Okay, you have read this far and perhaps you are finding this radical “Universal Salvation” idea a bit hard to swallow. After all, if we are all going to be redeemed, then what’s the use in even attempting to lead a productive life of obedience to God or of charity towards others? Why not just say “Party on!..., eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die… and then we all go to heaven.” Removing the threat of spending an eternity in Hell in the after-life will most certainly release Hell on earth in the present-life, will it not?
In reality it is but a misunderstanding of the nature of love and grace which leads to such a misguided conclusion. It is an objection upon which I do not wish to dwell, but due to its widespread propagation and acceptance, and the real temptation to abandon even a healthy fear of God when first exposed to such a Gospel, it does merit a certain amount of attention and should be adequately addressed before delving too far into the sweet embrace of God’s unconditional appeal. This mistaking of the Good News of our Creator’s intentions for a de facto endorsement of chaos is commonly referred to as “cheap grace”.
Let’s make it clear from the outset that there is nothing cheap about God’s grace and if you are looking for an easy way to bypass the rule of God’s laws in your life, you will not find it here in this essay. If you think that this paper will argue against the existence of Hell, think again! One day, sooner or later, you will give account for all that you have done, and for all that you have not done.
Long ago in his letter to the Romans, Paul the Apostle replied to his own rhetorical question of whether we should “continue in sin that grace may abound” by prefacing his response with the incredulous exclamation, “God forbid!” “In light of God’s mercy towards us as sinners”, he continues, how could we even consider embarking on a life of lawlessness and rebellion? Then later on, in his letter to the Galatians, he takes a different tack on the subject by reminding his readers that the law is not rendered impotent by God’s mercy: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galations 6:7 KJV) In other words, “God forbids!”
Now in like manner, my own rebuttal to the supposed dangers of “cheap grace” will also revolve around these two themes: God forbid! & God forbids!. Additionally, a case will be made for the ineffectiveness of the threat of eternal Hell as a deterrent, and for the damage such a doctrine has imparted to people’s image of God and to the acceptance of His presence in their lives. Finally, and woven throughout, will be found a thread of discourse demonstrating that when the Gospel is properly understood, though it definitely allows for a measure of chaos in the short run, it is the only message with the power to affect God’s ultimate will to restore right relatedness (righteousness) to His Creation.
Part 1: GOD FORBIDS!
If you think about it, the concept of abusing God’s favor is logically flawed and is self evidently precluded, a priori. It is patently absurd to imagine that a human being could “slip one by” or “pull one over” on an omnipresent God. By definition it cannot be done! As quoted above, God will not be mocked, and His immutable laws of cause and effect will most assuredly remind you of that fact if ever you should care to test them. Not only will no bad conduct go unheeded, but as Jesus emphatically proclaimed, neither will bad thoughts of bad conduct! Just because God is long suffering and will one day make good on His intentions to save all of mankind, it does not mean that the rod will be spared along the way. Whether it comes in the form of a light rebuke or in a temporary “handing over to Satan” for a well deserved taste of Hell itself (I Corinthians 5:5, I Timothy 1:20 NIV), make no mistake it will come, and there will be “wailing and gnashing of teeth”. David declared in Psalm 16 that God would not leave his soul in Hell; however, being dropped off for an extended visit may be just what The Doctor ordered.
Here we are alluding to the tough side of that multifaceted unfathomable love which composes the very essence of our Heavenly Father, who “disciplines the one he loves and chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” (Hebrews 12:6 NIV) It is that Love which can always be counted on to deliver the precise prescriptive blend of discipline and compassion to promote the optimal growth and ultimate happiness of His children. For “nothing can separate us from His love”, be it offered in correction or otherwise.
Even apart from any Biblical reference, I think we can all agree on a purely human level that a certain amount of suffering of consequences is necessary for the development of a well rounded personality, and for that matter, a stable society. But punitive punishment alone, especially when applied with a vengeance, tends to harden an individual. Furthermore the original offense is often repeated when the root deficiency present in the soul of the accused goes unattended. For “corrective” action to have the stated effect it must be applied firmly for sure but tempered by forgiveness and always with an eye towards rehabilitation. In contrast to the application of raw justice alone, a proper dose of this bilateral medicine has the power to turn even the most stubborn soul around in cultivation of a more godly character.
Again, strictly from a human perspective, good psychological counseling such as may be found in a 12-step recovery program can provide just such an environment for healing. A person comes to such a program having already acknowledged their lack of ability to correct or control their behavior. Life experience (cause and effect) has brought them to a place where all attempts to relieve their inner turmoil have proven ineffective and the spillover into their external environment can no longer be excused or avoided. Confessing their deficiencies to others, they are encouraged to continue with the acknowledgment of their own role in creating their demise while drawing on the support and acceptance of the group. This atmosphere creates and sustains that internal tension so crucial to healing, where the deep awareness of personal failure is met not by scorn, in spite of one’s performance, but rather by unsolicited kindness.
