in Christendom;
30. Justinian, a half-pagan emperor, who attempted to have Universalism officially condemned, lived in the most corrupt epoch of the Christian centuries. He closed the theological schools, and demanded the condemnation of Universalism by law; but the doctrine was so prevalent in the messianic community (church) that the council refused to obey his edict to suppress it. Lecky says the age of Justinian was "the worst form civilisation has assumed"; and
31. The first clear and definite statement of human destiny by any Christian writer after the days of the Apostles, includes universal restoration, and that doctrine was advocated by most of the greatest and best of the Christian Fathers for the first 500 years of the Messianic/Christian Era.
O. The Historically True Doctrine
Thus a careful study of the early history of the progress of the Messianic/Christian emunah (faith) shows that the doctrine of universal restoration was least prevalent in the darkest, and prevailed most in the most enlightened, of the earliest centuries -- that it was the prevailing and enduring doctrine in the early Messianic Community (Christian Church) of nearly all theological factions. On these grounds alone, universalism is almost certainly to be identified as the true, historical doctrine of the first talmidim (disciples).
P. Developing a New Hermeneutic
Questions about the destiny of mankind raise all sorts of philosophical questions, with the traditional, pagan/Catholic-originated doctrine of eternal torment in hell for the wicked, creating particularly difficult problems about the love and justice of Elohim (God). Whether you believe that Yahweh predestines everything that happens or whether you believe human freedom lies outside His determining power, it is next to impossible to understand why Elohim (God) (according to the Calvinist tradition) would not save everybody and yet deliberately, and mercilessly, condemn millions to eternal torment who had no free agency to choose anything ... or to exterminate them.
Q. Reason vs. Traditional Theology
Faced with such awful doctrines, reason comes into serious conflict with traditional theology, a good reason why many like ourselves have enquired whether traditional Christianity may have seriously misunderstood the implications of biblical theology. The offspring of the traditional doctrine of eternal torture - annihilation - does nor fare much better when so scrutinised.
R. Removing Another Atheist Excuse
Far from encouraging the unsaved to repent, universalism, revealing as it does a greater love of Elohim (God) than traditionalism, removes yet one more excuse of atheists like Bertrand Russel for remaining in their atheism, and may well have helped prevent devoted believers, like evangelist Charles Templeton, from abandoning their faith had they known about it:
"There is one very serious defect to my mind in Christ's moral character, and that is that he believed in hell. I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in eternal punishment" (Bertrand Russel, Why I am Not a Christian, 1957).
S. A Grand Theological Narrative
What tests must a universalist theology pass to count as biblical? It is the thesis of universalists like ourselves, and of evangelical theologian Gregory MacDonald who did the groundwork (see The Evangelical Universalist), that the theology of Paul's epistle to the Colossians provides the contours of a grand theological narrative that has a universalist ending, a framework within which the rest of the Bible can be appropriated.
Messianic Evangelicals assert that universalism is a valid hermeneutic or mode of scriptural interpretation that provides a biblical-theological context which makes sense of all individual passages about the fate of mankind - about judgment, hell, and salvation - and not just selections thereof.
T. Tricky Passages for Universalists
Two of the most horrific hell passages in the Bible, in the Book of Revelation, at first glance, seem to present a serious challenge to universalism, yet this whole book presupposes a theology which is universalist, and the two passages in question can be interpreted in ways compatible with universalism.
U. The Problem of Evil and a Theology of Hope
The existence, and awfulness, of hell is affirmed and is compatible with the idea that it is a temporary fate from which all can, and ultimately will, be saved. The problem of evil is made significantly easier seen through a universalist rather than a traditional lens. There are major pastoral benefits, universalism yields a theology of hope, of divine ahavah (love) and chesed (mercy), and presents a vision of the victory of Elohim (God) that has significant advantages over the harsh traditonalist view that took its principle form thanks to Augustine and Calvin. Indeed, 'exclusivist universalism' accentuates the love and grace of Elohim (God) without diminishing the severity of His wrath. It lifts the saving work of Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) to new heights without losing sight of judgment. Finally, it inspires a new understanding of worship and provides the heartfelt devotion to our Heavenly Father, which the doctrines of eternal torment and annihilation inevitably detract from.
