Universal Salvation Part 2: Biblical Evidence

Introduction

Given true salvation’s incredibly high standard: that of a person becoming like Christ, sinless and filled with God, loving God and loving others – how could universal salvation be possible? What is more, this salvation is dependent on people putting their faith in Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit. So many have died without putting their faith in Christ – already before examining Scripture, universal salvation seems impossible.

Section 4 of this blog, "God's Only Begotten Son", will explain how universal salvation may be possible based on the Bible and answer more logical questions regarding how this could be given those who have not heard the gospel. This post simply examines what Scripture says generally regarding this topic. Surely, even if we cannot see how universal salvation could happen, if Scripture says it will we can trust God will make a way.

Universalism argues that not only is it possible for everyone to be saved; every person will be saved. Universalists use a number of Bible verses to support their argument. Many Christians today associate Universalism with Unitarianism. However, historical Universalism, unlike Unitarianism (not biblical unitarianism) which includes many clearly unbiblical beliefs, holds that God does judge and punish sin. The main difference between this type of Universalism and orthodox Christianity is that they believe this judgment is temporary: corrective and “parental” in nature with a clear end that, ultimately, will lead to salvation for all.

There have been many Christians throughout history who have sided with Universalism. In addition to Origen, St. Jerome, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Ambrose, Clement of Alexandria, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Chrysostom, Bishop of Lyons, St. Clement, St. Didymus the Blind, and St. Macrina the Younger believed everyone would be saved (Allin, 2015). Some famous universalists in the past two centuries include President Lincoln, Benjamin Rush, who signed the Declaration of Independence, Clara Barton, and Florence Nightingale (Rich, 2024).

Some Universalists argue that Peter was a universalist given 1 Peter 3:18-20, 4:6. They think these verses mean Jesus preached the gospel to those already dead so they could also be saved. 1 Peter 3:18-20, 4:6 reads, ^“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water,” and  ^“For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.” If these verses do not mean that God led Jesus to preach the gospel to those already dead so that they might be saved – might “live in the spirit” the way God does, what do you think these verses mean? The plainest reading is that Jesus preached the gospel to those already dead so that they could be saved. These verses are extremely encouraging and point to God’s desire for all men to be saved. Already in 1 Peter is an example of God making a way to save those who did not hear the gospel in their lifetimes.

The verses indicate that Jesus did not preach to every person who had died in the history of the world, but specifically to those who were disobedient in the time of Noah. These verses truly show the amazing grace of God. It was God’s intent to save every single person that died in that flood, and he did through Jesus proclaiming the gospel to them. God’s great flood judgment – arguably the greatest judgment God enacted, destroying the whole world – was done with full restoration and salvation in mind. How can the God who had salvation planned for those who died in the flood, those whose wickedness was so great that “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5), not make a way to save all souls?

Universalism does not deny the necessity of repentance. The new heaven and new earth in heaven will exist, universalists believe, because of worldwide repentance. This is a place of no more mourning or crying or pain – that could only be true in a place where there is no sin (Revelation 21:4). Revelation 21:8 states that God will throw all cowardly, faithless, detestable, murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolater, and liars into the lake of fire. God’s Word does not lie – for people to be saved, they need to repent, not simply be “pardoned” without a changed heart and decision to follow Jesus.

Further, the Bible is clear that Jesus is the only way to true life – to God. John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  What is more, Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Universalists who believe everyone will be saved somehow apart from Jesus Christ contradict God’s Word. People need to choose Christ to be saved and in order to enter God’s new heaven and new earth, described in Revelation 21-22. C.S. Lewis argues that hell is locked on the inside (C.S. Lewis Institute, 2024). God gives us choices, and people can choose whether to reject or choose Him. Given the number of people who have died without faith in Christ, universal salvation seems impossible, but all things are possible with God. If God made a way for Christ to even preach to the dead in 1 Peter 3, God can make a way for all to be saved if He wills it. And He does (1 Timothy 2:4).

