Universal Reconciliation is Wrong

Universal Reconciliation is the understanding that the entire creation will eventually be reconciled to God.
This understanding is clearly wrong ...

IF Jesus did not die for the sins of the whole world.
But the Bible says that he did.

And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
[1 John 2 : 2  GNB]

IF God is still planning to make us pay for our sins.
But the Bible says God no longer keeps account of our sins.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 19  NIV]

IF Jesus was always addressing eternity in his teachings.
But the Bible says he was solely focused on the kingdom.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
{Matthew 4 : 23  NIV]

IF the disciples and the Jewish crowds were also into eternity-thinking.
But the Bible says they were also totally kingdom-focused.

He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
[Luke 9 : 2  NIV]
Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
[Acts 1 : 6  NIV]
"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
[Mark 11 : 10  NIV]

IF our English translations of the Bible really forecast eternal punishment.
But more accurate, literal translations of the Bible correctly speak of conditions in relation to the kingdom Age.

And these will go to the chastening of that Age, but the just to the life of that Age.
[Matthew 25 : 46  DBH]
And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.
[Matthew 25 : 46  YLT]

I'd rather believe the Bible, and especially an accurately translated one, which teaches that God's love motivated him to send Jesus to save us, not judge us.

For God did so love the world, that His Son—the only begotten—He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.
For God did not send His Son to the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him;
[John 3 : 16 - 17  YLT]

And since belief (or faith) is required, it will need to be given to everyone for God to achieve his revealed purpose - just as it has been given to many of us already.
(Believers in the current age are the firstfruits of the great harvest to come.)

How could God, who is love, which was demonstrated so clearly on the cross, want anything less for his creation than reconciliation of all?

In a nutshell:

With all wisdom and understanding,
he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure,
which he purposed in Christ,
to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—
to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
[Ephesians 1 : 8 -10  NIV]

Blessings, Barry
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Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

Second Edition Appendix

 I have finally begun work on the second (expanded) edition of the book "The Really Good News About God".
The first edition was published in August 2015 and I am hoping to publish the second edition in August 2025, the tenth anniversary of the first.

The expanded version will contain several appendices, one of which will be a response to the most common objections offered by ministers and other Bible students to the theme of the book; God's plan to reconcile the whole world to Himself.
Again, as in the book, I have used a predominantly Bible-focused response and I have chosen to address a selection of objections that also claim to be Bible-based.

A draft copy of this response is in the Downloads section of the website,  https://www.ibtechservices.com.au, and I invite comments/critiques to my response from readers of the BLOG.
These may be of two types.
1. Criticism of one or more of my individual responses,
2. The offering of further objections to the theme of the book that I should consider in a response of this sort.
I look forward to any gracious exchange of ideas these responses/critiques might create, as I have an insatiable thirst for truth, and exploring the Bible with input from others helps me fine-tune, and sometimes correct, my current ideas.

Blessings, Barry

The Big Picture

Most of the posts on this BLOG focus on God's plan to redeem and reconcile us all to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus almost 2000 years ago.
Even though Jesus' death cancelled sin and His resurrection abolished death, there was a third spectacular event that is also important  - Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection.
This third event introduces us to the wider view of God's plan.

If we remember that God created the original heavens and earth

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
[Genesis 1 : 1  NIV]

giving mankind a mandate to rule

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
[Genesis 1 : 27, 28  NIV]

and eventually that there will be a new heaven and earth

Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, ...
[Revelation 21 : 1  NIV]

giving saints a mandate to rule

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
[Revelation 20 : 6  NIV]

we can see that God's plan of redemption and reconciliation is not an end in itself, but an essential component of the main theme, fitting as a bridge between the original heavens and earth and the new heaven and earth.

As important as that rescue operation is, it's only a (necessary) step in God achieving His original goal of bringing heaven and earth into submission and appointing His people to reign with Him.

This has always been God’s plan.
This is the big picture - the eternal plan of God.

Blessings, Barry

PS - We are currently living in the age when He is raising up His people to reign with Him over the new heaven and earth.

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Other Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

The Advance Party

St Paul often reminds us that God's plan is to have all His creation reconciled and living in peaceful relationship with Him and each other.
For example:

... God our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 
[1 Timothy 2 : 3, 4  KJV]

Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 
[Ephesians 1 : 9 - 10  ESV]

If this is God's intention, then before the end of time, He needs to give everyone the opportunity to discover Jesus and what He has done for them.
Clearly that's not happening right now, so the time for the completion of God's plan must still be in the future.

