Steve Gregg's Answer About Universal Salvation

For those who hold the view of evangelical universal salvation, I'm curious about how you reconcile the missionary mandate, persecution of the saints, and God's judgement of those who persecute the saints. I'm not looking for a debate, I'm just curious of how you do it because these issues are a stumbling block to me regarding universal salvation. It's challenging for me to think that God calls his followers to make disciples of all nations and to suffer persecution first for His glory and then for their salvation, only to save everyone in the end anyways. In Revelation 6:10, martyred Christians are crying out, "How long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" I don't disagree that it isn't a possibility because I do agree with Steve's teachings that a case for this view as well as eternal hell and annihilation can be made in the Bible.

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Hi Jason,

Todd is correct. If salvation is strictly about getting sinners to heaven, these questions are more perplexing than if salvation is God's receiving what He paid for and having "His own special people, zealous for good works" (Titus 2:14). There are several things that make evangelism and even martyrdom for Christ sensible, whether or not all people will someday go to heaven:

1) If people are not evangelized, they will never become the obedient people, zealous for righteousness, living for the glory of God, that God sought to obtain by sending Christ to redeem such for Himself;

2) Those who never hear the gospel will never become a part of Christ's earthly body which He has dispatched to expand His kingdom;

3) Those who never hear the gospel will have lived their lives in vain and will have thus missed the opportunity to fulfill God's purpose for their existence. They will have lived in bondage to sin, powerless against the wiles of the devil, doing damage to themselves and to others;

4) To care only about matters of the next life is to miss the purpose of God in this life—which is the concern of 90+% of scripture;

5)Therefore, we evangelize, even to the point of death, not simply to deliver a ticket to heaven to otherwise condemned sinners, but so that "the Lamb that was slain [may] receive the reward of His sufferings."

6) If the salvation of many were to be brought about by the torments of hell, which could be avoided altogether if one were to convert in this life, then it would seem important to rescue them from hell, even if it were not to last forever. How many minutes in a flaming house would any of us wish to be made to endure before being rescued. Even an hour would seem unbearable. We should be eager to rescue everyone from that situation.

With these things in view, the need for evangelism and discipleship remain unchanged, even if there were no heaven or hell with which to be concerned after this life.

As for God's judgment of the persecutors, it may be conceivable the they would only be punished until they repent. The repentance and salvation of those foolish enough to oppose God is an important part of the Christian's heart's desire. It was seen in Jesus' and Stephen's praying for the forgiveness of those who killed them. Saul was originally a terror to the early Christians, but we do not begrudge the mercy of God in saving him.