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As someone who has come to accept the Biblical view of Universal Reconciliation, I need to respond to a common question I get from people which is: \u201cHow can bad people go to Heaven?\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not an easy question to answer, but there are 2 assumptions we need to correct off the bat: First, that there will be any \u201cbad people\u201d in Heaven. That\u2019s not to say that those \u201cbad people\u201d won\u2019t eventually enter into the eternal loving presence of God. What I mean is, those people won\u2019t be \u201cbad people\u201d, they\u2019ll be transformed, renewed, and restored to their original innocence having gone through the process of \u201cpassing through the fire\u201d [which is a metaphor, not actual flame].<\/p>\n
In other words, we won\u2019t be who we became over time on earth. We will be who we were when we were innocent, blameless and vulnerable; like the children we were before anyone twisted us into something capable of doing \u201cbad\u201d things.<\/p>\n
What we read in the New Testament is that God is committed to restoring His children. He says he has come to \u201cmake all things new\u201d and that includes [of course], us.<\/p>\n
We also read that \u201ceveryone will be salted with fire,\u201d as Jesus tells us in Mark 9:49, and that all those who pass through the fire \u201cwill be saved\u201d as Paul explains in 1 Cor. 3:15.<\/p>\n
This doctrine also rests on how the author of Hebrews describes the purpose of God\u2019s discipline for us: It\u2019s never to destroy us, nor is it ever to torture us [because God is a Good Father], but it always serves to\u00a0but God disciplines us for our good, \u201cin order that we may share in His holiness\u201d<\/em> [Heb. 12:10] and the result is that \u201cit produces a harvest of righteousness and peace\u00a0for those who have been trained by it.\u201d<\/em> [Heb. 12:11]<\/span><\/p>\n So, those \u201cbad people\u201d who die will indeed face the judgement. They will absolutely \u201cpass through the fire\u201d \u2013 and so will you \u2013 but the purpose of that fire; the intention of that judgment is simply this: \u201cthat we may all share in His holiness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Apostle explains it this way:<\/p>\n \u201cSo, then, just as by one transgression unto condemnation for all human beings, so also by one act of righteousness unto rectification of life for all human beings; For just as by the heedlessness of the one man [Adam] the many were rendered\u00a0<\/em>sinners, so also by the obedience of the one [Jesus] the many will be rendered righteous.\u201d (Romans 5:18-19)<\/em><\/p>\n As New Testament Scholar David Bentley Hart says in his commentary regarding this verse:<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the context, one can tell what [Paul] is saying: that just as one transgression (or the transgression of one man) brought condemnation to all human beings, so by one rectifying act (or the rectifying act of one man) all human beings receive a rectification of life (meaning either a rectification of their lives, or a rectification imparted by the life of the risen Christ)\u2026the strict proportionality of the formulation, however, is quite clear, here and in the surrounding verses: just as the first sin brought condemnation and death to absolutely everyone, so Christ\u2019s act of righteousness brings righteousness and life to absolutely everyone. Whether intentional or not, the plain meaning of the verse is that of universal condemnation annulled by universal salvation.\u201d [The New Testament: A Translation, David Bentley Hart, pg. 297-298]<\/em><\/p>\n God\u2019s fire is what cleanses us and purifies us.<\/p>\n Are any without the Lord\u2019s discipline? Not according to Hebrews 12:8 which says that \u201cwe have all become partakers\u201d of God\u2019s discipline.<\/p>\n God, as revealed by Jesus, is our loving \u201cAbba\u201d who wants nothing more than to receive us in his open arms and prepare a feast for us to share.<\/p>\n He has not counted our sins against us. [See 2 Cor. 5:19]\n<\/p> He has reconciled all things to Himself. [2 Cor. 5:18]\n<\/p> He \u201cmakes all things new\u201d again, and that includes every single one of us. [See Rev. 21:5]\n<\/p> He calls to those outside the gates of Heaven and invites them to come inside and drink freely from the living waters. [Rev. 22:17]\n<\/p> Those gates \u201cwill never be shut\u201d\u00a0<\/em>night or day [See Rev 21:25]. His invitation is wide open, for as long as it takes, until every single person who thirsts can no longer resist the free waters of life that flow from His throne.<\/p>\n Truly, one day, \u201cevery knee will bow, and every tongue will gladly confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.\u201d [Phil. 2:10-11]\n<\/p> Now, sometimes people hear this and say that it just doesn\u2019t sound right to them because \u201cGod needs to punish evil\u201d, but this is no more than our human desire for revenge [which we soften into the word \u201cjustice\u201d].<\/p>\n For example, when I hear someone say this I usually respond with, \u201cOh, so you\u2019re saying you really hope that after you die God comes after you and punishes you for all of your sins?\u201d<\/p>\n They blink at me. \u201cNo, my sins are covered under the blood of Christ. I mean those other people who did really bad things. They\u2019re the ones who should suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n And right there we see behind the curtain. We want mercy and total forgiveness for our sins, but we want punishment and fire for the sins of others. We\u2019re totally comfortable with our sins being covered by the blood of the Lamb, but we\u2019re not comfortable if everyone else\u2019s sins are too.<\/p>\n Simply put, when we ask \u201chow can bad people be in heaven?\u201d we conveniently leave ourselves out of the \u201cbad people\u201d group. As if we\u2019ve been qualified to enter God\u2019s presence but everyone else needs to show some I.D. first.<\/p>\n That\u2019s one of the things that God will purge out of us when it\u2019s our turn to \u201cpass through the fire.\u201d We\u2019ll sincerely desire that everyone receives the same amazing grace and complete forgiveness that we have enjoyed. That may not be who we are now, but it will be who we are once we are in the presence of Christ made new from the inside-out.<\/p>\n The second assumption we need to correct is that anyone will \u201cgo to heaven\u201d because that implies that our eventual destination after we die is some wispy place in the mystical clouds where angels strum harps and billowy clouds surround us.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not how the Bible describes our eventual destination. What it says is that we will all live in the new earth and that the New Jerusalem will come from heaven to the earth. This is where we will live in the presence of Christ forever.<\/p>\n So, to put it more accurately: Only \u201cgood people\u201d will make it to paradise [if you want to call it that], but we shall all be changed and transformed into \u201cgood people\u201d by the consuming, purifying \u201cfire\u201d of God\u2019s Holy love and mercy.<\/p>\n For more on this, please read my book \u201cJesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment\u201d which is available on Kindle and in Print and on Audible\/Audiobook here><\/a><\/p>\n **<\/p>\n Keith Giles<\/strong>\u00a0and his wife, Wendy, work with\u00a0Peace Catalyst International<\/a>\u00a0to help build relationships between Christians and Muslims in El Paso, TX.\u00a0 Keith was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church over a decade ago to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today he is the author of several best-selling books, including\u00a0\u201cJesus Unexpected: Ending The End Times To Become The Second Coming\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>which is available now on Amazon.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As someone who has come to accept the Biblical view of Universal Reconciliation, I need to respond to a common question I get from people which is: \u201cHow can bad people go to Heaven?\u201d It\u2019s not an easy question to answer, but there are 2 assumptions we need to correct off the bat: First, that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3089,"featured_media":5992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,403],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gods-love","category-universalism"],"yoast_head":"\n