Biblical Universalism - Northland Books

Posting #1

A Brief Introduction to the earliest view of

The Plan of Salvation

Biblical Universalism or Evangelical Inclusivism is

the plan of salvation as understood by the

Christian Church for the first three and a

half centuries of its existence.

The leading early church fathers taught that the “good news” was that all persons will be saved (Origin 185 – 254 AD) or that all persons will be saved except those who reject the salvation that had already been given to them (Athanasius (293 – 373 AD). The early church accepted such inclusive views of the plan of salvation for a period of more than 350 years immediately following the writing of the New Testament. Generally speaking their perspective of the message of the Scriptures was much closer to "B)" than it was to "A)" (below).

A change came in the later part of the fourth century when Pelagius (about 350-418 AD) began to teach that all persons will be finally lost except those who live in obedience to the law of God following the example of Christ. To avoid the obvious "works righteousness" found in Pelagianism Augustine (354-430 AD) taught that all will be lost except those who were chosen (elected) to salvation. Ever since then mainline theologians have followed their example and assumed the teaching of the Bible to be:

A) “All persons will be finally lost except those the Bible declares

will be saved.”

“A)” is the assumption that underlies nearly all evangelical Christian theology and tradition today. This unexamined assumption is so familiar to us that we feel uncomfortable calling it into question. However, such a restrictive definition of those who will be saved is not found among the leading church fathers throughout the first, second and third centuries.

For the first three and a half centuries the church assumed that the message of the Bible was:

B) “All persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares

will be finally lost.”

If we accept the fact that not all persons will be saved we can not avoid working with either assumption “A)” or “B)” whenever we read or interpret the Scriptures. This is part of our thinking processes. We are seldom aware that one or the other of these assumptions is profoundly influencing our understanding of the Bible’s message. On first reading there seems to be little difference between assumption "A)" and "B)." There are those who say it is six of one or a half a dozen of the other.

However, one assumption or the other has vast implications for our daily life (Posting # 19), as the motivation for and message of mission enterprise ( Posting # 9 and 10), for our Theology (Postings # 8), for providing a biblical basis for the salvation of all who die in infancy (Posting #11) and in accounting for the 400-year debate between Arminians and Calvinists (Posting #2).

By advocating assumption “B)” we are asking the reader to return to the assumption that underlies the earliest Christians’ understanding of the Bible’s message. Dr. Roger Olson, whose book The Story of Christian Theology won Christianity Today's 2000 Book Award, writes: "I do not know of any systematic theology prior to your own publications that spells out the nature of salvation as you do. But I hear distant echoes of it (foreshadowings, adumbrations) in Athanasius and perhaps other early church fathers" (Quoted with permission.).

We should be partial toward the assumption used by those who were closest (in time) to the apostles. For the first three and one half centuries the leading church fathers spoke of salvation from the perspective of premise "B)". Why did these early church fathers work on the basis of assumption "B)" if they did not glean it from the teachings of the Apostles?

REASONABLY CALLED BIBLICAL UNIVERSALISM

Nevertheless we must turn to the Bible itself to answer the question whether assumption “A)” or “B)” best reflects the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” When premise "B)" is fleshed out we call it Biblical Universalism. Premise “B)” is universalism (all persons will be saved) as qualified by explicit exceptions that are found in the broader context of the Bible itself. It can therefore reasonably be called Biblical Universalism. However, no matter how it is qualified some readers object to the word "universalism." We will therefore call this perspective "Evangelical Inclusivism."

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EVANGELICAL INCLUSIVISM is the teaching that all persons are elect in Christ except those who the Bible expressly declares will be finally lost, namely, those who ultimately reject or remain indifferent to whatever revelation God has given of himself to them whether in nature/conscience (Romans 1 & 2) OR in gospel presentation.

Evangelical Inclusivism is based upon these three biblical facts:

1) The so-called "universalistic" texts speak of a certain-to-be-realized salvation as Calvinist have consistently maintained and they do so in terms of all persons as Arminians have always affirmed (Click Here for Proof, Posting #2).

2) All persons, except Jesus Christ, are liable for and polluted by the imputed sin of Adam (inherited sin). However, the Scriptures do not teach or imply that anyone is consigned to eternal damnation solely on the basis of their sin in Adam APART FROM actual, willful and persistent sin on the part of the person so consigned (Click Here for Proof, Posting #3).

3) We must accept the so-called "universalistic" texts as written. We may allow only those exceptions that are necessarily imposed upon these passages from the broader context of the Scriptures as a whole (Click Here for Proof, Posting #4).

The adoption of Evangelical Inclusivism can have a dramatic effect upon one's life.

To see what effect Evangelical Inclusivism can have on the Christian community

and in your own life — Click Here: Practical Applications.

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