The Biblical Case for Universal Reconciliation

A Fair, Scripture-Based Look at Christian Universalism and the Limits of Its Biblical Support

What the Bible Actually Says About Hell, Part 6

*This is part 6 in a series of articles examining the Bible’s teaching on hell. If you have not read parts 1-3 (at least), I strongly suggest you do. There is important background information presented there, especially in part 1, regarding the various Hebrew and Greek words translated as “hell” in most English Bibles.*

Among Christian doctrines, few subjects provoke as much emotion and division as hell. Yet historically, the nature of hell (or rather, the purpose of God in sending people there) has not been treated as an essential doctrine of the faith. This does not mean the topic is unimportant; rather, it reflects the reality that faithful Christians have long disagreed about its nature. If Scripture offered unmistakable clarity on the subject, the church would already possess a unified position. Instead, multiple views have persisted across centuries, suggesting that God has left certain details unresolved.

One of these views is Universal Reconciliation (also called Christian Universalism), the belief that God will ultimately restore every person to Himself. While it is not the majority position held within the universal church, it is important to acknowledge that its supporters appeal to real biblical passages and longstanding theological traditions. Serious, Bible-believing Christians have held this view for centuries, including influential members of the early church. They affirm judgment, believe in hell, and confess Christ as the only mediator between God and humanity. Their disagreement with the two other main views of hell, Eternal Conscious Torment and Annihilationism, lies not in the reality or existence of hell, but rather in God’s purpose for sending people there.

Universal Reconciliation emphasizes God’s love in a heightened way. Scripture itself declares that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and proponents argue that this defining attribute must shape how judgment is understood. They ask whether God’s love fundamentally changes at death, and whether divine justice ultimately aims at restoration rather than permanent separation.

Humanity as God’s Offspring

Making the biblical case for Universal Reconciliation begins with understanding humanity’s relationship to God. While Scripture clearly teaches that people become children of God through faith in Christ (see John 1:9–13), there are passages that describe God as the father of humanity in a broader sense. In Malachi 2:10, the prophet asks, “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?” Likewise, in Acts 17:26–29, the Apostle Paul can be seen telling the Athenians that all people are God’s offspring: “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’”

For the proponent of Universal Reconciliation, these passages are frequently paired with Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son, which portrays a father who continues to love his child even during his child’s rebellion. Christian Universalists often point out that if God desires people to be saved up until the point of their physical death, what changes after they die? Does God stop loving them? Does His desire toward them fundamentally change? For them, the answer is “no.”

A Theological Dilemma and the Purpose of Hell

At the heart of Christian theology lies a dilemma that has existed for millennia: If God desires all people to be saved, why are some not saved? This quandary has been historically handled in two ways. Augustinians (Calvinists) believe that Christ only died for the elect, not for all of humanity. Thus, it is not actually God’s will to save everyone. For Synergists (Wesleyan/Arminians), the reason that not all people are saved is that some choose not to be. While God desires all people to be saved, he respects the free will choices of all. Ironically, both groups claim that the other group's beliefs are unbiblical. Calvinists argue that if God is sovereign, which Scripture clearly teaches, then His will must always come to pass. Arminians argue that Scripture clearly teaches it is God’s will to save all people, even though he doesn’t force anyone into his family. Some are lost because they choose to be.

For the Universalist, this dilemma is settled without having to choose between the biblical truths of God’s sovereignty and His desire to save all people. Since God desires to save all people, He will ultimately do just that. How will he accomplish this end, knowing that many people die in active rebellion against God and in full denial of His Son’s Lordship? By sending them to hell, where they will eventually be brought to repentance and reconciled to God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bECmjoL5q4

God’s Mercy Toward All and the Reconciliation of All Things

Supporters of Universal Reconciliation also point to the many verses describing God’s mercy as universal in scope. Romans 5:8 teaches that Christ died for sinners while they were still in rebellion. Psalm 103:8 and Psalm 145:8–9 describe the Lord as merciful, slow to anger, gracious, and compassionate, with tender mercies extending over all His works. Jonah 4:2 affirms God’s abundant lovingkindness, while Lamentations 3:31–33 teaches that God does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.

The New Testament continues this theme. Titus 2:11 says that the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. Romans 11:32 states that God has bound all to disobedience so that He may have mercy on all. First Corinthians 13:4–8 describes love as enduring and never failing. Jesus Himself teaches love toward enemies in Matthew 5:44–45 and Luke 6:35–36, grounding this command in the character of God, who is kind even to the ungrateful and evil. The Christian Universalist rightly asks: Why would God command us to love our enemies if He plans on tormenting or destroying His own?

