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An examination of what Jesus meant when He said: “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna”
by George Sidney Hurd
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill (apokateino) the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy (apollumai) both soul (psuque) and body in hell (Gehenna).” (Matt 10:28)
What did Jesus mean when He said we are to fear Him, the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna? The same word, “fear” (φοβέω, phobeo), is used to refer both to those whom we are told not to fear, and the One that we are to fear, so reducing “fear” to merely “a sense of reverence or awe” wouldn’t seem to do justice to the parallel contrast.
As I pointed out in the previous blog, Understanding the Fear of the Lord, while we are not to be afraid of God, His fear should nevertheless always be before us so that we do not simply surrender to our fallen desires and instincts and buckle every time we are confronted with a test or temptation.
In the context of Matthew 10, Jesus is speaking to His twelve disciples before sending them out two by two to preach the gospel of the kingdom. He said that He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves and told them that they would be persecuted for His name’s sake. He then goes beyond the twelve to include all who would suffer and die as martyrs for their testimony until He comes to reign.
It is in this context that He says that our fear of God should be greater than our fear of the men who might persecute and kill us for our testimony. Throughout the centuries, thousands of Christ-followers have been tortured and killed, choosing death rather than denying their Lord.
Does that mean that they were afraid of God? Not at all! If you read the testimonies of the martyrs, they often joyfully gave their lives, singing praises as they were being sawed in two or burned at the stake, because their first love was the Lord, and their greatest fear was denying the one they loved the most when tested. They were not afraid of the Lord, rather His fear was before them, making such a sin against the Lord unthinkable. Jesus said: “he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (Luke 12:9). When facing persecution or martyrdom, only those who love Him more than life itself will be faithful until death, receiving the crown of life (Rev 2:10). The rest will give in to the fear of men, denying Him in order to save their own skin.
So, according to Jesus, what are we to fear? Extermination? Eternal torment? How are we to understand “destroy both body and soul in Gehenna?” If He was referring to eternal torment, as believed by many, it would have been a shocking new revelation for the disciples, since nowhere throughout the Old Testament do we see mention of postmortem torments beyond eonian shame, much less unending torment.
Some have posited that Jesus didn’t mean for us to understand that God would actually destroy the soul and body of anyone in Gehenna, but simply that God is “able to.” However, that, to me, is untenable. It is very unlikely that Jesus would warn of something which He knew God in reality would never do. Clearly, Jesus meant for us to understand that some will indeed undergo this eschatological destruction of soul and body in Gehenna or the Lake of Fire.
This passage, taken as commonly translated and out of context, could seem to confirm what the Annihilationists say - that the resurrected bodies of the unjust, together with their souls, will be destroyed or exterminated in Gehenna fire. However, in verse 39 of the same chapter, we can see that destroying the soul is not speaking of the cessation of its existence, but rather the subjugation of the life of the soul to the life in the spirit:
“He who finds his life (“soul”- psuque) will lose it, and he who loses (apollumi) his life (“soul”- psuque) for My sake will find it.” (Matt 10:39)
Here Jesus uses the same words in the original as in verse 28. What Jesus was actually saying was hidden by the translators who, instead of translating apollumi and psuque the same way in both verses, translated it “destroy the soul” in 28 and “lose his life” in 39. It is obvious that Jesus meant to express the same thing in both instances, and while most Church Fathers simply quoted verse 28 without giving detail as to its meaning, at least one Church Father, Cyprian (200 – 258 AD), equates the two as being the same thing. [1] However, the translators leave us with the impression that He was speaking of two distinct and unrelated things. What is it that Jesus meant to say in the expression “lose or destroy the soul”?
The Bible makes it clear that man is a being made up of body, soul and spirit:
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Thess 5:23)
The complete man, according to Paul is 1) spirit, 2) soul and 3) body. The immaterial part of man is made up of soul and spirit. Even though the natural man cannot distinguish between the spirit and the soul, in Hebrews we are told that the word of God distinguishes between that which is of the soul from that which is of the spirit:
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12)
Man, apart from the revelation of the Word of God, is incapable of distinguishing between that which is of the spirit and that which is of the soul, but the word of God is as a two-edged sword and is able to reveal when we are soulish, acting in the soul and when we are spiritual, acting in the spirit.
Our spirit is that which connects us with God who is Spirit. By our spirit we are able to hear God’s voice and have communion with Him. God created man to live with his spirit in communion with Himself, with the soul and body submitted to one’s spirit.
When man fell, He lost communion with God. Since the spirit no longer heard the voice of God, the soul of man no longer lived aligned with, and subjected under the spirit, but rather began to live according to the will of the body or flesh with its five senses. In this fallen condition, the soul no longer lived according to the spirit, led by God, but rather according to the desires of his flesh. Man no longer had spiritual perception, he only perceived with his five carnal senses. Man went from being spiritual, to becoming merely “flesh” (Gen 6:3). Those who live in this way, according to the soul and not according to the spirit, are called “carnal” or “soulish.” The Greek word for “soulish” is psuquikos, which is the adjective of psuque or “soul.”
“But the natural (psuquikos “soulish”) man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual (pneumáticos) judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one…. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual (pneumáticos) people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.” (1Cor 2:14,15; 3:1)
“These are sensual (psuquikos ‘soulish’) persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” (Jude 19)
“This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual (psuquikos “soulish), demonic.” (James 3:15-16)
The soulish man is carnal, since he does not hear God’s voice, and therefore lives a sensual life in his soul, according to the five senses of the flesh. He fulfills the desires of the flesh and not those of the Spirit.
When one is born again, it is the spirit which is born from above. Once born of the Spirit, we now have the capacity to perceive the things of God and do His will, living according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We are now capable of being spiritual and not “soulish;” living the “soul life” (Jn 3:3,6).
Nevertheless, the life of the soul must be destroyed (apollumi) and replaced with the life of the spirit. In Adam, our soul was no longer subject to the Spirit. Now with our spirit reborn, it is necessary to put our soul in subjection to our spirit. When Jesus said that it was necessary to lose or destroy (apollumi) our soul, I believe He was saying that it is necessary to die to the dominion of the soul, subjecting it to our reborn spirit. The word apollumi in the New Testament sometimes means “to destroy or render null or inoperative” and sometimes “to lose.” I believe that the idea expressed here is to render inoperative the dominion of the soul in our lives. We should no longer live according to our own emotions and reason, but according to the rhema word of God. We should no longer live according to our will, but according to the will of God. The soul must be subjected once again to the spirit, in communion with God, no longer following after the flesh in order to fulfill its desires.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his (soul) life will lose it, and he who hates his (soul) life in this world will keep it for eternal life (zoe aionios).” (John 12:24-25)
If we as believers take up our cross, following in the steps of Jesus, laying down our (soul) life for others, we will be spiritual, serving the Lord in spirit. But if we are soulish psuquikos, then God must intervene so that we are not condemned with the world.
“For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” (1Cor 11:31-32)
Here we see that the disciplinary judgments of the Lord have a correctional purpose - in order that we should not receive our portion with the unbelievers, being condemned with the world. The purpose of this discipline can be seen in 1Corinthians 5:5 where Paul says:
“deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1Cor 5:5)
The destruction of the flesh is not speaking of the physical body, but rather the soul life following after the desires of the flesh rather than the desires of the Spirit. In discipline, God permits us to receive the consequences of acting in the flesh now, in order that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord, and in this way save us from the Great White Throne Judgment and the second death.
If we submit to God, subjecting our soul to our spirit in this life, God will not have to destroy the dominance of the soul later. If we do not submit in this life, we face the possibility of suffering the destruction of the soul in a physically resurrected body, experiencing the second death in the purifying lake of fire, because without holiness no one shall see the Lord.
Death, Destruction and Annihilation
Those who believe that the destiny of the unjust is to be annihilated, understand death and destruction as the cessation of all existence. On the other hand, the Traditionalists who teach eternal punishment in hell, insist that neither the first death nor the second death are the end of existence. The Biblical Universalists, just as the Traditionalists, believe that the soul of man does not cease to exist. They differ from the Traditionalists in that they believe that the second death is a restorative and correctional process that will culminate in God being all in all. For them, neither death nor destruction mean the annihilation of our being, but rather a transformation and purification. Those who put their faith in Christ in this life and die to the flesh and soul life now, will not be hurt by the second death afterwards. But those who do not believe, or do not submit to the destruction of their soul life in this lifetime, risk having to be purified later in the lake of fire, being hurt by the second death or the eonian destruction which follows judgment.
