In this magnum opus, Michael McClymond tells a different story, one that exposes universalism's extraordinary historical breadth and complexity. This is a page-turner that both sides will have to read. 15:3-4). Furthermore, if v 17 is so easily permitted to modify v 18b, why can this not apply in reverse? Sin is rebellion against God. The group affected by Christ’s righteousness is pardoned and receives life. For a positive assessment see Esteban Deák, APOKATASTASIS: The Problem of Universal Salvation in Twentieth-Century Theology (Ph.D. If Abraham was considered righteous apart from the Law (outside of the Law), then salvation cannot be restricted to those under the Law. It could, of course, be argued that all will eventually “call upon the name of the Lord.” It is beyond our intention to engage in the debate on the concept of apokatastasis. The plain reading of this text seems inescapable; whomever Paul sees as affected by Adam’s sin is also affected by Christ’s act of righteousness. The Severity of Universal Salvation. Consider Origen’s gloss on the “eternal fire” of which Jesus warns in Matthew 25:41. In 1978, Biblical scholar Richard Bauckham offered an academic survey of the history of universal salvation. —Origen, De principiis 2.9.8. In Christian theology, universal reconciliation (also called universal salvation, Christian universalism, or in context simply universalism) is the doctrine that all sinful and alienated human souls—because of divine love and mercy—will ultimately be reconciled to God. One of the more prominent doctrines in systematic theology is the doctrine of “inherited sin.”2 A great deal of speculation has taken place regarding the cause, transmission/imputation and consequences of inherited sin. And in 4:16 we read, “That is why it depends upon faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all (panti) his descendants—not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all (pantōn).”40. The gospel is the good news of our reconciliation from the death of sin to eternal life in Christ. As Christians, our gratitude should show in everything we do, and Christ should be first in our life. The origin of the word sacrament is from the Greek mysterion, which is translated into two Latin terms, mysterium and sacramentum, where "sacramentum emphasizes the visible sign of the hidden reality of salvation which was indicated by the term mysterium. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1981), 147-48. Featured Image: Workshop of Master of the Biberach Holy Kinship, The Last Judgment, 1520; Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Avec l'aimable autorisation du Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon). We should read 5:12-21 in light of 1:16-17, 3:21-26, and 10:11-3 and not under the influence of some external consideration. For discussion of the relevant Jewish literature, see e.g. The 70 occurrences of pas in Romans seem to fall into three basic categories: a. all—denoting every single component of the group (without exception). Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Contrary to Bauckham, it is unknown which view (of endless hell, annihilation, or correctional hell) was most prevalent in the early Church. God’s gracious salvation is not restricted; it is universal. 4. As well, the Epistle to the Colossians receives attention,[2] with Colossians 1:17-20 reading: "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Mara, MacDonald’s Marian figura, receives Lilith into her home this night, and there the wicked queen is finally made to repent. Salvation is a gift of God to His people from beginning to end. 10:11-13), we should read “all men” in the sense of all men without ethnic distinction, that is, Jews and Gentiles alike. In chapter 13, Rohr reads universal meanings of salvation into passages like Romans 8:3, Hebrews 2:19 and 7:28, and Philippians 3:9-12, 21. Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote a small book addressing the virtuous hope for universalism, as well as its origin in Origen, Dare We Hope "That All Men Be Saved"?. In the same way in the long circuits of time, when the evil of nature which is now mingled and implanted in them has been taken away, whensoever the restoration to their old condition of the things that now lie in wickedness takes place, there will be a unanimous thanksgiving from the whole creation, both of those who have been punished in the purification and of those who have not at all needed purification. It is a sometimes spoken but often tacit assumption that punishment, if it be truly just, must bear no final assurance of pardon; that, to render the same point in a slightly more metaphysical guise, negativity is not really possible in the presence of closure. Those who see inherited sin in view appeal to v 18, “Then as one man’s trespass leads to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men.”16 Here it seems even more clearly stated that Adam’s sin is the cause of condemnation for all men; therefore, it would seem, some idea of inherited sin must be in mind for Paul to make this statement. But it is the harrowing thirty-ninth chapter of Lilith: A Romance which offers the most vivid narration I have read of the Origenian account of eschatological judgment sketched above. 