Is universalism / universal salvation biblical?

No doubt the saints of God, a thousand years at least before that moment have been made alive, and have reigned with Christ a thousand years, but what then does it mean when it says, "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (v.22)? We must remember that this is not moral death, necessitating for the saints the quickening power of God into the power of endless life, it is the physical death of the saints, the death of the body that is involved, and does not so far as we see in the whole of this chapter involve life in the soul; it is the resurrection of dead bodies, not the quickening of morally dead sinners. Just as "As in Adam all die" refers to the whole of his posterity, saint and sinner alike, "so in Christ shall all be made alive" likewise refers to saint and sinner alike, and hence the guard is immediately brought in, "but every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (v.23-26).

But more: we are shown the connection of resurrection, as of death, with man. If the weak and fallen Adam brought in the one, the glorious last Adam will bring in the other, Himself already the first-fruits. "For since by man [is] death, by man also the resurrection of dead. For as in the Adam all die, even so in the Christ shall all be made alive." (Vers. 21, 22.) There are two families characterised by the irrespective heads. The Adam family consists of all mankind, and they all die; the Christ family consists of all that are Christ's, and they shall all be made alive, that is, in resurrection. For the question is exclusively of the body, and not of the soul, important as this last may be in its place. What the apostle here demonstrates is, that the bodies of the dead rise, and this in virtue of Christ for all His people, as death is the portion of all Adam's posterity as such. It is impossible to sever "all" in either case from their representative head: only "all" in Adam's case embraces the entire race, whereas "all" in the case of Christ as necessarily attaches to His family alone. And as this is certain to the thoughtful believer, so is it made plain to the simplest in verse 23, "But each in his own rank; [the] firstfruits Christ; then those that are the Christ's at his coming." Then all that are made alive in virtue of the Christ are shown here distinctly to be those that are His, and none else. Are not the wicked, then, to be raised? Unquestionably; but so special is the resurrection here that they are not even named. It is the resurrection of life, and belongs only to those that have practised good. They are His. For them He has won the victory. To them even now He has given eternal life; and they, if fallen asleep, shall rise at His coming.

When it says, "In Christ shall all be Made alive," this does not teach, as the universalists do, who deny eternal punishment, that all mankind shall be eventually saved. All mankind is not "in Christ." Born into this world, the offspring of a fallen race, we are all "in Adam." To be "in Christ" means to be saved, to be a believer on the Lord as Saviour. Christians can look back to a moment in their history when they put their faith in the Lord and passed from death unto life. The Apostle Paul in his salutation to the Church of God in Rome wrote, "Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners … who also were IN CHRIST before me" (Rom. 16:7), showing these relations of the Apostle had been converted at a time when he was unconverted.

"As then in Adam all die, so also shall all in Christ be made alive"; not all men, but "all in Christ." The death in Adam is indeed universal, for all Adam's, children are naturally in Adam, but it is "all in Christ" who are to be made alive. This does not deny, of course, the resurrection of the wicked, but that which they receive is not truly to be called life. The apostle will not give it that term. All true life is in Christ and thus in the saint, and "all in Christ" shall be brought into the full power and realization of this.

"As by one act of offence [it was] unto all men for condemnation, (i.e., it was unto all men to condemnation,) even so by one accomplished righteousness [it was] unto all men for justification of life." So it runs literally. The meaning may be thus explained. Supposing you had only the one act of Adam by itself, it would have plunged all men into condemnation. On the other hand, the work of Christ in itself would have brought complete deliverance unto all men. But that is only the tendency towards or unto all men, not the actual effect upon them. Here, in this chapter, we have, in verse 18, the tendency; and in verse 19, the effect. "As by one man's disobedience [the] many were made sinners; so by the obedience of one shall [the] many be made righteous." "The many" who had to do with the one man that disobeyed were all men, because all were children of Adam; so by the obedience of Christ shall "the many" — His class — be made righteous. In the first clause, therefore, "the many" means all men; in the second, it means all saints. You could understand in the first clause "all men" but not in the second. The respective families of Adam and of Christ are instanced. "Therefore as by one offence [it was] unto all to condemnation, so also [it is] unto all to justification of life." It is the aim a thing would reach if unimpeded. If all had submitted to it — Christ's death and, rising again — they would have been justified; that was the tendency. But in verse 19, we have the positive result. "By the obedience of one shall [the] many [those who have to do with Him] be made righteous." Headship, first of Adam, then of Christ, is the great truth brought out here. "Justification of life" is the actual condition of a Christian. The life he now possesses is the life of Christ risen. And as there cannot be a question against Christ risen, so there cannot be one against the Christian.