Consider the following quotes about God from Hanson’s book, “Bible Proof of Universal Salvation”:

“If he does not desire universal happiness he is not infinitely good, if he cannot plan he lacks wisdom, and if unable to execute he lacks power. But he desires that result, plans to accomplish it, and executes all plans. What shall hinder them? Nothing.”

“The best thing that infinite love, aided by omnipotence and omniscience can accomplish – the only thing these divine attributes will accomplish, is universal happiness.”

“The God of Calvinism is strong but bad; the God of Arminianism is good but weak. The Christian God has the faults of neither and the merits of both.” Calvinism emphasizes God’s sovereign power over His love, holding that God only chose a limited number of people to be saved. Arminianism emphasizes God’s love over His power, holding that God desires all to be saved, but not everyone will because many will freely choose to reject God. Universalist Christians emphasize both God’s love and power, holding that God loves all people, desires them to be saved, and will ensure by His power and wisdom they are. Moreover, in His infinite love, wisdom, and power, God will achieve universal salvation.

(Hanson, 2024)

Biblical Evidence for Universal Salvation

A.    The Silence of God

1.     From the beginning, God never tells Adam and Eve, or anyone in the Old Testament, that never-ending torment is the punishment of sin. Rather, Adam is told that he will die if he eats the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:15-17). This death happened upon the day of his sin, therefore indicating a spiritual death culminating in physical death as Adam did not physically die on the day he ate the forbidden fruit. This type of death is talked about by Paul in Ephesians 4:18, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts…” and in Ephesians 2:7, “You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” People are “dead” already because of their sin. If the punishment for sin was never-ending torment, a good Father would tell His children exactly what the consequence is. Given that God does not do this in the Old Testament but only give temporal punishments for sinners, this suggests never-ending torment is not the punishment of sin (Hanson, 2024).

If you think that this changed in the New Testament when never-ending torment in hell was introduced, this is interesting, as in the New Testament God steadily reveals Himself to be more gracious than those in the Old Testament thought possible. It is more likely that those passages that seem to indicate never-ending torment should be interpreted differently, as God never changes. It would be very strange for God to suddenly introduce a much more serious punishment for sin in the New Testament than He ever did in the Old (Hanson, 2024).

2.     Cain’s Punishment

Cain, the first murderer, experienced both punishment and grace from God for his sin. Nothing is mentioned of eternal punishment for the “greatest of crimes”. His penalty was to be “a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth”. Cain’s punishments were temporary, and he understood his punishments as such (Hanson, 2024).

3.     The Flood

God judged the world with a flood. There is no indication in Scripture that this was any more than a temporal punishment of death by drowning for the great sin of the world. Noah in preaching to those who would die in the flood did not mention anything beyond temporal punishment. There was no indication of suffering beyond this (Hanson, 2024).

As mentioned in the introduction, God actually already had a plan in place for salvation for those who died in the flood, as set forth in 1 Peter 3-4 when Jesus preaches to these imprisoned spirits to set them free.

4.     Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah are also not judged with endless punishment but temporal destruction.

Ezekiel 16:53-55 reveals that God has a plan in mind for these cities’ restoration, just like He did for those who died in the Flood. His plan did not end in their destruction:

⁵³ “‘However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, ⁵⁴ so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. ⁵⁵ And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.” (Hanson, 2024)

5.     Conclusion on God’s Silence

These are examples from the Old Testament, a period of about 4000 years where people are never threatened with endless punishment from God. God threatened all sorts of punishment through the prophets throughout the Old Testament, but He never speaks of endless punishment. God would be cruel to be silent if such a place was the fate of sinners in the Old Testament, and God is not cruel. So, it follows such a place does not exist for sinners (Hanson, 2024).

Considering the first sin again: Adam and Eve received a promise from God in Genesis 3:15 concerning Jesus coming to conquer the devil that had deceived Eve and tempted Adam into sin. God does not emphasize eternal punishment. He gives a promise to Adam and Eve that Satan will be destroyed in the end. He offers them hope in the midst of their consequences.