In the Bible, neither death nor destruction express the concept of annihilation. I demonstrate this in detail in my book, Extermination or Restoration? Nothing in all God’s creation will ever cease to exist; it will simply undergo a change of state. The same word apollumi appears in 2Peter 3:6 where it says, “the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.” It is evident that the world did not cease to exist since we still inhabit it today. We still breathe the same air, drink its water and till its soil. What is expressed by the word apollumi is that it underwent a change in state. In the majority of instances in which it appears in the New Testament, apollumi simply means that something was lost, only to be found later:
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses (apollumi) one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost (apollumi) until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4)
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses (apollumi) one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost (apollumi)! Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10)
“…let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost (apollumi) and is found.' And they began to be merry.” (Luke 15:23-24)
Often, we see apollumi used in reference to death, but death in the Bible does not mean “ceasing to exist” as some believe, but rather “a change in existence.” This is evident in several texts:
“I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” (2Peter 1:13-15 NAS)
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Phil 1:21-24)
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows — such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” (2Cor 12:2)
The fact that Paul wasn’t sure whether he was in the body or out of the body, makes it clear that the soul has a conscious existence separate from the body. Also, he speaks of dying or living as departing from, or remaining in the fleshly body – expressions which would not make sense if there were no conscious existence apart from the body or flesh. Peter speaks of himself as living in the tent which is his body and then putting it aside. One can only speak of living in something, departing from something or putting it aside, understanding that one’s essential being exists independently of the body.
So, we see that the destruction of the body and soul does not have reference to annihilation, but rather to the change of state (apollumi) of the soul and body, making us subject to Christ through fire, whether it should be fiery trials now, or Gehenna fire later. The future destruction of soul and body is said by Jesus to be worse than physical death, but it is not annihilation, nor is it without end, as understood by those who hold to the doctrine of eternal torment.
In conclusion, it is clear that Jesus was not referring to the annihilation of our essential being, nor was He speaking of being consigned to an eternal state of conscious torment, but rather to being sent into eonian correction in the purifying Lake of Fire, rather than being granted entrance into the eonian life of the kingdom when Christ returns and separates the sheep from the goats.
I consider the subject of the purifying nature of Gehenna or the Lake of Fire in my blog, Sulfur, Salt and the Refiner’s Fire. To me, it is clear that in Matthew 10:28 Jesus is referring to the second death, the death to the independent flesh and the soul-life. It certainly is to be feared, even moreso than the Father’s correction in this life is to be feared.
If Gehenna were not truly something to be feared, Jesus wouldn’t have said that it would be better to pluck out one’s eye, or cut off one’s hand, than to be excluded from the kingdom and cast into the eonian fire of Gehenna (Matt 18:8-9). Only the sheep are granted entrance into the kingdom at Christ’s return. The rest of the living are sent into eonian correction in Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41-46).
That being said, Jesus was not saying that we are to live in a constant state of fear. Rather, Jesus would say to us, in a manner similar to what Moses said to the Children of Israel at Sanai: “Do not be afraid. Rather, let His fear ever be before you. May your delight be in the fear of the Lord so that, when tested, your allegiance will be with Him, rather than giving in to the fear of man and denying Me.”
This blog is an excerpt from my book: The Triumph of Mercy.
[1] Cyprian said: “To all of whom the Lord also in Himself has appointed an example, teaching that none shall attain to His kingdom but those who have followed Him in His own way, saying, ‘He that loveth his life (soul) in this world shall lose (or destroy) it; and he that hateth his life (soul) in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.’ And again: ‘Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Cyprian, Epistle 80, Confessors in Prison, par. 2
by George Sidney Hurd
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill (apokateino) the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy (apollumai) both soul (psuque) and body in hell (Gehenna).” (Matt 10:28)
What did Jesus mean when He said we are to fear Him, the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna? The same word, “fear” (φοβέω, phobeo), is used to refer both to those whom we are told not to fear, and the One that we are to fear, so reducing “fear” to merely “a sense of reverence or awe” wouldn’t seem to do justice to the parallel contrast.
As I pointed out in the previous blog, Understanding the Fear of the Lord, while we are not to be afraid of God, His fear should nevertheless always be before us so that we do not simply surrender to our fallen desires and instincts and buckle every time we are confronted with a test or temptation.
In the context of Matthew 10, Jesus is speaking to His twelve disciples before sending them out two by two to preach the gospel of the kingdom. He said that He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves and told them that they would be persecuted for His name’s sake. He then goes beyond the twelve to include all who would suffer and die as martyrs for their testimony until He comes to reign.
It is in this context that He says that our fear of God should be greater than our fear of the men who might persecute and kill us for our testimony. Throughout the centuries, thousands of Christ-followers have been tortured and killed, choosing death rather than denying their Lord.
Does that mean that they were afraid of God? Not at all! If you read the testimonies of the martyrs, they often joyfully gave their lives, singing praises as they were being sawed in two or burned at the stake, because their first love was the Lord, and their greatest fear was denying the one they loved the most when tested. They were not afraid of the Lord, rather His fear was before them, making such a sin against the Lord unthinkable. Jesus said: “he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (Luke 12:9). When facing persecution or martyrdom, only those who love Him more than life itself will be faithful until death, receiving the crown of life (Rev 2:10). The rest will give in to the fear of men, denying Him in order to save their own skin.
So, according to Jesus, what are we to fear? Extermination? Eternal torment? How are we to understand “destroy both body and soul in Gehenna?” If He was referring to eternal torment, as believed by many, it would have been a shocking new revelation for the disciples, since nowhere throughout the Old Testament do we see mention of postmortem torments beyond eonian shame, much less unending torment.
Some have posited that Jesus didn’t mean for us to understand that God would actually destroy the soul and body of anyone in Gehenna, but simply that God is “able to.” However, that, to me, is untenable. It is very unlikely that Jesus would warn of something which He knew God in reality would never do. Clearly, Jesus meant for us to understand that some will indeed undergo this eschatological destruction of soul and body in Gehenna or the Lake of Fire.
This passage, taken as commonly translated and out of context, could seem to confirm what the Annihilationists say - that the resurrected bodies of the unjust, together with their souls, will be destroyed or exterminated in Gehenna fire. However, in verse 39 of the same chapter, we can see that destroying the soul is not speaking of the cessation of its existence, but rather the subjugation of the life of the soul to the life in the spirit:
“He who finds his life (“soul”- psuque) will lose it, and he who loses (apollumi) his life (“soul”- psuque) for My sake will find it.” (Matt 10:39)
Here Jesus uses the same words in the original as in verse 28. What Jesus was actually saying was hidden by the translators who, instead of translating apollumi and psuque the same way in both verses, translated it “destroy the soul” in 28 and “lose his life” in 39. It is obvious that Jesus meant to express the same thing in both instances, and while most Church Fathers simply quoted verse 28 without giving detail as to its meaning, at least one Church Father, Cyprian (200 – 258 AD), equates the two as being the same thing. [1] However, the translators leave us with the impression that He was speaking of two distinct and unrelated things. What is it that Jesus meant to say in the expression “lose or destroy the soul”?
The Bible makes it clear that man is a being made up of body, soul and spirit:
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Thess 5:23)
The complete man, according to Paul is 1) spirit, 2) soul and 3) body. The immaterial part of man is made up of soul and spirit. Even though the natural man cannot distinguish between the spirit and the soul, in Hebrews we are told that the word of God distinguishes between that which is of the soul from that which is of the spirit:
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12)
Man, apart from the revelation of the Word of God, is incapable of distinguishing between that which is of the spirit and that which is of the soul, but the word of God is as a two-edged sword and is able to reveal when we are soulish, acting in the soul and when we are spiritual, acting in the spirit.
Our spirit is that which connects us with God who is Spirit. By our spirit we are able to hear God’s voice and have communion with Him. God created man to live with his spirit in communion with Himself, with the soul and body submitted to one’s spirit.
When man fell, He lost communion with God. Since the spirit no longer heard the voice of God, the soul of man no longer lived aligned with, and subjected under the spirit, but rather began to live according to the will of the body or flesh with its five senses. In this fallen condition, the soul no longer lived according to the spirit, led by God, but rather according to the desires of his flesh. Man no longer had spiritual perception, he only perceived with his five carnal senses. Man went from being spiritual, to becoming merely “flesh” (Gen 6:3). Those who live in this way, according to the soul and not according to the spirit, are called “carnal” or “soulish.” The Greek word for “soulish” is psuquikos, which is the adjective of psuque or “soul.”
