1: How could universal salvation be possible? Introduction

Section 3 of my blog, Universal Salvation, shows that universal salvation is biblical. God will make it happen. One way God has made it happen is through Jesus preaching to the imprisoned spirits in 1 Peter 3:19-20 and 4:6 for their salvation. While these verses are an amazing example of God’s grace and love towards all, even towards those who died in the flood whose every thought was inclined towards evil (Genesis 6:5), Peter indicates that Jesus’ preaching in these verses was only to those who perished in the flood. Jesus did not preach to every soul who had ever died.

So, what about everyone else who has died? The millions of people who have died without hearing the gospel message, repenting, and turning to God? Section 4 of my blog, "God's Only Begotten Son", takes that very important and logical question into account. I do not adhere to the unbiblical view that someone can be saved without the gospel. Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in on one else, for there is on other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus also said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If we take God’s Word to be true, there is no hope apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ for salvation. This still does not mean that everyone cannot be saved. It cannot mean that given God’s many words to the contrary. 

Remember, all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27). What seems impossible with man is possible with God. Christians who hold that universal salvation is impossible based on God’s Word contradict many other parts of God’s Word such as 1 Timothy 2:4 and Acts 3:21. I personally held this view for 24 years after I became a Christian, though I have always hoped my perspective was wrong. Even when I did consider passages that seemed to suggest universal salvation, or when I considered the character of God (how could He not save all given His love?), I still could not see how it was possible. To be saved, each person would need to accept the gospel. That much seemed crystal clear. Looking at the reality of the world was enough to give me great doubts that, though all things are possible with God, universal salvation could be true. God must “desire” or “wish” for everyone to be saved because He is a good God, I reasoned, but ultimately, that is not His irreversible “will”. His will cannot be thwarted, and if His will is universal salvation, it has been thwarted since the beginning. Calling universal salvation His plan from the beginning is very wishful thinking: right?

No. The biblical witness of section 3, "Universal Salvation", proves otherwise. But how? For those who perished in Noah’s flood, they were saved through Jesus preaching to them in prison. Regarding all other unbelievers, and all Christians that have yet to be completely sanctified as this is part of salvation (see previous post), I believe that God may use reincarnation as a means to accomplish universal salvation.

Before I continue, please note that even if everything I write in this section is wrong, and I completely error in my understanding regarding reincarnation’s existence in the Bible, the doctrine of universal salvation remains true. God never lies or contradicts His Word. Nevertheless, I believe that the Bible shows, as I will explain, that reincarnation is real and that God does use reincarnation to save and sanctify at least in some cases, most notably in the person of Jesus, the son of God.

I will say it again: whether I am correct in this or not, universal salvation will happen. My arguments for universal salvation are by no means dependent on whether reincarnation is real. God is God. He does beyond all we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21). My inability, or anyone else’s ability, to see how universal salvation could be possible is completely irrelevant. If God’s Word says universal salvation is true that is what is relevant. 

This section of my blog is important as it gives deeper understanding of who Jesus is, who God is, and who we are. Knowing Jesus and God in a deeper way is part of experiencing eternal life (John 17:3).  This knowledge of Jesus and God also provides deep insight into who Christians are and how we truly can be like Christ, who was never God and never will be. I also personally find it encouraging, though I should trust God nonetheless, to be able to understand intellectually how universal salvation is possible.

Most of my life, I have always considered reincarnation to be completely contrary to what the Bible teaches: an exclusively Buddhist, Hindu, and New Age belief. How could reincarnation fit into the gospel message of grace? Do people need to reach God via works? The Bible does not support multiple chances for people to accept God – right? Does the Bible address reincarnation at all?

In my research, I discovered that not only is there historical evidence that Jews and early Christians believed in reincarnation, Jesus believed it and there is biblical evidence to support it. At this point, you may be thinking: what Bible are you reading? Reincarnation is definitely not a major theme in the Bible, nor is it a doctrine that is emphasized by Jesus and his disciples. However, I think the reality of reincarnation is both implicit and at times, explicit, in the Bible, and that reincarnation may help to explain other explicit doctrines in the Bible like God’s justice, grace, and the restoration and reconciliation of all things. Historically, reincarnation was believed by a significant percentage of Christians until in the 6^th century it was deemed heretical. While in our current context belief in reincarnation seems heretical, unbiblical, and even demonic, this was not the historical Christian belief or viewpoint for centuries (Klimczak, 2016).

