[HOME] [INDEX OF ARTICLES ] [ COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ] [ ABOUT US ] [CONTACT ]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART 3

SALVATION:
DEFINITION, DIMENSIONS &
TERRESTRIAL COVENANTAL DELIMITATION

§ Salvation Defined by Relation to the Universal Bar of Adjudication

31. Salvation issues forth as a declaration of righteousness (i.e., “justification”) only in the face of the inevitable universal bar of adjudication (Is. 45:25; 53:11; Rom. 3:5-7→24-26,28,30; 4:5,25; 5:1; I Cor. 6:11;  Gal. 2:16; 3:8,24; Tit. 3:7; Jas. 2:24-25) oppositely to condemnation and wrath issued at that bar (Mt. 12:37; Rom. 3:5→5:9,16,18; 8:30,33; I Th. 1:10; 5:9), thereby taking its meaning with primary respect to God’s declaration at that bar. (No definition of salvation exists apart from justification before the universal bar of adjudication at the close of the first cosmos (Great White Throne), and no evidence exists for any other “saving justification” before any other later bar of adjudication after consignment to the Lake of Fire. Therefore there is no concept of salvation beyond or apart from respect to the one universal bar. Salvation has no meaning without respect to that bar. That salvation is at all defined by relationship to the universal bar of adjudication proves that it is delimited by it, and thus not universal. All the foregoing reveals (and what follows will also prove) that Universalist doctrine is built upon a false meaning and application of the word “salvation.”)

35. Salvation is the repair of enmity at its root cause, which is holiness violation (i.e., sin, Mt. 1:21). (Salvation, being deliverance from enmity’s cause (sin), automatically embraces deliverance from enmity’s consequences (death and judgment), both cause and consequence being of one indivisible nature. Therefore there is nothing “saving” about sin’s consequences through the Lake of Fire. Enmity’s consequence cannot save from enmity’s cause. Please review PART 2 § Cosmological Enmity: Holiness vs. Sin, Death & Judgment, Point 11.)

36. The Biblical (gospel of) salvation operates only preventatively of and preservationally against final condemnation and perishing under wrath in hell and the Lake of Fire (Job 33:18; Ps. 6:4-5; 34:22; 49:14-15; 78:21-22; 86:13; 88:1→3; 103:3; 116:3-4,6,8-9; 146:3-4; Pr. 23:14; Jon. 2:6(10); Mt. 23:33; Mk. 16:16; John 3:16-17,36; 5:24(pass out of death to life),34; 8:52; Ac. 2:20-21,40; 15:1→11; 16:29-30; Rom. 5:9; I Cor. 1:18; 11:32;15:17-18; II Cor. 7:10; Php. 1:28; I Th. 1:10; 2:16; 5:9; II Th. 2:10; II Tim. 2:10→12; Heb. 2:2-3,14-15; 11:28,31; Jas. 4:12; 5:20; I Pt. 1:17-19; 3:20-21; II Pt. 2:5; 3:9-15; Jude 23), having no meaning past such execution. (Universalism is not a doctrine of salvation, but of post-condemnatory “anti-existential transmutation” out from annihilation. Christ said He would die specifically so the world “should not perish” (Jn. 3:16). Thus saying, He delimited the scope of His death’s effectiveness for man. It is effective up to the point of perishing, and not beyond. We have already established that “perishing” is an interlocked co-equal anti-reconciliatory judicial term with damnation and destruction in the Lake of Fire (Please review PART 2, Point 14, 3^rd subpoint with Point 32 above.) There is no other cosmic meaning of “perishing” to which the word can refer and for which Christ’s death was given to prevent.  Therefore salvation can only lie preventatively of hell and the Lake of Fire. No “salvation” can occur past entrance into or through means of perishing in Gehenna. Such idea falls fully outside Jesus’ definition of salvation. (For more on Paul's view of the judgment-preventative nature of salvation, please see APPENDIX C, Point 3.)
    
    Thus, even if “all men” were to be finally “saved” as Universalists assert they will be, to meet Jesus’ definition of salvation, such a universal redemption could only occur ahead of their perishing in the Lake of Fire / Gehenna (Mt. 23:33) with its wrath to come (Rom. 5:9; I Th. 1:10; 5:9). To contend for a “salvation” after the perishing which the cross was given to alone prevent is to 1) contradict the biblical meaning of salvation and to 2) change its meaning by assigning hidden redemptive value to perishing itself apart from and/or in addition to the cross. Such contention therefore meets the definition of “another gospel” (Gal. 1:6-7; II Cor. 11:4.)

38. The promise of salvation through the select seed of Abraham and Isaac leading to the seed of Christ is made by sovereign unilateral covenant (Gen. 15:18; 17:2→4→7→9-11→13-14→19; I Chr. 16:15-17); being not made through Ishmael (Gen. 17:20-21). (The dependence of salvation on sovereign unilateral covenant through a select, exclusive living seed line requires Universalists to prove that 1) all men without exception are under one universal unilateral covenant; 2) the covenant through the Abrahamic seed through Isaac unto Christ can be shown to be the whole universal adamic seed, and 3) a living seed line still exists as “living seed” in the netherworld capable of salvation!  In fact, Universalism cannot meet such a burden. Rather, the qualifying factors of unilateral salvational covenant all lie oxymoronically in witness against any divine intention of Universal salvation, either before or after death.  A Universalist god could have no reason to covenantally restrict salvation to a single exclusive seed line. If then salvation in the terrestrial realm is subject to such delimiting qualification, how much less basis exists to postulate any concept of unqualified universal “covenantal” salvation out of the netherworld?? (Please compare with PART 2 § Jesus on the Universal Enmity Continuum, Point 24). (Please see further PART 5 SELECT EXCLUSIVE SINGULARITY OF THE SEED OF CHRIST.))
    
