For most of “church history,” the majority of Christians have
believed that most people will never
be saved by God. However, if there are some people who will never be saved by
God, then logic dictates that it was because God was either unable or unwilling to save them. That is, God’s failure to save certain
people could only be due to his inability
or his unwillingness to save them. There
are no other possible options.
Now, Christian thinkers have, over the centuries, debated which
of these two options should be understood as providing the best and ultimate
explanation for why most people will never be saved. But regardless of which
side of the fence a Christian lands on in this ongoing debate (or whether they
choose a side at all), the fact remains that a “God” who is either unable or unwilling to save certain people cannot be legitimately described
as the “Savior” of those whom he was either unable or unwilling to save. If I
fail to rescue someone from imminent, mortal danger, I cannot be legitimately
referred to as that person’s “savior” (and this would be the case irrespective
of whether my failure to save them was due to my inability or my unwillingness
to save them).
With these considerations in mind, let’s now consider the
following words that Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy:
“Faithful is the
saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this are we toiling and being
reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind,
especially of believers. These things be charging and teaching.” I Timothy 4:9-11
By virtue of what was
Paul able to refer to God as “the Saviour of all mankind, especially of
believers?” Well, we know why God can be called the Savior of believers. It’s because believers
will be saved by God. Paul would not (and could not) have
referred to God as the “Saviour” of believers if he didn’t think that believers
either had been, or would be, saved by God. Neither God nor Christ
can be considered the “Saviour” of anyone whom they will never, in fact, save.
Thus, the fact that God
is “the Saviour of all mankind” means
that all mankind shall be saved by
God.
This
outcome is in accord with the fact that, in 1 Tim. 2:4-6, we read that God “wills that all mankind be saved and come into a
realization of the truth,” and
that Christ “gave himself a correspondent ransom
for all.” The word translated “wills” in verse
4 (thelo) means just that – i.e., to form a
decision, choice or purpose. Since nothing can
prevent God from accomplishing what he wills (Job 42:2; Ps. 115:3; 135:6;
Isaiah 46:10; 55:11; Dan. 4:35; Rom. 9:15-20; Eph. 1:11), it logically follows
that God will accomplish the salvation of all mankind. The will of the Creator
will always prevail over, and could never be thwarted by, the will of the
creature. 1 Timothy 2:4 thus implies that dying in unbelief is no obstacle
whatsoever to anyone’s being ultimately saved by God.
Moreover, since everyone for whom Christ gave himself
a “correspondent ransom” will be ransomed as a result, it follows that God’s
will that all mankind be saved will be accomplished. Consider the following syllogism:
1. Everyone for whom Christ gave himself “a correspondent Ransom” will be ransomed as a result.
2. Everyone ransomed as a result of Christ’s death will be saved.
3. The “all” for whom we’re told Christ gave himself a ransom in 1 Timothy 2:6 will be saved.
Since the “all” for whom we’re told Christ gave himself
a ransom includes all mankind (1 Tim. 2:4-5), it follows that all mankind will be saved.
[Note: For a fuller defense of
this argument, see my
three-part series on Christ’s ransoming work (click here for the study)]
In accord with the fact that
Christ gave himself “a correspondent ransom for all,” Paul previously wrote in
his first letter to Timothy that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). Since all mankind are sinful (Rom.
3:23; 5:18-19), this verse implies that Christ came into the world to save all
mankind. And we know that Christ will accomplish what we’re told he came into
the world to do, for we’re told elsewhere that Christ not only came to do the
will of God (John 6:38; Heb. 10:7), but that God’s will “shall prosper in his
hand” (Isaiah 53:10). Christ is the chosen agent through whom God will
accomplish the salvation of all mankind.
Contrary
to what most Christians believe, God is not giving those for whom Christ died
the mere opportunity (or “chance”) to
be saved. Nor did Christ’s death merely make everyone’s salvation a possibility. God is not merely the
“possible” Savior of all mankind, or the “potential” Savior of all mankind. Rather,
because of Christ’s death for all, the sins of everyone for whom he died will ultimately be taken away, and will ultimately cease to be a source of
condemnation for them. For when Christ “died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3-4), he
died as a “sin offering” (2 Cor. 5:21; cf. Eph. 5:1-2) – i.e., a sacrifice
offered to God which has, as its purpose, the taking away (or elimination) of
the sins of those for whom it is offered (in fact, the very expression “Christ
died for our sins” communicates this truth). And insofar as a sin offering
is a sacrifice offered to God that results
in God’s ceasing to reckon the sins of those for whom the sacrifice is offered
to them, it follows that the sins of everyone for whom Christ died will
eventually be taken away and no longer reckoned to them by God. Everyone for
whom Christ died shall, therefore, be saved (which, again, is the very outcome
that we’re told God “wills” in 1 Tim. 2:4).
