A Biblical Basis for Universal Reconciliation

Apocatastasis – A Quick Overview

Universal Reconciliation (UR) or Christian Universalism is often mistaken with the idea that all roads lead to heaven. However, this is not true; salvation is through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8, John 14:6). Most ‘universalists’ believe in a judgment that will separate the lost from God’s inner sanctuary and they will face a refining process, but with the purpose being restorative rather than retributive. The Bible has seemingly supportive verses for Universalism, Arminianism, and Calvinism, so I don’t pretend that Universal Reconciliation is the only rational option. I believe in Universal Reconciliation, not because it has the most key verses supporting it, but because I believe it best lines up with the Character of God revealed through Jesus Christ.

This article will not cover the history of Universal Reconciliation (UR) or the many elements that point to it. I will save that for a later article. This article will instead take a verse-by-verse reading and separate verses by their clarity toward UR. First will be verses that the most obvious reading leads to a UR understanding. Emphasis has been added to the verses for readability.

Visibly Universalist

1 Corinthians 15:21–22 – “²¹ For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; ²² for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. (NRSV)”

Romans 5:18–19 – “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. ¹⁹ For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (NRSV)”

These two verses have a very similar flow as they compare the fallenness of Adam with the restoration of Christ. In Romans, the statement is repeated twice. The second time it says, the many, but this is true for both sides of the assertion. Nobody would argue that only many people were made sinners, so the many must refer to all people. The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia states, “The Semitic usage (ha-)rabbı̂m [NT:(hoi) polloi] can mean the whole community comprised of many members, so that the term becomes all-inclusive, not partitive.”^[1] We can see an example of the OT word for many in Isaiah 53:11–12. Jeremias argues that “many” must be inclusive, i.e., all are called (cf. Jn 1:9; 12:32).^[2]

Here is a list of verses that refer to the many. (Matthew 20:28; 26:28; Romans 5:15, 19; Hebrews 9:28). Paul contrasts Matthew 20:28 by stating Christ “gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6 NRSV).

Some make the case that the first all refers to all people, but the second all refers to those who believe in Christ. While it is possible, this would be a less clear reading, as it is changing the meaning of the same word used in a single verse to mean two vastly different groups. The other issue with this interpretation is that it gives Adam a wider and more powerful influence over the hearts of humankind than Christ has.

Romans 5:15 – “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. (NRSV)”

I believe that to whatever extent Adam was able to make us fallen creatures, Christ can undo that and more.

1 Timothy 4:10 – “For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. (NRSV)”

1 John 2:2 – “and he [Jesus Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (NRSV)”

These two verses are perhaps some of the clearest universalist verses, not only do they mention all people, but they separate everyone from those who believe. This also complicates the argument that the second “all” in the first two verses above refers only to believers. Just because Christ will save all people does not mean that they will be saved before they come to believe, they still need to come to faith in Christ.

Titus 2:11 – “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, (NRSV)”

Acts 3:21 – “[Jesus] ²¹ who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. (NRSV)”

John 1:29 – “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (NRSV)”

Leaning Universalist

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 – “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. (NRSV)”

Colossians 1:19–20 – “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. (NRSV)”

While there may be several interpretations of these verses, it’s evident that God desires to reconcile everyone back into harmony with Him. It is also apparent that God is not holding back His anger to be unleashed on the world at a future time. God’s choice to not count our trespasses is consistent with the nature of love, which, as 1 Corinthians 13:5 puts it, keeps no record of wrongs. In truth, these verses are an invitation to participate in the “ministry of reconciliation” by aligning with His kingdom and spreading the “message of reconciliation.”

Obscurely Universalist

Several verses are used to debate universalism. I will focus on two that are frequently used.

Eternity

Two aspects of this verse that require further exploration for a deeper understanding of its meaning. First, we will look at eternal or aiōnios in Greek. The term “aiōnios” holds significant importance as it challenges the current understanding of eternal punishment. Aiōnios, a Greek word used in the New Testament, is often translated as “eternal” or “everlasting.” However, proponents of universal reconciliation argue that its true meaning is better understood as “pertaining to an age” or “age-lasting” rather than signifying endless duration.

The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia describes eternity as such, “In philosophic thought, both ancient and modern, eternity refers to something outside of or in contrast to time. In the biblical usage, however, the Heb. and Gr. terms for eternity always stand for time, either a specific era or a period of unknown and undivided quantity.”^[3] The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible states, “Eternity. Duration of time that cannot be measured.”^[4] Aiōn in Greek is the origin of the English word eon.

We see verses where eternity seems to expire. Habakkuk 3:6 mentions the eternal mountains being shattered and brought low. Romans 16:25-26 uses aiōnios when it mentions the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for ages. Translators could not use eternity as the following verse states that it has now been disclosed, thus the ending of that age. Titus 1:2 which says, “in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began (NRSV)” is quite interesting as it is the only other verse (besides Matthew 25:46) that uses aiōnios twice. In the verse, eternal is selected in the first instance, while the ages is used in the subsequent instance. Perhaps Matthew 25:46 should have a similar pattern, the first being an age and the following being eternal. As these verses indicate, it is not incorrect to use eternal in many instances. The age of God is eternal, the age of His promise is eternal, and the age of life with Christ is eternal because of God’s eternal nature. The concern is when we place eternal into God’s discipline.

