Biblical arguments for Universal salvation

Question

Universal salvation, or universal reconciliation is the belief that God will eventually reconcile Himself with every immortal soul. That is, everyone will be saved. This doctrine has a long history. It's always been a minority view, but there have been proponents since, at least, the third century.

It seems to me that this belief quite clearly contradicts the teaching of the Bible. For example, reading 2 Thess 1:7-9 (NLT):

And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.

Now, clearly it can't be this simple, since there have been a lot of people that believed in Universal salvation. Origen, for example, probably knew the scripture quite well.

What are the Biblical arguments for Universal salvation?

Answer 1

• Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. —Romans 5:18

• For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. —Colossians 1:19-20

• so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:10-11

• For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. —Romans 11:32

English Standard Version (ESV)

Also see "St. Paul's Universalism". This is the fifth chapter of The Inescapable Love of God by eminent Christian Universalist and Philosopher Tom Talbott. In this chapter, he makes a case for Universalism from Paul's writings, especially Romans.

You can find more free chapters from Talbott's book here (scroll to the bottom).

As for 2 Thessalonians 1:9, a universalist would probably translate it:

They will be punished with destruction of the age to come — destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.

The word for "from" here (apo) is ambiguous. It can mean that those punished are punished away from the Lord, or simply that the punishment comes from the Lord; that is, it is administered by Him.

There has been some controversy over the meaning of the terms translated as "eternal punishment" (aionios kolasin). For this I would point you here. In summary, the terms used by the biblical authors to describe eschatological punishment are different from the terms used by those who believed in never-ending torment/imprisonment (the pharisees). There is a discussion of the contemporary usage of aionios and kolasin. Aionios is often used to describe a period of time of finite length (though it could be very long), and kolasin is typically used to describe punishments administered for corrective purposes.

EDIT: I just noticed that the word used in the 2 Thessalonians verse is olethron. Kolasin is used elsewhere, like in the parable of the sheep and the goats.

One last thing. Pithy arguments posted on a Q&A site hardly do an entire theological viewpoint justice, so you should probably look into reading a book.

And if you are looking to buy just one book on biblical universalism, I would highly recommend Gregory MacDonald(a.k.a. Rick Perry)'s The Evangelical Universalist, which gives a universalistic exegesis of the Bible as a whole. And it has a whole chapter on Revelation! Unfortunately, it doesn't have free chapters like Talbott's book (which I consider second best choice), but you can read reviews here (Also see Amazon sneak peek).

(I am not affiliated with any of the books I have referenced/recommended here)

Answer 2

Here are a few verses:

• "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." - 1 Corinthians 15:22 (Translation: English Standard Version)
• "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." - 1 Timothy 4:10

The verses in which God expresses his intent to save everyone (e.g. John 3:17) are also foundational. The idea is that if God wants to save everyone, he will eventually, though there may be some level of judgement/punishment in the meantime.

I don't know how to refute your passage, however. Hopefully a Universalist will appear and post a better answer than mine!

Answer 3

Going back to the Greek translation of the passage, the phrase "they will be punished with eternal destruction" is somewhat disingenuous in it's English phrasing. The word "destruction" in Greek is "olethron" - not annihilation, but destruction "with a positive connotation, as in the destruction required for and preceding renewal." (via Wikipedia).

A second issue with the English is the word "eternal" - in Greek, it's "aionios," closer to the phrase "age-to-come" than to eternal or everlasting. This makes sense, given the time this occurs is when "Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven" - a new age.

A Universalist interpretation suggests that the "destruction" referenced is the destruction of the essence of "those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel." It is the destruction of their inability to know Him, the destruction of their imperfections, and their refinement into His likeness.

This is merely a negation of 2 Thesselonians 1:7-9. As far as biblical arguments for universal salvation, some commonly-referred to passages include:

• 1 Tim 4:10
• 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Colossians 3:11
• Ephesians 2:8-9
• Hebrews 10:8-10
• 1 Peter 3:18

Answer 4

I'm not a universalist, but some of the verses I've heard in support of it are:

• And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. —John 12:32

• at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:10-11

• Mercy triumphs over judgment. —James 2:13, but see the context

• All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him —Genesis 18:18

There are more, but these are a representative sample. Taken in isolation they might sound impressive, but when read in context (especially James 2:13) they don't really make much of a case for universalism