Posted on 01/12/2012 2:53:14 PM PST by NYer
“Some will not be redeemed. There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power.”
C. S. Lewis
Kallistos Ware, Greek Orthodox Bishop and retired Oxford theologian, has in recent years been a leading advocate for the "possibility" of universal salvation. While realizing that we can never have a totally adequate understanding of human immortality and the criteria for salvation on this side of the grave, Ware makes a poignant argument by using particular passages from St. Paul and the Fathers of Church that at least the question of salvation for all is a valid question.
Ware recalls a dialogue between St. Silouan of Mt. Athos (1866-1939) and a hermit, in which the hermitwas convinced some, like atheists, deserve eternal damnation. The holy monk replied, why would you feel happy about someone burning in hell? Our love cannot bear such a thing, so we must at least pray for all. This dialogue illustrates the heart of the question; on the one side is human free will and responsibility and on other side is the endless love and mercy of God.
The New Testament certainly is weighted in favor of texts that seem to rule out any possibility of universal salvation, yet Ware points to a series of Pauline texts which affirm a parallel between the universality of sin and the universality of redemption. In 1 Corinthians 15:22, where Paul is working out the analogy between the first and second Adam: "As all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ." In Romans 11:32, “God has imprisoned all in disobedience, that he may be merciful to all.” Also in Romans 5:18, "Just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all." While these passages might suggest that Christ offers salvation to all and some will respond to it, if we look closely, Paul does not say perhaps or possibly, rather his words make almost an affirmation it will happen to all.
Possibly the most positive text in terms of universal salvation is 1 Corinthians 15:28. Here Paul says Christ will reign until "God has put all things in subjection under his feet…And when all things are made subject to the Son, then the Son himself will also be made subject to the Father, who has subjected all things to him; and thus God will be all in all." These words clearly do not allow for an eternal dualism that some of God's creation will be forever lost; rather they point to an ultimate reconciliation for all.
When we move to the Patristic data there can be found no Western Fathers who support universal salvation; it is quite clear, for example, in St. Augustine's writings that eternal damnation for some, if not the majority of the human race, is a fact. An African Church Father, Arnobius of Sicca, does however offer a unique solution, conditional immortality: that is to say the damned will cease to exist, rather than be cast into hell. The problem with this position, of course, is that it erases the promise of uniqueness God gives to all of us at creation.
In the Eastern Fathers we fine Origen, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Isaac of Nineveh all arguing for the possibility of universal salvation. Origen held the view known as "apocatastasis" (similar to the 20th century French Jesuit philosopher Teilhard de Chardin), that there will be an ultimate restoration of all things and all persons. St. Gregory of Nyssa abandoned the idea of pre-existent souls which Origen had attached to his doctrine and which caused its condemnation. Gregory merely affirms that within the mystery of the Divine Incarnation is held the ultimate restoration and reconciliation of all with God. Isaac of Nineveh took the position that hell is a scourging of love, where those in it have chosen through their lives on earth to be separated from God. In his thoughts the doors of hell are locked from the inside, the possibility of repentance and forgiveness is extended to those in hell.
In the final analysis, the question of salvation is always an inquiry into the balancing of human free will with God's mercy and forgiveness. Scripture tells us that our God is a jealous God, who did not even spare His only Son for our salvation. God revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is a God of unfathomable love, who will wait us out to turn our hearts towards him, yet He is also the Creator of our free will and allows us the freedom of even rejecting Him who made us.
Catholic discussion ping!
uh no.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
ditto
All who reject Christ Jesus during their early life will be judged by God unto eternal Hell and later the Lake of Fire for all eternity...there is no exception by God the Father nor has He spoken in Scripture a change of God's Holy decision to judge the un-believers and then move them into some sort of holy after-life existence - that kind of theology is un-Biblical and dangerous or risky at best.
Universal salvation is simply a lie from the Devil to deceive people into thinking that they have a 'second chance' with a Holy God - obviously, a Holy and Righteous God would never compromise His Perfect Will and Purpose in regards to Heaven and Hell. Amen.
“While realizing that we can never have a totally adequate understanding of human immortality and the criteria for salvation on this side of the grave...”
I disagree. We can’t know all things about human immorality or about the criteria for salvation, that that which has been revealed to us coupled with our limited understanding is easily sufficient to rule out universal salvation.
Always interesting to have a theologian, who has not read through a post, to weigh in with their statement.
I hope so.
What do you mean by "early life"?
“In his thoughts the doors of hell are locked from the inside, the possibility of repentance and forgiveness is extended to those in hell. “
This is what you are left with when you abandon the Bible as the standard of truth.
“The Question of Universal Salvation: Will All Be Saved?”
Nope.
What a pitiful misunderstanding of Paul’s epistles this man has. It takes a particularly deceived mind to come to the conclusion that Paul was writing of Universal Salvation.
sorry, it was a typo, should be : ‘earthly life’
e.g., All who reject Christ Jesus during their earthly life...will be rejected by God and judged unto Hell.
Since the subject of the reply is EARTHLY LIFE, I assumed that is what the writer meant.
It is appointed unto man once to die; and after this the Judgement!
Sounds like God would be wasting his Time. We should then be able to see God as Jesus right now.
But the barrier is still in place. It is called unrepented sin.
This separation from God would never have taken place.:
Genesis 3
21" The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said,
“The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."
But thank God! Praise Jesus!!
God promises!
Seek and You will Find!!
PSALM 9:7" but the Lord remaineth for ever. He hath prepared his throne in judgment:
8 and he shall judge the world in equity, he shall judge the people in justice.
9 And the Lord is become a Refuge for the poor: a Helper in due time in tribulation.
10 And let them trust in thee who know thy name: for thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee, O Lord."
************************************************************* He showed by opening his arms so wide to die on a cross by his love. John 3:16 Do we then Mock God? No! He will not be mocked. If God sees people knowingly rejecting the Death of his Son. The horror is theirs. But if we seek , He will help us find him.****************************************
Then EDEN will be restored.
Revelation 22
Eden Restored
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
John and the Angel
6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
Epilogue: Invitation and Warning
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.
PRAISE JESUS!!!
what is there to discuss?
any Orthodox Catholic know the answer is:
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, A THOUSAND TIMES NO.
what a waste of bandwidth.
"In the final analysis, the question of salvation is always an inquiry into the balancing of human free will with God's mercy and forgiveness. Scripture tells us that our God is a jealous God, who did not even spare His only Son for our salvation. God revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is a God of unfathomable love, who will wait us out to turn our hearts towards him, yet He is also the Creator of our free will and allows us the freedom of even rejecting Him who made us."
Very well written !! Thanks for posting!!!
Another great posting by you!
"In the final analysis, the question of salvation is always an inquiry into the balancing of human free will with God's mercy and forgiveness. Scripture tells us that our God is a jealous God, who did not even spare His only Son for our salvation. God revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is a God of unfathomable love, who will wait us out to turn our hearts towards him, yet He is also the Creator of our free will and allows us the freedom of even rejecting Him who made us."
Very well written !! Thanks for posting!!!
Another great posting by you!
I was thinking of the same citation while reading the article. In fact, I think that by using the terms “many” and “few” Christ was indicating that most of mankind will be damned.(By “mankind” is meant each and every person who has ever lived, past present or future.)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.