Compare Matthew 7:13-14, 8:10-12; 19:30; 22-23; 25:10-12, 41
I lean toward universalism. Not quite all the way, but close. And not in doctrine — I don’t teach it — but in hope.
I don’t know how things will ultimately end up. I hope that damnation for almost all will be temporary. A learning experience.
I’ve always been fond of a comment by Pope John Paul II. When asked once whether a Christian must believe in Hell, he responded, “Yes, but we can hope that it will be empty.”
As I say, I hope for universal salvation in the end. But I wouldn’t advise counting on it. The scriptures offer no real hope on this score, though they don’t altogether rule it out, as I read them. And the verses cited above are among the powerful reasons one might cite for not counting on it.
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