TWISTING SCRIPTURES TO FIT INTO OUR IDEOLOGY

 

 

It is easy to twist the Scriptures into whatever you want if you are willing to ignore the context. This is exactly what Evangelical Universalists (EUs) do.

EUs believe that everyone will eventually be saved, even though hundreds of verses claim otherwise, for example:

·       Matthew 25:46 “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

·       John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not (“never” ESV) see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

 

·       1 Corinthians 6:9–10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

·       Galatians 5:21 I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

·       Ephesians 5:5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

 

How then do the EUs defend their claim? Let’s look at one example:

 

·       and through him [Jesus] to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. ²¹And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²²he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³if indeed you continue in the faith… (Colossians 1:20–23 (ESV)

At first glance, it seems that Jesus will “reconcile to Himself all things,” saving everyone. However, if we look down to verse 23, there is a condition for salvation: If we “continue in the faith.” This proviso nullifies the EU’s claim that all will be saved. Instead, this promise of reconciliation pertain only to those who continue in the faith to the end.

 

Afterwards, Paul wrote that “Christ is all, and in all.” Does that mean that, eventually, He will savingly indwell everyone? This verse itself banishes this possibility:

·       Here [in Christ?] there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all [in His kingdom?].
(Colossians 3:11)

This verse is used to “prove” that all people are indwelt by Christ. Instead, Paul taught that if we are in Christ, He is in us! The entire chapter addresses only those who have receive Christ, rather than extending hope to those who reject Him.

 

Any interpretation is possible if you are willing to ignore the context, especially if your ideology has become fantastically popular and culturally attractive.