Scripture also affirms God’s desire for universal salvation. First Timothy 2:3–4 states that God desires all people to be saved. Second Peter 3:9 explains that God is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to reach repentance. Ezekiel 18:23 records God asking whether He takes pleasure in the death of the wicked, emphasizing His desire for repentance and life instead. Along with this, Christ’s atoning work is described in universal terms in several key passages. First John 2:2 declares that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice not only for believers but also for the sins of the whole world. First Timothy 2:5–6 states that Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all.

This is why Universal Reconciliation draws heavily from passages that speak of Christ reconciling all things to God. Romans 5:18 teaches that just as Adam’s trespass brought condemnation to all, Christ’s righteous act brings justification and life to all. Colossians 1:19–20 states that God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself through the blood of Christ’s cross, whether on earth or in heaven. John 1:29 presents Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. First John 2:2 reiterates that Christ’s sacrifice extends to the whole world. Advocates of Universal Reconciliation argue that these texts mean precisely what they appear to say: that God’s redemptive purpose encompasses all creation, thus all creation will one day be reconciled to God.

Fire as Refinement Rather Than Final Destruction

As you can probably see by now, for the proponent of Universal Reconciliation, hell serves to restore what was once lost. It is a means of refinement. Another central argument concerns the biblical imagery of fire. While fire is associated with judgment, it is also repeatedly depicted as purifying.

First Corinthians 3:12–15 describes a future testing by fire in which a person’s wicked works are burned, yet the individual is saved “as through fire.” Hebrews 12:6 and 12:11 teach that God disciplines those He loves, producing righteousness. Malachi 3:2–3 portrays God as a refiner who purifies His people. Zechariah 13:9 and Isaiah 48:10 likewise speak of refinement through fire. Universalists interpret these passages to suggest that divine judgment is corrective rather than purely punitive. From this perspective, even the Lake of Fire is understood as a means of purification leading ultimately to restoration.

The Biblical Objections

Despite these arguments, significant biblical challenges remain. Scripture consistently warns of the destruction, perishing, and ultimate death of the wicked. Jesus warned in Matthew 10:28 that Gehenna (the Lake of Fire) is a place where souls are forever destroyed. Several passages in the New Testament discuss the eternal nature of the punishment that will one day be inflicted on those who reject God in this life (Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Moreover, many passages that seem to teach Universal Reconciliation, upon closer examination, contain explicit conditions attached to the salvation of those in view. Colossians 1:19–23, for example, connects ultimate reconciliation to God with “continuing in the faith.” Hebrews 12:6–14 emphasizes that discipline produces holiness only in those who submit to it. Philippians 2 instructs the believer to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

Furthermore, the Old Testament passages often cited by Universalists that deal with God refining his people are almost always directed toward Israel, not humanity as a whole. Malachi 3:2–3 makes clear that the refining fire purifies the sons of Levi, highlighting God’s covenant people rather than all nations indiscriminately. Additionally, the Book of Revelation continues to refer to the unsaved who are raised for the Final Judgment as “the dead,” distinguishing them from those who have been raised immortal. This suggests, to proponents of Eternal Conscious Torment and Annihilationism, that something fundamentally changes about the nature of a person at the point of death. Could this be the reason why people who reject salvation in this life won’t be able to accept it in the next? Could this be why Scripture repeatedly warns us about the reality of judgment and of not accepting God’s offer of salvation here and now?

Where the Tension Lies

At its core, Universal Reconciliation rests on two claims: that God desires to save everyone, and that God has the power to accomplish that desire. If both are taken without qualification, Universal Reconciliation logically follows.

However, the biblical witness also stresses human response, faith, repentance, and the sobering reality of judgment. For this reason, Universal Reconciliation does not appear to account adequately for the full scope of Scripture. While its emphasis on God’s mercy is compelling and justified, it ultimately minimizes the seriousness with which the Bible treats final accountability.

Pastoral Reflection

Discussions of hell are not merely academic. They concern real people, real lives, and real eternity. If studying these doctrines accomplishes anything, it should cultivate humility rather than pride, compassion rather than harshness, and patience rather than condemnation. Christians are called to hold convictions firmly while treating one another graciously.

Whatever one’s view of hell, several truths remain unmistakably clear: God loves the world. Christ died for sinners. Repentance matters. Faith matters. The gospel is genuinely good news. The same God who judges is also the God who wept over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-39). That reality should shape how these conversations are held—and how the church bears witness to a watching world.

The Biblical Case for Universal Reconciliation - What the Bible Actually Says About Hell, Part 6

Blake Barbera is the founder and Lead Teaching Minister at That You May Know Him. He has been teaching the Bible for more than two decades, and has served the Church in various capacities during that time, including as a missionary and pastor.

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