    
    

39. The unilateral covenant of seed-line salvation is made unto countless terrestrial generations wherein each generation comes to terms of its own accountability within the covenant ((Gen. 17:7,9,19; Dt. 7:9; I Chr. 16:15-17; Ps. 105:8-10; 132:12; 145:4; Is. 55:3; 59:21; Jer. 33:14-26)→ (e.g., Dt. 1:35; 32:5,20; Jdg 2:10; Ps. 33:11; 71:18; 78:6-8; 102:18; Jer. 2:31; Ezk. 18:2-4; Mt. 11:16; 12:39-45; 23:36; Lk. 11:29-32→50-51; Ac. 2:40; 13:36)). (All reference to active divine covenantal interaction with generations is in terms of terrestrially living people. No such reference exists relative to any “disobedient generations of the dead” which Universalism must demonstrate to give any meaning to its concept of posthumous salvation. See further below § Salvation Adjudicated Only Upon Terrestrial Life Action, Point 72 ff. and PART 9 § Remnant Based Restoration.)

40. The only universal divine covenant made with all mankind and creation is the covenant to never destroy the earth by flood again (Gen. 9:9-17), while the only divine covenant made restoratively out of destructive wrath akin to the Genesis 9 universal covenant is the covenant with the terrestrial remnant of the Abrahamic seed-line (Is. 54:6-10). (See further PART 8 § The Exceptional Disciplinary Agency of Wrath on a Terrestrial Covenantal People). But no universal unilateral covenant of salvation upon mankind exists. (That no universal unilateral salvation covenant actually appears in scripture disproves universal reconciliation. There can be no universal reconciliation without a universal unilateral covenant. And any assertion of such a universal “covenant” is otherwise directly rebutted by the universal enmity decree of Gen. 3:15. Yet even if such a covenant were provable from scripture, it would still have to be proven to apply to the damned in the netherworld. No restorational covenant out of wrath appears universally among the living, never mind among the damned. (Please see again Point 38 above.)

41. Beneficiaries of a sovereign unilateral covenantal seed-line down the generational continuum may thus reject the covenant (Ex. 19:5; Lev. 26:15), but God will still maintain restorative covenant with that seed-line (Lev. 26:44; Dt. 4:31; II Ki. 13:23; Ps. 89:30-37; cf. II Chron 21:7; Jer. 33:24-26; Ezk. 16:60,62-63; Rom. 3:3; 11:1-5). (Because all covenantal restoration occurs only with reference to a terrestrially living generational seed-line, the “prophetically” extended concept of covenantal restoration out of netherworld destruction has no valid foundation.)

42. Members of the covenantal seed-line who nevertheless rebel against the covenant are put to death (Dt. 17:2-7) and perish under divine anger (Josh. 23:16), wherein those bearing such poison are cursed without forgiveness and without memory under heaven (Dt. 29:18-21; Jer. 11:3), being purged out from the covenantal bond (Ezk. 20:36-38). (The express exclusion of rebels from the salvational covenantal bond under curse of divine forgetfulness contradicts the possibility of universal reconciliation. Because their forced departure from terrestrial life also means their forced departure from salvation’s covenantal bond, there is therefore no other basis for further posthumous covenantal salvation. No other covenantal bond of salvation exists to be available to a dead non-terrestrial “ex-seed.”) 

43. Thus salvation is ordered within divine unilateral covenant (II Sam. 23:5; Ps. 89:3→26; Is. 49:8) while the “worthless” (lit. “belials”) and haters against the covenant are burned and crushed under military order (II Sam. 23:6-7; Ps. 89:23). (Since salvation is only found within covenant, to be crushed outside of covenant contains no hope of salvation.)

44. The wicked have no acknowledged right in the divine covenant (Ps. 50:16-17) while salvation belongs only to those who live in harmony with the covenant against the opposite fate of being torn to pieces (Ps. 50:22-23). (Thus salvation is covenantally exclusive, which exclusivity prohibits a concept of universal reconciliation. No universal reconciliation is possible where salvation is defined only upon an exclusively identified seed-line apart from others.)

45. The salvific Abrahamic seed-line covenant transfers from the Mosaic iteration to become the spiritual New Covenant through the blood of Christ “poured out for many” (Lk. 1:68-75 → Mt. 26:28; Mk. 14:24; Lk. 22:20; I Cor. 11:25; II Cor. 3:6; Heb. 7:22; 8:6-13). (This means that all the realities characterizing salvation and expulsion from salvation under unilateral covenantal bond apply to the New Covenant as well as the Old Covenant. The New Covenant deals only with the living terrestrial seed of men in all generations to the exclusion of all who rebel against it to become sentenced to the Second Death (See PART 4 § Book of Hebrews: Exacting Terrestrial Specifications of the Atonement).)

46. The salvific covenant is executed only by the innocent blood death of the Enmity-free Man in bearing the universal enmity-consequence on behalf of all mankind under enmity (Heb. 9:15-20; 12:24; 13:20. See PART 4 – BLOOD FOR BLOOD: THE TERRESTRIALITY OF BLOOD ATONEMENT).  

§ Salvation Exposited: Provisional vs. Effectual Covenantal Salvation

47. Salvation (reconciliation by the Blood of Christ) is

• universally provisional (applied in principle) to all mankind without exception (Rom. 5:8-11; II Cor. 5:14,18-20; Heb. 2:9; I Jn. 2:2) in accord with Divine Passion (Jn. 3:16), but
• in covenantal effectuality is

                                                             i.      separationally exclusive (Lk. 12:49-53; 14:26; Jn. 15:19-25; Ac. 26:18; Tit. 2:14; Heb. 2:10-17; 11:16 (by faith); (1Pt. 2:9→ Dt. 7:6); Rev. 5:9 (“from every”); 7:3→9:4; 14:1; 18:4),

                                                           ii.      selectively exceptional (Jn. 5:21; 6:44-45,65; 15:16,19; Ac. 13:48; 15:14,17-19; 16:14; Rom. 8:27-30; 9:11,15-29; 11:4-5; I Cor. 1:24-28; Eph. 1:4-9,11; Col. 3:12; II Th. 2:13-14; II Tim. 2:10; Tit. 1:1; Jas. 2:5; I Pt. 1:1-2; 2:9; II Pt. 1:10; Rev. 5:9 (“from every”); 14:3-4) and