Eonian life: How God
is the Savior “especially of believers”
It should come as no surprise that most Christians have tried to make 1 Tim. 4:10 mean anything but what
the most natural and straightforward reading of Paul’s words communicate.
“Surely,” some Christians will argue, “Paul didn’t really mean
that God is actually the Savior
of all mankind.” And
yet, that’s exactly what Paul wrote. And not only that, but this fundamental
truth is among the things that Paul told Timothy to be “charging and teaching.”
Paul considered this truth to be that important.
But if God is “the Savior of all mankind” (and, according to
Paul, he is), then what did Paul mean when he called him the Savior “especially of
believers?” The Greek
term Paul used is “mal’ista.” To better
understand what Paul had in mind by his use of this term in 1 Tim. 4:10, it
would be helpful to consider other examples in which Paul used this term in his
letters.
In Galatians 6:10 we read, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let
us do good to all, especially to those who are of the
household of faith” (see also 1 Cor. 14:1; Phil 4:22; 1 Tim 5:8, 17; Titus
1:10 and Philemon 16). Was Paul saying that we are to “do good” to those who are
of “the household of faith” to the exclusion of all others?
Are we to do good to other believers only?
No. Paul was saying that we are to do good to all people, but that those who
are of “the household of faith” should come first. Although those
who are of “the household of faith” ought to be our first priority, we should
make the best of the opportunities God gives us to help everyone whom God places within our “sphere of influence.”
With this understanding of the term “especially” in place, it’s
evident that Paul was not saying that God is the Savior of believers only, or exclusively. That’s not what the term “especially” means (whether
in Greek or English). For God to be the Savior “especially of believers” simply
means that believers are God’s first priority with regard to salvation. But all mankind remain
within the sphere of God’s influence (which is unlimited in scope, embracing all people and all events), and if God were to fail to save unbelievers (and save
believers only), then he would not be
their Savior.
But how, exactly, is the salvation of believers to be understood
as distinct from the salvation of unbelievers (such that God can be considered
the Savior “especially of believers”)? In order to better understand this
important subject, let’s consider what Paul wrote concerning the salvation of
believers elsewhere in his first letter to Timothy.
In the Concordant Literal
New Testament (CLNT) translation of I Timothy 1:15-16, we read the
following:
“Faithful is the
saying, and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners, foremost of whom am I. But therefore was I shown mercy, that in
me, the foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a
pattern of those who are about to be
believing on Him for life eonian.”
Similarly, in Titus 1:1-3 we read:
“Paul, a slave of
God, yet an apostle of Jesus Christ, in accord with the faith of God's chosen, and a realization of the truth, which
accords with devoutness, in expectation of
life eonian, which God, Who does not lie, promises before times eonian, yet
manifests His word in its own eras by heralding, with which I was entrusted,
according to the injunction of God, our Saviour…”
For other references to “life
eonian” in Paul’s letters, see Rom. 5:21; 6:22-23; Gal. 6:8; 1 Tim. 6:12;
Titus 3:7. The expression translated “life eonian” in these and other verses is erroneously translated “eternal life” in the majority of Bibles (which, in comparison with
the CLNT and a few other versions, are less literal translations). To better
understand what Paul meant by “life eonian” here (and why this is a far more
accurate translation than “eternal life”), let’s consider Christ’s words in
Luke 18:24-30.
In the CLNT translation of this passage, we read the following:
Now Jesus,
perceiving him becoming sorrow-stricken, said, "How squeamishly shall
those having money be entering into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a
camel to be entering through the eye of a bodkin than for a rich man to be
entering into the kingdom of God." Now those hearing it said, "And
who can be saved?" Yet He said, "What is impossible with men is
possible with God." Now Peter said, "Lo! we, leaving our own, follow
Thee." Now He said to them, "Verily, I am saying to you that there is
no one who leaves house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children on
account of the kingdom of God, who may not by all means be getting back
manyfold in this era, and in the coming eon, life eonian."
