So a Christian lady on Twitter shared this with me. Quite interesting to read, even if I disagree. It argues for what it calls "Christian Universalism"; all will be saved only through Christ, and many only after being purified in fire for nearly endless ages. What do you all think?
God Bless. The link below. Posting only some excerpts and the conclusion here: https://tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
"Calvinism Affirms
J.I. Packer, a Calvinist, is one of the most influential theologians of our time. He says to believe that Christ died for everyone logically leads to the belief that all will be saved. 2 Is he right? Think about it. If you believe, as Packer does, in God‘s limitless power and that man is helpless to override His will, you must agree that God brings to faith all for whom Christ died, which for Packer is only the elect. Calvinism, because of its wide acceptance and influence, lends great credibility to the Blessed Hope because it shares with us the same view of God‘s power. Their theologians unwittingly offer strong arguments in defense of the Blessed Hope. In essence, I share Packer‘s view that God does all His will. But unlike Packer, I maintain that Christ died for all. So, as Packer attests, since I believe in God‘s absolute power, and that Christ died for all, it is natural and inevitable that I would believe that God will save all.
...
In his movie, The Passion, Mel Gibson has truly given us a vivid picture of the awful price Christ paid to achieve His objective. It is impossible to imagine all He suffered for every person. It is even harder to think after all that, He failed to achieve His goal. I believe in the power of the cross. There is no greater power in the universe. For in it, we see the extent of God‘s love. I cannot imagine the cross failing to any degree. However, I can conceive it accomplishing all its purpose. Nothing less would satisfy Christ or His Father ...
"24. Is this Universalism? No. Universalism, to most Christians, means that all beliefs are equally valid; all roads lead to heaven. This is notthe Blessed Hope which proclaims Christ as the only way to the Father. Many refer to this Hope as ―Christian Universalism,‖ which is accurate. However, many believers in the Blessed Hope use the term ―Universalism‖ when they really mean ―Christian Universalism.‖ Sadly, this causes misunderstanding. The root of the word, ―universal,‖ is a beautiful concept. God loves all universally; no one is excluded (Jn. 3:16). Christ‘s blood propitiates the sins of the wholeworld(1Jn. 2:2)!This is universal propitiation. Every knee will bow in sincere worship of Jesus Christ! This is universal worship - ―Christian‖ Universalism. All roads do not lead to God; but Christ searches for His lost sheep until He finds them, no matter what road they are on. Ninety-nine sheep out of one hundred is not enough for Christ (Lu. 15:4)! Appendix V 235
It is tragic that the Blessed Hope has been maligned by a misuse of the term ―Universalism.‖ This has prejudiced many against this Hope before understanding it. It has historically been referred to as ―Apocatastasis,‖ ―Reconciliation,‖ ―Restoration‖ and ―Restitution.‖ These terms represent the ―gathering together in one‖ of all things in Christ (Ep. 1:10; Strong‘s #346). Other terms include: ―Larger or Greater Hope,‖ ―Victorious Gospel,‖ ―Irresistible Grace,‖ ―Inclusion,‖ ―Ultimate Reconciliation,‖ ―Universal Redemptionor Salvation or Restoration,‖ ―Greater Faith or Hope,‖ ―Paul's Gospel,‖ ―Biblical or Christian Universalism,‖ and of course, ―Universalism.‖ There is no single term for this Hope. Perhaps this should tell us something. When asked His name, God simply said: I AM WHO I AM. God is too great to be identified by one term. So is this Hope. We do not emphasize a term, we emphasize GOD! Some rightly ask, ―Is this heretical?‖ My answer is no. If we are heretics, it is for believing that God is greater than most think He is. Do we uphold the authority of Scripture and the supremacy of Christ? Yes. We elevate boththe blood of Christ and His absolute triumph over evil to their rightful place. We proclaim a GOD in full control of His universe - One that loves all people with unending love. We are in every way Christian. Let me be very specific: Jesus came in the flesh, lived and died for our sins, was resurrected, and is coming again. He is the only begotten Son of God and the only way of salvation. He and the Father are one. We worship Christ and our Father in the Holy Spirit. In fact, we magnify Christ‘s deity more since we believe that He fully destroys the devil‘s works and accomplishes all His will (1Jn. 3:8; Jn. 17:4). His blood is the only power in the universe that cleanses from sin. Many of us have died as martyrs for our faith in Christ! If you do not at least hope God is this great, I can only pray for you. Jesus IS the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Him. He is Lord of all! We who believe the Blessed Hope are not confined to any one group or denomination. We are simply believers. You will find us in all Churches: Baptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Vineyard, Catholic, etc.
