Jonathan has responded to my initial post and I would like to thank him here for his irenic and thoughtful post. Many times, in discussions/debates on the issue of God’s all-encompassing love, I get a less than charitable response to my hope in Universal Restoration. I think that Jonathan and I could have a number of good discussions over coffee inasmuch as we are both from a Calvinist background. I have come to appreciate this good brother who does so much for our parish.

In the last two points of his refutation of the heresy of Calvinism, Jonathan writes:

(E) Energetic Cooperation: A person’s salvation involves the synergy (co-operation) of God’s divine energy with human free will, since we can do nothing without God’s grace (John 15:5), and He does not save those who are unwilling to cooperate with Him (Matthew 23:37, Philippians 2:12-13).

(T) Total Redemption: Christ died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2)–not only for the elect–and to free the entire creation from corruption (Romans 8:19-23). All persons–both the righteous and the wicked (John 5:25-29)–will experience resurrection in Jesus Christ. God loves and will reign over every one of His creatures without exception (Wisdom 11:24, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, Philippians 2:5-11), even though the unrepentant wicked will experience eternal shame rather than the glory of the saints (Daniel 12:2-3).

To this, I would respond by referring to the following verses from Romans 5:

Romans 5: 18 “So, then, as through one offence to all men it is to condemnation, so also through one declaration of ‘Righteous’ it is to all men to justification of life; 19 or as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners: so also through the obedience of the one, shall the many be constituted righteous.”

Our condemnation and separation from God was a monergistic act, the “one offence” which affected all who would ever be born. The human race had no input whatsoever. One person, Adam, who was the covenant head over the human family, acted on behalf of all, according to what we see in verse 18. Therefore, I believe it is entirely justified to insist that in the same manner, one Man acted in behalf of all unto justification of life. This is clearly said in verse 18. Verse 19 states the same thing, speaking of the condemnation of “the many” (πολύς “polys“) ¹ by the action of one man, and the many being constituted righteous by the obedience of one Man. These verses, along with the teaching of Orthodoxy that all shall be resurrected from death, appear to constitute a monergistic salvation which Christ alone accomplishes.

As for God not willing to save those who are not willing to cooperate with Him, this leads to several questions: who is that sinner who is ever willing to cooperate with God? I know that I most certainly was not. I RAN from God, made fun of Christians, hated the Christian faith, had no use for the Bible or church, and in every way, served sin whole-heartedly. If being willing to cooperate with God is a criteria of salvation, no one would ever be saved. We are all of that bent. It is the inheritance of death given to us from Adam. Therefore, the second question becomes – since God does work with obstinate and obdurate sinners in this lifetime, where does it say that after death He ceases to call the wicked to repentance? Oh, I’ve seen some of the arguments against post-death repentance, especially that of Thomas Aquinas, and I find them severely wanting for several reasons, not the least of which are our prayers for the departed.

And this is what I get into another question. I have been told that after death, the soul goes to one of two waiting places, either a place of peace and joy reserved for those who will be finally saved at the Last Judgment, or a place of sorrow and regret, where the souls await the Judgment of Condemnation. And these places are fixed. Where you go is the evidence of where you will finally be. If this is the case, then WHY am I praying for the salvation of my deceased parents and relatives, none of whom exhibited the slightest interest in Christ or His Church? Their final existence is, according to this teaching, is set. Prayers for them would seem to be superfluous and a waste of time. One would have to say that if this is true, God turns His back on them, His love dries up, and He abandons them to their chosen destiny.

This whole idea of a waiting place where the souls are even now, waiting the Last Judgment, has absolutely no basis in any scripture. It is a fabrication, just like the Ariel Toll Houses, which some Orthodox believers insist I musts believe in if I am to be truly a faithful Orthodox believer. We can debate this until the sun goes down, but ultimately, there is no definitive statement you can find regarding the afterlife and the soul’s destination. Certainly nothing in the Sacred Scriptures, which writings the Orthodox faith says are the foundation of our faith. What I do find are indications of Universal Restoration. These must be found in the original Greek language of the Scriptures and not the horrendously mangled Latin translations, which are the foundation of all Western Bible translations such as the KJV and the Douay-Rheims. It seems that whenever the word “fire” is mentioned in the Bible, the majority of people reading the text immediately think of this fabrication called “hell.” They fail to consider the other verses in Scripture which speak of the cleansing nature of fire, of how the Bible speaks of the smelting nature of fire and its ability to cleanse of impurity.

The indications I find in the Bible have to do with God having mercy on all. ² Not a couple, a few, or “the elect,” but all. They speak of the punishments for sin coming to an end. ³ Christ warned that at the end of the age, the wicked would be cast into a smelting furnace ⁴ I do not see “hell” in the Bible anywhere in the original Greek.⁵

I think I’ve said enough on this. I reject Calvinism and everything it stands for. If a Calvinist preaches anything orthodox, he got it, ironically enough, from the very Roman Catholic church which his founder abandoned. Jonathan says that our pastor has stated that it is acceptable to have hope that God will save all. That teaching, which began in the first years of the Christian faith, gives hope, peace, and joy.

1. We know that it wasn’t just “many” who were made sinners, but all individuals. Thus, we must insist that “the many” here really means “all.” I have read that the Greek word “polys” carries the meaning of a great multitude, which could indeed mean all. But there is no man who is born outside of death and separation from God, therefore, the meaning must be all. ↩︎
2. Romans 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. ↩︎
3. Matthew 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. ↩︎
4. Matthew 13: 49; So shall it be at the end of the age: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (The furnace is κάμινος kaminos and it is specifically a smelting furnace for purification) ↩︎
5. Hades is not hell. Gehenna is not hell. Oh, some people have tried to make those words to mean hell over the centuries, and have convinced a large majority of people that Jesus really meant a place of eternal, burning judgment when he used those words – but I’m not buying it. That is not the meaning of those words. ↩︎