The Heresy of Universal Salvation, Part 3
It's important for Christians to fully understand this popular heresy.
Universal Salvation(1) not only requires disbelief in God’s Word, and a mockery of justice, it requires a low view of God.
God is perfect, holy, glorious.
Mankind is fallen (Romans 3:23), worthless (Romans 3:12), deserving death (Romans 6:23).
Do people believe in Universal Salvation because they have a deep love for mankind, or do they simply have a high view of man and a low view of God?
When we say a good God could not send anyone to hell, we’re saying our appraisal of goodness is better than God’s appraisal in Scripture. We're saying our finite wisdom is greater than His infinite wisdom.
Instead of being shocked God sends men to Hell, we should be shocked He allows any of us in heaven!
How can we look on the suffering of Christ and expect Him to save those who reject, ignore, or mock Him their whole lives on earth?
We have sinned against a perfect, holy, God of love, yet He offers us salvation in His Son (John 5:24).
How can we possibly think He owes us more than that?
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(1) The belief that all men will be saved whether they believe in Christ or not. Please see: Part 1: Hoping All Men Will Be Saved Is a Sign of Unbelief and Part 2: Hoping All Men Will Be Saved Is a Mockery of Justice
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"How can we look on the suffering of Christ and expect Him to save those who reject, ignore, or mock Him their whole lives on earth?". This is so true. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI like to post to Twitter also but it seems that button doesn't work
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry, Vincent, I'm having trouble with several of the share buttons and I'm working on it. You can copy the url and share it that way, but you're right, the buttons aren't working right.
DeleteHis ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thought. From Isaiah 55 Our God will bring justice, He with correct all wrongs. He died to put an end to all evil. He has overcome as the Victor. He has defeated sin and death. He loves us all that much, more than we can imagine.He is the Savior of the world as Scrpture says. He is worthy of all praise and glory. We will love Him with all our hearts minds and souls.
ReplyDeleteI am a Christain Universalist. God is Love, may we learn to love as He first loved us.
DeleteYou've tackled another current issue with resounding biblical truths, keep it up, we need more prophets like you!
ReplyDeleteOften we don’t really THINK when possibly saying we’re hope all men will be saved’? It is also so true that too many of us even having received His gift of salvation presumes the entitlement of heaven and even boast about it. If we truly understand it is a GIFT, our posture would demonstrate it. But, I have sometimes come upon this statement and not mockingly said. ‘I didn’t ask to be created to be in this world...’ how would you respond? Thank you
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting response. I can't say I've ever had anyone say that to me, but I'm sure others feel the same.
DeleteI guess I would ask them if they wished they were never born? And I would listen to their answer and try to move forward from there. I doubt very many people would say they wish they'd never been born. And in some ways, I guess by answer would be the same whether they were glad to be born or not.
I would tell them the decision was God's, not theirs and not mine. And I would say that His desire in having me born was to give me the gift of eternal life in paradise, and that's His desire for them as well.
And I would explain that even though they didn't have the choice to be born into this short earthly existence they do have the choice where they will spend eternity.
And I would tell them I'm glad that I was born and I'm even glad for the hardships in my life because they have taught me valuable lessons. But the main reason I'm glad I'm born is because I've come to know the love of God.
But there may be better responses. That's just off the top of my head.
I'd love to hear from any other readers how they would answer this question.
Hello Gail
ReplyDeleteI just want you to know I find your bible love notes to be a blessing to me.
Thanks, Vinny. I appreciate the encouragement.
DeleteI'm following your Biblical notes from Austria. I find them constructive in my christian faith ! Best with the Living Creator J. Christ :) !
DeleteSo glad they are helpful! May God continue to bless your faith in Him.
DeleteWhy would God create Hell if no one is to go there? God creates everything for a purpose...No, I don't believe that Hell is a place where people burn for all eternity. Hell just means that those who choose evil will at some point be blotted out of existence...It will be (for them) as if they never existed at all. That is, indeed, eternal punishment although they will not be conscious of it...And they will never exist again, they will NEVER know God , never love anyone again or be loved, never know eternal life and the untold blessings that God will continually give to those that overcame this world....In other words, we are all going to have an eternity , even the people who delighted in evil. Theirs will be an eternity of nothing, while those who make it into God's Kingdom will know abundant life and joy FOREVER! Everyone has a destiny and we each choose that destiny while we are here on earth ...THAT is the purpose of life here!
ReplyDeleteHI Ozzpod,
DeleteYou believe in "Annihilationism."
While I do not believe Scripture supports this view, it isn't the serious heresy of universalism.
I believe genuine believers can hold the view of Annihilationism but I don't believe genuine believers can hold the view of universalism because it requires that they deny major teachings of Scripture.
But let me offer Scriptural reasons I could not believe in Annihilationism. I've capitalized words because this comment program doesn't allow me to bold or underline, so I'm not angry ☺
Matthew 25:46: And these will go away into ETERNAL punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9:He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with EVERYLASTING destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
Jude 1:7: In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of ETERNAL fire.
Revelation 20:10: and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night FOREVER and ever.
The people who are punished have to pay back everything "what is due to him". (Matthew 18:34, Luke 12:59), which is never, because we can never pay back what is due to Him.
DeleteTherefore, Annihilationism has a low view of Gods justice.