While much benefit may be derived from this sort of dynamic healing process without direct reference to Deity, even non-religious based programs are commonly founded upon the concept of a “higher power” for ultimate support and empowerment. Experience has shown that a reliance on anything less will eventually run out of steam. A full regeneration of the soul is really enabled only through an awareness of the eternal presence of the Great Physician, and miraculous changes in one’s psyche become possible in the arms of the One with Whom we are told “nothing is impossible” -- changes that are as permanent as they are effortless. Furthermore, the benefit does not end with personal growth alone but spills over to those around us. Once accepting of forgiveness ourselves, the same flows naturally towards all "who have trespassed against us” - this being but the spontaneous response to having been touched by love without condition.
The story revealed to us in the Good Book of God’s dealing with His ‘chosen’ people provides a description of what could be considered the original “12-Step” program, where God Himself presides over the recovery group known as the nation of Israel. This rag-tag rebellious bunch of “children” as they were, continually demonstrated their inability to uphold the letter of the Law as given through Moses, never mind being true to its spirit. Legal proclamations alone proved insufficient to mold within them the desired Godlike attitudes and behavior. In the end it only served to expose their shortcomings, lacking the power to affect the necessary change of character - instead producing in them one of two responses: either a blind self righteousness inspired by a misdirected sense of imagined successful compliance, or a feeling of utter despair and self loathing in light of their actual failure to measure up. Either way, the only law consistently upheld proved to be that of the jungle – “an eye for an eye” While this great emphasis on justice was actually an indication of considerable self restraint as opposed to the raw brutality still commonly displayed in acts of vengeance by neighboring cultures of the time, any real sense of mercy and forgiveness was still sorely lacking.
Yet in spite of their deplorable performance, the story reveals a progressive unfolding of God’s redemptive purposes towards his chosen people... and much to their chagrin, towards the ‘not-so-chosen’ gentiles as well. The Law written in stone had proved itself inadequate. Clearly something more would be required to bridge the gap. A promise was therefore given, that God would “write the Law upon their hearts” - an appealing concept no doubt, but how could such a promise be fulfilled?
A demonstration, as it were, would be required to get the ball rolling – a tangible, living, breathing manifestation of Love’s essence... an Incarnation. But this was unthinkable, nay unimaginable, so much so that His own people to this day deny the reality of it. The “Great Mystery” of all time, that God Himself would step into history and absorb the offense, the rebellion, and the hatred of His children; the all powerful Creator would subject Himself to the Creation. Yes, even Jesus had trouble believing in its necessity, sweating blood as He earnestly pleaded, “Father if there be any other way…”. But prior to even having laid the foundations of the world, the Father had fully accepted the great cost of doing business, for that is when the Lamb had, in effect, been slain. (Revelation 13:8 KJV) It was consciously acknowledged from before the beginning of time that the only way to break the spell of sin would be through a personal exhibition of forgiveness and unconditional love in the laying down of His own life for His “friends”... and more to the point, for His enemies as well!
And therein lies, my dear reader, God’s secret weapon whereby He will compel -- without compulsion -- the “bowing of every knee” to His awesome purposes, and every voice raised in claims against Him shall fall silent.
Part 2: GOD FORBID!
Now, it is in light of the foregoing revelation that we may be inspired to proclaim with Paul, “God Forbid” if ever we should feel the urge to act contrary to His Spirit, and to test the “legal” underpinnings of Grace. Once exposed to the overwhelming goodness of a God who takes full responsibility for His creative activity, who not only extends an eternal hand of loving support towards us, His rebellious children, but actually immerses Himself in our world and even more, submerses Himself in the messy process of redemption, one loses the desire to live a life not pleasing to Him. Rather it evokes an innate desire for submission to His guidance, quite apart from any negative consequences otherwise to be imposed.
It is the understanding that God does not stand aloof over the affairs of men, but rather is an active participant, bleeding with us and for us in unwavering love and support which then provides the source for our expression of the same attitude towards our neighbors, towards ourselves, towards our marriage partner, and yes, even towards our enemies. This is done not with a sense of loathing or drudgery but rather in welcome participation as “ambassadors of His ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). It is deeply understood that the reservoir of love in which we are able to tap is in-finite and therefore it is offered freely and without thought of measure or repayment.