“But the natural (psuquikos “soulish”) man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual (pneumáticos) judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one…. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual (pneumáticos) people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.” (1Cor 2:14,15; 3:1)
“These are sensual (psuquikos ‘soulish’) persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” (Jude 19)
“This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual (psuquikos “soulish), demonic.” (James 3:15-16)
The soulish man is carnal, since he does not hear God’s voice, and therefore lives a sensual life in his soul, according to the five senses of the flesh. He fulfills the desires of the flesh and not those of the Spirit.
When one is born again, it is the spirit which is born from above. Once born of the Spirit, we now have the capacity to perceive the things of God and do His will, living according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We are now capable of being spiritual and not “soulish;” living the “soul life” (Jn 3:3,6).
Nevertheless, the life of the soul must be destroyed (apollumi) and replaced with the life of the spirit. In Adam, our soul was no longer subject to the Spirit. Now with our spirit reborn, it is necessary to put our soul in subjection to our spirit. When Jesus said that it was necessary to lose or destroy (apollumi) our soul, I believe He was saying that it is necessary to die to the dominion of the soul, subjecting it to our reborn spirit. The word apollumi in the New Testament sometimes means “to destroy or render null or inoperative” and sometimes “to lose.” I believe that the idea expressed here is to render inoperative the dominion of the soul in our lives. We should no longer live according to our own emotions and reason, but according to the rhema word of God. We should no longer live according to our will, but according to the will of God. The soul must be subjected once again to the spirit, in communion with God, no longer following after the flesh in order to fulfill its desires.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his (soul) life will lose it, and he who hates his (soul) life in this world will keep it for eternal life (zoe aionios).” (John 12:24-25)
If we as believers take up our cross, following in the steps of Jesus, laying down our (soul) life for others, we will be spiritual, serving the Lord in spirit. But if we are soulish psuquikos, then God must intervene so that we are not condemned with the world.
“For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” (1Cor 11:31-32)
Here we see that the disciplinary judgments of the Lord have a correctional purpose - in order that we should not receive our portion with the unbelievers, being condemned with the world. The purpose of this discipline can be seen in 1Corinthians 5:5 where Paul says:
“deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1Cor 5:5)
The destruction of the flesh is not speaking of the physical body, but rather the soul life following after the desires of the flesh rather than the desires of the Spirit. In discipline, God permits us to receive the consequences of acting in the flesh now, in order that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord, and in this way save us from the Great White Throne Judgment and the second death.
If we submit to God, subjecting our soul to our spirit in this life, God will not have to destroy the dominance of the soul later. If we do not submit in this life, we face the possibility of suffering the destruction of the soul in a physically resurrected body, experiencing the second death in the purifying lake of fire, because without holiness no one shall see the Lord.
Death, Destruction and Annihilation
Those who believe that the destiny of the unjust is to be annihilated, understand death and destruction as the cessation of all existence. On the other hand, the Traditionalists who teach eternal punishment in hell, insist that neither the first death nor the second death are the end of existence. The Biblical Universalists, just as the Traditionalists, believe that the soul of man does not cease to exist. They differ from the Traditionalists in that they believe that the second death is a restorative and correctional process that will culminate in God being all in all. For them, neither death nor destruction mean the annihilation of our being, but rather a transformation and purification. Those who put their faith in Christ in this life and die to the flesh and soul life now, will not be hurt by the second death afterwards. But those who do not believe, or do not submit to the destruction of their soul life in this lifetime, risk having to be purified later in the lake of fire, being hurt by the second death or the eonian destruction which follows judgment.
In the Bible, neither death nor destruction express the concept of annihilation. I demonstrate this in detail in my book, Extermination or Restoration? Nothing in all God’s creation will ever cease to exist; it will simply undergo a change of state. The same word apollumi appears in 2Peter 3:6 where it says, “the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.” It is evident that the world did not cease to exist since we still inhabit it today. We still breathe the same air, drink its water and till its soil. What is expressed by the word apollumi is that it underwent a change in state. In the majority of instances in which it appears in the New Testament, apollumi simply means that something was lost, only to be found later:
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses (apollumi) one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost (apollumi) until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4)
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses (apollumi) one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost (apollumi)! Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10)
“…let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost (apollumi) and is found.' And they began to be merry.” (Luke 15:23-24)
Often, we see apollumi used in reference to death, but death in the Bible does not mean “ceasing to exist” as some believe, but rather “a change in existence.” This is evident in several texts:
“I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” (2Peter 1:13-15 NAS)
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Phil 1:21-24)
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows — such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” (2Cor 12:2)
The fact that Paul wasn’t sure whether he was in the body or out of the body, makes it clear that the soul has a conscious existence separate from the body. Also, he speaks of dying or living as departing from, or remaining in the fleshly body – expressions which would not make sense if there were no conscious existence apart from the body or flesh. Peter speaks of himself as living in the tent which is his body and then putting it aside. One can only speak of living in something, departing from something or putting it aside, understanding that one’s essential being exists independently of the body.
So, we see that the destruction of the body and soul does not have reference to annihilation, but rather to the change of state (apollumi) of the soul and body, making us subject to Christ through fire, whether it should be fiery trials now, or Gehenna fire later. The future destruction of soul and body is said by Jesus to be worse than physical death, but it is not annihilation, nor is it without end, as understood by those who hold to the doctrine of eternal torment.
In conclusion, it is clear that Jesus was not referring to the annihilation of our essential being, nor was He speaking of being consigned to an eternal state of conscious torment, but rather to being sent into eonian correction in the purifying Lake of Fire, rather than being granted entrance into the eonian life of the kingdom when Christ returns and separates the sheep from the goats.
I consider the subject of the purifying nature of Gehenna or the Lake of Fire in my blog, Sulfur, Salt and the Refiner’s Fire. To me, it is clear that in Matthew 10:28 Jesus is referring to the second death, the death to the independent flesh and the soul-life. It certainly is to be feared, even moreso than the Father’s correction in this life is to be feared.
If Gehenna were not truly something to be feared, Jesus wouldn’t have said that it would be better to pluck out one’s eye, or cut off one’s hand, than to be excluded from the kingdom and cast into the eonian fire of Gehenna (Matt 18:8-9). Only the sheep are granted entrance into the kingdom at Christ’s return. The rest of the living are sent into eonian correction in Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41-46).
That being said, Jesus was not saying that we are to live in a constant state of fear. Rather, Jesus would say to us, in a manner similar to what Moses said to the Children of Israel at Sanai: “Do not be afraid. Rather, let His fear ever be before you. May your delight be in the fear of the Lord so that, when tested, your allegiance will be with Him, rather than giving in to the fear of man and denying Me.”
This blog is an excerpt from my book: The Triumph of Mercy.
[1] Cyprian said: “To all of whom the Lord also in Himself has appointed an example, teaching that none shall attain to His kingdom but those who have followed Him in His own way, saying, ‘He that loveth his life (soul) in this world shall lose (or destroy) it; and he that hateth his life (soul) in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.’ And again: ‘Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Cyprian, Epistle 80, Confessors in Prison, par. 2
- Published on
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Chapter 0
by George Sidney Hurd
“Wisdom and knowledge will be the constant source of your stability,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the Lord is His treasure.”
(Isa 33:6)
Perhaps more misunderstood than the love of God in our generation is the fear of the Lord. Fearing God is all too often presented as being incompatible with loving Him, and instead of cherishing the fear of the Lord as His treasure, we are told that we must cast it aside. This in spite of the fact that it is said of Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, that His delight was in the fear of the Lord (Isa 11:2-3).
We see throughout Scripture that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Job 28:28; Pro 1:7); that rather than crippling one emotionally, it leads to strong confidence (Pro 14:26); that it is a fountain of life, leading to honor and prosperity (Pro 14:27; 19:23; 22:4). It enables us to escape the snares of death and prolong our lives (Pro 14:27; 10:27). The Lord promises that, if we fear Him, He will direct our path and reveal His secrets, just as He did with His friend Abraham (Ps 25:12,14). Walking in the fear of the Lord is even seen to create an environment where the Holy Spirit can operate, producing true repentance and positive church growth (Acts 9:31; 5:11-16).