Universal Reconciliation is a far cry from heresy. Over and over the Bible states that Jesus is the Savior of ALL men, that He desires ALL to be saved AND scripture is very clear that nothing will thwart His plans and purposes. HELL is a fabrication of man that came on the theological scene after Jerome translated the Bible in Latin. Tertullian latched onto it and Augustine/Constantine marketed it to the world. Bottom line is that God is LOVE and in Him is no darkness at all. His LOVE is greater than any parent on earth, and believe me no good parent on earth would send their rebellious errant child into eternal conscious torment forever.
ReplyDeleteIf a person has the belief that man's translation of the Bible, especially the KJV, is flawless, then the conversation is a mute point. But, when a person personally experiences the love of God and walks with that LOVE on a regular basis, the floodgates of understanding that passes knowledge opens up. The restoration of ALL things is a Biblical term....look it up.
Hi Gary,
DeleteMen have long questioned the concept of hell, but it's something we all deserve. What we should question is heaven, something we don't deserve.
According to Universal reconciliation, a man who unrepentantly rapes and tortures small children his whole life without consequences or remorse, will get into heaven after he dies and finally realizes who Christ is.
That doesn't reflect the love or justice of the Lord as I see it reflected in Scripture.
I'm not sure what you mean about the KJV because you don't need to read the KJV to fully understand the concept of Hell in Scripture, nor is the KJV my preferred translation.
If you are interested, I have a series of posts about the errors of universal salvation which you will find in the "Bible Love Notes Archive" (see blue band on the top of the blog) and under the image called "Heresy: Universal Salvation"
Lastly, Gary, I find it interesting that you talk of personally experiencing the love of God, yet you judge me as not experiencing that love because I don't agree with you. And you end your comment by saying "look it up" as if I haven't done my homework.
I fell in love with my Savior and turned my life over to Jesus when I was 23 in 1974. I have never been the same since that time. Jesus has brought me through thick and thin, though physical, emotional, and relationship suffering and trials. I've served as a missionary in Hungary for 5 years. I deeply enjoy God's Word and have studied it extensively for over 45 years. I have a Masters degree from seminary, but I don't think that's necessary to understand the concept of Hell.
I have also thoroughly studied the teachings of universalism and universal reconciliation. I've heard all the arguments about Jesus referring to garbage dumps. I've read the explanations of how 6 Scriptures in the Bible refute scores of other Scriptures in the Bible.
I'm not personally offended by your condescension because I face it almost daily in comments, but I think it's good to address it so you and others will consider that you are writing your comments to a human being.
How do you explain away "Revenge is mine, sayeth the Lord" and many other passages in the bible that clearly state there are consequences to sin? Jesus said "repent and believe in me " and he shall be saved. Do you really believe that someone who has no bellief whatsoever in God and does whatever the hell they want their whole life without any regard as to who they hurt, is going to receive the the exact same fate as someone that never hurt anybody intentionally and did their best to lead a decent life? Do you REALLY believe that??? If that was the case, then every single human should be out there doing whatever they want to person and property. There are no consequences according to you. And WHY would God allow the mere mention of the word 'Hell' in his bible that is , after all, suppose to be the inspired word God? Why would God even create a HELL, if He knew that ALL were going to be saved by His son, Jesus Christ? It just doesn't make any sense to believe the way you do. Even Christ Himself talked about Hell. Why would He come to Earth and go through all that He did if humans had salvation already? If you're teaching universal salvation, you're a very dangerous man to anyone who listens and you convince to believe the way you do. Personally, I think you're working for Satan and not God...God even warned us about people like you.
ReplyDeleteHi Ozzpod,
DeleteYou are correct that eternal punishment is clearly explained in Scripture.
I don't believe that genuine believers can believe in universal salvation, the belief that everyone, pagans, Satanists, atheists, and every other person will be saved.
Universal Reconciliation is a bit different in that it believes the same but says Jesus is the only one who can save.
I think it's possible for genuine believers to believe in universal reconciliation for several reasons: 1. They are baby Christians who don't know what Scripture teaches. 2. They have been heavily persuaded by false teachings and have closed their minds to anything else.
The first group will eventually come to know the truth, but they are still saved in their ignorance if they believe the other truths of the Gospel.
The second group is probably made up of genuine and false Christians. It depends on their hearts. Are they simply lazy followers who don't check out things for themselves? Are they trying to justify their ungodly behavior or ungodly behavior of loved ones? Have they read the scores of passages that clearly explain eternal punishment but don't care? Or have they simply followed the false teaching without checking it out?
God knows their hearts and He'll judge them accordingly.
People are always asking what the meaning of life is...Why are we all here? Well, the answer to that burning question is just a bible away for those who can take the time and bother to pick up a bible every once in awhile. Never mind that steamy book on the New York Times Best Seller list, or the latest bio on some stupid celebrity. Those kind of books CAN'T and WON'T save you from eternal damnation. So, what IS the purpose of life?...To get right with God and to believe in your savior Jesus Christ. A lot of people believe, for whatever reasons, that that really isn't that important, when actually it is THE most important thing you can do. Your eternal destiny depends on it. As we all know, life on this earth is very short, so don't keep putting off a relationship with God . GET RIGHT TO IT! We also all know that none of us, even the young, are promised a tomorrow, so, don't let the true meaning of this life pass you by. Get to know God, before it's too late.
ReplyDelete