                                                        iii.      practically conditional through proving of durable obedience (works) under discipline to the end of mortal life (Mt. 13:20; 24:13; Mk. 3:13; Jn. 6:27; 8:31; 15:4→6; I Cor. 15:2; Col. 1:23; II Tim. 2:12; Heb. 3:6-19; 5:9; 6:7-8,11; 10:23,36; 11:17,27; 12:1,7; Jas. 1:4-5,12; 2:14-26; 5:10-11; I Pt. 1:7,23,25; II Pt. 1:10-11; 3:17; I Jn. 2:24,28; 3:9; II Jn. 9; Rev. 3:19; 13:10; 14:12);

according to Divine Intent (Eph. 1:5,9,11;3:11) in accord with the selective separational nature of Holiness, God’s Self-declared chief attribute (Rev. 4:8).

(Here we discover that, contrary to Universalist belief, salvation is not a mono-faceted absolute power producing an unthwartably effectual universal result. Rather, salvation is a spectral power producing an unthwartably effectual result only in a delimited inner subset of mankind within the outer envelope of universally applied and available provisional covering for all men—a covering that may yet prove finally ineffectual for the outer majority.  As seen in all the above verses, the entire New Testament runs on this spectral conception of salvation, from which in turn the Bible-wide concept of remnant is birthed. (Please further see PART 9 § Remnant Based Restoration.).    

Salvation’s universal provisionality is the platform for its targeted effectuality, but does not equate to universal effectuality. Universal provisionality does not affect or change or define the covenantally restrictive nature of effectual salvation. This is the Universalist rub.

Universalism cannot tolerate a spectral salvation that is finally effectual only upon a subset of men though it provisionally reconciles everyone to God. Thus Universalists must find ways to mis-equate salvation’s universal provisionality with its covenantally delimited selective, separational, conditional effectuality. They must forcibly redefine these conditional effectual factors to make them fit inside a universally unconditionally effectual salvation concept—as if God had made an effectually saving covenant with the entire universe of mankind, even so far as “making” or “re-establishing” (?) such covenant with all salvational covenant breakers consigned to the netherworld.

The myopic Universalist dependence on the word “all” serves to support this purpose.   The emphasis on God’s desire to save ”all” men is based on a thought non sequitur in which, if salvation is universally applicable to “all men,” that universality somehow of itself proves the unthwartable effectuality of that applicability—contrary to the thought flow of every apostolic and prophetic expositor of salvation in the Bible. The belief is, “If we just hammer enough on the facet of salvation’s ‘allness,’ that sufficiently proves salvation’s universal effectuality. The ‘allness’ proves there is no spectrality in salvation’s efficacy.” That is the unseen faulty assumption behind this emphasis.

But the issue of God’s reconciling “all” men has no bearing on defining salvation as a mono-faceted absolute effectually saving power. Salvation’s provisional universality doesn’t nullify the conditionalities upon which its lasting effectuality depends as taught everywhere throughout.  Thus, the scope of the meaning of “all” is not the point. The only point is whether the provisional salvational dimension applied to the “all” can be thwarted and lost.  The thought flows of all the apostles harmoniously show that salvation is only conditionally effectual for the “all,” that it can be irretrievably lost (e.g., Heb. 6:4-6), men can receive forgiveness by the blood yet never come to new birth (e.g., II Pt. 2:1→22); while salvation is only absolutely permanently effectual for the remnant who prove their covenantal new birth identity through enduring obedience (per above scriptures). The Universalist emphasis on “all” does not nullify the clearly taught provisional-to-effectual spectrality of salvation. It cannot convert a biblically spectral salvation (defined only preventatively of judgment) into an absolutist Universalist “salvation” (definable past the judgment).

Thus it is that, the three qualifying factors of effectual salvation—separational exclusivity, selective exceptionality and conditional proving for durability—singly and jointly militate against any concept of universal reconciliation. By Universalist philosophical definition, “universal” salvation can only be entirely inclusive, non-exceptional and unconditional in its targeted purpose and outworking. The ideas of exclusivity, exceptionality and conditionality are simply inherently foreign and incompatible with a Universalist construct. (That is, there is no purpose for God to separate, choose and prove the “saved” from among the “unsaved.” Further, these qualifying factors can find absolutely no expression in hell! There is no “separation from the world” in hell; there is no election by God in hell; and there is no proving for obedience in hell—all of which are necessary to effectual salvation.)

In particular, the factor of salvation’s conditional proving for durable obedience through the end of mortal life directly disproves the possibility of universal reconciliation. Past death, there can be neither further “obedience” nor “mortal end” point by which to prove salvation’s obedient reality in the believer.  A Universalist salvation cannot philosophically be subject to any conditional proving by obedience, much less accommodate any possibility for such proving under netherworld conditions. (Please see further below § Salvation Adjudicated Only Upon Terrestrial Life Action.)            

The only other Universalist remedy available to the problem of salvation’s qualified effectuality is to intentionally ignore and dismiss these factors by blindly redefining salvation’s effectuality wholly in terms of its provisionality which is all-inclusive, non-exceptional and unconditional.

(The qualified effectuality of covenantal salvation arises due to the distinctiveness of holiness to which it repairs. Salvation is with respect to holiness violation (i.e., sin – Mt. 1:21). God’s salvation is as sovereignly selective as His holiness is sovereignly distinctive. Salvation, being a reconciliation with God’s holiness is effectually executed on the same separational basis as that by which holiness exists. That is why salvation is only finally effected by separated exclusivity, selective exceptionality and proven condition. No human consideration of the “fairness” of this separational selectivity carries any force for challenging the vast scripture witness to this reality (Is. 29:16; 45:9; Rom. 9:20). The fairness of delimited unilateral effectual covenantal salvation is not up for human vote.)