A very little consideration will show that the translation of this scripture in our version cannot be accepted. Taking the latter clause as it stands, it would imply the salvation of all men, which manifestly is not the teaching of Scripture. The error of the rendering lies in the preposition "upon," which is given as the equivalent of the Greek word eis. There is no justification whatever for such a rendering, for the word means "into," "unto," "towards," etc., according to its connection; and there can be no doubt from its usage that "towards" would most nearly express in this place the sense of the original, that is, the mind of the Spirit. Thus read, the meaning is entirely changed. It will then run (we quote from the New Translation), "So then as [it was] by one offence towards all men to condemnation, so by one righteousness towards all men for justification of life."* Now then for the interpretation. First of all, it will be observed that the contrast is drawn between Adam's sin, "the offence of one," and "the accomplished subsisting righteousness" of Christ, together with the effect, or rather bearing, of each. The "offence" of Adam stretched out in its bearing towards all men for condemnation, inasmuch as all men came under the consequences of his fall. The righteousness of One (Christ), on the other hand, extended towards all men, in that the gospel which proclaimed it was to be preached to every creature under heaven. (Col. 1:23.) Whether souls came under its benefit and blessing depended upon another thing; viz., whether the glad tidings were received. We thus read, in chap. 3, that "the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ (is) unto (eis) all and upon (epi) all them that believe." While therefore the righteousness of One is "towards" all, it is only those that believe who receive justification of life, that justification which believers possess in virtue of having life in Him who is risen from the dead, a life which is out of and beyond death, and hence a life to which no condemnation could ever attach. (Chap. 8:1-3.) The application of the truth contained in v. 18 follows in the next verse; and it will be noticed that instead of "all men," where the bearing or scope of the respective actions is spoken of, we have now "many," when it is a question of application. This is to teach that the consequences - condemnation, and justification of life, being constituted sinners or righteous - are limited to those, on the one hand, connected with Adam, and, on the other hand, to those connected with Christ. Through birth into this world we are linked with Adam, and through faith we are associated with Christ, and then no longer under the penal consequences of Adam's offence.

The contrast now is only that necessarily involved in the two heads that are before us; although in the statement of the general bearing of accomplished righteousness "all men" have not the same relation to the Second that they had to the first. This is of them, however, and not of Him; the express purpose of what is said here being to show that it is not from any lack of sufficiency for all that the effect of the work of recovery does not reach to the full extent of the fall. God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), and therefore could not leave any without provision made: "as by one offence (the bearing) towards all men was to condemnation, thus also through one accomplished righteousness (the bearing) toward all men is to justification of life." Besides the universal aspect, there is only the last expression that is new. "Justification of life" is not found anywhere else in Scripture, and in itself it may have more than one significance. What is commonly understood by it is "justification to life," — a clearing from charge which entitles the justified man to life instead of the death that would have been his due. This is not unfitted to stand over against condemnation also, though justification alone would sufficiently do this.

79 Again, "will have all men to be saved." No doubt thelei, but this is now in the day of salvation; 1 Tim. 2. It is all wholly a present thing. That Christ was a ransom for all, I believe. As to Romans 11, "that he might have mercy upon all" is, as he quotes it, the merest abuse of words. The Jews are come under mere mercy as Gentiles by rejecting Messiah and the promises. "That the world through him might be saved" it is too bad in the author to quote for his purpose, for that passage distinguishes believers as alone profiting, and the rest judged. "He is the propitiation … for the whole world." So He is. "The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." So He will. "That he might destroy the works of the devil." So He will; but all this proves nothing at all as to the rejection of rejectors. Destroying the works of the devil rather implies that the devil stays where he was, and that as a result "there shall be no more death," etc.; and then without are "the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars," who "shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death," Rev. 21:8. His quotation for universal salvation of John 6:37-39; chap. 12:32, is too bad. The first passage spoken of carefully teaches that only those will be saved whom the Father has given Him: look at verse 36, and indeed at the whole chapter. The other passage — "draw all men unto me" — is the present effect of the cross in contrast with a Messiah to the Jews.

Nor does this apply only to Israel. “For God so loved the world.” This love is so marvelous that the beloved, only begotten Son of the Father was given by Him as a sacrifice for the sake of the whole world. Yet its value cannot be known by anyone who does not believe in Him: this applies only to “whoever believes on Him.” No-one (Jew or Gentile) is excluded except by his own unbelief. This is true as regards the kingdom of God: either one will be blessed in it by having eternal life, or he will perish in the tribulation, and for eternity. Of course it is also true as regards those who now have opportunity to receive Christ. Either they believe Him and have eternal life, or they shall perish eternally.

But the reason goes deeper. "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who desires that all men should be saved:" speaking now of His gracious willingness. Not His counsels but His nature rises before us. We must be blind if we fail to see that a great point in these epistles is the good and loving nature of God, that would have us look at all men without exception. It is another thing, how far the counsels of God work, how far the effectual work of His grace is applied; but nothing alters God's nature. And this is true both in the spirit of grace that becomes the saints, and also in their zealous care for the glory of God. Hence he says: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men." This is always the ground and character of the First and Second of Timothy. It is not the Father and His family; it is God and man. And it is not merely God as He once dealt with Israel, for then this Mediator was not. There was a promise, but the Mediator of grace was not come. But now, apart from the heavenly relations that are ours, and much that we know and enjoy by the Holy Ghost in our hearts here below, there is this that needs to be looked after and maintained, that is, the public character — if we may so speak — of the Christian, and that which belongs to him thus broadly before men. It is the testimony of God as a Saviour God, of a God that has to do with men. Accordingly He has revealed Himself in a Mediator. Thus he speaks of Him: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, the testimony in its own season. Whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not), a teacher of Gentiles in faith and truth."