The “kingdom of God” referred to in these verses is
the kingdom which, according to Hebrew prophecy, God will set up on the earth,
and over which the Messiah (as well as “the saints of the Most High”) shall be
reigning. See, for example, the prophecies concerning this kingdom found in
Dan. 2:34-35, 44; 7:13-14, 27. That the
“kingdom of God” of which Christ so frequently spoke during his earthly
ministry refers to the kingdom that will be given to him by God (and over which
he will be reigning after he has returned to earth) is further evident from
Matthew 16:28, 20:21 and 25:31 (cf. Luke 21:27-31).
Now, the Greek word translated “eonian” in v. 30 is
the adjective αἰώνιον (aiónion). It’s the same term that Paul
used in I Timothy 1:16 and Titus 1:2. Although (as noted earlier) this term is
typically translated “eternal” in most English Bibles, it is the
adjectival form of the Greek noun αἰών (aión). The noun aión simply means “age” or “eon,” and denotes a
relatively long but temporary measure of time of undefined/unspecified duration. We read, for example, of past eons (Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 10:11; Ephesians
3:9; Col 1:26, Hebrews 9:26), of a present
eon (Matthew 12:32; 13:40; 24:3; 1 Corinthians 2:6-8; Galatians 1:4),
and of future eons that
will follow the present eon (Mark 10:30; Matthew 12:32; 13:40; 24:3; Luke
18:30; Ephesians 1:21; 2:7; Jude 1:25).
It’s also clear from what is said
concerning the past eons that they are limited in number, for we read that
there was a time before the eons began (1 Corinthians 2:7; 2
Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2). And given that we also read of
the consummation of the eons (1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 9:26), we can reasonably conclude that the succession of eons revealed in Scripture
has an end. Thus, just as time was not always measured by eons in the past,
it’s evident that, at some point in the future, time will once again cease to
be measured by eons.
As the adjectival form of the noun aión, the term aiónios should be understood to mean “lasting
for (or belonging to) an eon, or eons.” See, for example, the definition of aiónios provided on the Perseus Greek Word
Study Tool (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=ai)w%2Fnios&la=greek). This being
the case, the term aiónios would be
better translated as “age-lasting” or “eonian” (as it is in the CLNT and other,
more literal translations of Scripture).
We can thus conclude that the “life eonian” that Christ had in view in Luke 18:30 is life that will be enjoyed during the “coming eon” of Christ’s reign that is being referred to here (i.e., the age, or eon, that will commence when Christ returns to earth and begins to reign). Paul had this future eon in view in Eph. 1:21, when he wrote that God had seated Christ “…among the celestials, up over every sovereignty and authority and power and lordship, and every name that is named, not only in this eon, but also in that which is impending…”
Significantly, both the noun aión and the adjective aiónios were
used by the Jewish authors of the Greek Scriptures – as well as by the Jewish
translators of the Septuagint (or LXX) – as the Greek equivalents of the single
Hebrew noun “olam.” This word was derived from the verb “alam” (which
means “to veil from sight” or “to conceal”), and denotes a long span of past,
present or future time of undefined (and thus “concealed”) duration – i.e., it
denotes one or more ages, or eons. The Brown-Driver-Briggs English and
Hebrew Lexicon, for example, defines “olam” as “long duration,
antiquity, futurity” (https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5769.htm). In accord with this definition, we read the
following in The Encyclopedia Dictionary of the Bible (p.
693):
“The Bible hardly speaks of eternity
in the philosophical sense of infinite duration without beginning or end. The
Hebrew word olam, which is used alone (Ps. 61:8; etc.) or with
various prepositions (Gn. 3:22; etc.) in contexts where it is traditionally
translated as “forever,” means in itself no more than “for an indefinitely long
period.”
For some examples in which olam was
used in the Hebrew Scriptures for things that most students of Scripture would
agree are not absolutely endless or “eternal” (and for which the words aión and aiónios were used as the Greek equivalents by
the translators of the LXX), see the following article: The Meaning of Aion in the NT. Since the idea of eternal duration isn’t inherent in the meaning
of the Hebrew word olam, the same can be said for the noun that was used in the
LXX and the New Testament as the Greek equivalent of this Hebrew word
(i.e., aión). And since the word aiónios
is simply the adjectival form of this Greek noun (and was also used in the LXX
and the New Testament as the Greek equivalent of olam), it can also be
understood as expressing the same basic idea as olam. That is, aiónios refers to an indefinitely long period of time
that is either past, present or future (and which thus pertains to one or more
“ages” or “eons”).
