My guess is this chapter, more than the previous ones, are where people conclude that Bell is a Universalist. I don’t think that’s a fair conclusion *from this chapter*, but I see why they may think that. Rob Bell asks the question in chapter 4, “Does God get what God wants?” I’ve long said that one reason I can’t believe in Calvin’s definition of “election” being for only those chosen while others are rejected is because God says He desires that all should be saved. If God can’t fulfill His own desires-If God actually creates a system (Calvin’s Election) that sabotages what God says He desires-then how can we have faith in His ability to fulfill the promise to grant us the desires of our heart? It has never made sense to me.
Rob Bell also presents what can be a very scary reality for those who have studied their denominations doctrine on these eschatalogical things but not done a lot of church history digging . . . the reality that devout Christians in different ages and at different times in history have held to a variety of end times scenarios. Certainly, in times past there was the expectation that many, if not MOST, people would be with God in the end! Yeshua’s words in the Gospels speak of people coming from the North, East, South and West, and He rejects the idea of fighting to get through a narrow gate, or of anyone being left out who wants to be there.
Bell presents a few ideas including that individuals can come to the Lord in this life or in the afterlife. That is consistent with a position held by many of the sages in ancient Israel. Bell pushes the envelope a bit by suggesting different end times, or not, for this to take place. I don’t believe that Scripture presents an unending option of coming and going from the Kingdom.
Bell also moves on to support a belief that God has given us free will and therefore we can choose to reject God. We can choose to not have relationship with Him. We can reject. God loves us enough to not make us be with Him forever if we really don’t want to be. But I believe, as it seems Bell does, that we have to really be committed to not being with God to not end up with Him. I do believe a lot more people are going to be there than many think-and that some won’t be there who might surprise people.
One thing I do believe Bell misses in this chapter is an understanding that in Hebraic thought “all” does not necessarily mean “every single last one.” It means “all who do.” So “all the earth will be saved” would mean “everyone who is at all inclined to be with God is going to be,” rather than, “Whether they want to or not every single person is.” Not understanding this word use can lead to a more universalist reading of the text than I believe is warranted. And I do believe that Scripture presents us with a judgment where some will still want nothing to do with God. But I do have to agree with Bell that, at the end of the day, we don’t know exactly what it will be like. Despite all the claims of post-death enlightenment from those who have come back to share, we do not have a clear and provable Truth about what happens after we die. The whole point of eschatology is that it is a study of what has yet to come-what will be at the end. So I can agree with Bell on this for sure:
“Whatever objections a person might have to this story, and there are many, one has to admit that it is fitting, proper, and Christian to long for it. We can be honest about the warped nature of the human heart, the freedom that love requires, and the destructive choices people make, and still envision God’s love to be bigger, stronger, and more compelling than all of that put together. To shun, censor, or ostracize someone for holding this belief is to fail to extend grace to each other in a discussion that has had plenty of room for varied perspectives for hundreds of years now.” (pg 111)
Ultimately, I am comfortable relying on God’s grace to be bigger than everything and if God chooses to let everyone into His Kingdom and take everyone with Him into eternity then I would rejoice in that and have no disappointment in me. And, if God honors the desire of those who insist to the end that they want nothing to do with Him then I trust fully that God is good and He knows what He is doing and it is not with any malice or lack of thought that He would allow the to go their own way. I don’t need someone to suffer so that I can feel more special; I don’t need someone to not get into the Kingdom so that I can find my place more secure. And some day, when we stand before the Lord, we’ll know His plan for certain. Until then it’s both speculation and a revelation about who we believe God to be-what we believe about Him and His character.
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