Vin Sparks

The Good Shepherd Loves the Sheep (and the Goats)

Jesus used parables as object lessons, highlighting things that were very familiar to the people he was addressing, to make a point: wedding feasts, ceremonies, and doweries; vineyards and harvests; stewards and, yes, shepherds. The work of a shepherd was very familiar to most Jews of that day. A common occupation among them, most knew…

Tale of Two Gates

Right off the bat, we have a problem if we believe that those going through the wide gate are marching into hell and eternal perdition.

John 3:16

That this tiny verse would become the center of a discussion about Universal Reconciliation is an interesting prospect and one that I am eager to delve into. But first, the question must be asked in a manner consistent with the original.

Apollumi, “Lost” in Translation

Instead of the lost being beyond salvation, they alone are eligible for [it]. You cannot rescue a man who is safe and sound

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

Something powerful and spectacular will have to happen for God to take away the anguish, pain, shame, and despair over the choices we have made.

A 3rd Rail Issue

The rendering of olam as everlasting here creates a contradiction of massive proportions and makes of the Levitical priesthood something it is not.

The Paradox of Free Will

The Bible seems to be lacking an abundance of passages that explicitly argue for free will. However, just because there aren’t many doesn’t mean there aren’t any.

What About the Devil (Part 2)

While not explicitly saying so, the scriptures can be seen barking around that neighborhood – if not overtly, then the Bible certainly seems to be painting that picture for us. I believe it is doing so in four different ways:

Wouldn’t a Loving God Make Sure Everyone Gets to Heaven?

Universalism has been characterized in ways that completely miss the mark and I don’t know if the people I’ve been reading are intellectually lazy or deliberately misleading. One thing is for sure, it is one or the other. A case in point is contained in an article posted to the CrossExamined.org website entitled, Wouldn’t a…

John 1:29

Behold the Lamb of God The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29 The first and most important lamb to the Jews of Jesus day was the Paschal lamb, the lamb sacrificed at the first Passover on…

1 Timothy 2:4-6

To sidestep the most obvious interpretation of this passage (that it is God’s will that everyone be saved) an argument would have to be made that (1) “everyone” somehow doesn’t mean everyone and (2) that God’s will somehow isn’t God’s will.

Philippians 2:9-11

There are few passages of scripture stronger in their proclamation of Universal Reconciliation than this one.

John 12:32

So, God sent snakes into the camp and Israel discovered quickly that their bite was venomous – those bitten died.

All Things

In Jesus explanation of “all things”, He certainly didn’t include a quick lesson on nano technology or quantum physics

An Unstoppable Force

“Listen to Me” says God to the descendants of Jacob, “I have made you – you haven’t made me, and I have been carrying you since you’ve been born.” What irony!

Why Does This Matter?

If we see God as a God that will ultimately condemn the overwhelming majority of the human race to either eternal torment or outright annihilation, we are not portraying Him as the merciful, gracious, and loving Father He is.

Can This Be the Fruit of God’s Adventure?

If the orthodox view of hell is correct, then the devil will have won.

What About the Unpardonable Sin?

Think about it. Do you believe there is a sin that we can commit that our heavenly Father does not forgive, but we do not know what it is or in how many ways it can be committed?

What About the Very Evil?

The human impulse to make perpetrators of violence and crimes against children pay for their actions is a strong one.

What About the Devil?

God called him the morning star, the day star, son of the morning and the shining one. He carried the light.

Luke 2:10-11

A passage of scripture quoted every year in Christmas programs and in the text of Christmas sermons all over the world contains a startling message.

How Does God’s Judgement Fit into Universal Reconciliation?

Misconception about Universal Reconciliation…are probably because there are several different types of Universalism, many of which are rooted in a New Age kind of philosophy.

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

“What about being tormented for ever and ever?” I told them not to worry, that there will still be plenty of weeping and gnashing of teeth. The look on their faces was priceless.

What about the “fire and brimstone”, “eternal punishment”, and “weeping and gnashing of teeth” scriptures?

What about the “fire and brimstone”, “eternal punishment”, and “weeping and gnashing of teeth” scriptures? This is three different questions. The question concerning fire and brimstone is addressed in the post, The Refiner’s Fire and the question of eternal punishment is addressed in the post, Everlasting vs Age-lasting. The question with regard to “weeping and…

What About Free Will?

Some of the greatest minds humanity has ever known have grappled with the “paradox” of free will and do so to this day. If anyone thinks they have it figured out, whatever they believe, they are fooling themselves.

Are You Saying That All Religions Lead to God?

Absolutely not!

All religions do not lead to God. God leads us to God. It is only by the mercies of a loving God that we are not consumed. (Lamentations 3:22-23) The goodness of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) and His gifts are given freely.

How Does God’s Wrath Fit into Universal Reconciliation?

How does God’s wrath fit into Universal Reconciliation? Sometimes it seems as though God was angry with Israel more than He wasn’t. They no sooner left Egypt when they began to murmur about what they would eat and drink and in no time at all they were making a golden image to worship. You will…

Where Does the Teaching About Hell Come From?

Where does the Teaching About Hell Come from? The idea that the souls of men and women are cast into hell to spend eternity tormented for the evil that they did in this life is a notion borrowed from the Greeks initially, was taken up by Jewish rabbis of the inter-testimental period (the 400 years…

Where does the Doctrine of Universal Reconciliation Come From?

Where does the doctrine of Universal Reconciliation come from? The doctrine comes from the heart of God and translated to us through His Word. One look at the wealth of Biblical proof texts (listed to the left of these FAQs) can convince anyone who is not allowing their predisposition toward eternal conscious torment to block…

Why Do We Witness to People if There is No Hell?

Why do we witness to people if there is no hell? There is no hell, that is, no place of torment where the souls of the sinners go immediately upon their death. (See my webbook, Exposing the Hell Myth) There is a Lake of Fire, however, in which those whose names are not found in…

Why the Cross if Everyone Will be Saved?

Why the Cross if Everyone Will be Saved? Everyone will be saved because of the cross (Colossians 1:20). The Biblical Universalist believes that the power of the cross extends far beyond the grave, all the way to the end when Christ submits Himself to the Father and God becomes all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28),…

What About God’s Justice? Will He Punish All Sinners?

What about God’s justice? Will He punish all sinners? All sinners deserve to be punished. That includes you and me because all have sinned and come up short. There is none righteous – no, not one! All our righteousness is as filthy rags before the Lord. We have all sinned and continue to do so….

What is Universal Reconciliation and is it Biblical?

What is Universal Reconciliation and is it Biblical? Universal Reconciliation is also known as Biblical Universalism or Christian Universalism. Well known and widely taught, it was referred to by the early church as the apokatástasis (a Greek word meaning restitution or restoration). The central or core belief is that, in the end (quite literally), having…

Cast From His Presence

To speak of separation from God is to assume that someone could exist without Him. These passages seem conclusive: in Christ all things exist and are held together – upheld by the word of His power. Not a creature exists outside of or separated from Him.