The Scriptures that I shared with the elders were from those
quoted below (can't remember exactly which ones we read in full
on the night) in the
hope that they might see that a Biblical basis for my view is at
least possible.
(Indeed, I mentioned that I can find
many more verses to support this view than I can find to support
many other mainstream Christian doctrines which seem to be held
as non-negotiables, like the Trinity, the rapture,
the millenium, etc.)
From Jesus .....
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to
myself. John 12 : 32
From Peter .....
He (Jesus) must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to
restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy
prophets. Acts 3 : 21
From Paul .....
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came
by Christ Jesus. Romans 3 : 23 - 24
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was
condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of
righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
Romans 5 : 18
And so all Israel will be saved, .... Romans 11 : 26
For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may
have mercy on them all. Romans 11 : 32
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him
be the glory forever. Romans 11 : 36
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1
Cor 15 : 22
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting
men's sins against them. ..... 2 Cor 5 : 19
And 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 will have reached their fulfilment - to
bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one
head, even Christ. Ephesians 1 : 9 - 10
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2 : 10 - 11 with 1 Cor 12 : 3
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and
through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things
on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood,
shed on the cross. Colossians 1 : 19 - 20
We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of
all men, and especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4 : 10
From the author of Hebrews .....
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels,
now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Hebrews 2 : 9
From John .....
The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the
world. John 1 : 9
He (Jesus) 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
The New Testament has other relevant verses, but those listed
above are the only ones we visited at the elders meeting.
I believe it is very difficult to read these verses with an open
mind and not admit that a Biblical basis for the view that Jesus
is the Saviour of the world and that all will eventually, one
way or another, be reconciled to the Father, to the glory of
God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, is at least
possible. Peter said that we should always be ready to give a
reason for the hope we have, and I have shared these Scriptures
to show why I hold to this wider hope of Jesus drawing all to
himself eventually.
As a result of questions I was asked we also touched on
.........
1. The Biblical evidence for salvation beyond life on this
planet. We visited Peter's report that showed the population of
the earth prior to the flood were judged and "executed"
physically at the time, but were subsequently made alive
spiritually after Jesus preached to them before his ascension. 1
Peter 3 : 18 - 20 and 1 Peter 4 : 5 - 6.
One elder suggested this may also have some connection with the
ascending captives in Ephesians 4 : 8.
2. Death was the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15 : 26) and
so when death disappears, there can only be life remaining.
3. Two "opposing"
Scriptures were raised by one elder - the story of Lazarus and the
rich man in Luke 16 , and Matthew 25 : 46.
Although I was accused of ignoring or dismissing a part of the
Bible, I tried to explain that the Luke 16 parable is a perfect
example of the gulf between the righteous and unrighteous in the
Old Covenant era before Jesus provided the means to bridge that
gulf, and should not be used to form our post-Jesus' death and
resurrection theological views.
I also mentioned there were translation-to-English difficulties
and inconsistencies associated with Matthew 25 : 46 and
suggested it was better to allow verses that were clear and
undisputed to form our theological views, rather than problem
ones. Even so, I believe the Greek of this verse does not
introduce the difficulties that are caused in the English, and
therefore this verse is not such a strong "opposing" verse at
all.
I trust this is an
accurate record of the study we did. I didn't have any notes,
nor did I take any during the meeting. We just skipped through
the NT quickly as I did not wish to waste any of the time I had
been allotted.
In trying to sum up our different views in the simplest way, I
suggested that while the elders believed that punishment in hell was
forever, I believed it was not, and was for the purpose of
restoring the Father's wayward children, as all loving parental
discipline should be. One elder openly agreed that this was the
bottom line difference between us. In any case, the length of
time God's wayward children might spend in hell is hardly a core
belief-issue for Christians, so whether we agree on this issue
or not must not become the cause of any lack of love, respect or
fellowship between us. Barry
