Heaven, Hell, Universalism and Rob Bell - Part 3

A Look at the Theology of Rob Bell & “Love Wins”

Part 3

www.confidentchristians.org

Review: What are we Talking About?

On March 15, 2011, HarperOne

publishers releases Emergent

Church leader Rob Bell‘s new

book ―Love Wins‖.

The promotional video for the

book immediately raised

speculations in Christendom that

Rob Bell was a universalist, and

what has followed since then has

been one of the largest theological

firestorms in some time.


Review: What did We Cover Last Time?

• The Bible is clear on the teaching of Hell.

• Hell is not a purgatory or a place of

correction; rather, it is the second death for

those apart from Christ

• The teachings of Jesus and the apostles

clearly teach the above

• No place in Scripture indicates a second

chance after death to embrace Christ

• God is love, but His love is in keeping with

His justice

• God exercises His mercy through His

justice

• God‘s wrath is real and is clearly taught in

Scripture as coming upon those who reject

Christ

Is there Biblical Support for Universalism?


―And so, beginning with the early church,

there is a long tradition of Christians who

believe that God will ultimately restore

everything and everybody, because

Jesus says in Matthew 19 that there will

be a ―renewal of all things,‖ Peter says in

Acts 3 that Jesus will ―restore

everything,‖ and Paul says in Colossians

1 that through Christ ―God was pleased

to. . . .reconcile to himself all things,

whether things on earth or things in

heaven.‖

- Rob Bell

(pg. 107)


Point / Counter Point

―Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order

that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that

He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must

receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke

by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. " (Acts 3:19–21)

• The statement Peter makes concerns the restoration of Israel and the

fulfillment of the Abrahamic promises God made to them

• ―So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ―Lord, is it at

this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?‖ " (Acts 1:6)

• Peter begins his speech in Acts 3 with ―Men of Israel…‖

• ―But Israel shall be saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation; You shall

not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever‖ (Isaiah 45:17)

• ―At that time,‖ declares the Lord, ―I will be the God of all the families of Israel,

and they shall be My people.‖ " (Jeremiah 31:1)

Universalist Point

Biblical Counterpoint



―So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all

men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification

of life to all men. For as through the one man‘s disobedience the many

were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many

will be made righteous. " (Romans 5:18–19)

• The preceding verse makes it clear that a person must receive the gift of

salvation to be saved (and not all do): ―For if by the transgression of the one,

death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance

of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One,

Jesus Christ. " (Romans 5:17)

• ―All‖ doesn‘t mean everyone who ever lived, but all who believe on Christ. Note

the use of ―many‖ as well

• Much of Romans talks about people who will not believe and are therefore

judged (e.g. chapter 1, chapter 9, etc.)

Universalist Point




―then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and

Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He

must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet." (1 Corinthians

15:24–25)

• The phrase ―until He has put all His enemies under His feet‖ is key. ―Under His

feet‖ is a phrase used to specify execution of a king‘s opponents and is not a

friendly term. Rather, it is symbolic of an executioner putting their feet on the

neck of the victim before they are be-headed.

• Only those who are friends of Christ receive salvation (not enemies): ―No

longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is

doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My

Father I have made known to you. " (John 15:15)

Universalist Point




―namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not

counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the

word of reconciliation. " (2 Corinthians 5:19)

• If everyone is reconciled, it makes no sense for Paul to, immediately after this

verse, beg his readers to be reconciled to God: ―Therefore, we are

ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us;

we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)

• The ―world‖ refers to humanity in general, both Jews and Gentiles, and not

every person who was ever born

• It is only those who are ―in Christ‖ that are reconciled and are new creatures:

―Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed

away; behold, new things have come. " (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Universalist Point




―He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind

intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration

suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in

Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth." (Ephesians 1:9–10)

• The preceding verse 4 shows that it is only those who have been chosen who

are saved: ―Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has

blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy

and blameless before Him." (Ephesians 1:3–4)

• The phrase ―in Christ‖ is never used anywhere in Scripture to refer to

unbelievers, but only believers

Universalist Point




―For it was the Father‘s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace

through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth

or things in heaven. " (Colossians 1:19–20)

• The following verses demonstrate the perseverance of the saints and show it

is only those with saving faith who are reconciled: ―And although you were

formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now

reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you

before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue

in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the

hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation

under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. " (Colossians 1:21–

23)

Universalist Point


Why can’t a sovereign God save everyone?


―How great is God? Great enough to

achieve what God sets out to do, or

kind of great, great most of the time,

but in this, the fate of billions of

people, not totally great. Sort of

great. A little great‖ (pgs. 97–99).


―Is God our friend, our provider, our

protector, our father—or is God the kind of

judge who may in the end declare that we

deserve to spend forever separated from our

Father? Is God like the characters in a story

Jesus would tell, … or, in the end, will God

give up? Will ‗all the ends of the earth‘ come,

as God has decided, or only some? Will all

feast as it‘s promised in Psalm 22,

or only a few? Will everybody be given a

new heart, or only a limited number of

people? Will God, in the end, settle, saying:

‗Well, I tried, I gave it my best shot, and

sometimes you just have to be okay with

failure‘? Will God shrug God-size shoulders

and say, ‗You can‘t always get what you

want‘?‖ (pp. 102-103)


What is Bell Alluding to in Scripture?

• ―This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all

men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.‖ (1 Timothy

2:3–4)

• ―The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is

patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to

repentance.‖ (2 Peter 3:9)


―God has a purpose. A desire. A goal.

And God never stops pursuing it…

The God that Jesus teaches us about

doesn‘t give up until everything that

was lost is found. This God simply

doesn‘t give up. Ever‖

(p. 101).


