What gives you that idea, Dave? Where to you find in Scripture that God has reconciled the world to Himself? Is God reconciled to the fact that much or most of the world of people are cruel, hateful, and wicked?
The Author = Aitios=
The One who causes something.
Jesus Christ is the Author of eternal salvation.
His work is finished on earth.
He is not merely the formal cause of our salvation: He is the concrete & active cause of it.
He is our salvation itself.
Hebrews 5:9 has no English equivalent to express the meaning here.
The Author = Archegos =
Prince/ Author/ Captain.
The first occasion of anything. One who takes the lead.
Jesus Christ is the Prince of Life/ the originating cause of Life.
He is the Leader of all others who tread the path.
The Finisher =
teleo = to bring to an end.
teleioo = perfect completion/ brought to perfect end.
ekteleo = to finish out completely.
epiteleo = to bring to an end/ finish/ complete.
teleiĹtá¸s = A consummater = to bring to a close.
Are our broadest hopes broad enough? Shall there be a nook or abyss, in all the universe of God, finally unlightened by the Cross? Shall there be a sin, or sorrow, or pain unhealed? Is the very universe, is creation in all its extent, a field wide enough for the Son of God?
âHaving made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own willâŚâ
Chance = sunkuria =
A meeting together by a coincidence of [His] circumstances.
A concurrence of events rather than chance.
Please note
There is zero chance involved.
Dr. E.W. Bullinger, The Companion Bible
âWe have not an impotent Father, or a disappointed Christ, or a defeated Holy Ghost, as is so commonly preached; but an omnipotent Father, an all-victorious Christ, and an almighty Holy Spirit, able to break the hardest heart and subdue the stoutest will.â
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#1 -Rom. 11:36
âFrom Him everything comes, through Him everything exists and in Him everything ends.â
Ta pavnte= the all things.
Ta pavnte = in the absolute sense of the whole of creation, the universe. Of everything in heaven and earth that is in need of uniting and redeeming. From Him ta pavnte comes, through Him ta pavnte exists, and in Him ta pavnte ends.
#2. -Eph. 1:-
âHe has made known to us the secret of His will. And this is in harmony with Godâs merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for itâthe purpose which He has cherished in His own mind of restoring the whole creation to find its one Head in Christ; yes, things in heaven and things on earth, to find their one Head in Him. And you too, who in Him were made heirs, having been chosen beforehand in accordance with the intention of Him whose might carries out in everything the design of His own will.â
The all things in the heavens, the all things in the earth, and you who once were dead in trespasses and sins. That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one, the ta pavnte en/in Christ.
Ta pavnte = in the absolute sense of the whole of creation, the universe. Of everything in heaven and earth that is in need of uniting and redeeming.
#3 -Col. 1:20
âGod purposed through Him to reconcile the universe to Himself, making peace through His bloodâŚto reconcile to Himself through Him, I say, things on earth and things in heaven. And youâŚâ
The all things (the ta pavnte) in the heavens, the all things (the ta pavnte) in the earth, and you who once were dead in trespasses and sins. God has purposed to reconcile the universe (the ta pavnte) to Himself. The ta pavnte/ the all, encompasses the ta pavnte on the earth and the ta pavnte in the heavens. The ta pavnte= the all, the whole enchilada.
Ta pavnte = in the absolute sense of the whole of creation, the universe. Of everything in heaven and earth that is in need of uniting and redeeming.
Please welcome my friend & translator of the Jonathan Mitchell Translation of the koine Greek.
The Greater Emmanuel Website
Greater Emmanuel International Ministries
âGod is the Saviour of all mankind, especially those that believe. Command and teach these things.â
âThe lake of fire will be abolished when it burns itself out because there is no evil left for it to feed upon, and the whole universe will throb with joy when the second death is abolished with the successful completion of the great and glorious work the Lord Jesus will bring to full fruition with the perfecting of all in the heavens and on earth.
What a prospect!
Godâs purpose of the ages (Eph. 3:11) fulfilled in perfect accord with His irresistible will. âAnd every creature which is in heaven and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, âUnto Him Who sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for the ages of the ages (Rev. 5:13) â a grand Hallelujah Chorus echoing through the boundless universe and proclaiming that God IS Love.â -Chas. W. Cotton-
âWho could have peace in the Christian hope while overwhelmed with the consciousness that many of those dearest to us are even right now shrieking hopelessly for watery relief from fiery torments? If any can be happy under such a burden of woe, are they hardened to insensibility; or do they really take their creed seriously?