Therefore, rather than seeking to cast off the fear of the Lord, we should ask Him to give us the grace to walk in the knowledge of the fear of the Lord, just as our Savior did (Isa 11:2-3). Rightly understood, the fear of the Lord actually delivers us from all fear. He who fears the Lord fears nothing. As David the psalmist said:
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears… 7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them (thereby delivering them from all fear)” (Ps 34:4,7 parenthesis mine)
Rather than the fear of the Lord being the cause of anxiety, it actually brings stability, delivering us from all anxiety as we walk in it. It is what gave David the boldness to face Goliath without displaying even an ounce of fear. David continues saying in Psalm 34: “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps 34:11). Do you long to be as fearless as David the giant slayer? Ask the Lord to teach you to walk in His fear, just as David did.
To walk in the fear of the Lord does not mean to live in constant fear of Him
Many of us, before receiving a revelation of the Father-heart of God, believing, as Tradition had taught us, that God’s punishments for most of mankind were unending and purely vindictive, without any redemptive purpose, lived in a constant state of debilitating fear, keeping us at a distance from Him, just as the children of Israel who fled from God when He manifested Himself to them at Sinai. However, at Sinai God made it clear that He didn’t want them to be afraid of Him, but rather to have His fear before them as a restraint from sinning against Him.
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.’ 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.” (Ex 20:20-21)
What does it mean to have the fear of the Lord “before you”? The people were afraid and reacted by drawing back in fear because their sins and idolatries against God were exposed in the light of His presence. Moses, on the other hand, was not afraid because He walked in the fear of the Lord and His fear was ever before him, keeping him from following the dictates of his sinful flesh. In contrast to the children of Israel, Moses drew near to God boldly without fear. The only time Moses showed fear in the presence of God was when he was afraid for the lives of the Children of Israel after they had sinned against God, worshipping the golden calf (Heb 12:21; Deut 9:16-19).
Although the comparison falls short, the same distinction between positive fear and negative fear can be seen in other relationships between subjects to their superiors. In my youth I was a drug addict and a delinquent. I can’t remember how many times I was arrested, but by the time I turned 18 I had already spent more than three years of accumulated time in state and county correctional institutions throughout California.
Needless to say, just the sight of a law enforcement officer struck terror in me. We called them pigs back then. However, in November of 1969, I had a radical life-changing encounter with the Lord, changing me from a delinquent and drug addict to a law-abiding citizen. From that time forward, I have even felt reassured by their presence, except when I drive past one while exceeding the speed limit. While the comparison falls short, Paul presents both the fear of God and the fear of authorities as being related, saying that the earthly authorities are God’s ministers, appointed to execute justice against wrongdoers. He said:
“Do you want to be unafraid (μή φοβέω) of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid (φοβέω); for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” (Rom 13:3-4)
As long as we respect the authorities and the laws of the land, we have no reason to fear, but if we are willfully breaking the law, we have good reason to fear. The same principal applies in our relationship with God, our Father and Judge, who is altogether righteous and just and sees all.
Sadly, many of us have more fear of being detected in the police radar than we are of sinning before God. Some are more afraid that their wife will see them looking lustfully at another woman than they are concerned with the fact that God Himself knows what they are entertaining in their heart.
In an effort to appease their conscience without the need of repentance, some even go so far as to say that it is not possible to sin against God, but only against oneself, thereby seeking to remove the fear of God from their lives altogether. In contrast, when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, he demonstrated that he feared God, saying to her: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9). David committed some grave sins, but when confronted with them, he didn’t justify himself, saying they were only against himself. On the contrary, he cried out to God saying: “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (Ps 51:4).
Perfect Love casts out Fear
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment (κόλασις kolasis, “corrective punishment”). But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1John 4:18)
Without due consideration of the context, some have misconstrued John’s declaration, “perfect love casts out all fear,” as meaning, “If you fear sinning in God’s presence, you have not been perfected in love, because perfect love casts out all fear of God.” Quite the contrary, we are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is God Himself who is working in us to will and do His good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13). We are told to perfect holiness in the fear of God (2Cor 7:1; 1Peter 2:17). Please note that these are New Covenant injunctions. We also see that the Early Church greatly multiplied, walking in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31; 5:11-16).
The key to understanding what it means to be perfected, or made perfect in love, is found within the greater context of the epistle of 1John. It is not simply referring to a knowledge of God’s perfect love for us, although that is essential to being perfected in His love, since we can only truly love, knowing that He first loved us (1Jn 4:19).
In the context, John takes us beyond simply knowing how much God loves us, to us being perfected or brought to maturity in that same love. In 2:5, John says: “whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him, (perfect tense, ‘has been perfected in him’).” In other words, a mature son of God is one who keeps His word because obedience has become a part of his character. It is hypocrisy for one to say that they love their earthly father when they continually disobey him. How much more so with our heavenly Father.
The mature sons of God are also characterized by love for others because God’s perfect love has been perfected in them. In 4:12, John literally says: “if we are loving one another…His love has been perfected in us.” A believer who continually walks in love is a mature adult son of God who has been perfected in love.
In contrast, the carnal believer is still as a babe in Christ. In his immaturity he often only loves those who love him in return, and he continually disobeys God, requiring His corrective intervention. Since he walks disorderly, the Father’s love often must take the form of corrective discipline (κόλασις) (cf. Heb 12:6).
Knowing that your heavenly Father is going to discipline us naturally produces fear in our paternal relationship with God. If we have not yet matured or been perfected in love, we rightly experience the fear of discipline, precisely because we know our Father loves us too much to leave us without the necessary correction. That is why John told the newer, less mature believers that they needed to continually abide in communion with Him, saying:
“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)
Peter Hiett once said something that rang true with me, and I repeat it often. He said: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but perfect love casts out all fear.” When we were children, we knew our parents loved us, but what we often experienced was the fear of their love in the form of correction. As the author of Hebrews says, our loving Father’s discipline is often painful (and therefore to be feared), but those who learn from it mature to the point where they have the peaceable fruit of righteousness – they become mature sons of God (Heb 12:10-11). Having become matured adult sons, our relationship with our Father no longer involves the fear of correction, but rather the reverential fear – the fear of bringing dishonor to Him or displeasing Him in any way because we love and worship Him. That is the fear of the Lord that was Jesus´ delight.
We do a great disservice to those who are living in willful sin by telling them that they should not fear God in their unrepentant state, telling them that, since perfect love casts out fear, they have no need to fear God’s judgments. When necessary, God even judges His own people. As the author of Hebrews said:
“For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance (ἐκδίκησις, “the carrying out of justice”) is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ 31 It is a fearful thing (φοβερός) to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb 10:30-31 cf. 1Cor 11:31-32)
Here we see that, even if we, being God’s very own elect people, persistently continue in willful disobedience, God will intervene in judgment. Just as it was a fearful thing to have to face our earthly father after having disobeyed him, it is a fearful thing when the Lord takes a hand to us in correction.
Imagine if, when you were a child, you and your buddy started throwing rocks in the front yard and he said to you: “Let’s try throwing rocks through your parent’s living-room window.” Although you felt the same childhood urge to do it, you said to him: “I’m afraid of what my father will do to me when he gets home,” to which your buddy replies, “There is no reason to be afraid. Don’t you know that your father loves you?”
Even a little child can see through such faulty logic. However, today in our Postmodern society, all too many equate love with permissiveness. The love of God our Father is not permissive, but rather corrects us so that we will grow up to become holy and righteous adult sons, righteous in character like Him. Contrary to contemporary beliefs, parental permissiveness is not love – it is negligence. I will conclude with Peter’s admonition to us as God’s children to walk in the fear of the Lord:
“As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:14-19)
Obviously, believing as I do that the Scriptures clearly teach the final restoration of all, I don’t believe we should fear the unthinkable horror of unending torments. When Jesus said that we are to fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna (Matt 10:28), He was not saying that we should fear being exterminated, much less tormented throughout eternity. But clearly, Jesus taught that Gehenna was to be avoided at all costs (Matt 5:29-20). I consider in detail what Jesus meant in this, as well as other passages which have been misconstrued by many as teaching eternal vindictive torment in my book, The Triumph of Mercy.
In the next blog I will consider what Jesus meant when He said that we are to fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. As I hope to demonstrate, Jesus was clearly not saying that we are to fear that God would even consider tormenting us or any of our loved ones forever without mercy.
