I have been justly faulted for
advocating the premise of Biblical Universalism strictly on the basis
of certain New Testament considerations. I did not trust my limited
knowledge of Hebrew to provide whatever justification there might
be in the Old Testament for this concept. Therefore I was very pleased
when Jan Bonda’s Book The One Purpose of God (Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998) appeared in English. Bonda’s
book is a welcome supplement to much of what I have been attempting
to say.
According to Bonda
the one purpose of God is to undo the havoc caused by the disobedience
of the first Adam by means of the obedience of the second Adam. Bonda
presents a scholarly exposition of the book of Romans. This
study is buttressed by the biblical portrait of salvation for all
mankind as depicted in the Psalms and the Prophets. Whether one agrees
with everything Bonda writes or not, one cannot escape Bonda’s
proof for the fact that the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament
teaches that: "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will
be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22).
ALLOWS
NO EXCEPTIONS
Listen to what Bonda says:
"The evil that has been brought about by Adam extends to the
whole of humanity, without any exception. And the salvation that Christ
brings extends to the whole of humanity without any exception, comprising
everyone, just as Adam's fall did" (Bonda, P. 107). “Without
any exception” is a theme that runs throughout his book. It
epitomizes what Bonda means by “The One Purpose of God.”
Although we can learn much
about the Old Testament’s inclusive perspective regarding the
plan of salvation from Bonda’s work, his repeated emphasis on
“without any exception” is to be lamented. Bonda appears
to have failed to recognize that the repeated Old Testament expressions
concerning the final salvation of all mankind would still allow for
the exceptions that are revealed in other portions of the Scriptures.
Here again Bonda, together with many others, fails to appreciation
the legitimate and necessary distinction between universal declarations
and generalizations as we considered them in Posting # 4.
SPECULATES
ABOUT "THE GREATER HOPE"
His emphasis on “without
any exception” forces Bonda to speculate about the possibility
of “the greater hope.” This is the teaching that all of
God’s judgments have a redemptive purpose. Therefore the hope
(and for Bonda the certainty) that even the final judgment of God
has as its purpose the restoration of all mankind in the life hereafter.
However, those who desire such
a "greater hope," (a post mortem correction, restoration
or purification), including Bonda, can do so only at the cost of giving
up the far, far "greater hope" that is expressed in these
familiar words: "Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe." Jesus
bore all the sins of all his people. The biblical evidence for this
truth is so extensive that we can cite only a fraction of it here.
"The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa.
53:6). "It is finished" (John 19:30). "The blood of
Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
Reconciliation has been accomplished for all who will be saved
(See Posting # 24, "Reconciled! - Past Tense).
Why would it be necessary for
those whose sin was removed by Christ’s blood to continue to
experience the consequence of their sin after their life upon earth?
Was there something lacking in the offering Christ made “once
for all” for man’s salvation? Is there something that
those sinners must do or an attitude they must display before God
can or will translate them to glory? If so, then the teaching of Scripture
concerning salvation by sovereign grace is compromised.
ALLOWS
SOME EXCEPTIONS
We already noted that throughout
his book Bonda insists that these universal expressions allow for
no exceptions. However, in the final analysis Bonda concedes that
certain exceptions are possible: “Surely, that is possible.
God is free to accept this 'No' of that particular person as his final
choice" (Bonda, P. 259). It appears that by this concession Bonda
has abandoned his strict view that all the universal expressions of
the Scriptures are without exception. Bonda can be identified as one
who accepts the so-called “universalistic” texts as generalizations.
Without knowing the intricacies
of the Hebrew language one can detect certain broad Old Testament
outlines of the pattern of God's dealing with the children of men
in the Old Testament. These are consistent with the premise of Biblical
Universalism that all persons will be saved except those who the Bible
declares will be finally lost.
OLD
TESTAMENT PATTERNS
God created man good and in a
right relationship to himself. "God blessed them" (Gen.
1:28). This blessedness of knowing God and living in fellowship with
him was not something conferred upon mankind in response to or merited
by obedience. However, this blessedness would no longer be theirs
if they willfully walked in disobedience. The blessing was unconditional
the judgment had to be earned. That is the premise of Biblical
Universalism.
An unconditional blessing was
promised to the descendants of Abraham before they were born. "I
will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and
you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to
be your God and the God of your descendants after you" (Gen.
17:7). Abraham and his descendants would enjoy the unearned blessing
and favor of God unless they refused to believe in him or to walk
in obedience to him. The blessing was unconditional; the judgment
was contingent upon man's action. This reminds us of Posting # 4,
"All Are . . . Some Are Not."
The commandments were not given to
the children of Israel so that by keeping them they could merit God's
favor. They already were God's adopted children when they received
the commandments. "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and
out of Egypt I called my son" (Hosea 11:1). They were the recipients
of God's blessing. However, it was also true that if they willfully
and finally refused to walk in accordance with God's revealed will
they would not experience his blessing.
God's favor at the time of creation,
in the covenant with Abraham and in the affirmation of God's goodness
to Israel was not given on the basis of faith, obedience, holiness
or any other good quality in man as a cause or condition for those
blessings. In light of this history it is not surprising the good
news is that in Christ all persons will be saved except those who
the Bible declares will be finally lost. Salvation is by God's grace,
condemnation never occurs apart from the sinner's willful,
persistent, evil deeds (Posting # 3).
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2003 by Northland Books. Box 63, Allendale MI 49401. Unlimited permission
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