Mercy

Van · Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:13 am Post subject:

Gabe, you know what I think about your position. I considered your view of Matthew 7:13-23 and determined your view was obviously wrong. Clearly eternal life with God is in view as stated plainly in verse 21. In response you argued that eternal meant the last ages, actually meaning the next to the last ages because your invented last age has everybody redeemed. I responded that eternal means eternal, never ending because if you do not perish, you life never ends, hence eternal.

Next, I considered your view of 1 Corinthians 15:22, that the phrase "in Christ all shall be made alive" refers not to all those in Christ, but to everybody that was in Adam. Again, this is obviously wrong, because not everybody is baptized during their lifetime into Christ, not everybody even hears the gospel, so not everybody is a believer "in Christ" at their physical death. Jesus said few, and that clealy means not everybody, are those who find the way that leads to life, and the life in view is eternal life, see verse 21 of Matthew 7.

Next, I considered your view of Romans 11:32, that the verse indicates God has mercy on everybody that ever lived, and never destroys body and soul in hell. And yet again, I found the verse to be saying something entirely apart from what Gabe asserted. The idea is that God has mercy on Jews, God has mercy on Gentiles, and that God has shut up both groups of folks in disobedience, one after the other, in order to show mercy all - both Jews and Gentiles. This again is obvious if you read Romans 11:30-32. The point, or I should say the main theme of Romans 9-11 is Paul's discussion of how Israel was elected in the past, is into rebellion and rejection now, as part of God's plan, and Israel's future restoration. Hence my view of Romans 11:30-32 is contextually correct and Gabe's view is bogus.

Next, I considered the fact that God is love. Yes, love is one of God's attributes. Another attribute is that God is just. He is also holy - be holy for God is holy - which means our sinful state results in separation from our holy God. But God so loved the world - mankind in its sinful state - that He gave Son, that whosoever believes in Him.... God is love and He has offered salvation to believers in Jesus, those who readily accept with a heartfelt committment Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God keeps his promises, and those that do not believe during their physical lifetime are condemned already by their sinful state to everlasting punishment - separation from a right relationship to God, just punishment for their deeds, and eternal destruction which means no subsequent redemption if your name is not found in the Lamb's book of life and you are cast into the lake of fire.

And finally, I considered Romans 8:18-23. Here Paul compares the present state with the future state of believers, the "us" of verse 18.
Point one, verse 19, is that everybody, all of mankind, all those "in Adam", is anxiously longing for the end of futility, the striving after the wind.

But Paul says the reason for this age of futility, this age of suffering, is like the necessary pains of childbirth. This age between Christ's revelation at His first coming, and His second coming provides the opportunity for salvation. And the pain (consider Paul's "oh what a wretched man I am" pain) has a purpose, like the pains of childbirth, to deliver the adoption of the sons of God.

Paul finishes the passage is the observation, that not only is the futility necessary to bring about salvation according to God's purpose and plan, but also, after we are adopted and still physically alive, we are looking forward to our bodily transformation at Christ's second coming into glorified bodies. So the unsalved look forward to the end of futility, and the saved look forward to the redemption of our body, verse 23.

In summary, none of the verses cited by Gabe support his contention in the slightest, and this is obvious if you read the passages in context.

Universal salvation is a false doctrine, supported by redefining words, and quoting or referring to passages out of context.