Do You DESIRE for All to Be Redeemed?

Do you wish… do you desire …that all things could be restored and redeemed someday?

As subjective a question as this seems I believe it to be foundational in the discussion over the nature of hell. I realize most Christians do not believe it is something they are allowed to believe based on Scripture but I ask again, is it something deep inside that you desire?  I am NOT asking if you desire that all people without regard to the Person of Christ or His holiness will somehow get a free pass into the Kingdom with God simply letting “bygones be bygones.”  So first, let me define what I mean:

Do you desire for all people to see the beauty and glory of God our Saviour?  Yes or No?

Do you desire for all people to give Him the worship He deserves as Creator and Redeemer?

Do you desire that all who hate God would come to know and love Him?

Do you desire for all who have wronged others to have a full revelation of what they have done while experiencing the full impact of their sin leading to true repentance and reconciliation to God and to others?

Do you desire that the power of death, sin and Satan be 100% destroyed in the universe?

Do you desire for God to be “everything to everyone”? (1 Cor 15)

Do you desire for all of God’s image-bearers to be restored to their “right-useness” (righteousness)?

Do you desire every knee to bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father in a state of loving praise and worship, not just a forced obeisance?

The above questions reflect a very different picture than what most people think evangelical universalists are suggesting. Somehow what gets heard is that we are asking if you would like to dine with Hitler in the new Kingdom. Please filter that notion through the above vision and consider instead:

Could you desire for Hitler to see the beauty and Glory of God our Saviour?

Could you desire for Hitler to sincerely give Jesus Christ the worship He deserves?

Could you desire for Hitler to really come to know God and love Him from his heart?

Could you desire for Hitler to come to a full understanding and realization of his sin and wickedness and repent fully?

Could you desire for Hitler to eventually be reconciled to God and to others?

Could you desire that Hitler be cleansed of 100% of his sin never to hate God or another person again rather than continuing in his wicked state forever?

Could you desire that Hitler come to see God as the only thing he ever needed or wanted?

Could you desire for Hitler to be transformed from a wicked and perverse man into a man who would bow the knee and praise God forever never again to pollute God’s universe with his dark and evil existence?

The assumption that universalism means that Hitler, in the state in which he passed out of this world, will eventually be your “neighbor” in the Kingdom is completely false. As God gave us witness in Saul and as we have witnessed ourselves transformational conversions, we can be sure there will be no Sauls in heaven, only Pauls.

If you could desire for Hitler to be cured of his sin as opposed to being captive within it to cycle forever then I believe you are desiring something that God would have you desire for He says “He is not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should come to repentance.”

Therefore we want to make clear that our desire is for Christ to be glorified through all His creation coming into alignment with His heart, seeing His beauty and glory through the cross, and loving Him for it. The natural response when in the presence of something truly beautiful and glorious is to want others to share in that glory. Sharing joy is even a requirement for it to be fulfilled and made complete (C.S. Lewis). We crave for the whole world to experience and see what we have experienced and witnessed as believers. We submit that it is this very desire for others to share in the joy of knowing, loving and obeying God our Father that is itself God-given.

Lastly, I want to direct you to a well-known Scripture that is cherished and quoted often:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  (Psalm 37:4 )

What could this possibly mean for the Christians who really and truly desire for all of creation to be redeemed and restored? We often hear Christians say things like, “I wish it were true but it’s not what the Bible teaches” or “I’d love to believe that but it is only wishful thinking.” I appreciate the honesty of these words. However, the verse above says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord He will give us the desires of our heart. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves why we have this insatiable desire for something that we are told is an impossibility?

You might say that you yourself do not always delight in God and that your desires are flawed, mostly sinful or short-sighted and therefore your desires cannot be trusted. But what if we consider someone we might all agree “delights in God”? How about Francis Chan?  The Francis Chan of Crazy Love. The Francis Chan that is an amazing example to the Body of Christ of both loving God and loving his neighbor as himself. Here are a few comments that reflect the true “desire of his heart” :

“I feel sick. I would love to erase Hell from the pages of scripture” (pg 14).  “Part of me doesn’t want to believe in [eternal] hell” (pg 15)

Again Chan states, “I want everyone to be saved. I do. I don’t want anyone to go to hell …I want to believe in a God who will save everyone in the end.” (pgs 22-23)

Chan asks: “Do I want to believe in a God who shows His power by punishing non-Christians and who magnifies His mercy by blessing Christians forever?…Here’s my gut-level honest answer: No. No way.” (chap 1)

Regarding eternal torment: “That seems a bit harsh according to my sense of justice”.

First, we must remember that Chan is a believer with a new heart and  the mind of Christ, and therefore possesses a redeemed sense of justice and morality. God has invited him to use it: “Judge for yourselves what is right…Come let us reason together…(Luke 12:57, Isa 1:18)

Second, Francis Chan is an exemplary believer who of all people should trust his “desires.” We have witnessed how he “delights himself in the Lord.” And Chan has openly shared with us here that his deepest desire is that God would save all. What does this mean?

Again, what is it you desire? Do you believe the Scripture:

 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”  (Eph 3:20)

If God says that He is going to do “exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine” then why with the traditional teaching in place do we secretly desire and imagine more?

No, I believe our desires as believers are evidences of the grace of God and pointers to the very heart of our Saviour “who is not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance” and the God who called and desires for “everything that has breath” to “praise the LORD!”