Do believers in eternal hell torment really believe it, in their careless unconcern for the unsaved, or do they just give formal and thoughtless assent to their creeds. A sincere contemplation of such an infinite spectacle of woe as they present about hell is enough to unseat the reason of every believer of it if it weighs on his mind as it should if true. It would be appalling to know the number of all those who thought they had committed âthe unpardonable sin,â another erroneous tradition, and that they were hopelessly hell-bound because of it, and as a result became maniacs and suicides.
Yet in utter disregard of the frightful results of their hideous pagan ideas, the eternal hell torment evangelists would like to unchristianize those of us who dare to question their views by turning the searchlight of truth on their errors.
After hell is ended in the lake of fire, where can the previous inhabitants of hell go? Not back to hell, for it then will be no more. Not back into death, for âthere shall be no more death.â
Only one destiny will be possible for them, and that is the one declared in Is. 26:9, and that is correction through judgment.â -J.W. Williams-
Sadly, the latter, from my perception of those who belong to conservative evangelical and reformed churches. After all, I used to be among them.
Dear Norm: My very first encounter with the Life-Giver happened many moons ago in a wee evangelical church named Hope Gospel. They were a wonderful group of believers who failed to see the Ending is the Beginning.
This is a many faceted journey into Him. In His good pleasure and timing unprecedented dimensions of Him break upon us!
Nuts for Calvinists to crack
âAlthough a Calvinist myself for more than thirty years, the scriptures declaring Godâs infinite love, and the plain teachings of Jesus my Lord on the subject of love, mercy and truth, finally sank my theological ship. This left me searching for the truth as it is in Jesus. Finally I was convinced by the overwhelming number of Scriptures that our great God and Heavenly Father truly does, without partiality, love the whole world, and He will in His own time and in His own way finally reconcile all men unto Himself.
Arminianism and Calvinism both represent each other as the method for Godâs work in salvation, and both vigorously reject the final reconciliation of all men. -C.R. Bierbower
The Purpose Of God
http://www.theheraldofgodsgrace.org/Gelesnoff/ThePurposeOfGod.htm
The Triumph Of Love
http://www.theheraldofgodsgrace.org/Gelesnoff/TheTriumphOfLove.htm
âThe current Evangelical Theology involves in its system belief in the deathlessness of sin, the indestructibility of error, and permanence of evil. That though there was a time in the history of the universe when sin in any shape or form did not exist, when no cry of pain or sense of guilt darkened the all-extensive bliss and holiness of creation, yet since sin has once effected an entrance into such a scene, it has come in never to go out again, indestructible, unconquerable, ineradicable, endless. Absolute happiness and sinlessness have forever vanished like the phantom of a dream. The âeternal stateâ is a universe endlessly finding room for myriads of souls rolling and writhing in the burning agonies of ceaseless flame, eternally sinful, vile and morally hideous. It pictures the âfinal perfectionâ yet to be attained as having room for a vast cesspool of immoral and degraded beings, continually existing in opposition to God.â
~Vladimir Gelesnoff ~
âI, for one, freely confess that, without a knowledge of the consummation, when God will reconcile all and become All in all, I could not have confidence in a deity who allowed the world to work itself into such a mess, and who can do little more for most men than to sweep them into destruction, extinction or torment.
But now, how can I distrust God?
Mankind is just where He has brought it. The effect of all the present evil and distress will be salutary. God will get glory out of it, and men will be prepared by it to appreciate the gifts He has in store for them all.â
The corrective effects of kolasis aionios last forever.
But as a means to an end, it will not last any longer than is necessary to produce the end for which it exists in the first place.
When we finally weary of our own selfishness, petty jealousies, and lust for power; when we learn at last, perhaps through bitter experience, that these lead only to ruin and cannot bring enduring happiness, that nothing short of union with God and reconciliation with others will satisfy our own deepest yearnings; when we discover that the Hound of Heaven has finally closed off every alternative to such a union, we shall then, each of us, finally embrace the destiny that is ours.â -A.E. Knoch-
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At-one-ment
âWe are told of a god who created millions of beings whom he intends for endless torments and puts His whole design into execution; and this is called supreme goodness.
In millions of cases this god finds it most for his glory to make his rational, hoping, wanting creatures endlessly miserable.
We are likewise told of a devil who acts for his own gratification, and who delights in making Godâs creatures miserable; and this is called badness.
Shall we thus represent our kind and merciful Father from Whom streams of goodness continually flow to His wanting, needing creatures?
No; let every vibration of sense within us acknowledge His bountiful hand which will never close.â -Hosea Ballou
âSinners do not go away into everlasting punishment. They go into eonian correction. Thank God for the Concordant literal translation, which some in their blindness are condemning. When leaders in the church today condemn something I would be the first one to rush out and get it and examine it for myself. Do not make the mistake of thinking that the majority have the truth It has never been that way and it is not now.