48. Kingdom salvation functions as a two-tiered indiscriminate collecting and discriminatory sifting process wherein multitudes who believe within the universal provisional call and collection phase are ultimately sifted out and terminally rejected for failing the proving phase of enduring effectuality (Mt. 13:47-50). (In the Universalist construct, the parable of the net as written has no meaning and the construct otherwise offers no foundation for challenging the terminal end assigned to the “bad fish” of the parable. There is no basis in the parable to claim that all the castaway fish can or will somehow be regathered enduringly back into the net.)

49. Kingdom redemption occurs in principle of the “whole field” of the world while in effect only upon its select “hidden treasure” in the saints (Mt. 13:44). (The parable of the hidden treasure affirms the provisional vs. effectual dimensions of salvation. There is no basis for claiming that the whole field becomes the treasure as a Universalist construct would require. That is to rewrite the parable.)

50. God is provisionally (principally) the Savior of all men wherein there is no other Savior ((I Tim. 4:10c; Tit. 2:11) → (Ac. 4:12; Is. 43:11; Hos. 13:4)), yet He is effectually (“especially”) the Savior of those who believe (I Tim. 4:10d; 1:16). Within the context of these same pastoral epistles (I & II Timothy; Titus), some men will yet be considered detestable and worthless (Tit. 1:10-16), come to destruction (I Tim. 6:9), be rejected (II Tim. 2:12) and never be able to come to saving truth (II Tim. 3:7-8). (These sustained enmity qualifiers throughout the pastoral epistles defeat the Universalist interpretation of Christ’s effectual saviorhood of “all men” derived from them. Had Paul meant to tell Timothy that God would effectually save all men, he could not have also told him that some are "never able" to come to know saving truth. His supposed assertion of Christ’s universally effectual saviorhood would have rendered his enmity-sustaining qualifiers pointless. The Universalist contention that the word for “especially” (Gk. “malista”) by which “believers” are saved is used everywhere else only as a superlative of import without exclusivity results in saying then that faith is only a superlative, but not the exclusive, means of salvation. In that argument alone, Christian Universalism proves itself to be another gospel! (Please see further APPENDIX C, Points 4-5.))

51. Death is abolished and Christ’s enemies are defeated in principle (II Tim. 1:10; I Pt. 3:22) ahead of the effectuality of that defeat (I Cor. 15:25-26), exemplifying the principle-versus-effect nature of divine purpose (See also II Cor. 1:10). (Universalist salvation theology ignores / denies the “in-principle provisional” versus “in-fact effectual” nature of divine purpose, classifying all provisional-class salvation as effectual-class salvation against the massive biblical evidence that terminally delimits the scope of effectual divine purpose.)

52. False teachers may appropriate the provisional washing of the blood for their sins, yet never receive a new nature so as to become effectually saved, being consigned oppositely to terminal destruction (II Pt. 2:1→22 with Heb. 10:29→6:9). (The possibility of being washed by the blood to obtain forgiveness of sins while yet ending condemned / destroyed opposite to salvation proves a factual difference between provisional and effectual salvation while simultaneously disproving the universality of effectual salvation. If all salvation were effectual as Universalism requires, the possibility of falling away from salvation could not exist once the blood of Christ is appropriated for saving forgiveness. And no mechanism is philosophically conceivable whereby the blood once ineffectually applied on earth can somehow become applied again in the Lake of Fire unto effectual salvation. Such possibility is in fact pointedly denied (Heb. 10:26). Thus the mere fact of differentiality between provisional and effectual salvation disproves the possibility of universal reconciliation. See further PART 4 § The Role of Blood Atonement in Salvation’s Terrestrial Adjudication, Points 101, 105 and PART 7 § The Irretrievably Forfeited Salvation of Apostates, Point 139.)

§ Salvation Exposited:

The Grace/Gift of Living Promise-Power Righteousness vs. Terrestrial Force Sin 

53. Salvation is exercised by grace- (Ac. 15:11; Rom. 4:16; Eph. 2:5,8; II Tim. 1:9; Tit. 2:11) as a gift (Jn. 4:10; Rom. 3:24; 4:16; 5:15-17; 6:23; 11:6; Eph. 2:8; Tit. 2:11-14; I Pt. 1:10) of promise-power righteousness (Ac. 13:32-33; Rom. 4:13-20; 9:8-9; Gal. 3:14,22; Eph. 3:6; Heb. 6:12,17; 8:6; 9:15; 10:23,36; 11:9,11,13,17,39; Jas. 2:5; II Pt. 1:4; I Jn. 2:25) energized by an active age-enduring life force ((Jn. 1:14 “full of grace” → (II Pt. 1:2; 3:18 → Jn. 17:3 “age-enduring life”)  → (by “promise” II Tim. 1:1; I Jn. 2:25)). (The grace that defines salvation is not a mere synonym for God’s lovingkindness, but is the express operation of a highly described living promise-based power of righteousness imparted to man.   Yet no such living promissory righteousness exists or operates in the Lake of Fire. Neither the powers of promise, righteousness nor life are or can be found there. Thus there is no such thing as “universal grace” for the finally damned. The sloppy application to the netherworld of a deficient idea of “grace” merely as God’s lovingkindness utterly fails the exactingly exposited biblical meaning of grace.)

54. The living power of saving grace acts against the power force of human sin (Rom. 5:20-21; 6:1,14-15) in the living terrestrial realm before the wrath to come (e.g., Heb. 2:14-15; 4:16 →Rom. 5:9-10) vis-à-vis the knowledge of the law (Rom. 5:20) and the knowledge of good (Rom. 2:14-15; Jas. 4:17) against which all human sin is committed. (The contest between grace and sin on which Paul exposits salvation is thus fought only in the terrestrial realm where sin finds its expression through the knowledge of the law and of moral good. It is not fought in the Lake of Fire under executed sentence of divine wrath where neither the knowledge of the terrestrial law nor of moral good further operates as if to prohibit adultery, murder, theft, lying etc.)