God’s silence in the Old Testament on eternal punishment, combined with His plans of restoration even in the cases of those who perished in the flood and in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah suggests eternal punishment is not what God has in mind for any person.

B.    God’s Promise to Abraham 

^“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time ¹⁶ and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, ¹⁸ and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:15-18

God’s promise to Abraham is one of universal salvation. Abraham’s offspring will bless ALL nations on earth. Through Abraham – ultimately, through Jesus – all of the nations on earth will be blessed. The most plain meaning of this is that every person will be saved. Consider: the “nation” of Israel, or, the “nation” of Peru, includes every person in that nation. While one could read into the text, as Calvinists do, that this simply means some from every nation, there is no reason to do so. Given the context of the entire Bible, as shown in this post, there is every reason to conclude God is promising universal salvation to Abraham (Hanson, 2024).

C.    God’s Threats to the Wicked are Always Temporal 

In the Old Testament, “all are visited by limited, temporal punishments and pains, and the doctrine is continually taught, that after the wrath of God has run its full career in pain and penalty to the transgressor, the Divine Mercy remains unspent and inexhaustible.” (Hanson, 2024) The truth of this quote is fully shown throughout this post.

D.    Death is not Hell in the Old Testament

Abraham dies and is “gathered unto his people” (Genesis 25:8). This is the same for Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 35:29, Genesis 49:33).  Solomon, the “wisest man in the world”, affirms that upon death, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Solomon does not clarify here whether the spirit is evil or good, just that the spirit returns unto God upon death. King David clearly thinks that death is not a bad destination, as he is comforted when his son Amnon died but not comforted knowing Absalom still lived and suffered (2 Samuel 13:39). Amnon was wicked, but David still felt comforted in knowing he was dead.

Perhaps he agreed with Job, who said, “the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest” upon death (Job 3:17). Job, according to Job 3, would welcome death as freedom from his suffering. Perhaps he also agreed with Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4:1-2, “So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comfort. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead, more than the living which are yet alive.” Solomon clearly does not think the dead are in endless torment in hell; he thinks the dead are better off than the living. David in his comfort over Amnon’s death seems to agree (Hanson, 2024).

The Jewish understanding of death was that all go to the place of the dead upon dying, called “Sheol.” Genesis 37:35 affirms this when Jacob mourns, saying he will “go down to Sheol” to his son Joseph.” If eternal hell does exist, death as described in the Old Testament does not affirm it. While this does not prove that eternal hell is not a reality at some point, this certainly offers no proof of it being a destination for the wicked. 

E.    Knowledge of God Gives Peace 

Job said “Acquaint thyself with God and be at peace” (Job 22:21). If eternal torment was true, knowing God better would lead to internal torment not peace. Ignorance of that doctrine would be more peaceful. Perhaps God, then, only punishes up to what is good for the soul. Knowing God truly leads to peace and joy (Hanson, 2024).

F.     God’s Anger is Limited

Many Scriptures show that God’s anger is limited, brief, and destined to end. God’s mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). Moreover, God’s judgment toward men is always out of love, as love is literally what God is (1 John 4:8). He cannot but be Himself: Love. He cannot but love people, even in their disobedience (Hanson, 2024).

 Micah 12:18 says, “He retains not His anger forever because he delights in mercy.”

Psalm 103:8-9 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plentiful in mercy. He will not always chide; neither will he keep his anger forever.”

Psalm 30:5 says, “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the mourning.”

Isaiah 54:8 says, “’In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,’ says the Lord, your Redeemer.”

God’s anger, according to Scripture, is limited.

Lamentations 3:31-33 further affirms this,  

“For the Lord will not cast off forever,³² but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;³³ for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.”

This verse is so clear: God will not cast off any soul He created forever. He will have compassion.  God delights in mercy. The doctrine of eternal hell would contradict all these verses, as that doctrine indicates God does retain His anger forever.

G.    God’s Mercy is Unlimited

Psalm 107:1 says, “O, give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his mercy endures forever.” 

