Question
Hi Brad,
How convinced are you that Jesus will ultimately redeem everyone and that no one with a clear eye would turn him down on that offer? Is it like 99.99%?
Response
That’s an interesting question and just a bit more complicated than you might think.
First, I could say that I am 100% positive that the New Testament, including Jesus, foresees ultimate redemption and says so unambiguously. Texts such as, “I shall draw all people to myself,” “Every knee will bow in heaven, earth, under the earth,” “As in Adam, all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive,” and “He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to eternal life,” etc., are just a sampling of between 30-50 such declarations in the New Testament.
Second, I could say that I am 100% positive that when “Every eye shall see him,” with healed eyes and restored wills to respond freely without the current lies of the world, flesh or devil impairing our restored natural longing for the Good (for ourselves), then everyone will freely reciprocate in response to his infinite beauty and love.
So far, so good, but…
Third, I also feel at peace thinking, “If I am wrong in these convictions, and I could be, I am pretty sure this is still a better, healthier, more fruitful perspective when I live it than any alternative I know. So, in good faith, until further notice, I will live as if the above convictions are true, because, well… what else can I do? And it helps that living as if they are true makes me a better human being in this world.” In other words, if I have doubts, those doubts are about me. I do not imagine that my convictions are infallible and so I have some healthy doubts about what I can know … I am at peace living with those doubts.
Finally, I’m not as sure as God is. I love that God has said this, and I believe that God believes it:
“I declare the END from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose WILL stand, and ALL My good pleasure I WILL accomplish” (Isaiah 46:10).