55. Saving grace fights directly against terrestrial sin (Rom. 5:15-16,20) that causes death (Rom. 5:12,17-18). That is, grace defeats death only as a byproduct of its direct defeat of terrestrial sin (Rom. 5:15-21. See also the sin→death defeat axis in I Cor. 15:55-56). (For this reason, the Universalist idea that grace operates as some mysterious post-terrestrial force through the Lake of Fire to “redeem” men and/or directly to extinguish the Lake of Fire (i.e., defeat the Second Death) outside all context of the terrestrial sin contest is erroneous. Grace is exposited only as a contest directly with terrestrial sin in the mortal body under knowledge of the law by which death’s defeat in the believers is in turn effected.)

• The biblical destiny progression of the damned proceeds from sin (Gen. 2:16-17) to death (Rom. 5:12; 6:23; Jas. 1:15) to hell / Sheol (Ps. 6:5; 18:5; 55:15; 116:3; Pr. 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; Is. 28:15,18; 38:18; Ezk. 31:17; Hos. 13:14; Hab. 2:5; Rev. 1:18; 6:8) to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:14), being a progression of increasing distance and separation (enmity) from life in God.  (Where salvation intercepts this negative trajectory only at its beginning point in sin (see Rom. 5:15-21), this trajectory otherwise runs oppositely to any salvation and thus totally against any concept of eventual universal salvation, a concept for which no cosmologic evidence exists. If salvation is exposited only as intercepting negative destiny progression at its root point of sin, then an open-ended negative trajectory past the point of sin does not witness in any way to an eventual universal reconciliation. The trajectory only witnesses against it. (Please see further PART 10 § The Spiritual Law of Negative Destiny Progression, Point 202).)  

56. Where “many” died because of one transgression, grace abounds to “the many” (Rom. 5:15,19). (The word “many” at both ends of the comparison between sin and grace indicates a qualitative comparison between the powers of sin and grace, not a quantitative comparison of the numbers of people affected by the powers. Had Paul’s point been to compare the numbers of people affected by both sin and grace so as to indicate the universal effectuality of grace, He would have used the word “all” throughout the comparisons to describe these numbers (“as all died→grace abounds to all…as all were made sinners→all will be made righteous.”) He would not have used the word “many.” The word “many” is pointless in a Universalist context. Thus Romans 5 does not teach the universalistic post-death “salvation” of all the living, never mind all the damned.)

57. Where sin increased, grace abounded “all the more” (Rom. 5:20) in that Christ’s singular death is more powerful than the innumerable sins producing the death and judgment (condemnation) arising from the Law (Rom. 5:12-21). (Comparison is again between the number and potency of the acts under each power, not the number of participators and recipients under each power (“many”). This is because the number of people who can receive the “more grace” cannot be more than the number of sinners affected by sin, which already includes all men. The phrase “all the more” or “much more” cannot thus refer to the number of men to be saved by grace as Universalists assert. (For larger treatment of Points 56-57, please see further APPENDIX G commentary on Romans 5.))

• In assuagement of the Universalist complaint over the small numbers of redeemed under limited effectual reconciliation, consider that the number of those in the universe to be saved to age-enduring life by faith, though appearing now to be comparatively small in present earth history, will eventually become far more than the numbers of those seemingly numberless hordes in the flesh who finally perish under condemnation (Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 26:4 →Is. 54:1 / Gal. 4:27). (This promise contradicts the idea based on present observation of remnant salvation that total reconciliation is demanded to prove that God’s grace is greater upon the numbers of those saved than those that perish. The estimated total number of people who have ever lived to this time (app. 100 billion) is less than 1% of the estimated number of cells in the average human body (15 – 70 trillion), which is in turn far less than 0.1% of the estimated number of stars in the known galaxies or the grains of sand on earth (between 1 sextillion and 1 septillion) promised to Abraham. Thus the numbers of those to receive the salvational blessing of Abraham in the ages to come will eventually easily outstrip by mega percentages the final number of those consigned to the Lake of Fire under the first cosmos.) 

58. As one sin brought universal condemnation to mankind, one act of righteousness brought universal provisional justification and reconciliation to mankind (Rom. 5:18→ II Cor. 5:18-20; Heb. 2:9; I Jn. 2:2) preemptively of the wrath to come (Rom. 5:9). (This is a past tense statement of an already accomplished fact defined before the wrath to come. Had Christ’s sacrifice brought effectual justification to all mankind as to somehow prove that all men will therefore be justified out of the Lake of Fire in the future, then it would not have been defined against the wrath to come, but would have been in effectual force already, such that no further plan of salvation by persuasion and belief was or is necessary. There would also be no Lake of Fire—because the justification has already “resulted” in “life to all men” as an accomplished fact. Either all men are already justified provisionally only, or we are all justified effectually already so that there can be no future judgment or Lake of Fire. Only the former conclusion is correct. But either way, this passage cannot prove a future effectual justification that has not already been accomplished.)  

59. The number of saints (Rom. 1:6-7) who have

·        1) received the gift of righteousness (Rom. 5:17),

·        2) died to sin (Rom. 6:2),

·        3) been baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3),

·        4) been united with Him in His death (Rom. 6:3,5) and

·        5) spiritually resurrected with Him (Rom. 6:4; Eph. 2:4-6) is

·        6) conditionally exceptional (“if, those who, they who”) (Rom. 6:5; 8:1,4,9-11; II Cor. 5:15); requiring

·        7) a provable terrestrial-based post-conversion responsive surrender (Rom. 6:12-13; 8:12-13,17) and

·        8) endurance (II Tim. 2:12) predicated on

·        9) their set apart election (Rom. 8:27-30,33) in order to certify

·        10)  their effectually saved identity out of their provisional salvation (II Cor. 5:14-15,17) and

·         11) their eventual physical resurrection to life (Rom. 6:5; I Cor. 15:22-23). (These terrestrially executed identifiers and qualifiers of salvation from terrestrial sin are not only exceptional, but are inexecutable in hell or the Lake of Fire past the only and final adjudicated resurrection set forth. There is not nor can there be in hell or the Lake of Fire any “baptism into Christ,” “union with Him in His death,” “rising together with Him,” provable post-conversional responsive “surrender” to Him or “endurance” of obedient discipleship. The conditions of existence necessary to all this do not exist in hell or the Lake of Fire. The terrestrially qualified, proven and executed nature of salvation itself thus prohibits any possible consideration of “universal resurrection to life in Christ.” See further below at § Salvation Adjudicated Only Upon Terrestrial Life Action.)

