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Universalism
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Hi, I'm Dave DeWitt, and today I'd like to talk about the doctrine called universalism,
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which says everybody goes to heaven. The purpose of this is to demonstrate that the Bible does
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not support the universalist idea that all people eventually go to heaven.
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Questions.org has this definition. Universalism is the belief that everyone will be saved,
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that all people eventually end up in heaven. That's a quote-unquote from gotquestions.org.
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This is the most basic definition of universalism, but it should be noted that Christian universalism
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is not annihilationism, which teaches that unbelievers in hell are eventually or immediately
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burned up, annihilated. Christian universalism is not inconsistent with exclusivism, which says
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Jesus is the only exclusive way to God. Christian universalists are saying all people will
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eventually be in heaven, not that there are many ways to get there. And Christian universalism does
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not necessarily exclude repentance. Otis Ainsworth Skinner reported, quote,
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we do not expect any man will be saved while he continues in sin. The reason why we hold
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to universal salvation is we expect all men will repent, close quote. Universalism is an old idea.
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Roman Catholic author Trent Horn, in criticism of universalism,
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reported this historical note about origin written in the third century, quote,
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it was his view that all human beings will eventually be drawn to God and all things will be
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reconciled to God and no one will be in hell. The church condemned origin's view,
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and they condemned the doctrine of universalism around the year 543.
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Keith DeRose, professor of philosophy at Yale University, says, quote, universalism refers
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to the position that eventually all human beings will be saved and will enjoy everlasting life
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with Christ, close quote. Now, Professor DeRose makes, in my opinion, the most thorough case in
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favor of universalism. So for the most part, I'll be evaluating his explanations. First,
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some basic Bible passages that deny universalism. Daniel 12, 2, many of those who sleep in the dust
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of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
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Matthew 7, 13 and 14, enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad
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that leads to destruction, and the many who enter through the gate is small, and the way is narrow
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that leads to life, and few there are who find it. Matthew 7, 21 to 23, many will say to me that day,
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Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name
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perform many miracles? And I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice
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lawlessness. Matthew 25, 41, you'll say to those on his left, depart from me, the cursed ones,
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into eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. Jude 7, and said,
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just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged
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in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, exhibited as examples of undergoing the punishment
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of eternal life. And then Revelation 20, verse 10, and the devil who has deceived them was thrown
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into the lake of fire and the brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were already,
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and they'll be tormented day and night forever and ever. Now, let's look at some Bible passages
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used in support of universalism. First Corinthians 15, 22, for as in Adam all die,
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so in Christ all will be made alive. Now, here's a Professor DeRose, quote,
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it's very clear, I think, that those who are made alive in Christ are, as it's often put, saved.
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The question is, to whom will this happen? And the passage's answer is, all. This passage says
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that all shall be made alive. How? In Christ, close quote. Well, my answer is, the passage
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is about bodily resurrection of believers. It's not about salvation. Believers are made alive,
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raised from the dead, and given their resurrected bodies at the rapture, 2 Corinthians 4, 14.
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The 1 Corinthians 15, 22 is about the bodily resurrection of believers. Everyone in Christ
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will be made alive, that is, raised from the dead. Consider the verse before and after 1
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Corinthians 15, 22. In verse 21, it says, for since a man came death, by a man also came the
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resurrection of the dead. Verse 23 says, but each in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, after
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that, those who are Christ's at his coming. Verses 21 and 22 tell us that just as in it is certain
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that all died in Adam, it's also certain that all in Christ will be raised from the dead.
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Verse 23 gives the order of resurrection as Christ Jesus, then those who are saved in Christ
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will be raised. Verse 23 is the order of the resurrection as first Jesus Christ, then the
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second, those who come from the rapture of the church. Another passage used in support
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of universalism is Colossians 1, 19 and 20. The verse says, for it was the Father's good pleasure
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for all fullness to dwell in him, and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made
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peace through the blood of his cross. Through him I say whether things on earth or things in heaven.
