Why the gospel of the grace of God and the doctrine of “hell” are incompatible

According to what Paul wrote in Colossians 1:5-7, those who have heard and believed “the word of truth of the gospel” have “realized the grace of God in truth.” These words imply that the gospel with which Paul was entrusted makes known God’s grace. In accord with this fact, Paul referred to his gospel as “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), and referred to the “administration” that had been given to him for the sake of the gentiles as “the administration of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2).

After hearing Paul’s gospel, one’s coming to a realization of “the grace of God in truth” is inseparably connected with understanding and believing the message. And insofar as this is the case, a failure to realize “the grace of God in truth” when hearing the gospel of the grace of God means that one has not, in fact, believed it. But what, exactly, did Paul have in mind when he referred to the “the grace of God” that is realized “in truth” when one believes the gospel of the grace of God?

In order to understand what Paul had in mind here, it would be helpful to first review the actual elements of the gospel that was entrusted to Paul to herald among the nations. According to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, this gospel consists of the following two facts: (1) “that Christ died for our sins” and (2) “that He has been roused the third day.” The words “roused the third day” refer, of course, to the resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:12-16). But what does it mean for Christ to have “died for our sins?” Answer: This simple statement essentially means that Christ died so that our sins would be forgiven. That is, Christ died so that our sins would cease to be “reckoned” to us by God (and would thus cease to be a source of condemnation).

But for whose sins did Christ die? We know that whenever Paul or his fellow-laborers heralded the gospel of the grace of God, the expression “our sins” would’ve necessarily included the sins of every unbeliever to whom the gospel was proclaimed. We can therefore understand the words “our sins” as including the sins of all mankind (which would include the sins of all who have died without believing the gospel). Thus, to believe that Christ died for our sins is to believe that Christ died so that the sins of all mankind would be forgiven (and this includes the sins of all who die without believing the gospel).

This understanding is confirmed by what Paul wrote in Romans 5:15-19. Here is how these verses read in the Concordant Literal New Testament:

But not as the offense, thus also the grace. For if, by the offense of the one, the many died, much rather the grace of God and the gratuity in grace, which is of the One Man, Jesus Christ, to the many super-abounds.

And not as through one act of sinning is the gratuity. For, indeed, the judgment is out of one into condemnation, yet the grace is out of many offenses into a just award. For if, by the offense of the one, death reigns through the one, much rather, those obtaining the superabundance of grace and the gratuity of righteousness shall be reigning in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Consequently, then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one just award for all mankind for life’s justifying. For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just.

It should be noted that, in verses 15 and 19, both Adam and Christ are referred to as “the one” and “the one man,” and are both distinguished from another group of people who are referred to as “the many.” This makes the contrast that Paul was making in these verses a contrast between “one” and “many” (and not between “many” and “all,” as is sometimes supposed).

Moreover, the obedience of Christ to which Paul was referring in the last verse is the same obedience of which we read Philippians 2:8 (where Paul wrote that Christ became “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”). That is, Paul was referring to Christ’s death for our sins here. And this means that “the grace of God and the gratuity in grace” that we’re told “super-abounds” to “the many” is something that Christ procured by means of his death.

But who are “the many” from whom Adam and Christ are being distinguished in these verses? Answer: a comparison of verses 12 and 15 makes it clear that Paul used the expression “the many” (hoi polloi) as equivalent in meaning to “all mankind” (pantas anthrōpous):

Verse 12: “Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin death, and thus death passed through into all mankind, on which all sinned…”

Verse 15: “For if, by the offense of the one, the many died, much rather the grace of God and the gratuity in grace, which is of the One Man, Jesus Christ, to the many super-abounds.”

Just as the “one man” and “the one” are references to the same individual (i.e., Adam), so also “all mankind” and “the many” refer to the same group of people. In other words, those referred to as “the many” (and who are being distinguished from “the one”) in v. 15 include every human who has been negatively affected by the disobedience of Adam.