Three Possible Wills in God

1. Decretive will - this form of God‘s

will describes something that

absolutely will happen and is

unstoppable / irresistible (e.g.

creating the universe; calling of

Paul)

2. Prescriptive will – this describes

something God morally

prescribes for all, but may be

disobeyed (e.g. the ten

commandments)

3. Dispositional will – that which

pleases or delights God (e.g.

not delighting in the death of the

wicked)


The Various Wills of God in Action

It was not the prescriptive will of God that Judas, Pilate, Herod, the

Jewish leaders, and the Roman soldiers would betray, mock, lie

about, and brutalize/murder Jesus. But Isaiah 53:0 says: ―Yet it was

the will of the LORD to crush him‖ and Acts 2:23 states: ―this Man,

delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God,

you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to

death.‖

God must will in one sense what He does not will in another sense.


The Various Wills of God in Action

―Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,‖ declares

the Lord God, ―rather than that he should turn from his ways

and live? ‖ (Ezekiel 18:23)

Vs.

―But they [the sons of Eli] would not listen to the voice of their

father, for the Lord desired to put them to death.‖

(1 Samuel 2:25)

God evidently willed the death of Eli‘s sons in one sense while

not desiring the death of the wicked in another sense. The

dispositional will is seen in the first verse and the decretive will

in the second.


Reconciling the Tension

―This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all

men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ‖ (1 Timothy 2:3–

4)

―The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is

patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to

repentance. ‖ (2 Peter 3:9)

Question: Which will of God is in vogue in the above verses? It cannot be the

decretive will of God or everyone would be saved as the universalist says. It

could be the prescriptive will of God, but seems odd in that, in a moral sense,

God ‗forbids‘ people to perish. The best application is that this is God‘s

dispositional will. In the same sense that He does not delight in the death of

the wicked, God takes no pleasure in people rejecting Him.


―Hence it may be said of a just judge,

that antecedently he wills all men to live;

but consequently wills the murderer to

be hanged. In the same way God

antecedently wills all men to be saved,

but consequently wills some to be

damned, as His justice exacts.‖

- Thomas Aquinas


More on 1 Timothy 2:3-4

―First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and

thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in

authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and

dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who

desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ‖

(1 Timothy 2:3–4) .

Paul is asking for prayers for all kinds of people including even the ruthless

and godless kings who were reigning over them (e.g. Nero). Paul then

goes on to say that God desires that no one class of people be left out of

His salvation plan; all ―kinds‖ of people will be saved.


More on 2 Peter 3:9

―This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up

your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken

beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior

spoken by your apostles. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will

come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ―Where is the

promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as

it was from the beginning of creation.‖ For when they maintain this, it escapes their

notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was

formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was

destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and

earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of

ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the

Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord

is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,

not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. ‖ (2 Peter 3:1–9)

Note the two groups that have been formed above: ―they‖ and ―you‖…


More on 2 Peter 3:9

―The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness,

but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to

come to repentance. ‖ (2 Peter 3:9)

Who is ―you‖? These are the Christians that Peter is writing to.

What/who does the term ―any‖ refer to? Grammatically it refers back

toward ―you‖. The statement then is one that says God has no

desire to see any of those He has chosen for salvation to perish

and is waiting for them to come to repentance. This would be the

decretive will of God as He is the One who grants repentance. ―The

Lord‘s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all,

able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting

those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them

repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, ‖ (2 Timothy 2:24–

25)


―Who are these of whom the apostle

speaks, to whom he writes? Such as

had received ―great and precious

promises‖ (2. Pet. 3:1); whom he

opposeth to the ―scoffers‖ of the ―last

days‖ (2 Pet. 3:3); to whom the Lord

hath respect in the disposal of these

days; who are said to be ―elect‖ (Matt.

24:22), Now, truly, to argue that because

God would have none of those to perish,

but all of them to come to repentance,

therefore he hath the same will and mind

towards all and every one in the world

(even those to whom he never makes

known his will, nor ever calls to

repentance, if they never once hear of

this way of salvation), comes not much

short of extreme madness and folly.‖

- John Owen

Final thoughts concerning Rob Bell and Universalism


―Jesus isn‘t talking about

forever as we think of forever.

Jesus may be talking about

something else, which has all

sorts of implications for our

understanding of what happens

after we die‖

Pg. 92


We should remember that the first

doctrine to be denied in Scripture is

judgment. The Bible records Satan

saying to Eve, ―You surely will not die!‖

(Gen. 3:4). Unfortunately, many

Universalists feel the same way and

deny that an eternal separation from

God is a reality for anyone who refuses

Christ as their savior.

But simply put, those who reject Jesus

Christ in this life will have their request

honored also in the next.


Our Responsibility

―Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of

Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from

Me. When I say to the wicked, ‗You will surely die,‘ and you do not

warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that

he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I

will require at your hand. Yet if you have warned the wicked and he

does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall

die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself‖ (Ezek. 3:17-19).


―For some, Hell is simply a

truth realized too late.‖

- Os Guinness


"If sinners be dammed, at

least let them leap to hell

over our bodies. If they will

perish, let them perish with

our arms about their knees.

Let no one go there

unwarned and unprayed for.‖

- Charles Spurgeon


Final Comments

Rob Bell no doubt cares about

people and has a passion for

Christians to live authentic lives.

However, while the doctrine of

ultimate reconciliation or

universalism may be appealing to

human emotions, but it is simply

wrong and unbiblical. Scripture

teaches that beyond this life, there

are no second chances. Instead, the

Bible declares, ―Today is the day of

salvation‖ (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Love does indeed win for those who

turn by faith to Christ in this life and

embrace Him as Savior.

A Look at the Theology of Rob Bell & “Love Wins”

Heaven, Hell, Universalism and Rob Bell - Part 3

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