Why Universalism Fails the Bible: The Urgent Call to Repent and Believe

Summary

Universalism contradicts Scripture by denying the urgency of repentance and faith. The Bible teaches that judgment follows death, and that salvation must be received in this life through faith in Jesus. Universalism minimizes sin, ignores Christ’s sacrifice, and dismisses clear teachings on eternal punishment. When read in context, Scripture consistently affirms that salvation is offered to all but received only by those who repent and believe.

Universalism Teaches Universal Salvation

Universalism focuses on selective Scriptures that seem to teach that everyone will be saved. That message strikes a responsive emotional cord in our hearts. We don’t want our unbelieving friends, relatives, neighbors, and associates to be lost and punished for eternity. However, what God wants, not what we desire, shapes reality now and when time shall be no more.

Universalism’s doctrine that after death, people will have multiple chances to repent and believe the gospel magnifies the devil’s lie that people have plenty of time to get right with God before they die. The supposed reason is that God’s love is too great to sentence unbelievers to an eternity of suffering with no chance to change their circumstances.

They say His love will ultimately prevail and win over even the hardest-hearted unbelievers, even if it takes a long time. Second, third, fourth, etc., chances will abound. By contrast, Hebrews 9:27 teaches that people have only this lifetime to repent and receive Jesus and God’s gift of forgiveness. “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (NLT). That judgment is final.

Some of them see in 1 Peter 3:18-22 a second chance. 1 Peter 4:17-18 teaches otherwise: “For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” (1 Peter 4:17-18). We don’t see a speck of optimism about their fate.

Universalists lean on Scriptures that seem to support their theology, like Romans 5:12-21; 11:32; 1 Timothy 2:4, 4:10; John 12:32, etc. Meanwhile, they ignore Scriptures that contradict them like Romans 2:6-16; Matthew 25:31-46; John 3:18, 36; 5:29, etc. Jesus speaks in many Scriptures that disprove that everyone will be saved.

Why Universalism Fails the Bible

Universalists arrive at their heretical theological position by redefining biblical terms. That is one reason why universalism fails the Bible. Universalists redefine sin as ignorance or misunderstanding God’s wants, concluding it isn’t serious and doesn’t deserve eternal punishment. That’s wrong. Sin is willfully replacing God with self as the center of the Universe. It’s mutiny and deserves the death sentence.

Sin is active rebellion against or passive indifference to the will and ways of the One who created and controls the Universe. “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:6 NLT). If sin were no big deal, why did Jesus have to die on the cross?

The Bible’s focus on human responsibility between birth and death to respond to God’s offer of salvation in repentance and faith is downplayed in the universalist’s concept that everyone will get to heaven eventually. There is no reason to demonstrate repentance by how we live on earth if we have many opportunities after earthly life to mend our ways.

They don’t believe our eternal destiny depends on faith. It has no connection to how we live on Earth. They think we can ignore what the Bible says during our earthly lives. We can do what we want and still get to heaven eventually.

Since they downplay faith, assurance of salvation based on faith eludes them, as rightfully it should, because they believe the devil’s lie that faith isn’t essential. They can’t please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6).

They discount the seriousness of the judgment of which Jesus speaks. They think we shouldn’t worry about flaming fire “on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8 NLT).

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For God says, 'At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT). Not for universalists. Getting serious about God ten thousand years from now will get people there, too.

God is love (1 John 4:8). Universalists assume that the greatest expression of God’s sovereign love would be saving everyone. But God defines love, and people don’t. The biblical teaching is that eternal punishment for unbelievers isn’t inconsistent with a loving God who sacrificed His Son to eliminate the eternal death penalty for all who believe (John 3:16).

Universalism Ignores Scripture's Teaching of Eternal Torment

Universalists ignore at least ten Scriptures that teach eternal torment for unbelievers (Isaiah 66:22-24; Daniel 12:1-2; Matthew 18:6-9; Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 9:42-48; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Jude 7; Jude 13; Revelation 14:9-11; Revelation 20:10, 14–15).

For example, “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life” (Matthew 25:44-46).

What part of eternal punishment don’t universalists get? Do they think Jesus is wrong? The truth is that universalism isn’t biblically driven. They reference only the parts of the Bible that seem to support their beliefs while paying no attention to the rest.

Universalism Ignores Jesus’ Teaching about Responding to God’s Invitation

Jesus preaches, “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15 NLT). The Good News is that He is God’s provision for sins through His death in the sinner’s place, burial, and resurrection.

Sin is everyone’s problem, but deliverance from its penalty and power isn’t automatic. God delivers from condemnation only those who hear the gospel, repent, believe in, and follow Jesus as their personal Forgiver and Leader. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18 NLT). 

Understanding Verses that Seem to Support Universalism

The verses universalists commonly cite to support their teaching are Romans 5:12-21, Romans 11:32, 1 Timothy 2:4, and 1 Timothy 4:10.

The context always has the final say in the meaning of words. The context of Romans is that the gospel is for both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 1:16-17) and God saves both varieties of sinners by grace through faith.

Paul was not a universalist because he used “everyone” in Romans 5 and Romans 11 concerning whom God saves. Paul is not contradicting what he wrote in Romans 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8. He is not saying everyone will be saved with no exceptions in Romans 5 and 11.

In context, “everyone” refers to both Jews and Gentiles without distinction. Romans 5:17 further defines the “everyone” in Romans 5:12, 18 as those who receive God’s offered gift by faith.

“For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ” (NLT).

Likewise, “everyone” in Romans 11:32 refers to Jews and Gentiles who receive God’s provision for their sins by faith (Romans 11:23). Contrary to universalism, there is no salvation without faith.

1 Timothy 2:1-7 concerns prayer for all people, especially for people in authority. Even though some of these were Christian persecutors, we can’t predict who God will save, so we must pray for them all.

1 Timothy 4:10 similarly refers to all people without the distinctions that human judgment creates to include some and exclude others. Everyone can embrace God’s grace through faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

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