“Wisdom and knowledge will be the constant source of your stability,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the Lord is His treasure.”
(Isa 33:6)
Perhaps more misunderstood than the love of God in our generation is the fear of the Lord. Fearing God is all too often presented as being incompatible with loving Him, and instead of cherishing the fear of the Lord as His treasure, we are told that we must cast it aside. This in spite of the fact that it is said of Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, that His delight was in the fear of the Lord (Isa 11:2-3).
We see throughout Scripture that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Job 28:28; Pro 1:7); that rather than crippling one emotionally, it leads to strong confidence (Pro 14:26); that it is a fountain of life, leading to honor and prosperity (Pro 14:27; 19:23; 22:4). It enables us to escape the snares of death and prolong our lives (Pro 14:27; 10:27). The Lord promises that, if we fear Him, He will direct our path and reveal His secrets, just as He did with His friend Abraham (Ps 25:12,14). Walking in the fear of the Lord is even seen to create an environment where the Holy Spirit can operate, producing true repentance and positive church growth (Acts 9:31; 5:11-16).
Therefore, rather than seeking to cast off the fear of the Lord, we should ask Him to give us the grace to walk in the knowledge of the fear of the Lord, just as our Savior did (Isa 11:2-3). Rightly understood, the fear of the Lord actually delivers us from all fear. He who fears the Lord fears nothing. As David the psalmist said:
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears… 7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them (thereby delivering them from all fear)” (Ps 34:4,7 parenthesis mine)
Rather than the fear of the Lord being the cause of anxiety, it actually brings stability, delivering us from all anxiety as we walk in it. It is what gave David the boldness to face Goliath without displaying even an ounce of fear. David continues saying in Psalm 34: “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps 34:11). Do you long to be as fearless as David the giant slayer? Ask the Lord to teach you to walk in His fear, just as David did.
To walk in the fear of the Lord does not mean to live in constant fear of Him
Many of us, before receiving a revelation of the Father-heart of God, believing, as Tradition had taught us, that God’s punishments for most of mankind were unending and purely vindictive, without any redemptive purpose, lived in a constant state of debilitating fear, keeping us at a distance from Him, just as the children of Israel who fled from God when He manifested Himself to them at Sinai. However, at Sinai God made it clear that He didn’t want them to be afraid of Him, but rather to have His fear before them as a restraint from sinning against Him.
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.’ 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.” (Ex 20:20-21)
What does it mean to have the fear of the Lord “before you”? The people were afraid and reacted by drawing back in fear because their sins and idolatries against God were exposed in the light of His presence. Moses, on the other hand, was not afraid because He walked in the fear of the Lord and His fear was ever before him, keeping him from following the dictates of his sinful flesh. In contrast to the children of Israel, Moses drew near to God boldly without fear. The only time Moses showed fear in the presence of God was when he was afraid for the lives of the Children of Israel after they had sinned against God, worshipping the golden calf (Heb 12:21; Deut 9:16-19).
Although the comparison falls short, the same distinction between positive fear and negative fear can be seen in other relationships between subjects to their superiors. In my youth I was a drug addict and a delinquent. I can’t remember how many times I was arrested, but by the time I turned 18 I had already spent more than three years of accumulated time in state and county correctional institutions throughout California.
Needless to say, just the sight of a law enforcement officer struck terror in me. We called them pigs back then. However, in November of 1969, I had a radical life-changing encounter with the Lord, changing me from a delinquent and drug addict to a law-abiding citizen. From that time forward, I have even felt reassured by their presence, except when I drive past one while exceeding the speed limit. While the comparison falls short, Paul presents both the fear of God and the fear of authorities as being related, saying that the earthly authorities are God’s ministers, appointed to execute justice against wrongdoers. He said:
“Do you want to be unafraid (μή φοβέω) of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid (φοβέω); for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” (Rom 13:3-4)
As long as we respect the authorities and the laws of the land, we have no reason to fear, but if we are willfully breaking the law, we have good reason to fear. The same principal applies in our relationship with God, our Father and Judge, who is altogether righteous and just and sees all.
Sadly, many of us have more fear of being detected in the police radar than we are of sinning before God. Some are more afraid that their wife will see them looking lustfully at another woman than they are concerned with the fact that God Himself knows what they are entertaining in their heart.
In an effort to appease their conscience without the need of repentance, some even go so far as to say that it is not possible to sin against God, but only against oneself, thereby seeking to remove the fear of God from their lives altogether. In contrast, when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, he demonstrated that he feared God, saying to her: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9). David committed some grave sins, but when confronted with them, he didn’t justify himself, saying they were only against himself. On the contrary, he cried out to God saying: “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (Ps 51:4).
Perfect Love casts out Fear
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment (κόλασις kolasis, “corrective punishment”). But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1John 4:18)
Without due consideration of the context, some have misconstrued John’s declaration, “perfect love casts out all fear,” as meaning, “If you fear sinning in God’s presence, you have not been perfected in love, because perfect love casts out all fear of God.” Quite the contrary, we are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is God Himself who is working in us to will and do His good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13). We are told to perfect holiness in the fear of God (2Cor 7:1; 1Peter 2:17). Please note that these are New Covenant injunctions. We also see that the Early Church greatly multiplied, walking in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31; 5:11-16).
The key to understanding what it means to be perfected, or made perfect in love, is found within the greater context of the epistle of 1John. It is not simply referring to a knowledge of God’s perfect love for us, although that is essential to being perfected in His love, since we can only truly love, knowing that He first loved us (1Jn 4:19).
In the context, John takes us beyond simply knowing how much God loves us, to us being perfected or brought to maturity in that same love. In 2:5, John says: “whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him, (perfect tense, ‘has been perfected in him’).” In other words, a mature son of God is one who keeps His word because obedience has become a part of his character. It is hypocrisy for one to say that they love their earthly father when they continually disobey him. How much more so with our heavenly Father.
The mature sons of God are also characterized by love for others because God’s perfect love has been perfected in them. In 4:12, John literally says: “if we are loving one another…His love has been perfected in us.” A believer who continually walks in love is a mature adult son of God who has been perfected in love.
In contrast, the carnal believer is still as a babe in Christ. In his immaturity he often only loves those who love him in return, and he continually disobeys God, requiring His corrective intervention. Since he walks disorderly, the Father’s love often must take the form of corrective discipline (κόλασις) (cf. Heb 12:6).
Knowing that your heavenly Father is going to discipline us naturally produces fear in our paternal relationship with God. If we have not yet matured or been perfected in love, we rightly experience the fear of discipline, precisely because we know our Father loves us too much to leave us without the necessary correction. That is why John told the newer, less mature believers that they needed to continually abide in communion with Him, saying:
“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)
Peter Hiett once said something that rang true with me, and I repeat it often. He said: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but perfect love casts out all fear.” When we were children, we knew our parents loved us, but what we often experienced was the fear of their love in the form of correction. As the author of Hebrews says, our loving Father’s discipline is often painful (and therefore to be feared), but those who learn from it mature to the point where they have the peaceable fruit of righteousness – they become mature sons of God (Heb 12:10-11). Having become matured adult sons, our relationship with our Father no longer involves the fear of correction, but rather the reverential fear – the fear of bringing dishonor to Him or displeasing Him in any way because we love and worship Him. That is the fear of the Lord that was Jesus´ delight.
We do a great disservice to those who are living in willful sin by telling them that they should not fear God in their unrepentant state, telling them that, since perfect love casts out fear, they have no need to fear God’s judgments. When necessary, God even judges His own people. As the author of Hebrews said:
“For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance (ἐκδίκησις, “the carrying out of justice”) is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ 31 It is a fearful thing (φοβερός) to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb 10:30-31 cf. 1Cor 11:31-32)
Here we see that, even if we, being God’s very own elect people, persistently continue in willful disobedience, God will intervene in judgment. Just as it was a fearful thing to have to face our earthly father after having disobeyed him, it is a fearful thing when the Lord takes a hand to us in correction.
Imagine if, when you were a child, you and your buddy started throwing rocks in the front yard and he said to you: “Let’s try throwing rocks through your parent’s living-room window.” Although you felt the same childhood urge to do it, you said to him: “I’m afraid of what my father will do to me when he gets home,” to which your buddy replies, “There is no reason to be afraid. Don’t you know that your father loves you?”
