against Universalism, you"][An EU says, ]1 Peter 3:18 Isn’t there a second chance?I think that should be v19? I’d probably say “further” chances, as we usually have more than one in this life & I believe we’ll have many in the next life too.
against Universalism, you"]This admittedly mysterious verse doesn’t say anything about people’s ability to come to a saving faith after death.That’s fair enough, it’s not explicit, however, two things:
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When Jesus was preaching on earth, some believed & some didn’t, so the starting assumption should be that some people in this passage would & some wouldn’t.
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Given the people in this passage would’ve been there for a long time, they would have a very good idea about what life without God is like, so I suspect when the Gospel was proclaimed to them they would joyfully accept the gift & repent. I get the impression this is what most of the Church Fathers thought.
against Universalism, you"]This is significant for Evangelical Universalism which emphasizes repentance and faith after death.We actually emphasize repentance & faith before death, but acknowledge that not all do & that God doesn’t stop pursuing people after death & continues to graciously forgive & accept repentance (just like any loving father would do for their children).
Anyway, 1 Peter 3:19 is just one of many reasons for believing in postmortem repentance & reconciliation.