2. it is salvation. This reign of death, says Stott, must be due to the sin of Adam, since sin was not reckoned apart from the law. On the contrary, there is good reason to think that apokatastasis, the term of art for universal salvation in Origen of Alexandria and his heirs, entails a concept of judgment just as exacting, just as rigorous, and every bit as righteous as the sort of purely punitive punishment on offer in any version of the doctrine of eternal damnation. Salvation is an act of God upon a specific individual person, one at a time. As Adam was the initiator of the age of sin and death, so Christ is the initiator of the age of righteousness and life.27 While there is a great deal of insight in this suggestion and undoubtedly an equal measure of truth, it still does not entirely satisfy the language of vv 18-19. The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. The great irony, of course, is that the self to which one must die is only ever a shadow-self, an elaborate fiction we contrive to avoid recognizing our true identity hidden away in God’s wisdom from eternity. In 1843, the Universalist Rev J. M. Day published an article "Was John Wesley a Restorationist?" If 18a means all men without exception, then it seems 18b must as well. He believes the original message of Jesus was a universal salvation and that the church later turned it into individualized salvation due to dualistic thinking, which he repeatedly denounces. Children's author Madeleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time) was an advocate of universalism, which led several Christian retail outlets to refuse to stock her books. and ed. [3] One need only revisit any great work of tragedy to be reminded that suffering a fate fashioned by one’s own hands is far more painful than enduring the blows of a blind providence. By faith we have peace with God (5:1), access to this grace (5:2) and the hope of glory (5:2). For the Christ of whom Origen and Gregory speak demands nothing less of sinful creatures than the perfection of their Father in heaven. Because the sinless Son of God paid that price, God now can (Rom. The mistake, then, is not the commonsensical assumption that sin cannot go unpunished, but rather the presumption that classical Christian arguments in favor of a universal salvation lack a clear concept of judgment. It is interesting to note that Stott, who wishes to modify v 18b on the basis of v 17, elsewhere affirms, “it is a right principle of interpretation that the same phrase in the same context bears the same meaning (Romans, 170, emphasis added). There are many passages like this throughout Origen’s corpus—compiling a florilegium of them would be no less sobering than instructive—and they each point up a concept of judgment fundamentally ordered to freedom, and a concept of freedom finally ordered to beatitude. However not all will accept this offer and the result is that they will be lost. 2 Chr 6:29]; Sir 8:19; cf. James D. G. Dunn, Romans 1-8 (WBC 38A; Dallas, TX: Word, 1988), 272; J. Cambier, “Péchés des Hommes et Péché d’Adamen Rom. In place of truth, man's enemy, Satan, presents wrong teachings, doubts and reasonings. 25 His comments in 9:1-3 would seem to be meaningless if Paul thought in terms of universal salvation (without exception). 5 See the detailed argument advanced by Punt, Universal Good News 9-20. Romans 5:12 reads, “Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned.”10 The Augustinian reading of eph hō “in whom” (cf. Arminianism and Quaker doctrine received much attention, but Christian universalism was still a fringe phenomenon in terms of scholarly thinking at the time.[2]. "Peter Bohler, one of the Moravian brethren, in order to make out universal redemption, lately frankly confessed in a letter that all the damned souls would hereafter be brought out of hell. Its message is based on the Bible. In the past (9:6-33) as in the present (11:1-10), only a remnant is preserved and only a remnant will experience vindication. 8. Instead, therefore, what I wish to attend—what I would like to tarry with a bit longer than we normally do when the topic of universal restoration is raised—is the unsung severity of the judgment that all shall be saved. Such claims have always been controversial. 9–11. The use of this phrase in Paul frequently denotes similarity of means or manner.21 Thus in Rom 5:18 Paul’s comparison of the results of henos paraptōmatos (one offense) and henos dikaiōmatos (one righteous act) would require that they be applied through similar means or manner. Here, it is argued, Paul makes it clear that it is those who “receive the free gift” who also “live.” Therefore, it is maintained, v 18b must be read in light of v 17. 