Enter "The Advance Party".
In previous posts I have often referred to the Body of Christ as the Advance Party.
What do I mean by this description?
The Advance Party is a familiar term in other settings. 
For example, in an exploration mission, an advance party is often selected to go ahead and decide on the direction the whole party should take.
In a combat offensive, an advance party usually goes ahead to determine the strength and positions held by the enemy.
As a young Uni student I had a vacation job with a company that harvested and processed crops of peas and it was my job to go ahead of the harvesters and determine the readiness of crops by testing samples, the first fruits.

First Fruits of harvest functions in a similar way to its namesake in an exploration expedition (or even in an offensive combat undertaking) that goes on ahead to prepare the way for the main party (or troops). 
For Israel in Bible times, "First Fruits" refers to the first portion of the crop to ripen and was dedicated to God. They were a sample of what the ripened crop would be and a pledge or guarantee of the complete crop to be harvested at the appropriate time in the future.
Indeed, the nation of Israel itself was called the First Fruits from among the nations (Jeremiah 2 : 3)

In a similar way, Jesus was referred to as the First Fruits of the rest of mankind who are to be resurrected as He was. (1 Corinthians 15 : 20 - 23)

In the Scriptures the Body of Christ is referred to as the first fruits of the harvest of all mankind.

The Jewish Christians (Messianic Jews) of the first century were called First Fruits (James 1 :18) and were joined by Gentile Christians to become the Advance Party, the Body of Christ, of all mankind.

God is currently preparing this Advance Party for governing roles in tomorrow's world. 

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 
[Ephesians 2 : 10  NIV]

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
[Revelation 2 : 26  NIV]

What a privilege to be called and to be trained to rule with Christ and to teach under Him when He comes in His Kingdom.
Others, not so called and trained now, or in previous ages, will be called and led to salvation in that glorious future.

Blessings, Barry

Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

God So Loved the World

 Probably the most well-known Bible verse is John 3 : 16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

It is most often taught in Christian churches that this verse means that those who believe in God's Son will live forever in heaven, and that non-believers will perish. And this perishing is usually described as enduring eternal torment in a place called hell.

We have been given this interpretation on the basis of common doctrines held dear by much of the Christian religion.
Regular readers of this BLOG know that many of these common doctrines don't stand the scrutiny of clear thinking.
As Oswald Chambers has suggested, "The first thing that goes when you begin to think is your theology."

So let's analyse this verse after re-quoting it from a more literal translation.
Here are two literal renditions:

For God so loved the cosmos as to give the Son, the only one, so that everyone having faith in him might not perish, but have the life of the Age. [DBH]

for God did so love the world, that His Son—the only begotten—He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during. [YLT]

Firstly, let's notice that it is God's love for the cosmos, the whole world, that prompted the sending of his Son.
Other consequences of this cosmos-wide focus are mentioned in other writings of John, in both his historical records and in his writings to early churches.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
[John 1 : 9  NIV]

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
[John 3 : 17  NIV]

"If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world."
[John 12:47  NIV]

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
[1 John 4 : 14  NIV]

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
[1 John 2 : 2  NIV]

Secondly, let's notice that a more literal translation describes the life being promised as "the life of the Age" or age-during life, and not "eternal life" as most of our popular traditional translations do.
And which age is this?
Some call it the Messianic Age, some the Kingdom Age, some the Millennium, and some the New Heaven and Earth, depending on their currently held end-times theology.
 
Regardless of the name, we are discussing an age - a period of time with a beginning and an end. It is certainly not eternal - a timelessness realm or a period of endless time.

And thirdly, although eternal life is the end result for everyone ...

Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 22 CEV]

Jesus said, "... And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
[John 12 : 32  NIV]

this "life in the Age" or age-during life is only for those having faith in Jesus.
 
Clearly, only those who have heard the good news of what Jesus has done for them and have been given the faith to believe such an incredible story will have life in that Age, will be spiritually alive, and therefore not perishing.

... we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
[1 Timothy 4 : 10  GW]

The especially ones, the believers, have life in the Age - rather than having to wait for the arrival of the eternal realm at the conclusion of the ages, as everyone else does.