Further support for this understanding of aiónios is found in 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 1:2-3. In these verses, Paul
used the expression “before times eonian” (pro chronon aionion) to refer to the time when God
promised “life eonian” to believers, and gave us grace in Christ Jesus. In this
expression, the word “pro” means “before,” the word “chronon” means “times,”
and the word aionion means “eonian” (i.e., that which lasts for, or pertains
to, one or more eons). In accord with the meaning of these words, the
expression “pro chronon aionion” is translated in the CLNT as “before times
eonian.” In the ESV (English Standard Version) we read, “before the ages began”
(which is significant, since the word aiónios is usually translated “eternal” in
this version). According to either translation, it’s
evident that the duration of time to which the word aiónios was used by Paul to refer in
these verses cannot be understood as stretching back endlessly into the past.
Instead, the expression “pro
chronon aionion” refers to the time before the beginning of the ages, or eons,
that we find referred to elsewhere (and of which we’re told God is the King in
1 Tim. 1:17).
Just as it’s evident from these verses that the word aiónios does not refer to a span of time
stretching back endlessly into the past, so it’s evident from Romans 16:25-26
that the word doesn’t refer to a span of time stretching endlessly into the
future. Here is how these verses are translated in the ESV:
“Now to him who is able to strengthen
you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was
kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known
to all nations…”
The Greek expression translated as
“for long ages” in the ESV is “chronois aióniois” (with “chronois” meaning “times” and
“aióniois” meaning “eonian” or
“age-lasting”). As already noted, the ESV – like most mainstream Bibles – normally translates the word aiónios as “eternal.” The fact that it doesn’t
do so here is telling. The translators evidently realized that
it wouldn’t make any sense to translate aiónios as “eternal” here (for if the “long
ages” for which the “mystery” was “kept secret” were eternal in
duration, then the “mystery” would’ve never been “disclosed”). In the CLNT, the
expression “chronois aióniois” is more accurately translated
as “times eonian.” But the point that needs to be emphasized here is that, just as aiónios can’t be understood to mean “without
beginning” in Titus 1:2 or in 2 Tim. 1:9, so it can’t be understood to mean
“without end” in Rom. 16:25.
Some, of course, will be inclined to
believe that Paul’s usage of aiónios in Romans 16:25 must be understood as an “exception
to the rule” of how this word is normally used in the Greek Scriptures. But
there’s no reason to believe this that doesn’t involve begging the question. Paul
didn’t have to use the word aiónios in this verse if he didn’t think it was the best
word to use to communicate the idea that he wanted to communicate at this point
in his letter. The fact that Paul did use the word aiónios in this verse (and not some
other word or combination of words) indicates that he understood the word to be
inseparably connected with the “ages” or “eons” referred to elsewhere in
Scripture. Thus, rather than understanding Paul’s use of this word in Rom.
16:25 as some sort of “anomaly,” the student of Scripture should, instead,
allow Paul’s use of aiónios in this verse – as well as in 2 Tim. 1:9 and Titus
1:2 – to inform his or her understanding of what the word means.
Since the Greek word aiónios should best be understood as a reference to the duration
of one or more of the “ages” or “eons” of which we’re told God is the King (1 Tim. 1:17), it follows that the English words “eternal” and “everlasting” are not,
in fact, the most accurate and literal translations of the Greek
adjective aiónios. For the
adjective “eternal” corresponds to the noun “eternity” rather than to the nouns
“age” or “eon” (and “eternal” or “everlasting” duration is not an
idea that’s inherent in the Greek word aión – at least, as the word is used in the
Greek Scriptures).
Significantly, there are a number of contemporary, evangelical Christian scholars who’ve acknowledged that the expression translated as “life eonian” in
Luke 18:30 and elsewhere (ζωὴν αἰώνιον, or zōēn aiónion) should be understood as denoting “the life of the age to come” (with the “age to come” being
the age that will, at Christ’s return to earth, succeed the present age).[1] This
is an important concession on the part of these
Christian scholars. If they’re correct (or even close to being correct)
concerning the meaning of the expression zōēn aiónion,
then it would follow that the English words “eternal” and “everlasting” are
not, in fact, accurate translations of the Greek adjective aiónios.
The adjective “eternal” corresponds to the noun “eternity” rather than the nouns
“age” or “eon” (and eternal or everlasting duration is not an
idea that is inherent in the word “age” or “eon”). Why, then, do so
many Christian scholars still maintain that “eternal” is a valid translation of
aiónios in Matthew 19:29 and elsewhere?
