Heaven, Hell, Universalism and Rob Bell - Part 3

A Look at the Theology of Rob Bell & “Love Wins”
Part 3

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.

www.confidentchristians.org

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
Universalist 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)

Biblical Counterpoint
• 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
―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)

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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