So this well-known verse, when correctly translated, is not talking about eternity, but about participation in the kingdom that precedes the eternal realm.  Jesus was promising life during that age to his followers, those who believed in him.

Blessings, Barry

The Doctrine of Reserve

In my research on the views held by the ancient Church Fathers on the subject of universal salvation of all (USOA), I found something I wasn't even looking for.

Before I disclose my surprise discovery, let me share three related personal experiences as a believer in, and teacher of, USOA.

1. I had a very close friend with whom I enjoyed regular fruitful discussions about the Bible and church life generally.
He would always agree that the Bible did indeed seem to teach USOA, and that he would like to believe it, but it just seemed too far of a stretch and, in any case, contradicted what his church leadership had taught over his lifetime in the church.
He always confessed that he could not fault my exegesis of the Scriptures on this matter, but was unable to dismiss his longstanding position that was formed and frequently reinforced by decades of prior teaching.

2. Interestingly, in one of the churches he belonged to, I was told that I would be welcome to become a member provided I didn't share my views on USOA with other members of the congregation.

3. For over 20 years, my circle of friends included several church ministers of various denominations. One of them confided that he would like to believe in USOA, but even if he did, he would not be able to publicly support or preach it. Why?
Firstly, he would probably lose his denominational ministry position, and consequently his livelihood.
Secondly, he believed preaching USOA could easily lead some of his congregants to careless living and even gross sinning, because they might assume there were no longer any consequences for personal sin.

All three personal experiences were examples of the outworking of my surprise discovery in the writings of ancient Church Fathers - the doctrine of Reserve.

Although I had personally seen it in action, as described above, I had no idea it was a widely practised doctrine of the Christian Church, beginning right back in the second century AD.

So what is the doctrine of Reserve?
This doctrine teaches that it is right to withhold or disguise, or even deny, any Biblical truth if there is sufficient reason for doing so.

It was thought that it was perfectly alright for Church Fathers to hold or reserve the "deeper truths" for themselves, and to consider the people not ready for them. These were professional secrets, and it was considered not wise to confuse or confound the common people.

One such deeper truth that suffered, and still suffers, under this doctrine was USOA. Many of the Church Fathers reserved their belief in the USOA for themselves, and for other "doctors of divinity", but felt that it was not safe for the multitude, and so they taught them endless torment.

USOA is thought by some to be a recently invented belief used to attract people from our "everyone gets a prize" generation.
Not so! It seems the ancient Church Fathers held this belief, even though they were careful to keep it hidden from the masses.
 
Blessings, Barry

What's Next?

Where have I been?
What have I been doing?

Very reasonable questions given my last post was in October and nothing new has appeared on the Worksite Blog or the main Website for several months also.

Apart from time spent in medical waiting rooms and attending funerals (many of my friends are dying), I have been studying topics other than those specifically relevant to this BLOG.

If you've read the Preface to "The Really Good News About God", you will know that my earliest serious Bible studies were in eschatology - until I ran into the question, "What happens to those who have never heard the good news about Jesus?"

This began a search that spanned a few decades and resulted in sermons, writings, this BLOG, and the book mentioned above being published almost ten years ago.

During my "absence" (and a bit more) I have been studying eschatology again. I have explored most of the common views, and a couple of the less common ones, and have tried to put one together for myself using the "good" bits from the others.

However I found both good and not so good points and arguments in every one of them (including my own) and have come to the conclusion that creating an end-times scenario that is Biblically supported at every point is beyond us mere creatures, and is only totally known by The Creator.

So although eschatology is of great and enduring interest to me (now spanning about sixty years), I am returning my major study efforts and writing to the extravagant grace of God and His plan for the eventual reconciliation of the whole of creation to Himself.

So there will be a few new posts here, but my major emphasis will be producing an updated version of "The Really Good News About God".

Although I don't plan to change the popular style of the present book, I do want to make it a little more robust by including (maybe as appendices) things like:
A Scripture Index to the book
A Response to common objections to the theme of the book
An historical journey through the opinions of the early church fathers regarding universal reconciliation.
A Study Guide for Bible Study groups.
 
Even though I work more slowly these days, and therefore my days fill up more quickly, and my mind does drift off to other interests (particularly eschatology), it would be good to see this new project completed and published by the tenth anniversary of the publication of the first edition.

Your comments, as always, are most welcome and appreciated, especially those that challenge opinions I express, and which cause me to "think some more".

Blessings, Barry