The phrase “his mercy endures forever” repeats twenty times in this Psalm, in contrast to God’s wrath, which the Bible never says endures forever. Per Psalm 30:5, God’s wrath is but for a “moment”. How amazing the love of God! If His mercy endures forever, how can eternal hell endure forever? (Hanson, 2024)

H.    Universal Obedience Predicted

“He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish: and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures. He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” Psalm 72:6-8

Another translation says God shall “rule” from sea to sea.

Psalm 22:27 says, “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.”

All means all. All nations shall worship God.

Psalm 86:9 agrees: “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord; and shall glorify your name.”

As well as Psalm 65:2, “O You that hear prayer, unto You shall all flesh come.”

All means all. Someday, the whole world will worship and glorify God.

(Hanson, 2024)

I.      Isaiah’s Witness

“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.” Isaiah 25:8

All, again, means all. God will not wipe tears away from some faces but all faces. Isaiah believed in universal salvation. This also shows Paul did, because Paul quoted this verse in 1 Corinthians 15 referring to the final resurrection. The end of time points to God wiping away tears from all faces: universal salvation.

Isaiah again prophesies, “Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself; the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear, surely shall say, ‘In the Lord have I righteousness and strength.” Isaiah 45:22-25

Isaiah is describing universal service and worship.

Isaiah 53:11 says, “He (Christ) shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.”

Christ will only be satisfied if all are saved. One day he will see how his suffering paid off… the salvation of all souls will be achieved. He will be satisfied.

Isaiah 55:10-11 says, “As the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and return not thither, but waters the earth and make it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth, it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

God’s word is irresistible and ultimately all will turn to it. This is what God means to accomplish, and it will be accomplished.

Isaiah 49:15 says, “Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”

This speaks to the Father and Mother heart of God. God never forgets any of His children. He always has compassion on His children. God’s goal is to restore all of His children to Himself. Given God’s infinite power and wisdom, we can rest assured God’s goal will be accomplished.

J.      The Minor Prophets’ Witness

“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;    I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues?    Where, O grave, is your destruction?”

Hosea 13:14

Paul quotes Hosea in 1 Corinthians 15 as a reference to all humanity becoming forever holy and happy. There is no room in this verse for eternal hell, death, and grave. Death and the grave will be nowhere to be found at the end of time.

The lake of fire, which is the second death (references in Revelation 20-21) will be discussed in the next post. The lake of fire is not evidence against universal salvation.

“Who is a God like you,    who pardons sin and forgives the transgression    of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever    but delight to show mercy.¹⁹ You will again have compassion on us;    you will tread our sins underfoot    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.²⁰ You will be faithful to Jacob,    and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors    in days long ago.”

Micah 7:18-20

Given verse 20’s reference to God’s oath to Abraham that these promises refer to all nations, this is a promise for all nations. God will pardon sin and forgive transgression. He will not stay angry forever. He delights to show mercy and have compassion. He will put all iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Again and again, God promises that He will not stay angry forever, yet the doctrine of eternal hell promises the exact opposite. Why this discrepancy? Why does the orthodox Church overemphasize judgment over the amazing, universal promises of God? The result is a deep misunderstanding of who God is as the essence of Love (1 John 4:8). God fully intends and deeply desires to save every soul.

Daniel 7:14 says, “And there was given him dominion, and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall no: pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

God’s kingdom is for all people, nations, and languages. May we have faith to trust God at His Word.

K.    The Woman from Tekoa’s Testimony

In 2 Samuel 14:14 a woman says concerning God, ^“Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.”

God finds a way so that everyone eventually makes their way back to God. What a wonderful promise! This is our Father’s heart.

L.    Jesus and Universal Salvation

This is perhaps the best witness to universal salvation: Jesus himself and the promises surrounding him and what he accomplished.

^“…but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2

Jesus is heir of ALL things, not some, which naturally includes ALL people. Can Jesus inherit all people if the majority of humanity is thrown into eternal hell?

^“Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” Acts 3:21

When Jesus returns, it will be the time for the restoration of everything, and “everything”, by definition, includes every person.