9 Erickson, Christian Theology, 631 (although he also speaks of the “conditional imputation of guilt” [p. 639]); Grudem, Systematic Theology, 494-96; Porter, “Pauline Concept of Original Sin,” 18-30. In 1:18-32 Paul shows how the Gentile is guilty before God. (He would read his Origen, of course.) [6] To outlast through longsuffering every attempt to outwit the realization of God’s kingdom—this is the true character of divine infinity. Popes Vigilius, Pelagius I (556–61), Pelagius II (579–90), and Gregory the Great (590–604) were aware only that the Fifth Council specifically dealt with the Three Chapters, and they neither mentioned Origenism or Universalism and nor spoke as if they knew of its condemnation even though Gregory the Great was opposed to the belief of universalism. Jesus Christ: The Primordial Sacrament Dennis Raymond P. Maturan College of the Holy Spirit July 2003. to open a clinched fist. But, Mara warns, indignation sheds “not the tears of repentance!” For “[s]elf-loathing is not sorrow,” even if “it is good, for it marks a step in the way home.”[10] Lilith is not saved until she acknowledges the goodness her sins have deprived, until she rights the wrongs her wayward will has wrought. Those who argue for Universalism construct the argument as follows: If all who receive life receive the gift (v 17), and “all men” receive life (v 18b), then “all men” receive the gift. Moo, Romans, 321-28. Since all were once in the same boat, a boat destined for destruction, no one should presume to be better than another. Those few scholars who do argue that Origen believed in both moral autonomy and universal salvation either do not know how to reconcile these . 4:11-12). Paul finishes this section with an important comment, “for God has consigned all men to disobedience, that He may have mercy upon all men” (tous pantas, 11:32). [22][23], According to Daley, Origen was firmly convinced that "all human souls will ultimately be saved" and "united to God forever in loving contemplation" and that this is "an indispensable part of the “end” promised by Paul in I Cor 15.24–28." All who believe, whether they be Jew or Gentile, are saved by the power of the gospel. See e.g. 44 Other examples include pantes anthrōpoi Wis 13:1; pantōn anthrōpōn Num 16:29; 2 Macc 7:34; 4 Macc 1:11; Sir 44:23; Rom 12:17, 18; 1 Cor 15:19; 2 Cor 3:2; 1 Tim 2:1; 4:10; pasin anthrōpois Phil 4:5; 1 Thess 2:15; Titus 2:11; pantas anthrōpous Isa 53:3; pantas anthrōpous 3 Macc 3:18; 7:6; 1 Tim 2:4; Titus 3:2. Rather, we will merely state our conclusion and present cursory evidence that Paul does not teach a universal salvation in the absolute sense. And as long as one is unsettled on this very important truth, doubts and fears are bound to hinder that soul's peace and happiness. As we reported last month, the Jews are demanding that the Pope say that Jesus Christ is not the savior.. Basically, the Jews realize that this Pope is a fake Pope and is willing to say all kinds of heinous things, so they are demanding that he deny Christ. In this momentous book, David Bentley Hart makes the case that nearly two millennia of dogmatic tradition have misled readers on the crucial matter of universal salvation. Universalists have often responded that punishments for sin can function well without being eternal, especially in the afterlife when one can face severe treatment first before one eventually gets to heaven.[2]. He has highlighted the guilt of the Gentiles (1:18ff ) and will shortly outline the guilt of the Jew (2:17-24). The mind, says Origen, “will see exposed before its eyes a kind of history of its evil deeds, of every foul and disgraceful act and all unholy conduct.” Thus, he concludes, the soul “becomes an accuser and witness against itself,” made to suffer a sickness of its own making. This is why, for instance, Gregory interprets Paul’s reference to the Son’s eschatological “subjection,” a statement potentially fraught with non-Nicene implications, as a claim about the full deliverance of the human body the Lord assumed as his own in Christ. . Salvation is found in the truth. She is determined to keep the false self she has forged, refuses to regard herself as the good creature she was made to be; she will see neither who she is nor who she has become. Never ever should we neglect salvation. 169 Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother: "We believe the Church as the mother of our new birth, and not in the Church as if she were the author of our salvation." Because she is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith. But Origen develops the image further. For a critical discussion of this concept see e.g. Salvation, for Origen, is a gratuitous event to be sure, but it only ever happens alongside a willingness to die to oneself. Hick, in particular, stated that the seemingly contradictory nature of the Bible's references to damnation came about because the warnings of hell are conditional to warn men about eternal suffering if they permanently refuse to repent, but nobody would actually make that choice. Thus if Paul’s point is that every single human being is condemned by Adam’s sin, then it follows that every single human being is pardoned and receives life. Faith actually means surrender and commitment to the claims of Christ. [47] William Law in An Humble, Earnest, and Affectionate Address to the Clergy (1761),[48] an Anglican, and James Relly, a Welsh Methodist, were other significant 18th-century Protestant leaders who believed in Universalism. But all people become sinners, so everyone needs salvation. He also addressed the relationship between love and universalism in Love Alone is Credible. The Alexandrian exegete characteristically connects the mention of “fire” here to another place in scripture where the word also appears—in this case, Isaiah 50:11. This argument appears to be more logically valid than the one which rejects Universalism on the basis of v 17.33 The explicit universalism of 18b must be addressed. Isaiah 25:6-8 ESV / 10 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. 