Even a little child can see through such faulty logic. However, today in our Postmodern society, all too many equate love with permissiveness. The love of God our Father is not permissive, but rather corrects us so that we will grow up to become holy and righteous adult sons, righteous in character like Him. Contrary to contemporary beliefs, parental permissiveness is not love – it is negligence. I will conclude with Peter’s admonition to us as God’s children to walk in the fear of the Lord:
“As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:14-19)
Obviously, believing as I do that the Scriptures clearly teach the final restoration of all, I don’t believe we should fear the unthinkable horror of unending torments. When Jesus said that we are to fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna (Matt 10:28), He was not saying that we should fear being exterminated, much less tormented throughout eternity. But clearly, Jesus taught that Gehenna was to be avoided at all costs (Matt 5:29-20). I consider in detail what Jesus meant in this, as well as other passages which have been misconstrued by many as teaching eternal vindictive torment in my book, The Triumph of Mercy.
In the next blog I will consider what Jesus meant when He said that we are to fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. As I hope to demonstrate, Jesus was clearly not saying that we are to fear that God would even consider tormenting us or any of our loved ones forever without mercy.
- Published on
by George Sidney Hurd
--
When the Scriptures speak of the final restoration of all, does it actually mean that every individual will ultimately be saved and brought back into the fold, or can the word “all” somehow be limited so as to only include those few privileged to hear and positively respond to the gospel before they either draw their last breath, or Christ returns? When Jesus said that He would effectually draw (ἑλκύω) all unto Himself (Jn 12:32), can that somehow be construed as meaning less than every individual? When Paul said that Christ is the Savior of all, especially of believers (1Tim 4:10), can we reasonably argue that in reality He is only the Savior of those who believe in this brief lifetime? Considering that Paul said, “as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Rom 5:18), how can it be possible that most will nevertheless be eternally condemned when all is said and done?
Those who believe in the eternal exclusion of most of Adam’s race, must somehow limit “all” so as to only include the few who have been saved during their brief lifetime. Their attempts to limit “all” to “some” are varied. Some argue that the references to all being saved and restored are simply hyperbole and therefore shouldn’t be understood literally. Others say that it only means “some from all people groups,” while some Calvinists even attempt to argue that “all” only means “all the elect.”
I have sought to show the fallacies of these attempts to limit the all-inclusiveness of “all” in my books The Triumph of Mercy and The Universal Solution, as well as in several of my blogs, so I won’t be considering them in detail here. Here I simply want to respond to N.T. Wright’s claim that these references to “all” should be understood as simply meaning “both Jews and Gentiles alike.” Speaking of Paul’s use of “all” throughout Romans he says: “The point Paul has been making all along…is that all men, Jew and Gentile alike, stand on a level before God… Within this context, the correct gloss to put on ‘all men’…is not ‘all men individually, but ‘Jews and Gentiles alike.’” [1] This is a nuanced version of the argument that “all” in these contexts means “all without distinction,” rather than “all without exception.”
While it is true that Paul emphasizes that both Jews and Gentiles stand on the same level before God throughout his epistle to the Romans , one cannot be consistent with the development of Paul’s logic and still deny that he meant “all without exception,” rather than simply “all people groups, whether Jew or Gentile.” In the first three chapters Paul establishes that all without exception have sinned and come short of the glory of God and not merely some within each people group. In Romans 3:12 he emphatically says, “There is none righteous, no, not one (individual).” Then, in verses 22-23 he says that free justification is extended to that same “all,” saying:
“For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned (without exception) and fall short of the glory of God, being justified (present passive) freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 3:22-23, parenthesis mine)
Here Paul declares that the same “all” who have sinned are presently being justified freely by God’s grace through Christ’s universal redemption. While justification is a once-and-for-all event occurring the very moment one believes, “being justified” here appears in the present continuous passive, since sinners are being justified one-by-one as each individual believes. There is no way for a sinner to be justified apart from faith in Christ, but in Christ, our Last Adam, justification came to all men without exception, just as Paul says in Romans 5:18:
“Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men (without exception), resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men (without exception), resulting in justification of life (for all men).” (Rom 5:18, parenthesis mine)
One cannot reasonably argue that the “all” justified is less in number than the “all” condemned. The parallel comparison “as…even so” requires that the “all men” in both instances be the same and not less or different. Just as the judgment resulting in condemnation came to every individual without exception, even so, the free gift also came to every individual, resulting in their justification the very moment they receive it by faith. Throughout Romans 5, Paul contrasts that which was lost to all mankind in Adam with that which was restored to the same all in Christ, the Last Adam. The same all who die in Adam are seen to be made alive in Christ; all those who were condemned in Adam receive justification and are made righteous in Christ, the Last Adam. I consider further the scope of Romans 5 in my blog, The Universal Reversal.
However, in spite of the clear universal implications of Romans 5, based upon his understanding of verse 17, N.T. Wright limits the “all” who benefit from the Last Adam to only those few who personally and actively receive Christ in this life. Admittedly, taken out of context, the verse could be misconstrued as negating what Paul affirms throughout the chapter. It reads:
“For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:17)
N.T. Wright, as with many other Partialists, understands receiving as referring to when we actively receive Christ. However, as we see throughout this entire passage, the contrast is between that which all men without exception receive in Adam and that which all men without exception receive in Christ, the Last Adam. The word “receive” is the Greek word lambano, which has two distinct usages: 1) to actively take or receive, or 2) to receive as a passive recipient. The context must determine whether the receiving is passive or active. For example, in several New Testament passages we see that the recipient must receive something he did not even desire to receive, such as a just reward for his disobedience (Heb 2:2), or a greater judgment (Luke 20:47). In other instances, the recipient receives that which he was not even anticipating. For example, everyone in Cornelius’ house was surprised when the Gentiles suddenly received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:47). In these examples it is obvious that the recipient is passive.
The Greek scholar Marvin Vincent correctly applies the passive meaning to Romans 5:17 when He says: “They which receive (hoi lambanontes). Not ‘believingly accept,’ but simply ‘the recipients.” [2] Although he does not go into further detail, his rendering of lambano in the passive sense is necessitated by the context. The contrast throughout is between that which all men receive in Adam, as opposed to what all men receive in Christ, the Last Adam. As all men passively receive death, condemnation, and bondage to sin through the one man’s disobedience, even so all receive life, justification, and dominion restored, through the one man, Jesus Christ.
However, that being said, even as not every man experientially entered into Adam’s death, condemnation and bondage to sin at the moment Adam sinned, even so not everyone experientially received life, justification or dominion at the moment when Christ, the Last Adam, died and rose from the dead. Even as man must be born into Adam to experience the death, condemnation and bondage to sin he brought upon us all, so also must every man be made alive or born again before experientially entering into that justification and dominion which every man received when Christ, the Last Adam, died and rose again. Of the Last Adam’s death and resurrection it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1Cor 15:45). And again, “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1Cor 15:22).
While it is true that no one personally and experientially receives the benefits of justification, sanctification or dominion restored in Christ until they have believed on Him for salvation, what we see is that all, in due time, will come to faith in Christ and will submit to Him. Every tongue will eventually confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. In Christ, all will eventually be made alive. At present only those who receive Him are born again and justified and are being sanctified to be received unto Him at His coming. But in due time all will be in Christ – justified, sanctified and subjected to Him as Lord.
N.T. Wright further argues that when Paul said, “For God has committed all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all” in Romans 11:32, that that “all” should not be understood to be referring to all individually, but rather the “all” must be glossed so as to simply mean Jew and Gentile alike. However, it is the same “all” who have been committed to disobedience who will receive His mercy once they recognize their condition and look to Him for mercy.
Romans 11:32 summarizes what Paul established in the previous chapters. In the first three chapters he demonstrated that every individual is guilty before God. Then, beginning in 3:21, he introduces God’s mercy, saying in verse 23: “for all have sinned…being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The same all who were disobedient and under sin, are those who afterwards receive God’s mercy, being justified by His grace.