Punishment

The second word of concern is punishment (κόλασις – kolasin). This word is only used in the Bible twice which makes it difficult to gather a broad meaning of how people would have interpreted it. A Greek-English Lexicon (LSJ) describes “κόλᾰσις, εως, ἡ, checking the growth of trees esp. almond-trees”^[5] as its initial definition.

Aristotle’s Rhetoric (translated into English) has a part defining two words. “But there is a difference between revenge (τιμωρία) and punishment (κόλασις); the latter (κόλασις) is inflicted in the interest of the sufferer, the former (τιμωρία) in the interest of him who inflicts it, that he may obtain satisfaction.”^[6]

Xenophon (translated to English) explained, “And again, all the ways of treating the soil when it is too wet for sowing or too salt for planting are familiar to all men—how the land is drained by ditches, how the salt is corrected (κολάζεται) by being mixed with saltless substances, liquid or dry.”^[7]

These examples show how the word is used as a corrective pruning process that, while trimming the tree is painful, it is to help the tree to grow in a healthier and more resilient manner. It’s important to note that these texts date back to 400-300 B.C., although the word is found in more punitive contexts in texts from around 200 A.D. The meanings of words often change throughout time, thus this is typical. This could shed light on how the idea of vengeful punishment entered the historical understanding. During the time of Christ, it is quite probable that the word κόλασις – kolasin carried a redemptive connotation. To add to that, the pattern of redemption can be seen in the very character of God as revealed in the person of Christ. Mark 2:17 is a good example of this.

Based on the two points above, Matthew 25:46 would read more like “And these will go away into an age of correction [pruning], but the righteous into eternal life.’ (NRSV)”

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Let’s move to Revelation now and look at the lake of fire.

Fire

I have already discussed aiōnios so we will move to the next point. First, we have fire. Mark says, “For everyone will be salted with fire (Mark 9:49 NRSV).” Here fire is a restorative process. We will look at this more at the end.

Brimstone -Sulfur

Brimstone, also known as Sulfur, is a bit messier. The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible mentions “The last volcanic eruptions in Palestine, which radiocarbon dating indicates took place about 4,000 years ago, probably left an impression on the inhabitants of the area that was passed on for generations.”^[8] This is presumably why the earliest Old Testament writers equated the rain of brimstone with dread. However, in this verse, it is not raining brimstone. Sulfur has been put to good use in a variety of ways over a considerable portion of human history. Sciencing mentions that in ancient times sulfur was used for its medicinal (de-worming agent) and fumigating properties (insecticide).^[9] Today, it is still used in body creams for acne and infections such as scabies as it contains anti-bacterial effects.

Perhaps an even more appropriate use is for metallurgy or metal workers. An article describing how to refine gold with sulfur, states, “A more speedy method of removing iron, copper, lead and base metals from bullion [gold] is to add sulphur to the molten metals.”^[10] It is a way to strip undesirable metals from gold and enhance its purity.

Tormented

Lastly, we have the word tormented which A Lexicon describes the word as “βεβασάνισμαι:—to rub gold upon the touch-stone (βάσανος), Plat.: hence, to try the genuineness of a thing, to put to the test, make proof of” ^[11] Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary describes it as “a black siliceous stone related to flint and formerly used to test the purity of gold and silver by the streak left on the stone when rubbed by the metal” as well as “a test or criterion for determining the quality or genuineness of a thing.”^[12]

It is noteworthy that the fire, sulfur, and touchstone are all tools that a metalworker would use to purify gold and test when the purification process is completed. Malachi 3:2–3 gives a similar picture, “For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; ³ he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.” This picture of the lake of fire is quite different. God sees us as more valuable than gold since we were made in His creation. Sin and the fallen state of the earth have caused human value to be blended with impurities similar to base metals. This reminds me of another verse in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 – “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— ¹³ the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. ¹⁴ If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. (NRSV)”

Universal reconciliation does not mean that everyone receives a free pass. Gold that has been tainted by impurities must be purified by heating it. The process will be challenging, but it will be directed toward restoration and refinement rather than meaningless punishment. Our actions in this life have lasting significance; we will either reap the rewards of our work or see them destroyed in the flames of judgment, leaving only the soul to remain.

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^[1] Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard Frederic Vos, and John Rea, The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (Moody Press, 1975).

^[2] Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard Frederic Vos, and John Rea, The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (Moody Press, 1975).

^[3] T. W. B., “Eternity,” in The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, ed. Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard F. Vos, and John Rea (Moody Press, 1975).

^[4] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Eternity,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 725.

^[5] Henry George Liddell et al., A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 971.

^[6] Aristotle, Aristotle in 23 Volumes, trans. J. H. Freese., vol. 22 (Cambridge and London.: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann Ltd., 1926), http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg038.perseus-eng1:1.10.17.

^[7] Xenophon, Xenophon in Seven Volumes, vol. 4 (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA; William Heinemann, Ltd., London., 1976), http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0032.tlg003.perseus-eng1:20.12.

^[8] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Brimstone,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 382.

^[9] Lauren Whitney, “Ancient Uses of Sulfur,” Sciencing, April 24, 2017, https://sciencing.com/done-before-dynamite-invented-12672.html.

^[10] L D Michaud, “Sulphur Refining of Gold,” Mineral Processing & Metallurgy, March 19, 2017, https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/sulphur-refining-gold.

^[11] H.G. Liddell, A Lexicon: Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996), 147.

^[12] Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).