{"id":4402,"date":"2016-08-11T22:03:18","date_gmt":"2016-08-12T05:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/?p=4402"},"modified":"2018-12-18T16:46:21","modified_gmt":"2018-12-19T00:46:21","slug":"what-if-you-are-wrong-about-universal-salvation-peter-hiett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/what-if-you-are-wrong-about-universal-salvation-peter-hiett\/","title":{"rendered":"“What If You Are Wrong About Universal Salvation?” Peter Hiett"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following question was presented to Pastor Peter Hiett by a friend regarding his certainty in Christ’s final victory. We thought Peter’s answer extremely insightful, gracious and wise.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From The Sanctuary Downtown website<\/a><\/p>\n

Question:<\/strong> Are you sure about universal salvation? As I see it, the consequences are so great and the cost of being wrong so incalculable I felt the Holy Spirit would have me just ask, are you sure?<\/p>\n

Answer: <\/strong> I love your honesty and I will try to be honest in return. I hope it\u2019s not off-putting, I just started writing and this is what came out. Please don\u2019t be offended. I don\u2019t need to win any arguments, but maybe I am to bear witness.<\/p>\n

You ask if I am \u201csure.\u201d \u201cSure\u201d is a big word, but nonetheless I stake my life on the truth of Jesus. I\u2019m sure that I\u2019m wrong about many things, but if I\u2019m sure about anything I want it to be Jesus. The name literally means, \u201cGod is Salvation.\u201d I believe that. That means, \u201cPeter and his fallen will is not salvation.\u201d All glory goes to God, not my choice, not my decision, but God\u2019s decision in Christ Jesus. The only way that any man can be saved is if God chooses him in Christ Jesus. Because God chooses to save a man, that man chooses to glorify God. We are saved by \u201cgrace through faith.\u201d So I believe that Jesus came to save \u201cthe lost\u201d (the perished), and I believe that He will absolutely succeed! I also believe that Satan is constantly working to hide this truth from our eyes and our hearts.<\/p>\n

Now let me ask you: Are you sure that sometimes God is \u201cnot salvation?\u201d It seems to me that this is the far more terrifying assertion to make. And I\u2019m not saying that you\u2019re consciously making it, but perhaps unknowingly you are.
\nAre you sure that God tortures or allows for people to be tortured endlessly?
\nAre you sure that in some cases Jesus is not \u201cThe End,\u201d but torment is endless?
\nAre you sure that God will not \u201cfill all things?\u201d
\nAre you sure that something other than God has \u201cimmortality?\u201d
\nAre you sure that God sometimes chooses to not ever forgive, nor grant repentance, nor redeem, nor love his enemies, nor die for some, nor empower some to cry \u201cAbba Father\u201d by the power of his Spirit?
\nAre you sure that the steadfast love of the Lord ceases?
\nAre you sure that His mercies come to an end?
\nAre you sure that his wrath does not come to an end?
\nAre you sure that Jesus does not \u201cseek and save\u201d all that are lost?
\nAre you sure that even though God wills to make man in his own likeness, some will not be made in his likeness but a gross and tortured endless distortion of his likeness?
\nAre you sure that Love does not bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things?
\nAre you sure that Love fails?
\nAre you sure that even though God the Father wishes that none of these little ones should perish (and we were all \u2018little ones\u2019), some ultimately do perish and God allows for, or arranges, their endless torment?
\nAre you sure that He does not \u201cmake all things new?\u201d
\nAre you sure that Jesus does not destroy all \u201cthe works of the evil one?\u201d
\nAre you sure that God endlessly preserves the works of the evil one in this place we call \u201chell\u201d \u2026even though scholars agree that a Greek or Hebrew equivalent of that word can\u2019t be found in Scripture?
\nAre you sure that \u201cas in Adam all die\u201d not \u201call will be made alive in Christ?\u201d
\nAre you sure that \u201cas a plan for the fullness of time\u201d God does not \u201cunite all things in Christ Jesus?\u201d
\nAre you sure that God does not \u201creconcile all things to himself, things in heaven and things on earth, making peace by the blood of his cross?\u201d
\nAre you sure that \u201cevery knee will\u201d not \u201cbow\u201d nor \u201cevery tongue give praise?\u201d
\nAre you sure that not \u201cevery creature in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and in the sea, and all that is within them\u201d will praise the lamb on the throne?
\nAre you sure that God did not \u201cconsign all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all\u201d or sure that if he did, he failed?
\nAre you sure that \u201chis mercy is\u201d not \u201cover all that he has made?\u201d
\nAre you sure that even though he \u201cwishes that none should perish\u201d and that \u201call men should reach repentance,\u201d God does not get his will and his wish?
\nAre you sure that even though it\u2019s not possible for man, it is also not possible for God?
\nAre you sure that having destroyed a city like Sodom, Samaria or Jerusalem, he cannot \u201crestore her to her former estate,\u201d like Ezekiel clearly says he will?
\nAre you sure that he does not remove \u201cthe veil that is cast over\u201d some \u201cpeople?\u201d
\nAre you sure that not \u201call flesh will come and worship\u201d before him?
\nAre you sure that not \u201call flesh shall go out\u201d and look on the bodies of those that have rebelled against him being consumed by eternal fire in the valley of Gehenna?
\nAre you sure that in some cases \u201cthis perishable body must\u201d NOT \u201cput on the imperishable\u201d and \u201cthe mortal must\u201d NOT \u201cput on immortality?\u201d
\nAre you sure that we will not \u201call be changed?\u201d
\nAre you sure that not \u201call who go down to the dust will bow before him?\u201d
\nAre you sure that Jesus does not \u201ctake away the sins of the world?\u201d
\nAre you sure that Jesus is not the savior of the whole world?
\nAre you sure that \u201cGod is\u201d NOT \u201csalvation\u201d in some cases?<\/p>\n