The problem is that Wright sees God’s mercy as only enduring for a lifetime, when Scripture repeatedly declares that His love never ceases, and His mercies never come to an end. I respond to the arguments against postmortem salvation in my blog: Hope for the Dead. Paul himself says in Philippians 2:10-11 that all will bow the knee, confessing Jesus Christ as Lord, not only those in heaven and on earth, but even those under the earth. That is “all without exception.” And looking at the passage which Paul here cites from Isaiah, it is evident that all without exception are saved upon bowing the knee in submission, confessing Jesus as Lord:
“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, saying (λέγων LXX) ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength.’” (Isa 45:22-24)
Here God says that He has actually sworn by Himself that all without exception will look to Him and be saved. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will take an oath saying, “surely in the Lord I have my righteousness.” The words, “He shall say” were added by the translators, obscuring the fact that it is every tongue that will confess unto salvation. The LXX, which was the Greek version of the Old Testament Paul cited from, simply says that every tongue will take an oath of allegiance, saying that the Lord is their righteousness. The expressions, “every knee” and “every tongue” cannot be glossed to simply mean “Jew and Gentile alike,” as N.T. Wright would have us believe.
There are other instances where Paul clearly and emphatically means “all without exception” and not simply “all without distinction” or “Jew and Gentile alike.” Here I will cite just one example which could not possibly say more clearly “all without exception.” In Colossians Paul says:
“For by Him all things (without exception) were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things (without exception) were created through Him and for Him… 20 and by Him to reconcile all things (without exception) to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Col 1:16,20)
Our English word “things” does not have an equivalent in Greek. Neither does the neuter form in Greek always indicate objects as in English. When the translators insert “things” in contexts that are clearly referring primarily to persons rather than inanimate objects as we see here in Colossians, I take the liberty to cross it out in order to keep the focus where it belongs. “Reconciliation” is not applicable to inanimate objects since it is a relational term meaning, “to be restored into a relationship which had previously been broken.”
I don’t believe that anyone could express “all without exception” more emphatically than Paul does here. He says that all whom Christ created, whether in heaven or on earth, whether visible or invisible – absolutely all, were reconciled unto God by the blood of His cross!
Both terms, “reconciliation” and “restoration,” are relational and inseparable from each other. When the offended party in a relationship opens the way to reconciliation, the relationship is restored as soon as the offender corresponds, resulting in the restoration of the relationship. Peter spoke of the coming times of the restoration of all, or what Early Greek speaking Fathers referred to as the apokatastasis, or the restoration of all rational beings unto God:
“and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration (ἀποκατάστασις, apokatastasis) “of all things (without exception), which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:20-21 parenthesis mine)
Here again, while all of creation, whether animate or inanimate, will be restored, the restoration or apokatastasis is primarily speaking of the restoration of all relational beings to God, just as the Greek Fathers understood it, rather than the refurbishing of inanimate things. This restoration even includes Sodom and Samaria, as we see in Ezekiel:
“And I will bring back and restore them by bringing back Sodom, with her daughters, and by bringing back Samaria, and her daughters: and I will bring those that return of thee in the midst of them. 54 That thou mayest bear thy shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, comforting them. 55 And thy sister Sodom and her daughters shall return to their ancient state: and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their ancient state: and thou and thy daughters shall return to your ancient state.” (Ezek 16:53-55 Douay-Rheims)
That God is here promising the final restoration of the ancient inhabitants of Sodom and not merely some future generation, is evident, since the entire population was utterly removed from the land of the living when He destroyed Sodom with all its inhabitants. There are no descendants of Sodom presently on earth to be restored. If God will restore even wicked Sodom and Samaria, how can we continue insisting that “all” doesn’t mean “all without exception” when speaking of ultimate salvation, reconciliation and restoration?
Finally, if “all” didn’t mean “all without exception” to Paul, then what did he mean when he said that in the end God will be all in all, after all have become subject to Christ and made alive? (1 Cor 15:22-28). If the “all” is only some, a small representative group from among the Jews and Gentiles alike, wouldn’t that also imply that Christ only manages to subject some from among both Jews and Gentiles unto Himself? How then can God be said to become all in all? Are we to understand from this that Paul meant to say that God will only become all in some Jews and Gentiles alike? Certainly not!
To me, it is not possible to reasonably deny that at least some passages of Scripture clearly teach the final restoration of all without exception. That being so, it is futile to go through all these various mental gymnastics in an attempt to limit “all” to include “some” in Romans. In the consummation of the final Age of the ages, all without exception will have bowed the knee in voluntary submission to Christ, resulting in God being all in all in eternity.
God’s glorious plan for the ages consummates with all having become reunited in Christ (Eph 1:10), rather than there existing an eternal dualism with God and a remnant of mankind from Jews and Gentiles, and Satan with a third of God’s angels, along with most of humanity, quarantined in eternal opposition to God. In eternity there will not even be one tear shed in all God’s creation, because He will have removed the veil that is over all people and abolish death forever. Glory to His name!
“Say to God, ‘how awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.” (Ps 66:3-4)
“And He will destroy on this mountain, the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces…” (Isa 25:7-8)
[1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/towards-a-biblical-view-of-universalism/
[2] Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament, Romans 5:17
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When the Scriptures speak of the final restoration of all, does it actually mean that every individual will ultimately be saved and brought back into the fold, or can the word “all” somehow be limited so as to only include those few privileged to hear and positively respond to the gospel before they either draw their last breath, or Christ returns? When Jesus said that He would effectually draw (ἑλκύω) all unto Himself (Jn 12:32), can that somehow be construed as meaning less than every individual? When Paul said that Christ is the Savior of all, especially of believers (1Tim 4:10), can we reasonably argue that in reality He is only the Savior of those who believe in this brief lifetime? Considering that Paul said, “as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Rom 5:18), how can it be possible that most will nevertheless be eternally condemned when all is said and done?
Those who believe in the eternal exclusion of most of Adam’s race, must somehow limit “all” so as to only include the few who have been saved during their brief lifetime. Their attempts to limit “all” to “some” are varied. Some argue that the references to all being saved and restored are simply hyperbole and therefore shouldn’t be understood literally. Others say that it only means “some from all people groups,” while some Calvinists even attempt to argue that “all” only means “all the elect.”
I have sought to show the fallacies of these attempts to limit the all-inclusiveness of “all” in my books The Triumph of Mercy and The Universal Solution, as well as in several of my blogs, so I won’t be considering them in detail here. Here I simply want to respond to N.T. Wright’s claim that these references to “all” should be understood as simply meaning “both Jews and Gentiles alike.” Speaking of Paul’s use of “all” throughout Romans he says: “The point Paul has been making all along…is that all men, Jew and Gentile alike, stand on a level before God… Within this context, the correct gloss to put on ‘all men’…is not ‘all men individually, but ‘Jews and Gentiles alike.’” [1] This is a nuanced version of the argument that “all” in these contexts means “all without distinction,” rather than “all without exception.”
While it is true that Paul emphasizes that both Jews and Gentiles stand on the same level before God throughout his epistle to the Romans , one cannot be consistent with the development of Paul’s logic and still deny that he meant “all without exception,” rather than simply “all people groups, whether Jew or Gentile.” In the first three chapters Paul establishes that all without exception have sinned and come short of the glory of God and not merely some within each people group. In Romans 3:12 he emphatically says, “There is none righteous, no, not one (individual).” Then, in verses 22-23 he says that free justification is extended to that same “all,” saying:
“For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned (without exception) and fall short of the glory of God, being justified (present passive) freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 3:22-23, parenthesis mine)
Here Paul declares that the same “all” who have sinned are presently being justified freely by God’s grace through Christ’s universal redemption. While justification is a once-and-for-all event occurring the very moment one believes, “being justified” here appears in the present continuous passive, since sinners are being justified one-by-one as each individual believes. There is no way for a sinner to be justified apart from faith in Christ, but in Christ, our Last Adam, justification came to all men without exception, just as Paul says in Romans 5:18:
“Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men (without exception), resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men (without exception), resulting in justification of life (for all men).” (Rom 5:18, parenthesis mine)
One cannot reasonably argue that the “all” justified is less in number than the “all” condemned. The parallel comparison “as…even so” requires that the “all men” in both instances be the same and not less or different. Just as the judgment resulting in condemnation came to every individual without exception, even so, the free gift also came to every individual, resulting in their justification the very moment they receive it by faith. Throughout Romans 5, Paul contrasts that which was lost to all mankind in Adam with that which was restored to the same all in Christ, the Last Adam. The same all who die in Adam are seen to be made alive in Christ; all those who were condemned in Adam receive justification and are made righteous in Christ, the Last Adam. I consider further the scope of Romans 5 in my blog, The Universal Reversal.
