Love's Final Victory / Ultimate Universal Salvation on the Basis of Scripture and Reason

by Horatio

When we think of the divine union of love, wisdom and power in God, it is not hard to believe that they will finally triumph. If God in His divine wisdom knows how to act, and divine power enables Him to act, and divine love impels Him to act, it is reasonable to forecast the ultimate holiness and happiness of all intelligences.

We are accustomed to say, and we often see it, that God brings good out of evil. The ultimate abolition of all sin, and the universal triumph of goodness, are but an expansion of the same principle.

We have also to remember that sin in any form is an abnormal condition of the universe. It is not reasonable to think that abnormal conditions will prevail for ever.

There are some who believe that God is so unchangeable that He must necessarily be happy under all conditions. Such are not the representations of Scripture; and though they are but representations, we believe they are agreeable with the fact. Besides; that is not true of our selves; and we know that we are created in the divine image. Now if sin is a disturbing factor of divine happiness, it is reasonable to think that it will finally be done away.

There is no constituent of character that brings so much happiness as love. As God really is love, He is the infinitely happy one. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that divine love will ultimately have its happiest expression; and that will involve the abolition of all sin.

Wrath is no constituent of the divine character; but a potentiality only. If God is to be supremely happy there will finally be no sin to call forth his wrath, for wrath is a disturber of happiness.

So long as God is just, He must punish sin. But punishment is His strange work; it does not directly minister to happiness; therefore it is reasonable to think that sin that calls for punishment will be done away. Besides; Christ bore the penalty of all sin; infinite justice demands no more, any further infliction of suffering is intended only for discipline.

When the angels came to earth on the occasion of the Saviour's birth, they said that they brought good tidings of great joy to all people. But millions and millions of people passed away from earth without hearing the good tidings. Then they must hear the good tidings in the life beyond. But if they are consigned to eternal torment, there are no good tidings for them. And if they are extinct they can hear no tidings, either good or bad. What remains but that the good tidings that did not reach them here will be conveyed to them there? It is likely that the angels knew the scope of their message, and that the conveyance of that message to those on the other side of time, was no more difficult or abnormal than to us on this side.

Then, what about those whom we have known whose spiritual condition was doubtful when they passed away? Is it not extremely likely that God has some way of developing what is good in them, and casting out what is evil? We feel that just at present they would be out of place in either world. Is it not reasonable to think of some intermediate stage of preparation?

Besides; from what we know of the divine method of procedure, it does not seem likely that He would thrust a frail human spirit into the blinding glory of heaven all at once. We are used to gradual changes; they suit us better. An infant newly born is not conscious at first that any radical change in its life has occurred; but it accommodates itself easily and naturally to its new life. And so it would seem uncongenial to us to be thrust at once into the excellent glory. A stage of preparation—be it long or short—would seem to be desirable and necessary. And if it is desirable and necessary, it is provided.