V. Some Important Scriptures on Universalism
There are many universalist scriptures in the Bible but for the purpose of this introduction we shall initially focus on only a few.
"For as in Adam all [human beings] die, even so in Messiah (Christ) all [human beings] shall be made alive" (1 Cor.15:22, NKJV).
There can be no mistaking who or what "all" herein means - everyone or all human beings in existence, past, present and future. There can be no debate about that: the good, the bad, and the ugly' "shall be made alive" in exactly the same way that all men spiritually and physically died when Adam fell - spiritually, by being separated from Elohim (God), and physically in that he became mortal. It would take some extraordinarily linguistic acrobatics to make this passage mean anything else. A cynic might argue that being "made alive" simply means to stand judgment and, if unsaved, be tortured forever. But the surrounding context of this verse makes it clear what such a phrase means, namely, that those who are "made alive" in Messiah are, as it's often put, "saved." The question being asked by Paul is: 'To whom will this happen?' And his answer is categorically "All" - everyone!
A point of grammar, which holds for the Greek as well as our English translations, has been pointed out by MacDonald: The grammatical function of "in Messiah (Christ)" here is not to modify or limit the "all". The passage does not say, "...so also shall all who are in Messiah (Christ) be made alive." If it said that, the case of universalism would clearly be weakened. Rather, "in Messiah" is an adverbial phrase that modifies the verb "shall be made" or perhaps the whole clause, "shall all be made alive." Thus, this passage says that all shall be made alive. How? In Messiah.
"For it pleased the Father that in Him (Messiah/Christ) all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made shalom (peace) through the blood of His cross" (Col.1:19-20, NKJV).
Once again, the word "all" is prominent. As Keith DeRose puts it:
"Show me someone burning in hell, and I'll show you someone who's not yet been reconciled to God. So, show me someone who's under divine punishment forever, or who is simply annihilated, and I'll show you someone who's never reconciled to God through Christ, and thus someone who gives the lie to the passage" (Universalism and the Bible: The Really Good News
'All' is 'all' (everyone) in Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew and our own English language. Fortunately there are more than two witnesses, the Torah requiring that "every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses" (2 Cor.13:1, NIV; cp. Dt.17:6; 19:15; also Mt.18:16; 1 Tim.5:19; Heb.10:28).
Therefore, as through one man's offensejudgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience [the] many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience [the] many will be made righteous" (Rom.5:18-19, NKJV).
This is the same message as given in 1 Timothy 4:10 earlier:
"We have our hope set on the living Elohim (God), who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe" (NRSV).
The first of these two verses in Romans 5:18-19 makes the point clear:
"Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness led to justification and life for all" (v.18, NRSV)
For whom will Yah'shua's (Jesus') act of righteousness lead to acquittal and chayim (life)? Yet again, "all" (and "especially...those who believe"). As DeRose points out:
"Show me someone who never enjoys acquittal and life, and I'll show someone for whom Christ's act of righteousness didn't lead to acquittal and life, and thus someone who lives the lie to this verse" (Ibid.)
The word "many" in verse 19 is used by eternal torturists and annhilationists to cast doubt on the meaning of "all". However, verse 19 neither takes away the universal power of verse 18 nor does it negate it (which would make scripture self-contradictory). DeRose explains:
"First, a point of logic: That many will be made righteous is perfectly compatible with all being made righteous. All dogs are mammals. True or false: Many dogs are mammals? True, of course. It may sound strange to say that many dogs are mammals, but it's true for all that: It's even stranger to deny that many dogs are mammals. "Many" and "all" don't logically exclude each other. But this point of logic is pretty barren. To say that many dogs are mammals, while it doesn't strictly imply that fewer than all dogs are mammals, it does suggest that fewer than all are - which probably explains why saying that many dogs are mammals sounds so strange. ("Why did he say 'many' rather than 'all'? Wouldn't he have said 'all' if he thought they were all mammals?") Likewise, one could plausibly claim that while v.19 doesn't strictly imply that fewer than all will be made righteous, it does strongly suggest this. Reply: But even the suggestion of fewer than all disappears when we look at the NIV's translation of v.19. The NIV translates as follows: "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (Rom.5:19, NIV)".
