Eternity: Part 3

"Does God Get What God Wants?", Chapter 4 of Love Wins: Part 1

"Will all people be saved, or will God not get what God wants?" (Bell, Ch. 4*) Here, Bell presents two options, claiming in effect that either all will be saved or that God is not Sovereign. We know that God is Sovereign, so … all will be saved?

But are we really caught on the horns of a dilemma here, as Bell would have it? We will deal with the Scriptures Bell quotes to support his point later. Let us first deal with this dilemma. John 3:16-18, "For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God." (NET) Here, Jesus declares that He came to save the world, but that not all would be saved! So, the first part is answered.

Now, is there another option, or are we stuck with God not being Sovereign? After all, it says that "First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time. For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle – I am telling the truth; I am not lying – and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. So I want the men to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger or dispute." (1 Tim. 2:1-8, NET, bold added) If He can't accomplish this, doesn't it mean that He isn't strong enough?

Notice, the John 3:16-18 passage proclaims that those who are condemned are condemned based on their lack of belief.** The very next verses say, "Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God." (John 3:19-21, NET, bold added) Here, we see that those who are condemned are condemned based  on the following basis, they loved darkness rather than light, and they refused to come to the light! So, the invitation is to all, but not all respond. Note, nowhere in this passage does it say that God forces people to be saved. There is an aspect of free-will at work here. This does not violate God's Sovereignty, because people are not resisting God's power. When God gives someone a choice, it is a real choice. It does not violate God's Sovereignty for that person to choose.

So, while God "wants all people to be saved," this does not mean that God is causing all people to be saved. If this were the case, why not prevent Adam and Eve and everyone else from sinning in the first place? And, if God is not causing people to be saved, then it is possible that God won't get what He wants, i.e. all people to be saved. However, this does not mean that God's Sovereignty is limited in any way. This is not an issue of anyone resisting God's Sovereign Power. In this respect, God may not get what He wants, but it is not because of any failing in His Sovereignty.

Now, Bell says, "Does the magnificent, mighty, marvelous God fail in the end?" As was mentioned just above, this is not an issue of God's Sovereignty. So, while God may not get what He wants, this does not by any means mean that He will fail if all are not saved. Because the dilemma that Bell tried to force upon us has fallen apart, there is no problem here.

Now, Bell brings up Psalm 24, a Psalm extolling the Sovereignty of God. Specifically, he quotes Psalm 24:1, "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it," as he gives it. In the NET, it reads thus: "The Lord owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it." Now, this Scripture is wonderful support for the Sovereignty of God, but, as was showed above, the issue is not one of Sovereignty. So, this Scripture does not really support Bell's thesis. Next, Bell quotes Isaiah 45:18, or rather, part of it. "God 'did not create [the earth] to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited.'" Again, this is in a section extolling upon God's Sovereignty. Again, this is not an issue.

The third Scripture Bell brings up is from Acts 17. However, I am not sure why he would bring this one up, since Paul is quoting a pagan philosopher. Here is the quote, as Bell gives it, "in God 'we live and move and have our being'" (Acts 17:28).  But given just as this, what we have is Panentheism and not Christianity. In context, Paul is talking to philosophers in Athens (at the Areopagus). Again, God's Sovereignty is presented. More such Scriptures follow, but do not support Bell's point, because again, it was a false dilemma that he presented.

Bell quotes Psalm 65:2, "'all people will come' to God." In the NET it is given thus, "You hear prayers; all people approach you." Notice that this does not indicate that all will be saved. Bell quotes from Ezekiel 36:23, "The nations will know that I am the LORD."But just knowing that He is the LORD is not the same as being saved. As James says, "You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear." (James 2:19, NET) Here, the demons are not being saved, so just believing or knowing isn't enough. In fact, the passage in James is talking about the difference between a living faith and a dead faith. Just a few verses further on, James proclaims, "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (James 2:26, NET). So, not all faith is equal. Likewise, not all knowledge is equal.

Next, from Isaiah 52:10, "All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God." In the NET, this reads, "The Lord reveals his royal power in the sight of all the nations; the entire earth sees our God deliver." However, in context, this isn't speaking of the Salvation of the Nations. It is speaking rather of Israel. "In unison give a joyful shout, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord consoles his people; he protects Jerusalem" (Isaiah 52:9). Now, later in the chapter, Isaiah speaks of the Suffering Servant, who is the Messiah. In this, the Nations have a stake.

* I am using the Kindle version of the book, which doesn't have page number.

** I am giving a more Arminian response to this. Calvinists could respond to this by saying that all such Scripture promises are written to and only refer to the Elect, and are not actually promised to anyone else.

A Lesser Son of the King

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