You will also find us outside church walls. Most do not trumpet their convictions for fear of rejection or causing strife and division. This hope is vital in fulfilling Christ‘s prayer that His body would be one that the world may know God‘s love (Jn. 17:21, 23). At first it will create a stir, like birth pains. But this is necessary to force the Church to rethink its ―Hell‖ driven Gospel. There are tens of thousands of believers in our land, from all churches, who embrace this hope. Who does not long that God be all powerful and unfailing in love? The Holy Spirit is shining His glorious light on the teachings of the Church. All wood, hay, and stubble will be burned. The fire is kindled! Who, in their heart of hearts, truly thinks most of humanity is destined to eternal suffering? Be honest. Only a small minority insist on this. An eternal hell contradicts God‘s character and most will admit it. Who is not repulsed by such a horrid doctrine? No defense of it can truly satisfy us. It is something we have learned 236 Hope Beyond Hell to tolerate. We give it lip service, but inside, we block it out of our minds and hearts. How else can we cope? Can you relate? To confirm this, candidly ask your closest friends, those mature in faith, what they really think about humanity destined to eternal pain. You will be surprised at what you find. When the Church, as one body, embraces this truth, it will transform our worship and our witness. The joy that will radiate from God‘s people will draw multitudes to Christ ...
WHAT A GOD!
We are born outside of our will and imputed with the sin of Adam into an evil world ordained by God. Sin, death, evil and Satan are all part of the plan, not surprise intrusions. God gave man authority but never relinquished His Sovereignty. As Creator He is executing His preordained plan on schedule. The experience of evil we all face, is in His wisdom, required to fulfill His ultimate purpose in us. All creation will be brought into subjection to Himself. God authored the tension and takes full responsibility for the result in accordance with His law. Man will be held accountable to the extent of his authority and will be judged accordingly for the evil he caused. In every age, experience has shown that it is not the magnitude of the penalty that deters people from sin, but its reasonableness and certainty of infliction. Justice is served according to God‘s law (not man‘s) and the unconditional love of God in the form of mercy ultimately triumphs over judgment. The Father is very patient with a long term plan that brings infinite glory to His name. Love and forgiveness, with righteous judgment, will bring all creation in subjection to Him. All will bow and confess, “Jesus is Lord.” He has paid the full price of redemption and has the legal right to all whom were lost in Adam. The death of Christ is the greatest and most powerful act in all of human history. Jesus will indeed draw all men to Himself in the fullness of time (Jn.12:32); He is indeed the Savior of the world and all will come to know Him from the least to the greatest (Jn.4:42, He. 8:11); but each in his own order (1Co.15:23). All are ultimately made alive in Him (1Co.15:22); Christ finishes and completes His work (Jn. 17:4, 19:30); He restores all things (Acts 3:21); there is no more curse (Re. 22:2); every knee bows to Him (Ph. 2:10-11); creation is delivered from the bondage of corruption (Ro.8:21); every creature joins the song of praise (Re. 5:13); and so comes the end when He delivers up the Kingdom to His Father and God becomes all in all (1 Co. 15:27-28).5"
God Bless. The link below. Posting only some excerpts and the conclusion here: https://tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
"Calvinism Affirms
J.I. Packer, a Calvinist, is one of the most influential theologians of our time. He says to believe that Christ died for everyone logically leads to the belief that all will be saved. 2 Is he right? Think about it. If you believe, as Packer does, in God‘s limitless power and that man is helpless to override His will, you must agree that God brings to faith all for whom Christ died, which for Packer is only the elect. Calvinism, because of its wide acceptance and influence, lends great credibility to the Blessed Hope because it shares with us the same view of God‘s power. Their theologians unwittingly offer strong arguments in defense of the Blessed Hope. In essence, I share Packer‘s view that God does all His will. But unlike Packer, I maintain that Christ died for all. So, as Packer attests, since I believe in God‘s absolute power, and that Christ died for all, it is natural and inevitable that I would believe that God will save all.
...
In his movie, The Passion, Mel Gibson has truly given us a vivid picture of the awful price Christ paid to achieve His objective. It is impossible to imagine all He suffered for every person. It is even harder to think after all that, He failed to achieve His goal. I believe in the power of the cross. There is no greater power in the universe. For in it, we see the extent of God‘s love. I cannot imagine the cross failing to any degree. However, I can conceive it accomplishing all its purpose. Nothing less would satisfy Christ or His Father ...
