So here we are.  If you’ve made it through to this point (without burning these pages) you’re probably feeling one of two things.

You are feeling totally confident in your view of eternal torment.  You believe that what I’ve presented to you can’t be true because you’re telling yourself, “The majority of the Church can’t be wrong!”

OR

You are numb and asking yourself, “Can this really be true?”
 

When I was first presented this view, I had the second response.  All my Christian life I believed and taught “eternal torment” but deep down inside I always had a nagging question (call it a doubt) about it.  I knew that God would deal with sinners harshly (I still do—including myself), but I always wondered how a God of love could torture millions of people forever.

As I look back on my Christian life, I see how far I’ve come.  I have changed so much as a believer.  I would like to think that I have matured in Christ.  I think I’m less arrogant, self-righteous, and more aware of my frailties and sinful tendencies than I use to be.  I believe that time and the trials of this life have a tendency to soften all of us.  I’m not as hard as I use to be.  I do not approach life or the Scriptures with the dogmatism that I use to.  This is not to say I am without convictions.  There are things in the Scriptures that I would die for—the Lordship of my Savior Jesus Christ, the work of Him on the cross, and justification by grace through faith alone.  But through the years I have come to realize how little I really know, how awesome and lofty God really is, and how much He truly loves me.  My wisdom is finite and as such, I do not claim to have a “handle” on the truth.

But that is me.  I do not know where you are in your pilgrimage with the Lord.  And so with this series of articles, my intent is not to set forth arguments so as to persuade you to “my” point of view, for it is only God who opens blind eyes and without this, none of us would see any truth at all.  Each of us must be fully persuaded in our own mind as to what is the truth.  But whatever that persuasion is, we must believe it and live it with our whole hearts.  God will judge us in the light of our faith.  For God knows the intents and motives of the heart and His judgment is righteous altogether.

All I am asking of you is simply to think on what I have shared with you.  Is it possible that the majority of the Church could be wrong?  Those who lived during the time of the reformation would answer with a resounding, “Yes!”  Is it possible that what we believe today is a result of the traditions of men that have been passed on from generation to generation and have come to be considered “orthodox”—no questions asked?  Is it just possible that we have limited the work of Christ and He not only “can” save all, but He will?  Could God really be more powerful than we give Him credit?

As for myself, this wonderful truth has set me free from my own works.  I can now rest in Christ and trust that all things are in His hands.  I no longer strive to try to “save” people.  I live my life each day for Christ, and as God provides opportunities I share about the love of God in Christ.  I now look at those outside of Christ in a whole new light.  I see them now as God does—lost and in need of a Savior.  “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  It is not my “calling” to judge them (1 Cor. 5:9-10,12).  God, in due season, will bring every hidden thing to light.  He will judge the world in true righteousness.  Our “calling” is to show the world the love of Christ.

We find in the New Testament that the harshest preaching was against those who were the “religious.”  This should tell us something.  As Christians, we like to finger point at the world’s sin but the Word of God says that “judgment begins in the house of God.”  Perhaps our harshness toward the world’s sin is only a reflection of our failure to deal with our own.  And as for the last twenty years, I have found this to be true in my own life.  My harshness, coldness, and finger pointing toward the world was a reflection of my own sin.  It was difficult for me to love others because I had become like the god I worshiped.  I worshiped a god who would condemn most of his creation to hell, either by his choice or theirs.  I had put myself in a superior position.  I was a “Christian” and I had salvation, something that most of the world would never receive.  How could this not negatively affect the way I lived?  The false doctrine of eternal torment was all my flesh needed to fuel my ugly pride.

The truth of the “restitution of all things” puts all things back in proper perspective.  It truly is comforting to know that God is in total control.  Neither the lies of Satan nor the will of man can ever usurp God’s plan and intention for this universe.  God has chosen the Church to be the vehicle to proclaim His truth to all the nations.  “He is the Savior of all men, but especially to them that believe.”  We have been chosen for this time to be ambassadors of His Good News.  This is a glorious privilege, and I am honored to be able to be a part of His plan both in this age and in the ages to come (and beyond)!

There is no doubt that there are some “hard” sayings in the Scriptures.  As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, God could have made things so simple for us in His Word.  He could have cleared up all confusion so that everyone would believe the same thing.  But then where would be the seeking, the wrestling, and the growing in Christ?  The wondrous thing about His Word is that it is the very mind of Him who wrote it.  And as mortal men, we strain and we struggle and we strive to comprehend the mind of the Divine Author of this wondrous book.  But it is a sad thing that in our pursuit of the Holy One, we so easily trample on others who are seeking the same thing.

Some will outright declare me a heretic.  Most will say my views are in error and will avoid fellowship with me.  Some may accept me despite my new belief.  And maybe even a few will embrace what I have shared as truth.  My prayer is that despite our differences, we can accept one another and maintain the hand of fellowship together.

Let us follow the words of our Lord when He said, “They will know that you are my disciples by your love toward one another.”  This is truly what the world wants to see.  They are searching for truth and love, yet they see Christians, who are supposed to have the truth and love, fighting and dividing against each other.  This surely must grieve our Lord Jesus who prayed in John 17, “Father, I pray that they may be one as You and I are one.”

May God bless each of you as you grow in wisdom and understanding.  And my prayer for you is that “the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened in the knowledge of Him, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and you may understand what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of Him.”

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!

Your Brother and Servant of Christ,
 

Ken

See the back of this page for websites that will help you as you study this.