Imagine a world, a family, a marriage, or a church where people interact out of unconditional commitment to one another with no thought or inclination towards giving up on the other, each fully believing in each others' God given worth and in God’s given promise to follow through to completion His redemptive process in all of His children. The Lord asks us to love our wives as He loved the Church, even to give up our life for her. That does not mean for as long as she remains pleasant or treats us well. Quite the contrary, in fact, it implies that we are to love her even though she may crucify us. Sound like too heavy a load? Do you protest and declare that she’s not worth it? Then you have not yet witnessed the immense value that Christ perceives within her soul nor have you faced the wretchedness of your own, nor tasted the undying Love of Christ for you in spite of it!
Just imagine the power to be released thereby. It could heal the world... it will heal the world... and all of Creation as well.
On the other hand, let’s pause to consider the devastating impact on these relationships which has resulted from the teaching of a highly conditional view of God, one whose insatiable wrath is not satisfied with merely giving up on those who displease Him, but additionally inspires the release of eternal vindictive torment upon them as well. It is no wonder that the divorce rate within the Church nearly equals that among non-believers. Christ’s love for His “bride” has been demonstrably reserved only for the “wise” virgins, so why would we expect that a mere mortal man should respond any more graciously to his? We have splintered Christ’s Body into hundreds of exclusive competing denominations, many believing them self to be the only group destined for Heaven. Worst of all, the heart of the Gospel remains hidden to the rest of the world because the Church, to whom the glorious revelation was given, has effectively concealed its existence… “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matthew 23:13 NIV)… (see future blog post: “Blocking the Door: the Christian Pharisee”)
When it finally sinks in on us that “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (Romans 9:16 NIV), in other words that God’s redemptive purposes towards His creation carries no dependency on our “buy in”, only then will we be sufficiently inspired to truly offer our un-throttled and eternal devotion to Him. Anything short of this crucial understanding of His nature will sooner or later find us seeking for ways to cheat the system. If our relationship with God is somehow tied to a “pay for piety” program then we will seek to find the minimum work necessary to collect the reward. Equally amiss, we may perceive God’s gracious gospel message to provide for a “pay for party” platform. In neither case, as revealed in the story of the Prodigal Son, is there found a path to fulfillment as does reside in a simple child like acceptance and appreciation of the Father’s loving provision and guidance. “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32 KJV)
Part 3: UNBELIEVABLE
Lastly, let’s examine yet another weakness in the supposed effectiveness of the doctrine of Eternal Torment, that of its believability, or rather its lack thereof. It has long been taught, although not necessarily from ancient times, that an eternity in Hell is the just sentence for a rebellious mankind and furthermore that the fear of it is the only thing that prevents “all Hell breaking loose”. Recent surveys, however, have shown that less and less of the population at large actually believes in the reality of this threat of Hell or even in the existence of its formidable proprietor, the Devil. This trend was recently portrayed in an animated television sitcom where the Pope was shown lamenting the fact that no one was afraid of the regular Devil anymore and therefore was considering the announcement of the discovery of a Super Devil even more powerful and treacherous than his predecessor. Apparently the deterrent effect of the image of a Satanic being has lost much of its potency.
For that matter, I would challenge the notion that the concept of Eternal Torment in Hell has ever really been sincerely embraced at any time, save perhaps in the dark ages. (And what a laudable legacy we inherit from that period: a Church-ruled society best known for its opposition to good science and the promotion of sword induced Christian “conversions”) If the Hell doctrine were ever actually taken to heart within the Christian community, it seems odd that its adherents could justify in their own minds any available time or resources beyond that required for physical survival to be used for an activity not directly devoted to saving people from such an unspeakable and eternal demise! All other pursuits should rightly be set aside as trivial until there remains no one outside the fold.
Furthermore, even if justice were the be all and end all objective of God’s response to our failures, how could it ever have become to be imagined that eternal punishment for temporal crimes somehow represents even a marginal form of justice, let alone God’s perfect incarnation of the same? Pray tell what is the crime worthy of such a fate? Even from a human perspective, there most certainly could be no victim of any crime ever committed, or for that matter any that could be imagined, who would desire the perpetrator to suffer an endless anguish. At some point, be it a lifetime or even a hundred lifetimes, any victim with a heart not made of stone would be compelled eventually to call a halt to it and exclaim that enough is enough!
Additionally it is quite telling that almost everyone to whom I have presented the possibility that all will one day be united in Heaven have countered with a description of at least one person or two who either they know personally or are well known historical figures which richly deserve an eternity in Hell for what they have done -- the point being that the deserving person is always someone other than themselves. I would assert that anyone truly believing that their own personal destiny resides in such a state will necessarily resolve their dilemma in basically one of four ways: 1) “buy” a ticket to Heaven; that is, jump through whatever hoops have been ordained in some religious doctrine to avoid it, 2) party hearty while you can, 3) commit suicide, or 4) follow the prompting of that ‘still small voice’ inside which leads to an understanding of the true Gospel.