60. Paul’s phrase “in Christ” used to indicate those who are saved is repeatedly applied to a conditionally sanctified, believing subset from within the whole of mankind (Rom. 8:1; 12:5; I Cor. 1:2,23-24→30; 15:18-19→22-23; II Cor. 1:21; 2:14-16; 3:14; 5:17; Gal. 2:4,16-17; 3:26-28; Eph. 1:10; 2:5-7,10,13; Php. 1:1; 3:3,9,14(→19); 4:21; Col. 1:2,4; 2:5; I Th. 4:6; II Tim. 2:10). It is never universally applied to all of mankind. Accordingly, while the number of “all” who die in Adam is always universal as is the number for whom Christ provisionally died, the number of “all” who effectually live and are resurrected “in Christ” is always a conditional subset, usually indicated by the restrictive phrase “those who.” (Rom. 5:17-18; I Cor. 15:22-23; II Cor. 5:14-15,17. See also I Tim. 1:16).

• The “all (classes of) men” whom “God (desires to) save(s)” (I Tim. 2:2→4; 4:10) is qualified by the conditional number of “those who” would believe (I Tim. 1:16) contrasted against the fact of final judgment for others (I Tim. 5:24). (The conditional number of believers saved and the fact of final judgment for others referenced in I Timothy disproves any intent on Paul’s part in this letter to indicate God’s irresistible will to effectually save all men. (Please see further APPENDIX C., Point 6.) 

61. The gospel of salvation by Paul including the terms and conditions by which it is effectually outworked in mortal life (specifically, justification relative to deeds done in the body ahead of judgment, and salvation’s restriction to a selectively separated seed inheritance) is the only valid gospel (Rom. 2:16; Gal. 1:6-9 (e.g., I Cor. 6:9-11)). (The restrictive terms of outworking of the Pauline gospel contradict the Universalist gospel. Because the doctrine of Christian Universalism denies the restrictive terms and conditions of Paul’s gospel as terrestrially outworked in a limitedly defined Christ seed, it is a false gospel.)

(Please see further PART 7 § The Irretrievably Forfeited Salvation of Apostates.)

 

63.  Jesus proclaimed his victorious life over the imprisoned disobedient spirits kept in eternal (Gk. “aidios”) bonds of darkness ahead of the judgment (I Pt. 3:19-20 → II Pt. 2:4 / Jude 6; Col. 2:15). (Jesus did not “preach the gospel” to the damned antediluvians in Sheol but, as Peter and Jude further show, He made proclamation to the spirits that “left their first estate” to cohabit with the antediluvians. That these imprisoned spirits are reserved for judgment and that their bonds are eternal specifically prohibit any intended idea of eventual reconciliation with them.  All salvation is preemptive of the judgment. (Please see further PART 8 § The Dynamics of Fire as Redemptive Refining and Non-Redemptive Burning, Point 154).)

64.  Believers of the preached gospel who have died, though judged by God for their works in life (and/or wrongly misjudged by men), nevertheless live in spirit to God even as Christ suffered and died in the flesh to live in the Spirit to God’s will. (I Pt. 4:6→ 3:18→4:1-2,4-5→Rom. 2:6-8; Rev. 2:23); while any salvation for the ungodly is beyond contemplation (→I Pt. 4:18). (I Pt. 4:6 does not teach that the gospel is preached to the dead in hell so they might “live” in the spirit out of the judgment, given that, as we have proven, judgment cannot produce salvation (PART 2, Point 11), all salvation is preemptive of judgment (Point 36 above) and Peter himself proceeds to say that salvation of the ungodly is beyond contemplation (4:18)! The letters of Peter are entirely about the salvation of believers persecuted by the ungodly, not about any salvation of the ungodly either before or after death. (Please see further PART 10 § A Profile of Hell (a.k.a. Sheol, the Pit, the Abyss), Point 213).)

65.  God’s patience operates toward vacillating, weak believers and elect unbelievers (“Patient toward you, not willing….”) to determinedly assure that none of His elect perish, but that all of them come to full repentance (II Pt. 1:8-11→3:9), whose ongoing repentance shortens the time of patience necessary for withholding the judgment, hastening it thereby (II Pt. 3:11-12); while God is equally determined to keep accursed apostates under punishment for their worse end under the coming judgment as creatures born to be killed (II Pt. 2:9-10,12,14, 20-22). (God is determinedly unwilling that any of His elect perish, thus His patience in bringing all elect to (full) repentance (in all things) is against and up to His Day of judgment, initiating the destruction sequence of the first cosmos. The devotion of the elect to their purification in the saving knowledge of Christ speeds repentance and so reduces the delay to the Day of the Lord (II Pt. 3:1-18). II Pt. 3:9 does not teach that God is determinedly unwilling for any of mankind to perish or determined to bring all men to repentant salvation as believed and taught in whole by Universalists and in part by the vast majority of the evangelical church. To the contrary, He states He has determinedly willed to destroy false teachers.) 

§ Salvation Delimited by Temporal Opportunity and Terminal Limits on the Means of Grace

66. Salvation is specifically subject to temporal opportunity limitation (Is. 49:8; Jer. 8:20; II Cor. 6:2; Heb. 9:27). Limitation of opportunity demonstrates distinction between salvation’s universal provisionality and its delimited effectuality. Those sinking to death in sin do not return to find life (Pr. 2:18-22), having no more opportunity. (For Universalism to be true, salvation cannot be subject to any limitation of temporal opportunity and no preclusion can be put upon the possibility of the entombed damned in sin from returning to life.)

