by George Sidney Hurd
“Great King, how much wisdom thy precepts require! I need thee, not only to open my mouth, but also at times to keep it shut.” [1] Charles Hadden Spurgeon The discovery of the scriptural truth of the final restoration of all is so glorious and liberating that we often want to shout it out to the whole world. However, while we should by no means be closet Restorationists, we nevertheless need wisdom and discernment, not only to know to whom, but also when and how to share this precious pearl with others. While there is no substitute for being sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, I believe that there are certain general guidelines which can help us be better stewards of the truth that God has entrusted to us. To whom should we share? Some of the Early Church Fathers who believed in the final restoration of all, practiced reserve, only sharing this truth with those whom they considered to be sufficiently mature to properly receive it. Origen said concerning the restoration of all and the temporal corrective nature of postmortem punishment: “But the remarks which might be made on this topic are neither to be made to all, nor to be uttered on the present occasion; for it is not unattended with danger to commit to writing the explanation of such subjects, seeing the multitude need no further instruction than that which relates to the punishment of sinners; while to ascend beyond this is not expedient, for the sake of those who are with difficulty restrained, even by fear of eonian punishment (aionios kolasis), from plunging into any degree of wickedness, and into the flood of evils which result from sin.” [2] So, Origen generally omitted the truth of the final restoration of all when speaking to the masses, emphasizing only the severity of God’s punishment of sinners, believing that only fear of punishment would restrain the common person from his wickedness. Likewise, his predecessor, Clement of Alexandria, justified the practice of reserve, basing it upon the fact that Jesus warned against casting our pearls before swine, speaking only to the multitudes in parables which He later explained to His disciples in private. Clement said: “He (Jesus) certainly did not disclose to the many what did not belong to the many; but to the few to whom He knew that they belonged, who were capable of receiving and being moulded according to them.” “Some things I purposely omit, in the exercise of a wise selection, afraid to write what I guarded against speaking: not that I thought them to be wrong, but fearing for my readers, lest they should stumble by taking them in a wrong sense; and, as the proverb says, we should be found ‘reaching a sword to a child.’” [3] While we should never be deceptive concerning that which we believe, we need divine discretion in order to know whether or not an individual or group of people are ready to receive such a glorious revelation. While some Fathers, like Clement and Origen, may have practiced reserve to the extreme, yet as Jude and the Apostle Paul indicated, we nevertheless need to know how to distinguish between the obstinately rebellious, and those who are of a broken and contrite spirit, needing words of hope and comfort (Jude 22-23; 1Thess 5:14). As Jude says, there are godless men who would change the grace of God into a license for immorality (Jude 4). On the other hand, there are those who are broken in spirit, like the Samaritan woman at the well, or the woman who knelt before Jesus, washing His feet with her tears (Luke 7:36-47). The psalmist said: “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Ps 25:14). God doesn’t reveal His secrets to just anyone, and we need to be sensitive to His prompting. Another group of people God withholds His secrets from are the proud and self-righteous who lean on their own understanding, rather than being receptive and teachable like the Bereans (Acts 17:11). God even conceals the mysteries of the kingdom from those who do not receive the love of the truth (2Thess 2:10-12). Jesus taught in parables since even when they heard the truth most did not hear with understanding. When His disciples came to Him and asked Him why He taught in parables, He said: "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given… Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matt 13:11,13) I am sure that Jesus would have explained the mysteries of the kingdom to anyone who came to Him and asked with a desire to understand and learn from Him. Jesus referred to all those who were receptive as being “babes” or His “little children,” saying: “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.” (Matt 11:25-26) Just prior to this declaration of praise to the Father, Jesus had sent out His disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God, saying: “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet” (Matt 10:14). Another similar phrase which is often misunderstood is the imperative, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still” (Rev 22:10-11). From these imperatives we learn that, when it becomes evident that someone is not receptive to a given truth, even though we know it to be true, we are not to persist, since they do not have ears to hear. The best we can do in such cases is to plant a seed and move on, trusting that in due time the Lord would cause it to take root and grow in their hearts. I consider this divine injunction further in my article: What Meaneth the Phrase, “Let the Unjust be Unjust Still”. While Charles Hadden Spurgeon did not believe in the final restoration of all, he had some words of wisdom when it comes to sharing any precious truth with the unreceptive. Commenting on Matthew 7:6 he said: “When men are evidently unable to perceive the purity of a great truth, do not set it before them… When you are in the midst of the vicious, who are like ‘swine,’ do not bring forth the precious mysteries of the faith, for they will despise them, and ‘trample them under their feet’ in the mire. You are not to needlessly provoke attack upon yourself, or upon the higher truths of the gospel. You are not to judge, but you are not to act without judgment.” [4] When should we share? A common mistake many make is to begin sharing their newfound belief in the final restoration of all with others prematurely before having taken the time to fully understand exactly what the Scriptures have to say on the subject. It is not enough that a teaching resonates with us or is logically appealing. We must carefully