The key difference between the translations is the KJV's, NKJV's and RSV's "many" and the NIV's, ESV's and NRSV's "the many", the latter three being more up-to-date translations. DeRose comments:
"To say that the many will be made righteous, while it doesn't imply that all will be made righteous, neither does it imply, nor even suggest, that fewer than all will be. In fact, v.19, translated the NIV's way, especially following on the heels of 18, seems to suggest, if anything, a positive answer to the question of whether all are covered, turning v.19 from something that counts a bit against a universalist reading of v.18 to a verse which, if anything, reinforces the universalist implications of v.18. My experts have informed me that the original Greek here is like the NIV, and unlike the RSV, in that there is not even a suggestion carried by 19 that fewer than all will be made righteous. It's no doubt in response to such considerations that the revision of the RSV, the NRSV, follows the NIV in using "the many" rather than "many." (But it was worth first presenting the RSV translation because many use English translations of the Bible, which, like the RSV, employ the inferior translation of this phrase.)"
Richard H.Bell argues:
"Paul does in fact support a universal salvation in Rom[ans] 5:18-19. Such an understanding is supported by both the context and by a detailed study of these verses" ('Rom 5:18-19 and Universal Salvation' in New Testament Studies (Vol.48: 2002, pp.417-432).
W. An Unmerited Fear
The great fear - and the word 'fear' is the operative word here - of the proponents of eternal torture and annihilation is that the doctrine of universal salvation will simply cause the wicked to conclude that it does not matter whether they get saved or not, and so incline them to procrastinate and postpone their salvation.
We do not agree. Hell and unspeakable suffering will still await them so the story is no less horrendous. Greater to be feared is the method used by Calvinists et al to frighten sinners into heaven. True salvation must first and foremost be on the basis of ahavah (love), not slavish fear, for they will otherwise of necessity be convinced against their will to some degree and never understand the true and upbuilding fear of Yahweh. Terror as a weapon of conversion was never the true Christian way. Those converted by anything other than divine ahavah (love) may be said not to have met the true Elohim (God).
X. The Merits of Universalism
In conclusion, much may be said about the theological and practical merits or benefits of universalism:
1. It makes the problem of evil less difficult;
2. It enables us to hold together important biblical teachings that pull apart when one holds to a traditional view of hell;
3. It adds an inspirational dimension to our ecclesiology, worship, and mission; and
4. It has significant pastoral benefits.
Y. Conclusion
Athough the doctrine of eternal damnation for the unsaved (i.e. the vast majority of mankind) has prevailed until now, thanks to Augustine (in the Catholic Church) and John Calvin (in the majority of Protestant Churches), its supplanting is long overdue and is a necessary part of the end-time restoration, being reserved for our own day which are the "times of restoration of all things, which Elohim (God) has spoken by the mouth of all His qadosh (holy, set-apart) nevi'im (prophets) since the world began" (Acts 3:21, NKJV).
That time is now upon us.
When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One (Yahweh) who put all things in subjection under Him, so that Elohim (God) may be all in all" (1 Cor.15:28, NRSV).
(10 August 2018)
#SM011
SOME BIG NAME UNIVERSALISTS
Gregory of Nyssa* |
Clement of Alexandria |
Origen of Alexandria |
Theodore of Norwich |
John Enugena |
The Quakers |
The Moravians |
Some Baptists |
George Whitfield |
George MacDonald |
Hans Urs von Balthasar |
William Barclay |
Madaleine L'Engle |
Brian LacLaren |
Robin Perry |
Jerry Walls |
Jürgen Mottmann |
Karl Barth
*Chair of the Committeee of the Nicean Creed
Articles on the Apocatastasis or Universal Salvation
Key: Art=Article | FAQ=Frequently Asked Question | Sc=Science | St=Sermonette | Occ=Occult | OB=Olive Branch | PCM=Patriarchal Christian Marriage | NCCM=New Covenant Christian Ministries | Sab=Sabbath | Sal=Salvation | 5Com=Five Commissions | AI=Apostolic Interviews | HO=Holy Order
Recommended Books on Universal Salvation
Recommendation of these books does not automatically imply acceptance of all the authors' theological or doctrinal conclusions, beliefs, etc.