^“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

Will what the Lord Jesus wants, which can also be translates “wills”, united with the Father on what He wants or “wills” described in 1 Timothy 2:4 – everyone coming to repentance – not be accomplished? Is God’s hand too short? Won’t Jesus be patient with the world until all come to repentance? He is slow to return, as we understand slowness, so that all will be saved. That is both Jesus’ and the Father’s united mission and will. As such, all will come to repentance, because the Lord’s purposes are never thwarted (John 42:2).

“With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he [God] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” Ephesians 1:8-10

God’s will is to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. We know if it is God’s will, it will be accomplished. Would all things be in unity under Christ if the majority of the human race was in hell, hating God and each other? Decidedly not. True Biblical unity under Christ can only exist if universal salvation is God’s plan. We read here that this is God’s plan: God’s will. This is His purpose in Christ: completely unity.

^“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

God sent Jesus to save the world. “The world” means everyone in the world. God did not send Jesus into the world to save “part of the world”.

^“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Jesus does take away some of the sin of the world. He takes away all of the world’s sin. He died for all, in conjunction with God’s plan and purpose set forth in Ephesians 1:8-10 to bring unity to all things.

^“For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:33

Jesus, the bread of God, came to give life the world in its entirety, not part of the world.

^“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12

Jesus is the light of the whole world, not part of the world.

^“He 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

John is writing to Christians. He affirms that Christ did not die only for the Christians he was writing to but also for the sins of the whole world. He atoned for the whole world. Christ is less than victorious if not every soul in the world is saved. But, of course, Christ and the Church will be victorious! God will guarantee it.

^“The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8

Will the devil’s work be destroyed if over half of humanity is in hell? From the beginning in the garden of Eden, Satan has been deceiving and opposing all of humanity with the goal of their destruction. The only way to fully destroy the devil’s work is for all souls to be saved.

^14 “Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14-15

Jesus broke the power of the devil over death to free those who all their lives are held in slavery by their fear of death. Who are “those” people? All people. All are held in slavery by their fear of death. Christ came to free all people.

 ^“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:9-10

If Jesus really has destroyed death, eternal death in hell cannot exist for eternity. If it did, this would indicate a partial destroying of death by Jesus. Revelation 20:14 even calls the lake of fire the “second death”. If Jesus destroyed death, he must also, ultimately, destroy that death too. Death will truly be no more in the age to come.

^“Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26

Jesus came to do away with all sin. This means that sin will cease to exist. Everything will be restored and reconciled to God. Sin will not continue to exist in some sort of eternal hell. Jesus did away with sin.

^“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21

Everything will be brought under the control of Christ. If this is really true, than all people will be saved, eventually submitting to the Lordship of Christ.

 “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” John 12:47

Jesus’ intent was to save the entire world.

 “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession.” Psalm 2:8

This is a prophecy about Jesus from David. God will give the heathen for Jesus’ inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession. Jesus will inherit all people: all will be saved.

John 3:35 also affirms this, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into hands.”

If the Father has given “all things” into Jesus’ hands, than all people, part of “all things”, will eventually be saved.

Jesus brings the gospel to all people, “Behold I bring you good tidings (the gospel) of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

Again, the Bible continues to affirm this message is for all, not some. All sin, error, suffering, and evil shall be destroyed.

John the Baptist affirms this,

^4 “As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,    make straight paths for him.⁵ Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight,    the rough ways smooth.⁶ And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

Luke 3:4-6 

All means all! All people will see God’s salvation.

^16 “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners    and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.” Luke 4:16-20

Amazingly, Jesus stops midsentence in his quotation. The next phrase reads, “…and the day of vengeance of our God,” but Jesus did not read this! Jesus is making a bold statement that his coming is not about vengeance but about the year of the Lord’s favor and the good news of the gospel.  Jesus came to represent God as Father and Savior of all - no eternal vengeance. (Hanson, 2024)

Jesus, the image of the Father, also taught love for enemies,

²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

If God consigned sinners to an endless hell, how could these words be true about God? Would He torment his enemies forever and yet call us to love our enemies? This shows God is merciful to sinners. Paul says, “Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21 Of course this means God does this too. If God prescribed endless hell to much of humanity, He would be overcoming evil with evil, in direct contradiction to the words of Romans 12:17, “Repay no man evil for evil.” The doctrine of eternal hell represents God as doing what He commands us not to do for eternity (Hanson, 2024).

