There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Luke 13:1-5
The principle of universalism is that eventually everyone will be united with both God and the saints for eternity. Before I decided to pen my thoughts on this, I took some time to go through arguments for and against universalism to ensure that there was something slightly fresh to talk about on this. Let’s highlight a few things I learned;
Universalism has branches of thought
Posts that were pro-universalist had to state exactly what they meant when they talked about the subject because not everyone believes the same thing. We have those who hold a more purgatory view of hell, that it exists and indeed some shall end up there after this life but only remain there for a limited time until they atone for their sins. This is the version we will look at today. Some believe that hell will not be a thing and that God will save everyone at the point of death. There are probably more examples but these are the ones most brought up by pros and anti.
Universalism has history
The two sides see this history differently. Pro-universalists believe that before a halt, universalism was largely entertained and even widely accepted by Christians and that the rebirth of it in the 19th Century was finally an embrace of a light that church authority had held on to for centuries. Anti-universalists believe universalism was a heresy that grew way beyond it needed to and was promptly cut short by the church council, leading to a peace that was retained until the roots of the heresy spread once more in the 1940s.
The Discussion is largely syntax
This may sound dismissal at first but this fits the bill. For the most part, both pro and anti present verses that contain specific wording as to whether all or many is emphasized and the context surrounding the specific wording. However, the online platform, specifically blogging, does not present many nuances to any discussion and without feedback, it becomes difficult to present anything but this. I think richer and slightly more complicated discussions may be found on comment threads or even in private discussions.
Alright, now with that out of the way, let’s discuss what we are going to do. I drop the ambiguity here. I am anti-universalist, believing that the Bible has a stern emphasis on eternal destinations at the point of death, whether that be heaven for the saints and hell for those who do not believe. I say this here so you can make your decision as to whether to move further in the blog. If this is your stop, it is well. I thank you for what you have read. If you seek to go further, I assume you either agree or are curious enough to take my points at face value.
Today, rather than do the syntax thing, I would like us to consider a couple of things concerning the topic. Don’t feel pressured to have an open mind, just have an honest answer to each. Alright, here we go.
Hell: The Correction Facility
The way this point is often put is that for universalism to be true, sin has to be reduced in value, and thus its effect on both creations is minimalized and the wrath of God towards it is dissolved. This doesn’t sound like what universalism seems to say, one would think. After all, sin is still being punished and those that believe in Christ are still being saved from Hell. The only difference is that hell is not eternal because if God is good and loving, He would want the best for His Creation.
Look at our justice system, for example. Someone commits a crime and the judge determines, based on worth and damage, that said crime is worth sentencing of a couple of years. This does two things. One, it ensures that people are discouraged from doing the same thing and those inside are safely away from society, where they can think about what they’ve done. Two, it ensures that someone who does the crime, does the time and after they get out one day, they can be accepted back into society. Everyone deserves a chance to redefine their life, right? So why wouldn’t God, who loves us even more, do that?
In that sense, Hell would have to be viewed as a correction facility, where some of the people we tried to give the message of hope, get a fair sentence, and when they serve their time, they can join the rest in eternity. God doesn’t have to look bad. That does sound like a great plan and that’s the problem. I notice that the way this problem is pointed out is to ask what is the point of the Gospel but my question might go deeper. What was the point of the Cross in the first place?
Remember this is a plan that God made over thousands of years and God instituted a temporary covenant to, at the right point in the timeline, come to us in a hypostatic union to live a life we could not and die a shameful death. If Hell was truly a temporary place where all could suffer for a time and then be restored if our sin truly was not deserving of eternal punishment, why would God die for the sins of men? If men could truly stand the punishment for sin, why did Christ look at that very wrath and say at the garden, “If it is thy will, take the cup away from me but let your will be done”? One could say, but surely a million years in hell is not bearable but compared to eternity, it is. Let me show you something. A man serving 25 years in prison has hope of getting out. Nowhere near as little as say, 4 months but it is a sentence he can endure if he knows there is the hope of a new life. A man serving on death row does not have a similar hope. There is a good chance prison life is all he will ever know. I believe that the real horror of hell is not the fire that burns eternally or the worm that dies not but that there is no hope of ever leaving.
The reason I’m not convinced Hell is a correction facility is that it does not seem like it is built to correct, but to store. This leads us to the second point on this.
Inmates: Change for the Better
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:19-21
I do believe that this story is more symbolic than literal but I do want us to look at how Jesus paints the rich man. The rich man didn’t seem to be a thief or a murderer. He didn’t seem to insult Lazarus, kick him or threaten to do evil. Later on, we also learn that he has family that he cares about. One of the reasons the concept of Hell is despised is because we often assume we know the kind of people who should end up there and they can never be us. If this story was told by someone who the rich man sponsored, this story would be different. He would be a hero, a man who gave to the poor and didn’t care who shared his table. Yet, Christ does not paint nuance, only black and white. The evil that this man did was clear and simple.