67. Effectual salvation has terminal limits (Ps. 69:27; Heb. 6:6; 10:26-27; Rev. 22:11) wherein some sin has irreparable terminal consequence (Jer. 19:11) To wit:

• Intercession is intrinsic to salvation (Lk. 22:32), yet has terminal limits past which it cannot save (Jer. 7:15-16; 11:14; 15:1; Ezk. 14:14; I Jn. 5:16).

• Repentance has terminal limits past which it cannot save (Jer. 14:12; Heb. 12:17).

• Forgiveness has terminal limits [even without regard to blasphemy of the Spirit] (Dt. 29:20; Jer. 18:23). Failed forgiveness is terminal (Mt. 6:14-15; 18:23-35).
  
  
  
• Mercy has terminal limits (Am. 7:8; 8:2-3) and is restricted by sovereign selective appointment (Rom. 9:15-16→18,23), by availability only to the merciful (Mt. 5:7) and is revocable (Mt. 18:32-35), all of which sub-defines mercy’s provisional universality (Ps. 145:9) which does not extend to the wicked (Ps. 145:20).

(For Universalism to be true, there can be no terminal limitations put upon any of these means of grace necessary to effectual salvation.)

68.  Repentance is required for salvation (Lk. 13:3,5; Ac. 2:38; 3:19; 8:22) yet is a gift of God (Ac. 11:18) which He only “may” give to certain men (II Tim. 2:25) which even then may thereafter be lost and never retrievable (Heb. 6:4-6). (If God does not give a gift required for salvation to all men, and if men may even permanently lose that gift beyond retrievability once given them, then universal reconciliation is neither possible nor is it God’s determined plan. Please compare further PART 7 § Anti-Reconciliatory Heart Hardening, Point 132.)

69. Grace may be received in vain and nullified (I Cor. 15:2,10; II Cor. 6:1; Gal. 1:6; 2:21; 3:4; 4:11; 5:4; Heb. 10:29 (“trampled”); 12:15; Jude 4). (Thus grace is neither universal nor unlimited in its saving power and effect. If grace as a preventative of death and condemnation can be nullified in the land of the living, it has no basis of impartation among the condemned dead in the Lake of Fire.)

76. Terrestrial obedience (Jn. 3:36) through the Spirit under mortality (Rom. 1:5→8:12-13) as the key prover of saving faith (Jn. 8:51-52; 12:47-48; II Th. 1:8; Heb. 5:9; I Pt. 4:17) is alternately referred to as “keeping my commandments” and “fruit(fullness)”(Jn. 15:6-10; Col. 1:10; I Jn. 2:3-4; 3:24; Jas. 3:18) (See also Ac. 6:7; I Pt. 1:2,14).  All faith is proven by terrestrially enduring obedient discipleship and divine character quality development identified as “fruitfulness” (Mt. 3:8,10;7:17-19;12:33;13:23; 21:43; Mk. 4:20; Lk. 3:9; 6:43-44; 8:14-15; 13:6-9; Jn. 4:36; 12:24; 15:2-8,16; Rom. 1:13; 7:4-5; 15:28; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 5:9; Col. 1:6,10; Heb. 12:11; 13:15; Jas. 3:18; Jude 12). (See further at § The Parameters of Resurrection Life, Point 94. Neither terrestrial obedience nor fruitfulness are provable in hell, a place portrayed only as the terminal destination for failed earth-side fruitlessness. Hell and the Lake of Fire are shown only to be the consequence of earthly mortal disobedience, not places of developing obedience to the Lord’s commandments or “fruit” through a burning worm-eaten anti-resurrection body. The terrestrial conditions for proving obedience and bearing fruit do not exist there, therefore no salvation can be accomplished there. See further PART 10 § A Profile of Hell (a.k.a. Sheol, the Pit, the Abyss) and § A Profile of the Lake of Fire (a.k.a. Gehenna))

-        All Faith for Salvation Is Ministered Terrestrially

77.  The ordained means for the transmission of effectual reconciliation is the terrestrial testimony of believers to unbelievers “from faith to faith” (Jn. 1:7; 3:33; 5:32→34,36; 17:20;19:35;  Ac. 1:8; 13:31; 22:15,18; 26:16; Rom. 1:17; II Tim. 2:2; I Jn. 5:9-11; Rev. 1:1-2,9; 6:9; 11:3,7; 12:11; 20:4; cf. Ps. 78:5-6). (In hell and the Lake of Fire, no believers exist to witness to unbelievers. Thus the only appointed means for effectual reconciliation does not exist; and scripture outlines no other appointed means to effective reconciliation. Therefore the possibility of effectual universal reconciliation from hell and the Lake of Fire has no basis for assertion.)

78.  Abraham affirms from Sheol that terrestrial testimony is the only means to reconciling faith and offers no testimony of his own whereby the rich man in hell might somehow have yet become effectually reconciled (Lk. 16:24-31). (If effectual reconciliation by a believer’s testimony from within hell were possible, Abraham would have further implored the rich man to believe and seek God’s mercy from within the flames. He didn’t. Thus Abraham’s lack of merciful response disproves the doctrine of universal reconciliation.)

79.  Reconciliation’s objective is the presentation of believers to Christ in holiness conditioned on their enduring faith (Col. 1:22-23) dependent on the earth-side ministry of the apostles (Col. 1:28-29/II Cor. 11:2). (This means not only is effectual reconciliation conditional, but it can only be ministered in this life, denying its universality. No evidence exists for presentation to Christ of those within the Lake of Fire by means of the body of Christ who are not even there.)