I believe that the question on Judgment day is something like \u201cDo you trust (have faith) in Jesus (God is Salvation)?\u201d<\/p>\n

By believing that God\u2019s work in Christ Jesus is good enough and powerful enough to save all, how would I be endangering myself \u2026or anyone else for that matter? I don\u2019t believe that people are saved by me. Do you? I do not believe that they are saved by their own will. Do you? I do not believe that they are saved by the fear that God might not forgive them. Do you? I DO believe that people are saved by the sovereign work of God in Christ Jesus and justified by faith as a gift of His Spirit. In other words I have faith that \u201cGod is Salvation.\u201d I have faith in Grace.<\/p>\n

However, if I say that some cannot be redeemed and must suffer endless torment, am I not confessing a lack of faith in \u201cGod is Salvation;\u201d a lack of faith in the work of Christ on the cross? Am I not saying that salvation is dependent not on God\u2019s gracious choice, but my choice? Am I not saying that some will not be forgiven? Am I not saying that God does not love all and is therefore not Love? Or am I not saying that man\u2019s will is stronger than God\u2019s will? If a lifeguard saves all the kids in the pool is he less of a savior or more of a savior?
\nI\u2019m not trying to be cute. I\u2019m serious as Hades (and I believe there really is a Hades). Jesus said, \u201cThe judgment you pronounce is the judgment you receive.\u201d If I pronounce un-forgiveness, am I not in danger of receiving un-forgiveness?<\/p>\n

I challenge you to go back to Scripture and search. Look at all the places in the gospels where Jesus refers to \u201cHell\u201d (in the Greek: Hades or Gehenna). Ask yourself, \u201cWho is he talking to? In every instance, he\u2019s talking to religious people who were convinced that God had saved them, but could not or would not save others. They end up in \u201couter darkness where men weep and gnash their teeth.\u201d Jesus even calls them \u201csons of the kingdom.\u201d He still loves them and he forgives them, but they hate his forgiveness and must remain in the outer darkness for a time, I don\u2019t know how long. BUT that time is not endless, for Hades comes to and end, and Jesus is the End. AND they are not beyond the power of God to save in Christ Jesus, who \u201cdescends into the lower parts of the earth and leads a host of captives free;\u201d who preaches to \u201cthe spirits in prison, that disobeyed in the days of Noah;\u201d who preaches to \u201cthe dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please remember that most definitely:
\nI believe in the eternal fire. (My God is a consuming fire and Scripture cannot be broken.)
\nI believe that the only way to the Father is through the son.
\nI believe that we are only saved by grace through faith. (And this faith is not of ourselves lest none should boast.)
\nI believe that \u201cGod is Salvation.\u201d
\nI sound preachy, but I think this is what I\u2019m called to preach, for the Lord\u2019s church has believed a lie, ascribing glory to men and not to God. All glory belongs to God as revealed in Christ Jesus.
\nGod reveals different things to different people at different times. And I\u2019m certainly no genius, but I honestly DON\u2019T KNOW HOW to deny what I believe he has revealed. And now, even though it\u2019s cost me dearly, I don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n

Love you,
\nPeter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following question was presented to Pastor Peter Hiett by a friend regarding his certainty in Christ’s final victory. We thought Peter’s answer extremely insightful, gracious and wise. From The…<\/p>\n

Read More“What If You Are Wrong About Universal Salvation?” Peter Hiett<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,108,1,69,109],"tags":[44,108,307,308],"class_list":["post-4402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history-of-hell","category-peter-hiett","category-evangelical-universalism","category-the-reformed-faith","category-the-sanctuary","tag-eternal-hell","tag-peter-hiett","tag-the-sanctuary-downtown","tag-universal-salvation","excerpt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4402"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4416,"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4402\/revisions\/4416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/godslovewins.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}