and diligently search the Scriptures to see exactly what God says. As Paul said: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing (ὀρθοτομέω, orthotomeō) the word of truth.” (2Tim 2:15) To rightly divide (ὀρθοτομέω, orthotomeō) literally means “to rightly cut a straight line.” The idea is to properly exegete the word of truth, carefully drawing our understanding from the Scriptures themselves, instead of reading our own biased understanding into them – something technically known as eisegesis. The antonym for orthotomeō is στρεβλόω (strebloō), which means “to bend or twist.” Peter used this word to describe the way in which some had handled Paul’s epistles, saying that “untaught and unstable people twist (strebloō) them to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2Peter 3:16). Before we share our beliefs with others on any doctrine, we first need to do a diligent study of the relevant Scriptures themselves in order to rediscover the straightforward teaching of Scripture, as opposed to doctrines of men which have been imposed upon the Scriptures. This often requires considerable time and diligence due to our own inherited doctrinal biases. I didn’t even share the truth of Universal Reconciliation with my wife and children until after nearly a year of studying and prayerfully meditating on the subject day and night for nearly a year, and I didn’t share it with the congregation I was pastoring until after three years had passed and I had written my first book on the subject, The Triumph of Mercy. After publishing it so that they could read it and then doing a series of teachings on the subject, they all likewise became convinced that God’s plan for the ages culminates in the final restoration of all, rather than an eternal dualism with God sustaining the majority of mankind in everlasting torments. In addition to our inherited bias, the fact that there are so many unbiblical varieties of Universalism being promoted can make the task of discerning truth from error seem even more daunting. Much of what is presented on the subject these days in books and on social media fails the test of Scripture in one way or another. The only way to sift through it all and come to a clear understanding of the truth is to test every truth-claim according to what is written in God’s Word. Jesus said of the Scriptures, “Your word is truth” (Jn 17:17). Much of that which is promoted today in social media is not biblical, and for that reason they often seek to undermine the reliability and authority of Scripture as the inspired Word of God. But if we hold the Holy Scriptures in the same esteem as did Jesus and the Apostles, the Holy Spirit who inspired them will lead us into all truth. Peter said that we should always be ready to give a defense (ἀπολογία, apologia) to everyone who asks us to explain the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear (1Peter 3:15). We derived our word apologetics from the word apologia. We should all be apologists, capable of giving a scriptural reasoned defense of our convictions to anyone who asks for it. Social media offers us a great opportunity to glean understanding from others. However, many have become lackadaisical, substituting YouTube and AI for their own personal Bible study. I have found that, while these sources can be helpful, true deep conviction only comes from a personal study of the Scriptures. When you discover a truth in Scripture it becomes a part of you in a way not possible by other means. As Paul said, faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17). So, while we naturally want to shout it from the rooftops, it is usually more wise to exercise restraint until one has come to the point of having a firm conviction of the scriptural validity of the doctrine, being able to distinguish Biblical Universalism from its other heterodox variations of it and capable of giving a reasoned defense of the doctrine to others. How should we share? More important than when or to whom we share the good news of universal reconciliation is the manner in which we do it. We should be knowledgeable enough to be able to give a reasoned explanation for the hope that is in us, but more important than knowledge is the spirit in which we share it. Our primary motivation should be a love for truth the person we are sharing it with. All too often our pride gets in the way, and it becomes more a matter of winning an argument than sharing a precious pearl. Our motive should not be to demonstrate our knowledge, but to bless our hearers. As Paul said: “We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Cor 8:1). While we should be uncompromising with truth, we should always speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). We shouldn’t force our own convictions on anyone. As most of us know by experience, long held beliefs are mental strongholds that ultimately only the Holy Spirit can penetrate, and even then, it took most of us a lot of time for the truth to sink in. I have found that very few have been so prepared by the Lord beforehand that they immediately embrace the truth of universal reconciliation the first time it is presented to them. Even those who are open to considering it usually have many objections which need to be resolved from Scripture over an extended period of time. Often in our zeal for truth we try to force-feed people rather than presenting our beliefs to them in a way that awakens in them a desire to receive it. I believe that is what Paul had in mind when he said: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Col 4:6) Finally, however pure our motives may be in sharing this glorious truth with others, we should be prepared to experience rejection. I have been a missionary here in the Colombian Amazon for many years. When the news of my belief in the final restoration of all spread to the churches that supported us in the United States, our monthly support dropped drastically. However, for me personally, that was a small price to pay for such a precious truth, and we have learned through the years that the Lord is our provider and He is always faithful to meet our needs. May the Lord grant to each of us the grace to know when, how and to whom we should share this wonderful news of universal salvation. [1] Charles Spurgeon, Commentary on Matthew, 7:6. [2] Origen, Contra Celsius. VI. 25. [3] Clement of Alexandria, Stramata, book I, chapter 1 [4] Charles Spurgeon, Commentary on Matthew, 7:3-5 
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