Infinite Grace, Chapter Four, What About The Penalty For Sin?
Introduction to Infinite
Grace
I want to make a very
bold statement to you and after I do I will explain how I came to understand the
truth of it. The outcome of Infinite Grace will come to pass when death is
swallowed up in victory. The apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:26,
"The last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death."
What death is he talking about? Is it the first death, or the second
death? Is God able to destroy the first death and not the second death? The
Bible says, "The wages of sin is death!" Is it the "wages of
sin" that is to be destroyed?
There are three destinies of the wicked taught in the Bible. At least
this is so if the various, respective verses are taken as they read in the King
James and some of the other versions. No wonder some people believe in eternal
torment! It is clearly taught in the Bible! And also the doctrine of
extermination is also "in the Bible," because I have read it there,
over and over! Upon taking a closer look I became aware that while apparently
not quite so clearly, the Bible also teaches the ultimate salvation of all men.
For the last 2000 years, some men have believed that teaching as well! They had
called their belief "universalism," or "the restitution of all
things," or "final restoration." For the last century and a
quarter, those calling themselves "Universalists" have been quite
generally combined with Unitarians, which is a liberal, non-Trinitarian church
organization which now no longer affirms the inspiration and authority of
Scripture or even the blood of Christ for the sinner's salvation. Yet more
recently, some of those who believe that all men will ultimately be saved have
adopted the practice of calling their doctrine by the term
"reconciliation." They believe in an authoritative Bible, the
divinity of Christ, and a sacrificial atonement yet they also believe that all
men, eventually, will be reconciled to God. But which one of these teachings is
right?
It
will be well at the outset of our study to get the Biblical basis of this
subject clearly in mind, and to recognize that all three destinies of the
wicked are taught in the usual translations of the Bible. One set of verses
tells us that the wicked are to be tormented "for ever and ever";
another set just as clearly affirms that they are to be exterminated; yet still
a third set assures us they will all ultimately be saved. Of course, the
various conclusions which men draw from these respective texts cannot all be
right. Either there is some way to understand them all, and to interpret them
all correctly so they do not conflict with one another, or else hopeless confusion
will be inevitable.