 Hanson says, “Let it be shown that God is unforgiving, cruel, unmerciful, will torment his enemies forever, and men will resemble him most when they are most fiendish…. But as we are most like him when kindest and tenderest, it follows that his mercy and love towards every child of his will be without limit or bound” (2024).

Jesus’ teachings also went against much of what the Sadducees and Pharisees taught. The Sadducees did not believe in a future resurrection. The Pharisees believed in eternal hell for most of mankind. Jesus warned about the teachings of both, telling his disciples to “take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6). Neither view was of God according to Jesus (Hanson, 2024). 

Jesus said that he came “to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10): all the lost are to be restored. Jesus emphasizes this in John 6:37-39, ^“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”

Jesus will not lose a single soul. They will all be raised up. Jesus continues this sentiment in John 10:14-16, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” Jesus, as the good shepherd, will save all the sheep.

Paul reiterates this in Colossians 1:19-20, ^19 “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ 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.”

God reconciled all things to himself through Jesus’ death on the cross. All means all. This is why the author of Hebrews can say, “He tasted death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9) because he literally did, so that each man (or woman) might become his disciple and possess eternal life. This is why Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me” (John 12:31, 33). All means all.

Romans 5:16-18 affirms universal salvation, “For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification…. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.” Jesus’ righteousness brought life for ALL men. The parallel structure helps Paul to make his point: all men in the world were condemned, and through Jesus, that same group of people, “all men”, will be justified and given life.

Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 and 42-58, “²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

All people will be made alive in Christ. The parallel structure here also shows this is Paul’s meaning. Every person died in Adam, and every person will be made alive in Christ.

 ^23 “But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he “has put everything under his feet.”

Christ came to destroy death. If death truly will be destroyed, it follows it will not continue for eternity for any person.

“Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.”

If God is “all in all”, eternal hell cannot exist. This means, at a minimum, that God will reside in all people forever. Does it make sense to say that God will be all in all in hell? Hell by definition is separation from God. Eternal death means not knowing God as it is the opposite of John 17:3, where Jesus says eternal life is knowing Christ and God. Eternal hell is not compatible with God being “all in all”. Only universal salvation is. Universal salvation is biblical truth.

^42 “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

All will be changed at the last trumpet. Death will be swallowed up in victory. If eternal death in hell continues for most of the human race this saying cannot be true.

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?    Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Death will ultimately be defeated completely. To think this does not include eternal life for every soul is irrational. If even one soul is in hell while the rest of humanity lives on in “eternal bliss” – if such a thing were possible for the righteous, knowing a soul was in eternal torment – there would be a sting. If anyone I know and love is condemned to eternity in hell, there would be great “sting”. Death would have some victory. But Scripture says Death does not. Ultimately, all will choose God. Christ will be ultimately victorious and death will have no victory or string.

M. God’s Purpose in Election, Romans 9-11

When considering if all could be saved or not, many Christians point to Romans 9. Paul begins by saying he wishes he was cursed and cut from Christ for the sake of his people, the people of Israel (Romans 9:3-4).  He goes on to describe God’s purpose of election. God does not elect all – at least temporarily. Romans 9:13-24 says, “Just as it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on who I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’

¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. ¹⁷ For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

¹⁹ One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” ²¹ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

²² What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? ²³ What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— ²⁴ even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?”

If Romans ended with chapter 9, it would seem that God, despite so many verses to the contrary, shows favoritism. He does not love the “objects of his wrath” as much as the “objects of his mercy”. Even though Christians may not understand why God elects some to be saved and not others, “who are we to talk back to God” (verse 20)? He can do as He pleases.

