The Bible speaks of God reaching the goal with all people and that changes everything. It changes the outlook of faith and confidence in this world. It makes a difference whether I think of my child, my neighbor, my spouse as “lost” or as someone God will one day set right – as well as myself. I have hope, even expectation for this world. This expectation is based in the Bible. More about that in a moment. A God who brings back everything, who finds everything that was lost, who makes alive everything that died, who straightens everything that was crooked – such a God is great and almighty.

It is astonishing, therefore, that many Christians are often unaware of statements in the Bible about the salvation of all people and the reconciliation of all things. Many even think they have to agree with the condemnation of hell doctrine. That is really strange. For centuries, however, biblical passages have been bent in such a way that they seem to confirm the doctrine of hell. This is still having an effect today.

No wishful thinking

Quite a few people conclude about the all reconciliation that this corresponds to wishful thinking. The assumptions are as follows: Hell, though unpleasant, is biblical truth, and the all-atonement is a heresy whose proponents are bona fide but misguided people. These all-atonement followers have good in mind, but do not know the vengeful God who demands His justice from all – thus the internalized doctrine of hell. And: grace is a concept developed only for believers. All others fall from grace once.

However, all atonement, which is the correct term, is not wishful thinking; it is clearly stated in Scripture (to be read in Colossians 1:20). It is not wishful thinking that seems to be the problem here, but ignorance or, at best, rejection.

Between the fronts

Then there are people who float “between the lines.” They don’t know for sure and are convinced that the Bible doesn’t offer a definitive answer either. Of course, you don’t want to completely block out the hope for a good outcome to the story, because hell is a scary image that you don’t want for yourself, for your children and family, and for the many “unbelievers.” One realizes that the talk of God’s love is transverse to the ideas of a hell. Perhaps one also realizes that in the doctrine of hell, God’s justice is pitted against God’s love in such a way that God’s love has an expiration date, but justice demands eternal consequences.

In this group, one then hears statements such as “He who believes in the regeneration is an ox; but he who teaches it is an ass” (probably: Christian Gottlob Barth, 1799-1862). This speaks not only of ambivalence, but also of the fear of openly and frankly standing up for what one believes. It should also be borne in mind that quite a few people do not want to commit themselves to any direction at all, because they are particularly good at settling into different points of view and do not want to be involved in any theological trench warfare.

It is wise not to get involved in trench warfare. I can well understand that. Some people cannot make up their minds by temperament or do not want to make a statement. Let that stand, because we are all different people. Faith and trust in God do not arise in doctrinal disputes.

However, if one has burning personal questions or if one has a responsibility for others, then clarification is needed. There is no clarification without examination, and there is no liberation without decision. The process of clarification requires opinions.

Tested and found to be too light

Finally, there are many people who – like myself – have come to the conclusion, after thorough examination, that the doctrine of hell is the real heresy, while the condemned all-atonement is actually taught in the Bible. This is a true paradigm shift. By the way, this is not a frivolous statement, but came after careful consideration and examination of all the relevant biblical passages together with the associated interpretations of various points of view.

An examination in my understanding does not settle with reading a study that confirms one’s thoughts. That would be the real wishful thinking, seeking only self-affirmation. One responds, for example, with a quote from a book “that one finds good,” but makes no effort to examine the relevant biblical passages in a more neutral way.

Admittedly: It is a real challenge to question internalized thoughts. The doctrine of hell is an ideology. It prevents quite a few people from accepting God’s grace for themselves and not excluding the same for others. What would be your motivation to explore these questions in more depth so that you can come up with your own answers?

Outlook

You cannot have a greater God than One who achieves His goal, I wrote at the beginning. Such a view is created when the clouds part and the sun breaks through, when questions are clarified and answers are found. Outlook comes from faith. Faith, namely, in the biblical passages that speak of the correction of all people.

These include:

• Romans 5:18 (all justified)
• Romans 11:32 (God has mercy on all)
• Romans 11:36 (All things are of Him, through Him, and to Him).
• 1 Corinthians 15:22 (All who are descended from Adam are made alive in Christ).
• 1 Corinthians 15:28 (God becomes all in all – and not just something in a few).
• 1 Timothy 4:9-11 (God is the Savior of all people, especially believers).
• Philippians 2:9-11 (All will confess Jesus as Lord with all their heart).
• Colossians 1:20 (God reconciling the universe, making peace through the blood of the cross)

Each statement in this list can be well justified from its context. It is striking that all the passages come from Paul’s letters. While there are other places in Scripture that make such statements, Paul describes it most clearly. He has the broadest vision and deliberately talks about final things, while other writers look less far ahead and report on intermediate goals.

Lovers of hell usually refer to the Gospels because there was no hell before the Gospels and the apostles do not write about it afterward (except for some figurative language of Gehenna in the Epistle of James). Paul, who is seen as the most important theologian of the first century, does not mention the supposed hell with a single word. The Gospels also do not talk about hell, but refer to Gehenna, which is something quite different. Jesus did not speak of a hell.

Once freed from theological baggage, one can breathe a sigh of relief. God’s essence is love, and it will be poured into every person. His goal is not to become something in just a few people, but to be everything in everyone. This is not a wishful thinking of God, but His declared goal. How does he achieve this? By making peace through the blood of the cross, God will reconcile all things mutually to Himself (Col 1:20).

Nothing is left out

Grace is stunning. Paul experienced this in his body on the way to Damascus. He understood and proclaimed that grace cannot be earned. Grace from God is a gift. It cannot be earned (Eph 2:8). This is no different for me than it is for any other person in this world. None are justified (Rom 3:10), but all are justified (Rom 5:18). This is the foundation of salvation. It rests in the work of God in Christ and imposes no other conditions, for that would diminish the essence of His righteousness.

Not only is the All-All Atonement mentioned directly in Scripture, but there is only One who can actually reconcile the All – God Himself. This is what Paul writes in Colossians 1:20. If there is salvation, no human being can achieve it. But what is impossible with men is possible with God (Mark 10:27). Those who trust that God can deal with all people are firmly grounded in reality. Humans cannot bring this about, but He can.

When Paul writes that God is a Savior of all men, he adds “especially of believers” (1 Tim. 4:9-11). This is to make it clear that there are indeed differences. Not as if today’s faith or unbelief impairs God’s work, but in such a way that we who believe already have a view. We are privileged to be able to unwrap the gift today.

A theology of the cross must end up with universal reconciliation because, as Paul mentions in Colossians 1:20, God reconciles the universe to Himself by making peace through the blood of the cross. All-reconciliation is much more christocentered than the doctrine of hell, which does not credit God with anything.

What kind of God do you have, do I have? What does this mean for our lives and the people we love? And what does that mean for the course of this world, for all the people who have not experienced peace, who have not experienced justice, or who have had to say goodbye to life far too early? What about the unborn, the sick, the people who have not heard about Jesus and the gospel of grace? What about the followers of a hell who do not credit God with anything but consider human performance as decisive for it?

I have confidence that God will do well – with you, with me, and with everyone in this world. I base this trust on statements from the Bible. It has opened my heart, inspired my confidence, broadened my understanding. Everything is from Him and through Him and to Him. It’s the best news ever. Therefore, to Him be glory for the eons (Rom 11:36).