I have not been quick to embrace reincarnation as true, and if it is true, reincarnation as ordained by the God of love in the Bible is not the same as the impersonal law of karma in Eastern religions that lacks grace and mercy. Reincarnation orchestrated by the God of love in the Bible is marked by love, grace, and mercy. God is just, merciful, and loving towards all people as the Father of mankind. This love necessarily includes discipline. My description of biblical reincarnation in this section does not come from my imagination or from any Eastern religion but from God’s Word.

As difficult as it may be for you to even fathom reincarnation being a reality, please consider the following questions if you think it is false: how is universal salvation possible without something like reincarnation, if the only way to be saved is to believe in Christ and this needs to be a conscious choice before God? Is there anything about the rebirth of a person’s soul in another body that contradicts the character of God, provided biblical reincarnation is unique from Eastern religions’ grace-lacking law of karma? Could the Catholic belief in purgatory be tied to the biblical idea of reincarnation, given that living another life could satisfy the purpose and rationale behind purgatory (being sanctified)?  Could the verses cited by Catholics to prove purgatory – the idea that there is an in between stage of purification between our life and heaven – actually be referring to reincarnation? Given that God saves Christians to completely purify us and make us like Christ, is this possible after living one life? Is it possible – even reasonable – that God would use more than one life to fully sanctify us and make us like Christ? Revelation 21:27 says concerning the new heaven and the new earth that “nothing impure will ever enter it….”  Catholics argue that for many Christians, we die without achieving the purity needed to be fully in God’s presence. How can we enter the new heaven and new earth without further purification, or sanctification? Could the spirit behind the idea of purgatory or reincarnation reveal a God who loves us so much that He won’t stop in sanctifying us until we are conformed to the image of Christ? If this process is made complete apart from something like purgatory or reincarnation, which Protestants believe, how? If God does not give unbelievers more than one chance to hear the gospel, given that so many have died without hearing the gospel once, does this reveal a God who loves all of His children equally? Does God have favorites? Or is God working His just, merciful, and loving will in such a way (Ephesians 1:11-12) that He will ensure everyone hears the gospel and is saved?  Which God would you rather believe in? The God who may use reincarnation to ensure universal salvation, or the God most Christians believe in, who will only save a small percentage of humanity, largely dependent on what family a person is born into?

Again, God could use other methods to achieve universal salvation. I write about reincarnation in this section because I believe there is strong biblical evidence for its existence, though I think the Bible is not explicit on whether or how God uses reincarnation for all people. Universal salvation is certainly logically possible if reincarnation is real. Yet once more, even if you disagree with me on the reality of reincarnation, God’s Word, as explained in section 3 on universal salvation remains true: all will be saved.

I think that biblical reincarnation synchs, if it exists, with God’s love, justice, mercy, and grace. I believe God’s justice is part of His love, not in opposition to it. In this way and in many more which I explain in this blog, biblical reincarnation, if it exists, is different than the reincarnation of Eastern religions where impersonal “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” karma is the law.

Reincarnation has played, I think the Bible shows, a significant role in God’s redemption plan of salvation through the person of Jesus and His restoration plan for universal salvation. Despite how unorthodox, heretical, and off reincarnation may sound to you, please read my posts in section 4 with an open mind. Biblical reincarnation, if it exists, is not a means of harsh judgment, but a means of God’s love and grace through which all may be saved.

In my exploration of if reincarnation could possibly be biblical, I started by researching on the internet and then reading a handful of books on reincarnation by professing Christians. While interesting points were made and defended with Scripture, each source also included extrabiblical and, I think, unbiblical information. I was initially very skeptical about if reincarnation was actually supported by the Bible. However, there was truth in what I read that I could not deny, and passages that made much more sense to me if reincarnation was real. Good questions and thoughtful interpretations were raised concerning certain Scriptures, particularly concerning who Jesus is.

Does the Bible explicitly mention reincarnation? I think it does, as I will show. Moreover, Jesus talks about reincarnation. Yes, it is not emphasized in the Bible. Clearly, God did not want reincarnation, if it is true, to be a major emphasis in the Bible. But that does not mean reincarnation is unbiblical. There are some passages that are difficult to ignore and explain without at least considering the possibility of reincarnation. The Bible as a whole reveals that reincarnation is real and something used by God as a means of justice, love, salvation, and sanctification at least in the person of Jesus. I think universal reincarnation is likely given what the Bible does say about reincarnation but not certain as the Bible makes no explicit statements regarding universal reincarnation.  Nevertheless, the Bible clearly shows that God used reincarnation in the case of Jesus.