1 comment. 2 Following Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 494. In the minds of some, universal salvation is a heretical idea that was imported into Christianity from pagan philosophies by Origen (c.185â253/4). Ilaria Ramelli argues that this picture is completely mistaken. On this reading see e.g. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. B. Salvation from Sin Is a Universal Need. Argument 1: Limited Atonement Is Hermeneutically Insupportable. It is true in as much as the Church is the divinely instituted means of giving grace to all. The famous German philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher became one of the most well-known religious thinkers to teach universalism. [4] Salvation is purgation and vice versa. Adolph E. Knoch and William Barclay were universalists. It has 7,600 centers of operation across the country, according to a news . [2], The universal reconciliation was strongly advocated in the writings of St. Isaac the Syrian, a monastic theologian and bishop of Nineveh.[38][39]. Rather, Paul is thinking in terms of “all” denoting Jews and Gentiles. For example, Paul clearly teaches that salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ (e.g. Paul then moves to his famous comparison between Adam and Christ (5:12-21). Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. I would, for many reasons, hesitate to abandon this concept too quickly. Paul demonstrates how this perspective, which would call God’s integrity into question since Paul is assuming many Jews will not experience this vindication, is misguided. The Golden Thread God's Promise of Universal Salvation In our modern pluralistic world, the barriers imposed by the old doctrine of religious exclusivity are confronted every day by individuals, families, and nations. You may think this is suffering. [2], However, liberal and progressive Christians have often argued that the teachings of the historical Jesus did not mention exclusive salvation for a select few and have altogether rejected many sections of the Bible written by figures decades after the life of Jesus as man-made inventions that are to be taken with a grain of salt. If we say with our minds and our hearts, "Yes, I believe in Christ and receive what He has done for me," then we have eternal life. Are Jews any better off? Rather, the salvation of all will be so because God has willed it to be so, and therefore it will have always been so. Paul may be saying that once the power of sin was unleashed into the world, it is inevitable and inescapable that “all sin” and therefore, “all die.” See e.g. [16] The concept of a final restoration of all souls particularly had large appeal in the East during the fourth and fifth centuries. The Gospel of Luke statement by Jesus about salvation being a "narrow" doorway is often quoted, with Luke 13:23-25 reading: "Someone asked him, 'Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?' for even in death, you have become children of Bruno. But they are not lost because God did not choose them for salvation but because they chose to reject what was God's choice for them. Found inside â Page 85Universal salvation can only be offered sincerely on the ground of atonement for all ; this involves the right to ... we should make the offer universal ; if it is not , we should make no offer at all , because we do not and cannot know ... ", "Bible Gateway passage: John 3:36 - New International Version", "Bible Gateway passage: 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 - New International Version", "Bible Gateway passage: Luke 13:23-30 - New International Version", "Bible Gateway passage: Lamentations 3:31-33 - New International Version", "Bible Gateway passage: 1 Timothy 4:10 - New International Version", "Bible Gateway passage: Colossians 1:17-20 - New International Version", Quotes by Early Church Fathers Regarding the Reconciliation of All, The Christian Universalist Association History of Universalism, Patristic Universalist History – Christian Universalist Association, Excursus on the XV. To support his argument Paul turns to the example of Abraham (4:1-25). No. J. Warren Smith (Cambridge: James Clarke and Co., 2015), 118-132. [24], Fredrick W. Norris maintained, however, that Origen may not have strongly believed in universal reconciliation at all. As a result, “all men” must mean “all those who receive the free gift.”29 For example, Cranfield maintains Paul’s point was that “what Christ has done he really has done for all men, that a status of righteousness the issue of which is life is truly offered to all” (emphasis added).30, Others would justifiably cry foul. In 2004, the Pentecostal bishop Carlton Pearson received notoriety when he was officially declared a heretic by the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops.
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