"24. Is this Universalism? No. Universalism, to most Christians, means that all beliefs are equally valid; all roads lead to heaven. This is notthe Blessed Hope which proclaims Christ as the only way to the Father. Many refer to this Hope as ―Christian Universalism,‖ which is accurate. However, many believers in the Blessed Hope use the term ―Universalism‖ when they really mean ―Christian Universalism.‖ Sadly, this causes misunderstanding. The root of the word, ―universal,‖ is a beautiful concept. God loves all universally; no one is excluded (Jn. 3:16). Christ‘s blood propitiates the sins of the wholeworld(1Jn. 2:2)!This is universal propitiation. Every knee will bow in sincere worship of Jesus Christ! This is universal worship - ―Christian‖ Universalism. All roads do not lead to God; but Christ searches for His lost sheep until He finds them, no matter what road they are on. Ninety-nine sheep out of one hundred is not enough for Christ (Lu. 15:4)! Appendix V 235
It is tragic that the Blessed Hope has been maligned by a misuse of the term ―Universalism.‖ This has prejudiced many against this Hope before understanding it. It has historically been referred to as ―Apocatastasis,‖ ―Reconciliation,‖ ―Restoration‖ and ―Restitution.‖ These terms represent the ―gathering together in one‖ of all things in Christ (Ep. 1:10; Strong‘s #346). Other terms include: ―Larger or Greater Hope,‖ ―Victorious Gospel,‖ ―Irresistible Grace,‖ ―Inclusion,‖ ―Ultimate Reconciliation,‖ ―Universal Redemptionor Salvation or Restoration,‖ ―Greater Faith or Hope,‖ ―Paul's Gospel,‖ ―Biblical or Christian Universalism,‖ and of course, ―Universalism.‖ There is no single term for this Hope. Perhaps this should tell us something. When asked His name, God simply said: I AM WHO I AM. God is too great to be identified by one term. So is this Hope. We do not emphasize a term, we emphasize GOD! Some rightly ask, ―Is this heretical?‖ My answer is no. If we are heretics, it is for believing that God is greater than most think He is. Do we uphold the authority of Scripture and the supremacy of Christ? Yes. We elevate boththe blood of Christ and His absolute triumph over evil to their rightful place. We proclaim a GOD in full control of His universe - One that loves all people with unending love. We are in every way Christian. Let me be very specific: Jesus came in the flesh, lived and died for our sins, was resurrected, and is coming again. He is the only begotten Son of God and the only way of salvation. He and the Father are one. We worship Christ and our Father in the Holy Spirit. In fact, we magnify Christ‘s deity more since we believe that He fully destroys the devil‘s works and accomplishes all His will (1Jn. 3:8; Jn. 17:4). His blood is the only power in the universe that cleanses from sin. Many of us have died as martyrs for our faith in Christ! If you do not at least hope God is this great, I can only pray for you. Jesus IS the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Him. He is Lord of all! We who believe the Blessed Hope are not confined to any one group or denomination. We are simply believers. You will find us in all Churches: Baptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Vineyard, Catholic, etc.
You will also find us outside church walls. Most do not trumpet their convictions for fear of rejection or causing strife and division. This hope is vital in fulfilling Christ‘s prayer that His body would be one that the world may know God‘s love (Jn. 17:21, 23). At first it will create a stir, like birth pains. But this is necessary to force the Church to rethink its ―Hell‖ driven Gospel. There are tens of thousands of believers in our land, from all churches, who embrace this hope. Who does not long that God be all powerful and unfailing in love? The Holy Spirit is shining His glorious light on the teachings of the Church. All wood, hay, and stubble will be burned. The fire is kindled! Who, in their heart of hearts, truly thinks most of humanity is destined to eternal suffering? Be honest. Only a small minority insist on this. An eternal hell contradicts God‘s character and most will admit it. Who is not repulsed by such a horrid doctrine? No defense of it can truly satisfy us. It is something we have learned 236 Hope Beyond Hell to tolerate. We give it lip service, but inside, we block it out of our minds and hearts. How else can we cope? Can you relate? To confirm this, candidly ask your closest friends, those mature in faith, what they really think about humanity destined to eternal pain. You will be surprised at what you find. When the Church, as one body, embraces this truth, it will transform our worship and our witness. The joy that will radiate from God‘s people will draw multitudes to Christ ...
WHAT A GOD!
We are born outside of our will and imputed with the sin of Adam into an evil world ordained by God. Sin, death, evil and Satan are all part of the plan, not surprise intrusions. God gave man authority but never relinquished His Sovereignty. As Creator He is executing His preordained plan on schedule. The experience of evil we all face, is in His wisdom, required to fulfill His ultimate purpose in us. All creation will be brought into subjection to Himself. God authored the tension and takes full responsibility for the result in accordance with His law. Man will be held accountable to the extent of his authority and will be judged accordingly for the evil he caused. In every age, experience has shown that it is not the magnitude of the penalty that deters people from sin, but its reasonableness and certainty of infliction. Justice is served according to God‘s law (not man‘s) and the unconditional love of God in the form of mercy ultimately triumphs over judgment. The Father is very patient with a long term plan that brings infinite glory to His name. Love and forgiveness, with righteous judgment, will bring all creation in subjection to Him. All will bow and confess, “Jesus is Lord.” He has paid the full price of redemption and has the legal right to all whom were lost in Adam. The death of Christ is the greatest and most powerful act in all of human history. Jesus will indeed draw all men to Himself in the fullness of time (Jn.12:32); He is indeed the Savior of the world and all will come to know Him from the least to the greatest (Jn.4:42, He. 8:11); but each in his own order (1Co.15:23). All are ultimately made alive in Him (1Co.15:22); Christ finishes and completes His work (Jn. 17:4, 19:30); He restores all things (Acts 3:21); there is no more curse (Re. 22:2); every knee bows to Him (Ph. 2:10-11); creation is delivered from the bondage of corruption (Ro.8:21); every creature joins the song of praise (Re. 5:13); and so comes the end when He delivers up the Kingdom to His Father and God becomes all in all (1 Co. 15:27-28).5"