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Now, Professor DeRose says this, quote, note again the all, show me someone burning in hell,
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and I'll show you someone who has not been reconciled to God. So, show me someone who's
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under divine punishment forever, or who will simply be annihilated, and I'll show you someone
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who's never reconciled to God through Christ, and thus someone who gives the light of the passage,
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unquote. Well, it's a really complicated way of putting it, but anyway, the problem seems to be
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that Professor DeRose does not understand the doctrine of reconciliation and its role in
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salvation. Every human being is reconciled by the cross. The cross of Christ accomplished propitiation,
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satisfying God's wrath against sin. Reconciliation, changing mankind so all people are
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savable. And redemption, paying for our sins. Reconciliation means change. The cross reconciled
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every human being to God. All people are changed in that they are now savable through Christ.
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In 2 Corinthians 5.19, Paul said namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself,
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not counting their trespasses against them. The whole world had been changed so that their sin
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is no longer the issue that separates them from God. Consider two questions. Why do unbelievers
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go to hell? Answer, because they're sinners. They're dead in their trespasses and sin,
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Ephesians 2.1. Now another question. Why do unbelievers not go to heaven? Well, the answer,
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they have not received Jesus Christ their Savior. Their sin is no longer the issue. Christ paid for
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their sin, so faith in Jesus Christ himself is the only issue. Colossians 1.19 and 20 teaches
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a universal reconciliation, not a universal salvation. Another passage used to support
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universalism is Romans 5.18-19. Passage reads, So then as through one transgression there resulted
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condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of
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life to all men. For as through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners,
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even so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. Here's a quote from
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Professor DeRose, quote, For whom will Christ's act of righteousness lead to acquittal, brackets
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common word for justification in bracket, of life and life? Answer, all men. I'm still quoting
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Professor DeRose, that many will be made righteous is perfectly compatible with all
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being made righteous. All dogs are mammals, true or false? Many dogs are mammals, true of course.
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Many and all don't logically exclude each other. Well, my answer is that Romans 5 is about imputed
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sin. We're all sinners because we were born into Adam's sinful human race. Romans 5.18 tells us
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that in spite of our position of condemnation, Christ's act of righteousness made justification
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available to all men. Professor DeRose equates all with many using the logic all dogs are mammals,
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true or false? Many dogs are mammals, true of course. But that does not make his case.
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No one who is intending to say all dogs are mammals would say some dogs are mammals.
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And if they said many dogs are mammals, we would assume that it meant some dogs are not mammals.
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But a lot of them are. Anyway, the all versus many conflict is resolved by simply saying
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many means a large number. A large number of people were condemned in Adam,
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and a large number will be made righteous in Christ. Here's a summary and a conclusion.
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There's definitely a universal component to the biblical doctrine of salvation.
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The universal accomplishments of Christ's death on the cross include a universal
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propitiation, a universal reconciliation, and a universal redemption. Let's just review what
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those are. Universal propitiation is God being satisfied, the wrath of God is satisfied.
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Universal reconciliation, mankind is changed, they're savable. And universal redemption,
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all sins are paid for. But not universal justification. Justification being declared
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right, which is our salvation requires faith in Jesus Christ. There's just no indication
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in scripture that everyone will exercise that faith. The problem the universalists have is
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there's no passage in the Bible which says what they claim. No passage says all people will
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eventually repent. No passage says people go to hell for a while since their sins are paid for,
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and then go to heaven, or until their sins are paid for. No passage says sinners have
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an opportunity to come to Christ after their death. The reality is unbelievers do not want
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to go to heaven. They may want to avoid the suffering in hell, but that does not mean they
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want to be with God. Unbelievers love sin and hate God, His holy character, and its righteous
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applications. C.S. Lewis in 1945 wrote a book called The Great Divorce, which tells the story
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about people in hell who took a bus ride from hell to heaven. And after learning what heaven
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was like, they voluntarily got back on the bus to return to hell. Thank you for listening. A
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longer paper on the subject with the footnotes for the quotes is available on our website
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relationalconcepts.org.