However, in spite of the clear universal implications of Romans 5, based upon his understanding of verse 17, N.T. Wright limits the “all” who benefit from the Last Adam to only those few who personally and actively receive Christ in this life. Admittedly, taken out of context, the verse could be misconstrued as negating what Paul affirms throughout the chapter. It reads:
“For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:17)
N.T. Wright, as with many other Partialists, understands receiving as referring to when we actively receive Christ. However, as we see throughout this entire passage, the contrast is between that which all men without exception receive in Adam and that which all men without exception receive in Christ, the Last Adam. The word “receive” is the Greek word lambano, which has two distinct usages: 1) to actively take or receive, or 2) to receive as a passive recipient. The context must determine whether the receiving is passive or active. For example, in several New Testament passages we see that the recipient must receive something he did not even desire to receive, such as a just reward for his disobedience (Heb 2:2), or a greater judgment (Luke 20:47). In other instances, the recipient receives that which he was not even anticipating. For example, everyone in Cornelius’ house was surprised when the Gentiles suddenly received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:47). In these examples it is obvious that the recipient is passive.
The Greek scholar Marvin Vincent correctly applies the passive meaning to Romans 5:17 when He says: “They which receive (hoi lambanontes). Not ‘believingly accept,’ but simply ‘the recipients.” [2] Although he does not go into further detail, his rendering of lambano in the passive sense is necessitated by the context. The contrast throughout is between that which all men receive in Adam, as opposed to what all men receive in Christ, the Last Adam. As all men passively receive death, condemnation, and bondage to sin through the one man’s disobedience, even so all receive life, justification, and dominion restored, through the one man, Jesus Christ.
However, that being said, even as not every man experientially entered into Adam’s death, condemnation and bondage to sin at the moment Adam sinned, even so not everyone experientially received life, justification or dominion at the moment when Christ, the Last Adam, died and rose from the dead. Even as man must be born into Adam to experience the death, condemnation and bondage to sin he brought upon us all, so also must every man be made alive or born again before experientially entering into that justification and dominion which every man received when Christ, the Last Adam, died and rose again. Of the Last Adam’s death and resurrection it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1Cor 15:45). And again, “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1Cor 15:22).
While it is true that no one personally and experientially receives the benefits of justification, sanctification or dominion restored in Christ until they have believed on Him for salvation, what we see is that all, in due time, will come to faith in Christ and will submit to Him. Every tongue will eventually confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. In Christ, all will eventually be made alive. At present only those who receive Him are born again and justified and are being sanctified to be received unto Him at His coming. But in due time all will be in Christ – justified, sanctified and subjected to Him as Lord.
N.T. Wright further argues that when Paul said, “For God has committed all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all” in Romans 11:32, that that “all” should not be understood to be referring to all individually, but rather the “all” must be glossed so as to simply mean Jew and Gentile alike. However, it is the same “all” who have been committed to disobedience who will receive His mercy once they recognize their condition and look to Him for mercy.
Romans 11:32 summarizes what Paul established in the previous chapters. In the first three chapters he demonstrated that every individual is guilty before God. Then, beginning in 3:21, he introduces God’s mercy, saying in verse 23: “for all have sinned…being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The same all who were disobedient and under sin, are those who afterwards receive God’s mercy, being justified by His grace.
The problem is that Wright sees God’s mercy as only enduring for a lifetime, when Scripture repeatedly declares that His love never ceases, and His mercies never come to an end. I respond to the arguments against postmortem salvation in my blog: Hope for the Dead. Paul himself says in Philippians 2:10-11 that all will bow the knee, confessing Jesus Christ as Lord, not only those in heaven and on earth, but even those under the earth. That is “all without exception.” And looking at the passage which Paul here cites from Isaiah, it is evident that all without exception are saved upon bowing the knee in submission, confessing Jesus as Lord:
“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, saying (λέγων LXX) ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength.’” (Isa 45:22-24)
Here God says that He has actually sworn by Himself that all without exception will look to Him and be saved. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will take an oath saying, “surely in the Lord I have my righteousness.” The words, “He shall say” were added by the translators, obscuring the fact that it is every tongue that will confess unto salvation. The LXX, which was the Greek version of the Old Testament Paul cited from, simply says that every tongue will take an oath of allegiance, saying that the Lord is their righteousness. The expressions, “every knee” and “every tongue” cannot be glossed to simply mean “Jew and Gentile alike,” as N.T. Wright would have us believe.
There are other instances where Paul clearly and emphatically means “all without exception” and not simply “all without distinction” or “Jew and Gentile alike.” Here I will cite just one example which could not possibly say more clearly “all without exception.” In Colossians Paul says:
“For by Him all things (without exception) were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things (without exception) were created through Him and for Him… 20 and by Him to reconcile all things (without exception) to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Col 1:16,20)
Our English word “things” does not have an equivalent in Greek. Neither does the neuter form in Greek always indicate objects as in English. When the translators insert “things” in contexts that are clearly referring primarily to persons rather than inanimate objects as we see here in Colossians, I take the liberty to cross it out in order to keep the focus where it belongs. “Reconciliation” is not applicable to inanimate objects since it is a relational term meaning, “to be restored into a relationship which had previously been broken.”
I don’t believe that anyone could express “all without exception” more emphatically than Paul does here. He says that all whom Christ created, whether in heaven or on earth, whether visible or invisible – absolutely all, were reconciled unto God by the blood of His cross!
Both terms, “reconciliation” and “restoration,” are relational and inseparable from each other. When the offended party in a relationship opens the way to reconciliation, the relationship is restored as soon as the offender corresponds, resulting in the restoration of the relationship. Peter spoke of the coming times of the restoration of all, or what Early Greek speaking Fathers referred to as the apokatastasis, or the restoration of all rational beings unto God:
“and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration (ἀποκατάστασις, apokatastasis) “of all things (without exception), which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:20-21 parenthesis mine)
Here again, while all of creation, whether animate or inanimate, will be restored, the restoration or apokatastasis is primarily speaking of the restoration of all relational beings to God, just as the Greek Fathers understood it, rather than the refurbishing of inanimate things. This restoration even includes Sodom and Samaria, as we see in Ezekiel:
“And I will bring back and restore them by bringing back Sodom, with her daughters, and by bringing back Samaria, and her daughters: and I will bring those that return of thee in the midst of them. 54 That thou mayest bear thy shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, comforting them. 55 And thy sister Sodom and her daughters shall return to their ancient state: and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their ancient state: and thou and thy daughters shall return to your ancient state.” (Ezek 16:53-55 Douay-Rheims)
That God is here promising the final restoration of the ancient inhabitants of Sodom and not merely some future generation, is evident, since the entire population was utterly removed from the land of the living when He destroyed Sodom with all its inhabitants. There are no descendants of Sodom presently on earth to be restored. If God will restore even wicked Sodom and Samaria, how can we continue insisting that “all” doesn’t mean “all without exception” when speaking of ultimate salvation, reconciliation and restoration?
Finally, if “all” didn’t mean “all without exception” to Paul, then what did he mean when he said that in the end God will be all in all, after all have become subject to Christ and made alive? (1 Cor 15:22-28). If the “all” is only some, a small representative group from among the Jews and Gentiles alike, wouldn’t that also imply that Christ only manages to subject some from among both Jews and Gentiles unto Himself? How then can God be said to become all in all? Are we to understand from this that Paul meant to say that God will only become all in some Jews and Gentiles alike? Certainly not!
To me, it is not possible to reasonably deny that at least some passages of Scripture clearly teach the final restoration of all without exception. That being so, it is futile to go through all these various mental gymnastics in an attempt to limit “all” to include “some” in Romans. In the consummation of the final Age of the ages, all without exception will have bowed the knee in voluntary submission to Christ, resulting in God being all in all in eternity.
God’s glorious plan for the ages consummates with all having become reunited in Christ (Eph 1:10), rather than there existing an eternal dualism with God and a remnant of mankind from Jews and Gentiles, and Satan with a third of God’s angels, along with most of humanity, quarantined in eternal opposition to God. In eternity there will not even be one tear shed in all God’s creation, because He will have removed the veil that is over all people and abolish death forever. Glory to His name!
“Say to God, ‘how awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.” (Ps 66:3-4)
“And He will destroy on this mountain, the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces…” (Isa 25:7-8)
[1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/towards-a-biblical-view-of-universalism/
[2] Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament, Romans 5:17