But Romans does not end with chapter 9. Romans 10:1 says, “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” Despite Paul’s explanation in chapter 9 and acknowledgement that, at least temporarily, God elects some to be saved and some to be not, he maintains that his continued heart’s desire and prayer to God is for all of Israel to be saved.  Romans 10 is largely an exhortation to preach the good news to all people and an acknowledgement that much of Israel has rejected God.

He concludes Romans 10 with Romans 10:21 saying, “But concerning Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.’” This quotation harkens back to Romans 9, where Paul recognizes God’s election – an election that did not include much of the nation of Israel.

Paul then brings Romans 9 and 10 together by asking in Romans 11:1-2, “I ask then: did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.”  In verse 7 Paul acknowledges that the “elect” among Israel turned to God, but the others were hardened.

But in verse 11 he says, “Again I ask: did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!” Paul sees Israel’s rejection of God as something God used to bring reconciliation to the whole world. Romans 11:15 says, “For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”

Paul’s final conclusion is that the hardening of Israel was ultimately for the salvation of all:

^25 “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, ²⁶ and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.²⁷ And this is my covenant with them    when I take away their sins.” 

²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, ²⁹ for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. ³⁰ Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. ³² For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” Romans 11:25-32

Christians error in stopping at Romans 9 in their thinking about election. Many Christians think God’s election means not everyone will be saved, but that is exactly the opposite of what Paul is saying in Romans 9-11. The final verse, verse 32, says it all: “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”

Yes, God does have “objects of wrath” and “objects of mercy” as described in Romans 9, but these are temporary states in the case of any “object of wrath”. God, in His wisdom, justice, and love, will eventually have mercy on all, not just the “elect”. How could any good Father do less than that?  Any “object of wrath” is one because of their own sin and choosing, not because God forced them to be so. God gives all of us free will and choices: we can choose life or death, and many humans choose death. Those of us who choose God are His “elect”, yes – but not to the ultimate rejection of everyone else!

God in His goodness and love would never allow that to happen. He fully intends to have mercy on all, and in the meantime, He works, shapes, and molds Christians to be like Christ. He judges those who completely reject Him, like in the case of Noah’s flood, but He only does so in a loving, merciful, and corrective way, with an ultimate plan for restoration in every case, as is explained earlier regarding the flood in 1 Peter 3 and 4.

This is Paul’s message in Romans 9-11: that God will have mercy on ALL. 

God’s “election”, then, and all the verses that speak to His “election” and “choice” is temporary in the sense that God will ultimately choose all. No passages referring to God’s election are evidence against God’s ultimate plan for all to be saved. Those passages simply highlight those who God has saved first.

Given this revelation, verses like the following should not be understood as evidence against universal salvation:

“⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Acts 13:48

^15 "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

Hebrews 9:28

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

Matthew 24:22

^24 "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Matthew 24:24

^31 "And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

Luke 18:7

^7 "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?"

Romans 8:33

^33 "Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies."

2 Timothy 2:10

^10 "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory."

Titus 1:1

"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness..."

1 Peter 1:1

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia…”

2 Peter 1:10

^10 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble…”

Again, the elect and chosen are God’s first children. They are not His last! In the words of Paul: God will have mercy on all (Romans 11:32).

N.    God, the Savior of All People

^“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10

If God is the Savior all people, how can it be that anyone would not be saved? By definition, God is only the Savior of all people if all people are in fact saved. Paul points out here that this group of “all people” includes “especially those who believe”, clearly indicating that God will save all people in addition to those who believe. 

This passage is helpful in understanding how God has “elect” that are saved – this is the group Paul is writing about, “especially of those who believe”, and how eventually God will save all people, even those who do not currently belong to the elect upon Paul’s writing to Timothy. As Romans 11:32 says, “God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” History will eventually show that God is indeed the Savior of all people – especially of the elect, those who believed first. 

O.    The Lord’s Prayer

What is more, the Lord’s Prayer has been prayed since Christianity’s birth:

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done,    on earth as it is in heaven.¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.¹² And forgive us our debts,    as we also have forgiven our debtors.¹³ And lead us not into temptation,   but deliver us from the evil one.’

