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This is one of the most commonly asked questions about the belief in universal salvation. Many people seem to think that if God saves everyone in the end, then we might as well sin as much as we want right now. This is used as an objection to Christian Universalism, an attempt to show that there must be an eternal hell or else people would never live a Christian life. There are two main problems with this viewpoint. First of all, Christian Universalists don't believe there is no such thing as hell. In fact, I definitely believe in divine punishment for anyone who needs it, as much as they need it. There are many verses in the Bible where Jesus and other prophets and teachers speak of some kind of chastisement of the wicked. What Christian Universalists believe is that hell is temporary, a reformative punishment rather than vindictive and eternal. It is a question of the purpose of hell, not the existence of hell. Is hell a place where God condemns people who didn't measure up to His standards, and forces them to endure horrific tortures forever and ever, as a way to get revenge against them for failing to be or do what He wanted? Or, on the other hand, is hell a way that God purifies us of our imperfections and sets us straight, putting us through some necessary corrective experiences such that we may understand our failings and can improve ourselves and be made ready to enter heaven? Christian Universalists would say the latter is the true hell, and the other view is just a perverted fantasy about a sadistic god. Nobody wants to go through any type of hell, but hell is real for unrepentant sinners; it's just not a permanent state of being. You may want to read some of the articles listed in these sections of my website:
Let's explore the issue further, so that it will be crystal clear why hell need not be eternal to serve as an effective deterrent against sin. If you choose not to go out and commit crimes and break the law because you fear the police, courts, and prison, then it is clear that you shouldn't go out and sin against God and your fellow man even though hell is not eternal. A prison term is not eternal torment either, but it is enough to prevent most people from doing a crime and having to serve time. In other words, punishment does not have to be infinite in duration or intensity to deter people from doing bad deeds. I think all reasonable people can agree that punishments should always fit the crime and be justly measured out, rather than grossly exceeding what is just. For God to throw somebody into an eternal fire with no hope of ever gaining release, just because they committed sins during one short mortal life, would be unjust since the punishment would not fit the crime. If punishment is just, people will fear it and refrain from doing what it takes to incur punishment; but if it is unjustly excessive, people will be no more likely to avoid actions that would incur punishment, but would definitely be filled with more anger and hate for the system and the One who created it. If God wants us to love Him (as the Bible says He does), He cannot be unjust in punishing, since it is impossible for human beings to truly love one who is unjust, whether another human or any other being. Secondly, I believe God wants us to avoid sin and act in a righteous manner not primarily because of fear of punishment in the afterlife, but because of our love for God and for what is good, in and of itself. All animals have a natural, biological instinct to avoid pain. If humans are only refraining from sin and doing good deeds because they fear being burned alive in hell for eternity, that does not make us any better than the beasts. People are called to develop our spiritual faculties, the most important of which is love: love for God, love for our fellow man, and love for what is good, right, and true. In order to grow spiritually and become more like Christ, the example we are trying to follow, we must learn to love rather than fear -- and we must learn how to act out of love rather than fear. Jesus Christ didn't start a ministry to feed the poor, show compassion to the lost and lonely, forgive people of their sins and encourage people to rise to a higher spiritual potential because he was afraid that his Father would burn him with fire if he did not do so. Certainly not! The fear of endless hell-fire was not even in Jesus's mind! He lived the way he did because he wanted to do good, and it was in his nature to love other people and to show them the right way to live through his wonderful example. If we want to call ourselves "Christian," we must strive to be more like Christ, and that means putting aside a fear-based motivation for our actions and lifestyle and instead attempt to live rightly because we love God and we love other people -- not because we are afraid that if we sin too much or we don't perform enough good deeds, God will torture us forever in hell. Peace in Christ,
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Christian Universalist FAQ -- Frequently Asked Questions
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Heavenly Father, please bless this ministry, lead multitudes to this website, and help them see the truth of Your love and forgiveness for all people through the power of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the whole world. Open their eyes to Your true nature, take away their fears, and fill their hearts with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. |