Answer: Most Christians have simply assumed that the “coming eon” or “age to
come” referred to by Christ in Luke 18:30 and elsewhere is a span of time that
will be endless in duration. And because they assume that the coming
eon will be “eternal” or “everlasting” in duration, they conclude that Christ was referring to a blessing
that pertains to “eternity.” However, this assumption concerning the duration of the coming
eon is inconsistent with the facts. We know from other verses that
there is more than one future eon that’s to come, and that Christ’s
reign will not be limited to the coming eon that’s in view in Luke 18:30 and
Eph. 1:21. Rather, Christ’s reign will continue beyond the next eon, and thus span more than one eon.
In support of this fact, let’s consider the words of
the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:32-33. In the CLNT translation of these verses we read:
“And the Lord God will
give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the
house of Jacob for the eons. And of his kingdom there shall be no
end.”
Most
translations of this verse use the expression “forever” here. However, the
Greek expression translated as “for the eons” in the above translation (“eis tous aiónas”) includes the plural form of the noun aión
(aiónas) – hence the use of the plural “eons” in the CLNT. The plural form of the
noun aión is also found in Ephesians 2:6-7, where
Paul wrote the following:
“[God] rouses us together
and seats us together among the celestials, in Christ Jesus, that, in the oncoming eons, He should be
displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ
Jesus.”
Earlier we quoted
Paul as referring the eon “which is impending” (Eph. 2:21). Here,
however, we find Paul referring to “the oncoming eons” (plural). The fact that here is more than one eon to come means that, just like the present eon (and the eons that are now past), the next eon – i.e., the first eon of Christ’s reign – will eventually be followed by yet another eon during which Christ will be reigning over the kingdom of God. And if another eon is going to succeed the eon that is to come (i.e., the eon which Christ referred to as “the coming eon” in Luke 18:30), then the commonly-held assumption among Christians that the “age to come” is going to be endless in duration is erroneous. An endless eon cannot be succeeded by yet another eon.
Thus, the “coming eon” (or “age to come”) referred to by Christ in Luke 18:30 will – like the eons preceding it – have both a beginning and an end. And based on the fact that we read of the conclusion, or consummation, of the eons elsewhere (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 9:26), we can reasonably conclude that the final eon of Christ’s reign will also eventually end. This means that the “life eonian” referred to by Christ in Luke 18:30 does not refer to a state of affairs that will be occurring in “eternity.” Instead, the blessing that Christ had in view pertains specifically to the eon to come – i.e., the first eon of Christ’s reign over the kingdom of God.
Although every other English translation
that I’ve checked correctly
translates the plural form of the noun aión as
“ages” in Eph. 2:7, the majority of these translations inconsistently translate the plural form of aión as “forever” in Luke 1:33
and elsewhere. This inconsistency should raise a red flag for the reader. It
suggests that, when it comes to certain terms that have far-reaching doctrinal
implications, something other than a commitment to translational accuracy and
consistency is guiding the translators of the more popular and “mainstream”
Bibles.
“For he must
be reigning until…”
In addition to being inferred from what we find
revealed in Scripture concerning the eons, the truth that Christ’s reign will
not continue endlessly is also clearly affirmed by Paul in 1 Cor. 15:22-28
(which, not coincidentally, is also a key passage in which we find the truth of
universal salvation affirmed). In this remarkable prophecy, we read the
following:
“For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall
all be vivified. Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon
those who are Christ's in His presence; thereafter the consummation,
whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He
should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power. For He must
be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. The
last enemy is being abolished: death. For He subjects all under His feet. Now
whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside
of Him Who subjects all to Him. Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him,
then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him,
that God may be All in all.”
According to what we read in this passage, there is coming a
time hen the
kingdom over which Christ shall be reigning “for the eons” is going to be given
up to God. In other words, the kingdom that is in view in verse 24 will be
under Christ’s authority only up to a certain point. When the kingdom is given
up to the Father, it will cease to be Christ’s, and will belong solely to the
One from whom Christ originally received it.
That the kingdom will not always be under Christ’s reign is
further confirmed from verse 25, where we read that Christ is going to
reign “until” he places all of his enemies under his feet (with the last
enemy being death). The word translated “until” here (ach’ri) means, “to a
given limit.” Paul’s use of this word not only confirms that Christ’s reign is
temporary (which verse 24 also makes clear), but it reveals that the placing of
Christ’s enemies under his feet is the goal of his reign. When
this goal is reached, there will no longer be any need for Christ to continue
reigning, and his reign will, consequently, end (hence the use of the word
“until”).