Matthew 6:9-13

God’s Word is clear that God’s will is for all souls to be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-6, Ephesians 1:9-14, John 6:38-40). Christians have been praying this prayer for centuries in faith – is God not answering? Will He refuse to answer the prayers of millions for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven – for every soul to be saved? Of course not! This prayer alone is proof that all will be saved, as God always says yes to His children’s prayers made in faith that align with His will.

P.     God’s Father Heart

It should be noted that, while God is Father of Christians in an intimate and special way, God is generally Father of all, not only Christians. Malachi 2:10 says, “Have we not all one Father?” Jesus says there is one Father over humanity (Matthew 23:9). Paul says, “There is one God and Father of all”, speaking of humanity generally (Ephesians 4:6). This Father, the author of Hebrews says, chastens humanity for their profit, to be partakers of God’s holiness (Hebrews 12:9-10). This Father sends rain on the evil and good who are both His children (Matthew 5:44-45). God punishes out of love for the purpose of redemption (Hanson, 2024).

Many passages speak to God’s Father heart for His children. He gives good gifts (Matthew 12:9-11). He disciplines people for their good (Hebrews 12:5-11). We can learn about God by looking at the good fathers around us. No good father would subject his son or daughter to eternal torment. It follows that neither would God. Again, God’s punishments are always for the good of the world and for each individual sinner that God is working to reform. 

Q.    Philippians 2:9-11’s Assurance of Universal Salvation

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father."

Some day, every knee will bow and all will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This verse is a clear reference to universal salvation. If all will do that, all will be saved.

Romans 10:9-10 says that all who believe Jesus Christ is Lord, confessing that with their mouth and believing in their heart that God raises Christ from the grave, will be saved. In all of humanity bowing before Jesus and confessing that He is Lord, all will be following Romans 10:9-10. Nothing is indicated by this passage that this confession and bowing will be forced. Paul simply states this will happen.

The plainest reading of this text is that all will, in the end, be saved, bowing before Christ and confessing that he is Lord. What is more, given this is to the glory of God the Father, this bowing and confession will not be forced. God gets much greater glory by the voluntary praise and confession of people than anything forced. Additionally, such a phenomenon involving force would contradict 1 Corinthians 12:3 that says that “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit.” This confession means all are filled with the Holy Spirit and thus are saved. Finally, given God never forces worship from Genesis to the present time, this worship will not be forced either, and as such this is great proof of universal salvation.

R.  God’s Comfort

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort where with we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Only the Christian Universalist can truly comfort those who are “in any trouble”. If most perish to an unending hell the Christian believing that has no comfort to offer the friends and family of an unbeliever who died. But if universal salvation is true, the Christian has ample comfort to offer anyone, even upon an unbeliever’s death, with the belief that God’s love and grace are greater than sin and death. God’s ultimate victory is guaranteed, and there will be a new heaven and new earth where all will be restored with no death or suffering. The Christian has great comfort to offer any person (Hanson, 2024).

S.     God is Love

1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears has not made perfect in love.”

If God truly is Love, how will He not accomplish the universal salvation of every soul? Moreover, if that fact is not true, how can any human really have no fear? Perfect love drives out fear. If the salvation of my unbelieving friends and family is not guaranteed, I will always have some level of fear that I live with every day out of my love for them. I will always, even if it is subconscious, fear for them. But if I trust that God, in His infinite love, is working to and promises to save every soul, I am freed from that fear.

God is perfect love. 1 Corinthians 13:8 says that Love never fails. In this post I have provided well over 50 verses that explicitly promise universal salvation or strongly suggest it. 

Love – the essence of who God is – will not fail. I am sure of it.

Note: This does not change the means by which God plans to save the world, this simply provides confidence that the Great Commission will be fully accomplished. Matthew 28:18-20 states the Great Commission, ^18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The Bible is clear He plans to save the world through His people, the Church. God's Plan A is to use His people to make disciples of all nations, and the Bible gives no Plan B.