1. Ed. Robin A. Parry & Christopher H. Partridge, Universal Salvation? The Current Debate (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan: 2003) 2. Gregory MacDonald, The Evangelical Universalist: The Biblical Hope That God's Love Will Save Us All (SPCK, London: 2008) 3. Dr.J.W.Hanson, DD, Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church During Its First 500 Years (Boston & Chicago Universalist Publishing House: 1899) - see NCAY online version below or click title above 4. Thomas Talbott, The Inescapable Love of God (Universal Publishers: 1999)
5. Philip Gulley & James Mulholland, If Grace Is True, Why God Will Save Every Person (Harper One: 2003) 6. Rob Bell, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived (Harper One: 2011) 7. Kalen K. Fristad, Destined for Salvation: God's Promise to Save Everyone (2003) 8. Robert Wild, A Catholic Reading Guide to Universalism (2015) 9. Jerry Walls, Purgatory: The Logic of Total Transformation (2011) 10. Anthony Johnson, The Larger Hope: Scriptural Evidence for the Ultimate Salvation of All People (2014) 11. Ivan Rogers, Judas Iscariot: Revisited and Restored (2008) 12. Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God, unedited version* (1988) 13. Sharon L. Baker, Raising Hell: Rethinking Everything You've Been taught About God's Wrath and Judgment (2010) 14. Andrew Jukes, The Restitution of All Things (2018) 15. Thomas Allin, Christ Triumphant: Universalism Asserted as the Hope of the Gospel on the Authority of Reason, the Fathers, and Holy Scripture (2015) 16. Charles Slagle, Absolute Assurance in Jesus Christ: Four Views of the Good News of Jesus Christ (1998) 17. Robert Evely, At the End of the Ages: The Abolition of Hell (2003) 18. Gerry Beauchemin, Hope Beyond Hell (2006) 19. Gary Amirault, Hope for All Generations and Nations (2011) 20. William P. Young, The Shack (2008) 21. David Lowes Watson, God Does Not Foreclose: The Universal Promise of Salvation (1990) 22. Jacob Israel, The Calling: A Voice in the Dead Woods (2008) 23. John Van Tuyl, Salted With Fire: A Gift for the Body of Christ (2008) 24. Michael Wood, The Jerome Conspiracy (2010) 25. Brian D. McLaren, The Last Word and the Word After That: A Tale of Faith, Doubt, and a New kind of Christianity, Vol.3 (2008) 26. Bishop Carlton Pearson, The Gospel of Inclusion: Reaching Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to the True Love of God and Self (2009) 27. Jan Bonda, The One Purpose of God: An Answer to the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment (1998) 28. Ken R. Vincent, The Golden Thread: God's Promise of Universal Salvation (2005) 29. Dr. Boyd C. Purcell, Spiritual Terrorism: Spiritual Abuse from the Womb to the Tomb (2008) 30. Mark T. Chamberlain & Thomas Allin, Every Knee Shall Bow (2004) 31. Walter W. Williams, Love Without Limit: A Personal Journey to the Heart of God (2004) 32. Phillip Gulley & James Mulholland, If Grace is True: Why God Will Save Every Person (2010) 33. Doug Frank, A Gentler God (2010)
*Be sure to get the original version (first edition) with the unedited last three chapters
Hanson's book on Universalism that follows, establishes beyond any reasonable doubt, that the doctrine of the first believers was universalist.
"The traditional position [is]...that Elohim (God) will be in all despite the damnation...of many of His creatures...[T]he universalist asserts: 'The Elohim (God) I believe in, the Elohim (God) I see in Messiah (Christ), could not be all in all in these conditions: such victory could not be the victory of the Elohim (God) of ahavah (love)'" (J.A.T.Robinson, In the End God: A Study of the Christian Doctrine of the last Things, 1950, p.12).