The unscriptural tradition assigning a limit beyond which Christ has no power to save the obstinate sinner has spread universally. It is worldwide.
It claims that the will of man can successfully oppose the power and will of God.
âGod wills all mankind to be savedâ (1Tim.2:4).
Let us follow our Lord in His denunciation of tradition that makes void the word of God. Let us revel in the full extent of Christâs work and Godâs victory for all mankind.â -Charles J. Peart-
Yes, there is some confusion about the meanings of words used to indicate both the will of God (i.e., words in noun form) and what God wills (i.e., words in verb form), and this confusion has been embraced by John Piper, among others. But there should be no confusion in the 1 Timothy verse used above.
The verb wills denoted by the Greek verb thelo, the word used in the above 1 Timothy 2:4 verse, means âto sovereignly determineâ when describing God, as stated in the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 3, pages 45-47.
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Yes but âAll Mankindâ doesnât have to include those outside the new heaven and earth.
Isaiah 66
âFor as the new heavens and the new earth
that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your offspring and your name remain.
From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh* shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.
âAnd they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.
âAll fleshâ is in the context of the new heaven and earth. Those outside the gates are not included in âall fleshâ. Of course one could believe that if God grafts them in then they become part of âAll Fleshâ. But this isnât necessarily the case. Or you could offer another way of looking at the passage but itâs not the only way. I take the Universalist interpretation because of religious diversity. Reality forces me to accept a universalist interpretation.
koine thelo=
To will, have in mind, intend.
To be resolved or determined/ to purpose.
To sovereignly determine
â Î¸á˝łÎťĎ thĂŠlĹ, thelâ-o; apparently strengthened from the alternate form of G138; to determine (as an active option from subjective impulse.
Plan A= God wills the salvation of all mankind.
Alternate plan b =
God would like to be the Saviour of all mankind, but alas, the will of all mankind is stronger than the Will of all wee wills.
Yes, these verses (Isaiah 66) are very confusing and even seem self-contradictory.
Isnât a dead body âflesh,â so how could the dead bodies be an abhorrence to all flesh? Are they an abhorrence to themselves? And how could all flesh come to worship if some flesh is in the form of dead bodies?
Also, how could a worm never die, since worms that eat flesh are usally immature insects (e.g., maggots of flies) that will eventually mature, metamorphose to non-flesh eaters, and eventually die.
And how could their fire not be quenched? That defies the second law of thermodynamics. Thereâs more, but I think for the most part, this is major hyperbole and metaphorical writing here. Clearly something is amiss with the interpretation that runs counter to 1 Timothy and many other verses from Paulâs writing.
After studying the scriptures for and against Christian universalism I have to say that a good case can be made for itâs rational permissibility from the scriptures. For the scriptures can be taken this way or that way depending on oneâs starting point and assumptions on this issue. Our starting point, assumptions, and emotional biases will cause us to explain away those passages that seem to contradict our position. We simply cannot get the view from nowhere. Reason is situated, located, embodied in this person at this time and in this place. It is moved by our biases and emotions to attend to this sort of evidence and to ignore that sort of evidence. From what I can see, if you want universalism to be true then, yes, âthe evidenceâ is perfectly clear and there is much of it. If I believe in bigfoot I see lots of evidence for bigfoot. The trouble is with the prior conviction and how it creates an epistemological filter, literally creates the evidence you want to see. Itâs called confirmation bias. Can we show from scripture that universalists are in an epistemically superior position? I donât know. We donât have belief independent access to all the factors that condition our acceptance or rejection of all the relevant passages. I know itâs just as reasonable position as the others based on the scripture and the fact of religious diversity and peoples beliefs and the problem of suffering I am forced to say itâs not the only reasonable position but the most reasonable position. Reality forces me to accept it.
âThe great enmity of mankind is but a background to magnify and display the far greater love of our God. Such love is as measureless as it is timeless; a vast portion being yet unrevealed. âAnd having made peace through the blood of Christâs cross, by Him to reconcile all unto Himself, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens.â This plan of the ages is our Lordâs ultimate purpose according to the declared will of Almighty God. This is the divine destiny of all in His creation. This is love that never fails.â -Ross McKay-
âMost Christian ministers seek only to search out passages of scripture that corroborate the eternal hell school of theology to which they belong; and whatever passages are unfortunately found in conflict are put through the required interpretations and contortions to disqualify for entry. Christian ministers all have posts to fill; they have a job to hold down; wherefore they dare not reach out for truth lest they should see too much and their conscience disturb them and their livelihood be imperilled.â -Mikkel Dahl- (Is hell eternal?)