For this is ideal and welcome in the sight of our Savior, God, Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into the realization of the truth
Paul to Timothy (1) 1:3-4, Concordant New Testament
Some of the fiercest resistance that I have received from so called believers in my conversations with them revolves around the idea of universal salvation. The idea that it is Gods desire and ultimate will that all of His children come to know Him. The apostle Paul spoke this truth to young Timothy {Paul to Timothy (1) 1:3-4}. Why is it that Christians have such a difficult time in believing that God would desire all of His children to be saved? Well, I believe that many of these believers, as I once was, have been instilled with the teachings of the mainstream church. While good in some ways, there are plenty of these teachings which I believe go against the true will of the Lord. For instance, I was always taught that those who believe in the Lord would be rewarded with an eternity in heaven while the wicked and unbelieving would be punished with their eternity in hell. This is part of the theology spoken by the church. But what if they got it all wrong? What if the desire of God is that all of His creation will be saved? I can imagine the outcry coming from the mainstream church were this to be proclaimed. What about the evil people? Will sin no longer be punished? In reality, it has never been our duty to decide who is or is not rewarded with an eternity to heaven or punished with eternity in hell. Yet we have done just that over the years. Countless pastors have stood at the pulpit and proclaimed the rewards and punishments of those that they deemed deserving of such. I have experienced this first hand in my time in the church. Is there any doubt as to why the majority of the world sees us as being judgmental? I get it. In fact, I totally understand why it is that people I talk with have such a difficult time accepting the truth of universal salvation. They have been taught to believe the black and white criteria spoken by the church that goodness will be rewarded and evil punished. It's not as if there is no scriptures which speak to the Fathers desire that all be saved. A simple Google search led me to a page full of verses speaking to this truth. Yet those in the church have continued to cherry pick scripture to fit their false narrative.
For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified
Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15: 22, Concordant New Testament
In the film Come Sunday, the reverend Carlton Pearson is removed from his leadership position within his church for speaking the apparent blasphemy of universal salvation. That idea that God will provide salvation for all of His children. Pearson is awakened to this idea when he questions whether those who have never heard of Christ Jesus would indeed be sent to hell for their unbelief. For this he was removed from his position of prominence within the church. Is it, then, any wonder why we do not hear the truth of universal salvation spoken from the pulpits of the mainstream church? Who would dare speak to such obvious blasphemy? Well, Jesus for one. For it is Jesus who has spoken to the truth of why He has been dispatched by the Father, not to judge, but that all the world may be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}. Too many people proclaim the scripture we find in John 3:16 with joy, that God loved the world enough to dispatch His one and only Son. Yet they seemingly disregard the accompanying passage, which proclaims that Jesus has not been sent to judge the world, but that ALL the world might be saved through Him. Does this sound like blasphemy to you? Well, to many in the church it does indeed. The narrative spoken by the church remains, the good must be rewarded and the wicked punished. As if we have propped up ourselves as the final judge of who it is that will be rewarded and/or punished. One of my favorite quotes from the film Come Sunday comes when Carlton Pearson asks the church leaders who are questioning his beliefs, "If you could save your own father from hell, wouldn't you?" I would ask that very same question to anyone who desires to place themselves above God and proclaim who is to be rewarded and who is to be punished.
~Scott~
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