We also don’t know much about what Lazarus did to end up at Abraham’s bosom. However, we do know that he is there and he is at rest. The second thing that people that don’t like Hell usually point to is those vulnerable in some capacity as though God is unable to be merciful where he deems so. We talk about the special needs or those with language barriers or those who have suffered for so long that the thought of a loving God could not cross their minds and here Christ is, painting such a man in paradise. Abraham also points out to the rich man that Moses and the Prophets would be enough to save his brothers, something the rich man seems to know because he immediately voices the third most popular remark; “There has to be a better way to get this message across. Someone from the dead is better than God’s Word”
Notice what the man’s two requests are and what they reveal about him. This man has been used to seeing Lazarus as beneath him and at his beck and call, so on seeing Lazarus in comfort, is quick to beckon his aid to cool his tongue and to be sent to the brothers. Maybe you can say that Lazarus was the only option, that’s fair. But notice what he wants his brothers to be warned of; this place of torment. The rich man still is not convinced he is in the wrong. Abraham points out that God’s Word through Moses will be enough to convict but the rich man believes that a jump scare will do better. Abraham then states the obvious; the hardened heart that will not accept the miracles of Moses and the prophets and the constitution of God will not change even if a dead man says so.
Hell cannot be a correction facility because there is nothing one can learn in hell that they will accept more than they did on Earth concerning God. The reason earthly jails work is that there is a conscience for all men, one that is quickened to conversion by the Holy Spirit when one is saved. As a result, we exercise remorse, guilt, and shame. Anyone in torment will not want to be there but that does not mean they want to be with God. That’s why a lot of people view Heaven as a place where dead people rest as opposed to where God’s eternal glory resides.
Cumulative Progress
Let’s highlight one last point. If hell is temporary and heaven is permanent, something has to be limited about hell’s punishment. If it is time, let’s go with a simple calculation. Say God only counted sin on 3 marks; intentional murder, murder in the heart or anger, and lying. He decided each sin would grant several years that a sinner on Earth years could bearably do so say 100 years per life shed, 10 years per anger, and one for lying. You lived for 80 years. Let’s go.
You probably have an average of one lie per day. That makes 310,250 years so far. Next, let’s go with an average of one anger burst per week. That makes 4,420 years, a total of 314,670. You probably never killed anyone so nothing to add there. Here comes the question. Do you believe that many years in hell is fair enough for you to partake? For the sake of argument, you might say yes since you get to meet God after your sentence. But in reality, even that would be too much. Let’s take it one step further. Once you get to hell, you will still keep doing those two things. You won’t suddenly stop lying and being angry because you got a sentence. Unless the tally stopped when you were on Earth, you would find yourself accumulating more service. At the end of the day, even with that system, you may still find yourself in an eternal correction on only 3 marks.
Even if the system was adding you good points for every good deed you did, there wouldn’t be enough cancellation to either not land you there or not land you there long enough for you to find the whole system fair. At this point, the only argument left might be ‘Literally any system, however fair, is better than eternity in hell’ and I would understand why that is the case. The reality is that none of us have any idea what the perspective of God’s Holiness is. We don’t fully grasp what the big deal with sin is and why it has to be so punishing. What we are familiar with a lot more is depravity. It’s why it is easier to empathize with someone’s sin than it is to obey God’s command sometimes.
We have lost a lot of people we care about. We have a lot of people we care about right now who won’t listen to the Gospel. We don’t want them to suffer. Sure, if they did something wrong they can suffer a little but then they should come back to us. We are like the rich man asking for a miracle so they don’t have to end up in a place of torment. But empathy is not justice. Any mother can testify to a court that their son or daughter didn’t do it even if they did. Any lawyer can scramble the constitution for loopholes so their client doesn’t get to have harsh sentencing. We are more committed to ensuring people don’t suffer than we are at telling them why they do.
The sacrifice that Jesus Christ had on the cross is not a get out of jail free card, it is the only hope one ever has of getting eternal life. In almost every single verse I have seen that may hint at universalism, there is always an encouragement for the brethren to keep living a life worthy of the calling, to live a life that shows you desire to be with God. That is something some people will not want here or even in Hell. If justice were up to us, we would definitely arrange for contingencies but God knows the hearts of men. My final thoughts are these; in Luke 13, Christ gave a very chilling order to those who thought themselves greater than those who died horribly; unless you repent, you too will perish. Maybe you don’t believe it’s a permanent statement but it is clear that Christ is more concerned with the salvation of those who lived. That has never changed. To the living, God will be merciful. To the dead, God will be just.
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