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Universalism – Was Paul a Universalist?

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Could Romans 5:18-19 be used to argue for universalism? Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason responds.

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Tags all savedbiblecalvinismchristianityGreg KoukljesuspredestinationsalvationStand to Reasonunitarianuniversalism debateworld religions
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17 Comments

  2. The entire Old Testament shows us how God is so holy and how he dealt with sin thru the sacrifices and the priestly system. Jesus Christ fulfilled everything in the OT and has become our High Priest by his death and resurrection. I am only saved by putting my faith and trust in Jesus Christ who became my High Priest. Allah isn’t my high priest, Mohammad isn’t my high priest. God called Abraham out of paganism and he was to only worship the one true God. Yahweh God. The Bible is so beautifully written and woven together as one redemption story for those who put their faith in Christ alone.

  3. I find it quite interesting that those same theologians who insist that the word "ALL" in verses such as 1st Corinthians 15:22:

    "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ ALL shall be made alive"

    or Romans 5:18:

    "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL men."

    or 1 Timothy 2:4:

    "Who desires (will have) ALL men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth"

    cannot possibly actually literally mean "ALL" people but must refer to "ALL KINDS of people" or people from "ALL DIFFERENT PEOPLE GROUPS" — i.e., some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, etc., but certainly not ALL PEOPLE

    also insist that the "ALL" of Romans 3:23:

    "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

    most definitely does mean EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HAS EVER LIVED.

    In other words, they have absolutely no problem believing that "ALL" means the entire human race whenever it refers to our condemnation and death in Adam; but whenever it refers to our justification and forgiveness in Christ it must be limited to only a small limited portion of the human race.

    How thoroughly inconsistent can you get? They have much more faith in Adam's ability to damn and destroy the human race than they do in Christ's ability to undo what Adam has done — which makes Adam much more powerful and effective than Christ.

    How can Jesus possibly claim the victory if He cannot save at least as many as Adam has condemned?

  4. Acts 3-21 Makes your words
    untrue, Yes ???
    There is A Difference in Time Salvation;
    and What happens to The Dead and living, Just at the Last Resurrection…
    Blessed and Holy are They that have A Part in The first Resurrection+ Worshiping GOD in Spirit and Truth= The Gospel=The Power of GOD unto Salvation… Happened to me Yesterday; By GOD’s Grace ! That Gives us The Victory in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…Amen

  5. Acts 3-21 Makes your words
    untrue, Yes ???
    There is A Difference in Time Salvation;
    and What happens to The Dead and living, Just at the Last Resurrection…
    Blessed and Holy are They that have A Part in The first Resurrection+ Worshiping GOD in Spirit and Truth= The Gospel=The Power of GOD unto Salvation… Happened to me Yesterday; By GOD’s Grace ! That Gives us The Victory in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…Amen

  7. When an untruth has been embraced for so long, it becomes almost impossible to see the truth. Using scripture to cancel out scripture isn't a way to prove anything. As Jesus once said, “A house divided against itself will not stand”. In my opinion, trying to harmonise Paul’s writings that embrace universalism, “with” those of wrath and punishment, would seem to be a much more honest approach.

  9. “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation to all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life to all men.” – Romans 5:18

    Contextually, the first “all men” refers to everyone since all have sinned (Rom. 3:9-21; 5:12-13). Does the second “all men” in Romans 5:18 refer to a different group than the first “all men”?

    “For as by the one man’s disobedience the man were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” – Romans 5:19

    Contextually, the first “the many” refers to everyone since all have sinned (cf. Rom. 5:15). Does the second “the many” in Romans 5:19 refer to a smaller group than the first “the many”?

  11. I think religious exclusivism is proof enough by itself that we’re over thinking this whole thing the Bible wasn’t written by God it’s man’s word about God and it’s not infallible otherwise there wouldn’t be a different translation made every week and are we really supposed to believe that God is so petty that he will literally cast someone into hellfire forever and ever and ever and ever simply because they were raised Protestant or Catholic or Muslim and were brainwashed into thinking everyone else are heretics and yeah “but mah free will” in order to have true free will we all would have to know without a shadow of a doubt that God is real and God is Muslim or Catholic or Protestant why would A loving God give us a brain that is wired to be logical and need proof and evidence and then command that we just completely shut that off and blindly trust that he’s there and be lucky enough to blindly trust the correct things about him and if we aren’t lucky enough to believe that he’s Catholic or Protestant or Muslim then he’s going to burn us with no hope of escape or at the very least death is a God great enough to create the world and universe and everything in it really that petty and sadistic I highly doubt that so therefore JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD CAME TO EARTH AND DIED ON THE CROSS FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE SAVED SOME BY FAITH OTHERS THROUGH FIRE

  12. The teaching from Jesus about the narrow road is all in the present tense in the Greek- "few are finding it, many are not finding it currently, in the Greek it's present tense.
    Mat 7:13 `Go ye in through the strait gate, because wide [is] the gate, and broad the way that is leading to the destruction, and many are those going in through it;

    14 how strait [is] the gate, and compressed the way that is leading to the life, and few are those finding it!" Young's Literal Translation

    Could this guy not have known that? Also he's clearly denying many verses that are saying that Jesus covered the sins of all – all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to our own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. God has already done this has laid on him the iniquity of us all, it's a done deal. God told Paul His plan of the ages and it is to save all. But of course it is, why in h### would God plan on losing most, or even losing any?
    Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

    10 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…"

    Here is one from the Old Test – Zeph 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

    9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent."

    Did this guy not notice there is not a single word about any hell in the entire Olt Testament? In Daniel it says "shame and contempt" for those who have done evil. That's not hell. In Isaiah it talks about looking at the corpses of those who have rebelled, which would be all of us, by the way, and a corpse is not a spirit or a soul, of course. A corpse is a body without it's spirit. Why would God not clearly warn every human, starting with Adam and Eve? The teaching of eternal torment is so illogical, when you really consider it, it's stunning how unbiblical it is, and irrational. God could have arranged His creation any way He wanted, why would He set the whole thing up as a massive failure? He could have angels visibly talking and guiding every soul throughout their life. Well, He does have a plan, and it will work, because HE is God!
    Isaiah 25:7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces…"
    Rev 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
    Psalm 66:4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah
    Psalm 145:21

    21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

    And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

  15. Thankyou. But the question still arises as to what paul means when he says that Jesus is the saviour of all mankind, especially (not exclusively)those believing.
    Many verses support universal reconciliation but of course,a counter doctrine isn't hard to find.

  16. I’m an admirer of Greg Koukl, but I think he’s mistaken on this. I wonder what books he has read by proponents of the view. I doubt very much that he has read ‘The Inescapable Love of God’ by Thomas Talbott or David Artman’s ‘Grace Saves All.’

    Greg, if you’re reading this check out David Artman’s podcast. I think the following is accurate having read many books on the subject:

    "…I think no other doctrine can even compete with "no further chances" in terms of the following three factors.  No doctrine even comes close to a) being so strongly believed by so many evangelicals despite b) being so utterly disastrous in its consequences and c) having so little by way of Scriptural support." – Keith DeRose