-        All Mercy for Salvation is only upon the Terrestrially Living

80. All salvation is a product of mercy (Eph. 2:4-5; Tit. 3:5; I Pt. 1:3) yet hell and the Lake of Fire are places of no mercy for the terrestrially unmerciful (Mt. 18:34; Jas. 2:13) and for apostates (Heb. 10:26-29), and where the cry for mercy from the rich is anti-reconciliatorily rebuffed (Lk. 16:24-25). (Therefore hell and the Lake of Fire are places of anti-reconciliation and not a means to reconciliation by any “merciful purging” by God.)
    
    

 

81. All mercy exercised against judgment is exercised upon the living ahead of judgment (Jas. 2:13 → (Mt. 5:7; 18:33-35; Rom. 9:15-18,23; 11:30-32; II Cor. 4:1; Gal. 6:16; Eph. 2:4-5; I Tim. 1:13,16; II Tim. 1:18; Tit. 3:5; Heb. 4:16; I Pt. 1:3; 2:10; Jude 21-23)) (No mercy is demonstrated anywhere upon the dead and certainly nowhere upon anyone in the Lake of Fire past the final judgment so as to mitigate or commute that sentence.)  

86. Salvation is established at and by the time of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. (I Pt. 1:5-9). (Please compare PART 5 § Salvation Belongs Only to a Delimited Believing and Intra-Loving Sheepfold, Point 108. No salvation is evidenced anywhere in scripture to be established past Christ’s coming revelation or in any relation to hell and the Lake of Fire in proximity to that Revelation.)

87. Christ’s saving appearing occurs before and oppositely to the judgment, without further reference to saving from sin or of judgment due to sin, (thus bringing closure to the application of salvation for sin) for those already believing in Him (Heb. 9:27-28). (Hell and the Lake of Fire lie outside the closed defined salvation cycle between Christ’s atonement-appearing and His pre-judgment saving-appearing to the believing. Salvation is not an open-ended universal continuum but a closed cycle between two appearances (the first appearing having been given retroactive effect back to the fall of man (Rom. 3:25-26)). The only appearing of Christ outside this cycle is to the unbelieving through the judgment (II Th. 1:7-9), and there is “no hope” (Eph. 2:12; I Th. 4:13; cf. Pr. 10:28; 11:7) of other later appearing of Christ to those in hell or the Lake of Fire as if they might somehow be saved by some similar “eager expectation” for some unrecorded extra-cyclical “saving” appearing.)

88. The only effect of the coming Revelation of Christ upon those already consigned and/or destined to the netherworld is to reaffirm their terror-filled condemnation (Mt. 24:30→Rev. 1:7; 6:15-17) oppositely to the salvation of the redeemed at that revelation. (Therefore the coming revelation of Christ offers neither hope of salvation to the damned nor basis therefore for contemplating any other “saving” revelation of Christ to the damned at any other later time to come.)

-    The Terrestrial Delimitation of Hope

89.  To be without God and apart from Christ is to have no hope either in the terrestrial world or beyond the grave (Eph. 2:12; I Th. 4:13; cf. Pr. 10:28; 11:7). (Thus the Universalist offer of hope for salvation from out of the netherworld is false.)

• Hope is only realized with respect to the end of mortal life (Heb. 6:11).

• Hope is a living force for an imperishable inheritance under divine protection ahead of salvation to be manifest at the revelation of Christ (I Pt.1:3-5,13). (There is no life in hell for a conceptual hope upon a denied inheritance after salvation at Christ’s revelation.)

90. The needy and afflicted whose hope will never perish are not the wicked (Ps. 9:17-18; 10:2; 18:27; Pr. 3:33-34) while all hope for the wicked is lost at death (Job 27:8; Pr. 11:7), their only hope is for wrath (Pr. 11:23) and to “breathe their last” (Job 11:20). (Thus the end of terrestrial hope signifies the impossibility of any other hope beyond the grave, and thus the impossibility of universal reconciliation.)

-        All Salvation is Ministered in Terms of Terrestrially Mirrored Qualities of Sustenance

91. The salvation to age-enduring life occurs by the spiritual consuming of Christ as the living bread and water (Jn. 4:14; 6:27, 32-35, 48-58; 7:37-39), as milk (I Pt. 2:2) and by His washing of regeneration by the word (Eph. 5:26; Tit. 3:5); while death, hell and the netherworld, being consumed with fire (Job 24:19; 31:12; Ps. 49:14), have no water or milk (Job 19:24; Mt. 12:43; Lk. 16:24) for quenching age-enduring thirst or for washing, nor any natural or spiritual life imparting or sustaining action, process or substance. (Thus no means or conveyance exists for the impartation and receiving of age-enduring life to any soul in hell much less the Lake of Fire regardless of duration.)

92. Salvation to age-enduring life occurs through the receiving of Christ as light in the terrestrial realm (Jn. 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36, 46) while death, hell and the netherworld exist in black darkness (e.g., Jude 13). (No means or conveyance exists for the impartation and receiving of the light of life in hell or the Lake of Fire regardless of duration.)

§ The Disciplinary Role of Death inside Terrestrial Conditions of Soul Salvation

93. Death serves as a present disciplinary pass-through means of endurable soul-salvation 1) only at the mortal terrestrial level of “this world” and the fleshly body (II Cor. 4:7-12,16), 2) only by the life-replenishing power of the Spirit (Rom. 8:13) and 3)  only for the disciple already in possession of the seed of age-enduring life (Jn. 12:24-25; I Pt. 2:24; 4:1) for the purpose of qualifying for the first resurrection (Php. 3:10-11). (Because salvation only acts preventatively of soul death in the Lake of Fire and because the life replenishing Holy Spirit is not in the Lake of Fire, it is impossible to hijack the model of disciplinary soul-life death in the present world to ascribe any salvific effect to the suffering of the Second Death in the Lake of Fire! All that exists there is anti-life energy on fire, the same energy of the flesh that cannot save in this life. How dare then Universalists conflate and impute to the terminally destructive death of the wicked the disciplinary terrestrial death experience of God’s holy children by the Spirit, equating the profane with the holy (Ezk. 22:26; 44:23).)