People face many hurdles when trying to see that universal reconciliation (UR) is the plan and purpose of God.
Some are caused by translation issues in modern English Bibles.
One of these describes salvation as being dependent on one's faith IN Jesus rather than salvation having been provided, without any input from us, by the faithfulness OF Jesus (in playing his part in his Father's plan to save the creation).
The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was an intellectual and philosophical movement in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, which brought profoundly beneficial changes in society - intellectual liberation, scientific advancement, political reform and economic development among them.
However, it
also elevated mankind's opinions of himself and his supremacy over his
world, reviving the ancient doctrine of man's free will with the
capability of even outsmarting God's will and sovereignty.
Notice the
outworking of this in Galatians 2:16 from a modern translation (NIV,
first published in 1973) with those of older (KJV, published 1611) and
more literal (DBH) translations.
know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. [NIV]
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. [KJV]
and who know that a human being is vindicated not by observances of Law but by the faithfulness of
the Anointed One Jesus - even we have placed our faith in the Anointed
One Jesus, so that we might be vindicated from the faithfulness of the Anointed and not from observances of the Law. [DBH]
The
result of the Enlightenment, and popular English translations produced
in its wake, was the transferring of responsibility for man's salvation
from God's sovereign choice to man's free will choice.
What a shame.
Because God's choice is for us all to be reconciled to God, which sounds
much better than leaving the choice to us rebellious souls.
Yet
the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, has not enabled many of us to
steer clear of some very illogical reasoning regarding God's UR plan for
his creation. Let's think about this example.
If God knows all things and therefore knew from the beginning that the final fate of people who make the wrong choice about Jesus, or of people who have never been exposed to the good news about Jesus, would be to suffer everlasting punishment, then God's choice to create those people would surely be an act of extreme cruelty.
The millions of church-goers who believe this end result for unbelievers will usually also declare God to be a God of love (and mercy and forgiveness) who sent his Son to die for the sins of the world.
I happen to believe that God is a God of love and that God gets his way (will reconcile all of his creation in the end).
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
That
in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in
one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; even in him:
[Ephesians 1 : 9, 10 NKJV]
Blessings, Barry
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