Why I believe Universal Reconciliation is a Historical Fact

I believe in universal reconciliation as a completed work and a historical fact. Yes, I believe that all humanity is reconciled to God by the faithful accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is different than ultimate reconciliation in that ultimate reconciliation accepts that all are reconciled at some point in the future, and only some are reconciled now. In fact, let me go so far as to say that I believe that all were reconciled before the foundation of the world, which is before anything was spoken into existence by the powerful loving Word of God. Yes, reconciliation was settled before creation. Redemption was God’s purpose in creation. God created with a single purpose in mind. It was to bring praise to his glorious grace and allow Him to bestow perfect love on his creation. Ultimately it was a plan whereby he could perfectly love his creatures and in turn, they would have the means to genuinely love him back with an intensity nearly unfathomable.

You will no doubt want to say to me, what about choice? What about beings with free will? To that I say each human has a choice to believe it or not. Each human has the choice to walk in this reality while in this earth or not. Each human has the ability to realize that they are image bearers of a loving God and demonstrate this quality in their world. It is the choice of being human on this earth plane. However, in the reality of eternal energy, that reality which quantum physicists are beginning to be able to observe, examine, and can see by repeatable experimentation. They are finding that this ultimate energy field has an awareness and intelligence, and though our understanding is still so primitive, one can only surmise that it is the source of all that is and that it is in fact, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit that holds all things together. The writer of Hebrews said as much. He said that Christ holds all things together by his powerful Word.  Paul told the Athenians that Jesus was the God in whom we live, move and have our being.

This brings me to the first proof of universal reconciliation. I am going to show a fairly large portion of Ephesians chapter one. The Spirit inspired Paul to write about the absolute sovereignty of the triune creator. Eph 1:3-14  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  (4)  just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.  (5)  He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,  (6)  to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  (7)  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace  (8)  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight  (9)  he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,  (10)  as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.  (11)  In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,  (12)  so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.  (13)  In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;  (14)  this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

The phrase, before the foundation of the world explains that it was prior to the Word speaking the world into existence. There are two passages in scripture that predate Genesis chapter one. One is John 1:1-5 and the other is the passage above from Ephesians chapter one. John chapter one predates all other scripture, but Ephesians one is next in order. I am not saying that either John chapter one or Ephesians chapter one was written chronologically before Genesis chapter one. What I am saying is that these two passages describe events that predate creation. And what is most important for my purpose is Ephesians chapter one explains God’s motive for creation. It was redemption. Further, it was to the praise of his glorious grace. So, let me ask a question. What would bring more praise to his glorious grace? The fact that he made it so some could choose to be redeemed or that he planned to redeem his entire creation? Of course, it would be to redeem the entire creation. And, Paul states that exactly in verse 10 by saying ALL things. What can possibly be left out of all things? Absolutely nothing!

Paul goes on to say that God accomplishes all things according to his council and will. So, when Peter tells us that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance then he will accomplish that. In the above passage, Paul establishes the absolute sovereignty of God. So, the first proof is established that God had chosen to redeem humanity before he created them, and the purpose was to praise his glorious grace. Now, what could be the greatest praise for his glorious grace? The answer is genuine love for God. In fact, this glorious grace is the key to enabling one to obey the first and greatest commandment. Once one grasps the plan that God put in motion before he created the world, one cannot help but love God with all their heart, with all their might, and with all their soul. This is the only way to enable real love for Father.

Moving on to the next proof; Rom 5:18 Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. In Adam all died and in Christ all are made alive. Notice what Paul says in the above passage. Does he say that Christ’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for some? Does it say that Christ’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all those who believe? No, it says that Jesus’ act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL. Paul begins Romans five by saying that having been justified by faith one has peace with Father. It is important to point out that it is not that people are justified by their faith. No, Galatians 2:16 explains that all are justified by the faith, faithfulness of Jesus. So once again we are confronted with a sovereign act that God does on behalf of humanity to further redemption and reconciliation. It is important to read Galatians 2:16 in either the King James Version, the NET Version or the YLT Version… but if you read it in any Greek Version you will see that one is justified by Christ’s faith and not their own. So now we see that ALL are justified. Would a sovereign God that is love justify someone that would later choose to go to eternal torture?

So now I come to the third proof; 2Co 5:17-21 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  (18)  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  (19)  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  (20)  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  (21)  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Here Paul speaks of the ministry of reconciliation. He says that God/Father was in Christ/Jesus reconciling the world to himself. Notice he does not say that God was in Christ reconciling the elect to himself or those who would one day believe to himself. No, Father was in Christ reconciling the entire cosmos to himself. The Greek word translated world in this passage is the kosmos. Again, after looking at the sovereign God in Ephesians chapter one, who planned redemption before the foundation of the world, reconciled the world to himself in Christ. Let us face the facts here. The entire cosmos is reconciled to God and it is very unlikely that he would allow anyone to perish and not partake of redemption and reconciliation.

I can hear it now. What about hell? What about all those who rejected Jesus in his earthly ministry? Well, that would require more words than I have written here but I will say this. All of Jesus references to hell was connected with the upcoming judgment on Jerusalem and the temple. All of the references to Gehenna were references to the imminent judgment that was to come on the Jews from Rome. Romans chapters nine, ten, and eleven, the place where Calvinists get their doctrine of election is parenthetical to explain why the Jews, God’s chosen people, missed out on redemption and why the Gentiles were saved with only a remnant of Jews that escaped the terror of Roman occupation in the first century. Yet, Paul says at the end of Chapter eleven that ALL Israel will be saved. Rom 11:26-35  “And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob."  (27)  "And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins."  (28)  As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors;  (29)  for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.  (30)  Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,  (31)  so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.  (32)  For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.  (33)  O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  (34)  "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"  (35)  "Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?" This puts the icing on the proverbial cake in my view. Here is another of Paul’s infamous ALL’S. All have been imprisoned under disobedience so that He can have mercy on some? Oh, that’s not what Paul said, God will have mercy on all.  I like how this passage ends Rom 11:36  “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” This takes us back to the idea of the source in quantum mechanics. From Him, through Him and to Him. And guess what He gets the glory that he had purposed before creation.