Drollinger: Do All Roads Lead to Heaven?
Do all roads lead to heaven?
That they do is a popular belief today among those who can’t conceive of a God who would damn unrepentant sinners to hell.
Where does this unbiblical concept come from? And more importantly, what does the Bible say about this issue that has eternal consequences? These questions are examined in this week’s Bible study.
The father of universalism in America is Nels Ferre. Born in Sweden, he was the son of a very conservative Baptist preacher.
In his autobiography, he mentions how his father gave him a quick, authoritarian answer when he questioned the doctrine of limited atonement — that Christ died only for the elect. His father’s short, insufficient answer was, “One must not question God.”
That reply did not prove satisfactory to Ferre, so he jettisoned the historical view of the church and founded his own theology that emphasized God’s attribute of love.
Ferre went so far as to question if Jesus ever taught limited atonement. Accordingly, he twisted passages such as “God … is the Savior of all men, especially of believers” (1 Timothy 4:10) to suit his own beliefs.
Limited atonement is one of the five points of Calvinism. The Bible states unequivocally that God offers salvation to everyone. But at the same time, Scripture declares limited atonement.
If limited atonement is not the biblical position, then the scriptural analogy of the church being the bride of Christ is unsustainable. This may seem contradictory to the fallen, finite mind of man, but it is not incongruous from the viewpoint of God.
Universalism is the religious belief that all will be saved. To put it another way, universalists believe there will be universal atonement.
Note this in Millard J. Erickson’s book “Christian Theology”: “The theory of universal explicit opportunity holds that everyone will have an opportunity to hear the gospel in an overt or explicit fashion. Those who do not actually hear it during their lifetime here upon earth will have an opportunity in the future. There will be a second chance. After death they will be enabled to hear.”
Karl Barth, the famous Swiss theologian, provides us with further insight into the mind of the universalist when he states, “The theory of universal pardon maintains that God, being a loving God, will not hold unswervingly to the conditions He has laid down. While He has threatened eternal condemnation for all those who do not accept Him, He will in the end relent and forgive everyone.”
Neither Barth nor Ferre held to biblical inerrancy per se, which enabled them to play fast and loose with the clear, consistent teaching of Scripture regarding limited atonement. By elevating their own wishful thinking above the clear meaning of God’s Word, Scripture-twisters are able to rationalize their preconceived notions — in this case, as to how God should treat all mankind.
This Bible study delves deeply into Scriptures that appear to imply that all will be saved. However, by going into detail and revealing the biblical intent, context and meaning, the universalist’s interpretation of those Scriptures is shown to be false.
Many Scriptures are taken out of context. The Bible does not contradict itself. An overwhelming number of Scriptures prove the universalist’s theory to be wrong. Among many are:
- “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).
- “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
- “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29).
If God grants a “do-over” at the end of everyone’s life, then Christ died needlessly, and there is no reason to repent and believe today. It follows that true followers of Jesus Christ will reject universalism and have nothing to do with organizations that propagate such heresy and falsehoods to the masses.
Click here to read the full study, which offers much more information and examines additional Scriptures.
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