(For further discussion on my personal transition through each of these phases, see the future post “A Brief Autobiography”. Further discussion of the misplaced notion of the “them” in our lives who God has “rightfully” not chosen and thereby richly deserve their place in eternal Hell, will be found in the future post entitled: “The Chosen”.)
Part 4: THE ALTERNATIVE
Sadly the traditional conditional Christian message boils down to that of a resurrected but defeated Savior only able to attract (or scare) but a few souls along that narrow road, having been shunned by the vast majority of people who ultimately succumbed to the superior allure of the god of Darkness. And yet it is the doctrine of ultimate reconciliation that is popularly branded a heresy unworthy of consideration due largely to its alleged effect of leading countless souls to that same fiery demise where most are assumed to end up anyway.
So, first of all, how much more dismal a scorecard in the supposed contest for the souls of men could possibly be produced by the promotion of this “heresy” than that already predicted by the traditional “gospel”? Secondly, suggesting that the salvation of a handful of people restored to a state of bliss at the expense of the masses in Hell, who by the way had been given no voice in the decision to participate in this life in the first place, is hardly grounds for celebration. Quite the contrary; it could only be considered by any standard an unmitigated and utter failure, an outright mockery of His supposed “plan” for the reconciliation of all things and a defiance of His will that all be saved. Perhaps it is those that cast such grave doubt on the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice who should be concerned about the “heretical” effect their words have towards prolonging the suffering of mankind from whom the Gospel remains hidden. Certainly the Good Shepard could find no satisfaction whatsoever in His bloody turmoil if even one of the 100 sheep were to be forever lost.
The God that I have personally come to know, whose nature is revealed both in the pages of the Bible as well as the presence of His Spirit within, surely will leave the 99 safe in the fold to go after the one, until it be found. My own desire for the unity of mankind as expressed in the words of this blog is simply a reflection of His, and He says of His Word that “... it shall not return void, but it shall accomplish that which I please." (Isaiah 55:11 KJV) He will raise all of His children to their full potential and he will lose NONE! As Jesus proclaimed, “What father would give a stone to his child who had asked for a fish?”. And to that I would add, "What father would give a stone to his child (for food) even if the child did in fact ask for a stone?". In other words, of course our Heavenly Father would not “give” us eternal separation in Hell just because that is what we (children) may ignorantly ask for!
How then will we be kept “in line” without the constant threat of eternal torment? What is the alternate model for the molding and discipline of our souls? The alternative is offered in the unveiling of God’s true character in the person of His Son. Jesus told us to refer to God as our loving Father, a concept virtually unheard of before the Incarnation. Unlike the many powerful, impersonal, and capricious “deities” of that time, we are told that our Father is both knowable and trustworthy. His love for us is powerful and without limit, against which Satan’s lure will prove no match. His resources are infinite and He has held nothing back, not even the life of His Son, in ensuring the ultimate happiness of all His children and the fulfillment of “His will to bring all things together under Christ”. His judgments are fearful and perfect, and as the Borg is fond of reminding us, “resistance is futile”. Of course, resistance is also just plain stupid since He has only our best interest in mind. But if we choose to push the limits, as all children are inclined to do, the leash will be “adjusted” accordingly. Ultimately the keys to Hell are in His hands and so our apprehension of that realm should be limited to a healthy fear of a father’s discipline. One glorious day, when no longer needed, both Death and an empty Hell will be destroyed! On that day He will present us, fully matured, to all of creation which “eagerly awaits the revealing of the children of God” (Romans 8:19 NIV) as we assume our appointed position within the Body of Christ.
DISCLAIMER
While an impassioned and comprehensive case has here been made for the certainty of God’s disciplinary measures towards those who would abuse His Grace-ful intentions, there will undoubtedly be some still inclined to do so. I have witnessed it on more than one occasion where close friends have too eagerly dumped their former view of a conditional god in favor of the unconditional understanding only to begin behaving as if the laws of cause and effect had been suddenly and forever suspended. If one who is used to having their conduct checked primarily by the threat of Hell fire is suddenly let out of that cage, the effect may be devastating. I shall not detail the resulting damage that I have been witness to but suffice to say that “demons” cast out of people on their way towards a childlike trust in the Father may end up being replaced by “seven more” if their spiritual house is too quickly swept clean -- “and the final condition of that person is worse than the first”. Some have suffered life changing negative consequences with extensive damage to themselves, their families and to society at large. One such very dear friend ended up with a sentence of life in prison for violent crimes before finally realizing the meaning of Christ’s admonition when he proclaimed that, while Love fulfills the Law, it does not replace it. Take care then not to throw the baby (the Father’s eternally loving discipline) out with the bathwater (Satan’s lies of impending eternal torment).
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