Since death is “the last enemy” to be abolished
by Christ during his reign, it follows that the end of Christ’s reign –
referred to in v. 24 – comes after death has been abolished (which is to occur
through the vivification of every last member of humanity). After the destruction
of death, Christ then “gives up the kingdom to his God and Father,” thereby
subjecting himself to God so that “God may be All in all.”
In light of everything said above, consider the
following argument:
1. In Luke 18:30, the Greek adjective aiónios (“eonian”) does not refer to a span of time that goes beyond the eons during which Christ
shall be reigning over the kingdom of God.
2. According to what Paul revealed in 1
Corinthians 15:22-28, Christ is not going to be reigning over the kingdom for
an endless duration of time (his reign is only “until” a certain point, at
which time he will give up the kingdom to his God and Father so that God may be
“All in all”).
3. Thus, the span of time expressed by the term
aiónios in Luke 18:30 cannot be endless in duration.
It should be emphasized that the argument above
is logically valid; if all the premises are true, then the conclusion must be
true as well. Thus, in order to avoid the conclusion, it must be shown that one
of the premises is faulty. However, if the argument is sound (and I’m convinced
that it is), then it follows that any translation of the term aiónios that expresses the idea of endless duration is inaccurate, and should be rejected
in favor of a translation that is consistent with the truth of the limited
duration of Christ’s reign over the kingdom of God (i.e., “eonian,”
“age-abiding” or “age-lasting”).
So how is God the Savior “especially of believers?” Answer: Believers are going to be saved by God before everyone else. We’re
going to be vivified in Christ to enjoy life (immortality) during the future
ages, or eons, of Christ’s reign (i.e., “the oncoming eons” referred to in Eph.
2:7). It is this that Christ and Paul had in mind when they referred to the
salvation of believers as “life eonian.” But this earlier, special salvation of
believers does not in any way diminish or subtract from the salvation that the
rest of mankind is certain to receive from God at a later time (i.e., at the
consummation, when death is abolished, all are subjected to
Christ, and God becomes “All in all”). For an examination of more passages in
which the truth of universal salvation is clearly affirmed by Paul, see the very first article I posted on my blog.
Some have mistakenly believed that the expression “life eonian”
places a limit on how long believers
will be alive in the future. However, that’s not at all the case. In the
expression ”life eonian,” the term “eonian” simply puts the emphasis and focus
on the fact that believers will get to live during the coming eons of Christ’s
reign. It doesn’t imply that believers will cease to live after these eons have ended (for when the eons of Christ’s reign
have ended, death will have been abolished, and all people will be immortal). Since the adjective aiónios pertains to one or more of the
eons, it follows that anything that continues to exist or occur after the
eons have ended will simply cease to be “eonian.” When time is no longer
measured by eons, the adjective “eonian” will cease to be an accurate way to
describe anything. For example, we know that God will always exist. However, when
the eons through which God is operating and over which he is ruling have ended,
he will cease to be the “eonian God” (Rom. 16:26) and the “king of the eons” (1
Tim. 1:17). The same can be said for the “life eonian” that will be enjoyed by
believers. Our life will cease to be an “eonian” blessing after the eons of Christ’s
reign have ended, but it will in no way be limited to these eons. Rather, our
life (as with the kingdom after it has been given up to God) will continue beyond
the eons of Christ’s reign, without end.
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here for part two: http://thathappyexpectation.blogspot.com/2019/12/1-timothy-410-vs-christian-doctrine-of_17.html
[1] See, for example, C.H. Dodd, The
Interpretation of the First Gospel, pp. 144-50; George Eldon
Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, pp. 290-292; J.I.
Packer, "The Problem of Eternal Punishment," Crux XXVI.3,
September 1990, 23; "Evangelical Annihilationism in Review," Reformation
& Revival, Volume 6, Number 2 - Spring 1997; John Painter, 1, 2
and 3 John (Sacra Pagina), p. 195; Alan Richardson, An
Introduction to the Theology of the New Testament, pp.73-74; John G.
Stackhouse, Jr. "Jesus Christ," The Oxford Handbook of
Evangelical Theology, p. 151; N.T. Wright, Romans, p. 530.
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