Moreover, since the “many” who died as a result of “the offense of the one” are the same “many” to whom we’re told God’s grace “super-abounds,” it follows that this same group of people (i.e., all mankind) will be obtaining the “superabundance of grace and the gratuity of righteousness” of which we read in v. 17. In the same way, since “the many” who we’re told were “constituted sinners” in v. 19 are identical with those referred to as “all mankind” in verses 12 and 18, it follows that this same group of people (i.e., all mankind) “shall be constituted just” because of Christ’s death on the cross.

In accord with the fact that everyone negatively affected by Adam’s sin is ultimately going to be justified because of Christ’s sacrificial death, we read the following in 1 Cor. 15:20-22:

Yet now Christ has been roused from among the dead, the Firstfruit of those who are reposing. For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified.”

To be vivified in Christ is to be made immortal (1 Cor. 15:53-55) and receive the same kind of body with which Christ was roused – i.e., an incorruptible, glorious, powerful and spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:42-44; Phil. 3:21). Thus, being vivified in Christ involves being permanently saved from the condemnation of which sinners are deserving (Rom. 1:32) and of which we’re told sin is the “wages” (Rom. 6:23).

Moreover, the parallelism of v. 22 indicates that the same individuals who are included within the first “all” are included within the second “all.” That is, the individuals referred to by the two uses of the word “all” are identical, and the scope of the first “all” thus determines the scope of the second “all.” And since the first “all” is comprised of all mankind (i.e., everyone into whom “death passed through,” according to Rom. 5:12), it necessarily follows that all mankind shall be vivified in Christ.

The blessing of being vivified in Christ is, therefore, in no way restricted to the relatively small number of humans who die as believers (and who are later referred to as “those who are Christ’s in his presence”). Rather, this future blessing embraces the same individuals who we’re told in Romans 5:12-19 were negatively affected by Adam’s sin, and who shall be justified as a result of Christ’s obedience.

The fact that all mankind shall be justified (and thus vivified in Christ) does not mean that all people have already been justified (or that all people are being justified now). Only believers – i.e., those who have believed the gospel of the grace of God – have been justified at the present time. However, since Christ died for the sins of all mankind, it remains the case that all mankind shall be justified (and thus saved from death).

But when will all mankind be justified and saved? Answer: At the end of Christ’s reign. After revealing that the same “all” who are dying in Adam shall be vivified in Christ, Paul went on to write the following in 1 Corinthians 15:23-28:

Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruits, 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.

The fact that Christ is eventually going to be “giving up the kingdom to his God and Father” means that he is eventually going to cease reigning over the kingdom. This is confirmed by Paul’s use of the word “until” in v. 25 (which expresses the idea that, when all of Christ’s enemies have been subjected to him, he will cease to reign). This same idea is also being expressed in the words, “then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him…” It is by giving up the kingdom to his God and Father that Christ becomes subjected to God. When this occurs, God will become the sole ruler of the future kingdom.

Notice, also, that the same term “subjected” in v. 28 is used in reference to both Christ and those who are to be subjected to Christ. Since Christ’s subjection to God will involve his becoming a subject of the kingdom that he’ll be giving up to God (and of which God will become the sole ruler), we can conclude that the “all” who are to be subjected to Christ will also be becoming subjects of this kingdom. This is confirmed by the fact that the “all” who will be subjected to Christ before he gives up the kingdom to God are the same “all” in whom God will be “All.” And since the “all” who are going to be subjected to Christ will include all mankind (and thus everyone who dies in unbelief), we can conclude that the “all” in whom God is going to be “All” will include all mankind (and thus everyone who dies in unbelief). We also know that, before God becomes “All in all,” death is going to be abolished by Christ, and all mankind are going to be vivified. We can therefore conclude that, when all people become subjects of the kingdom that Christ is going to be delivering up to God, all people will be justified.

Most Christians, of course, do not believe that Christ secured the salvation of every human being who has been negatively affected by the disobedience of Adam. Instead, it is commonly believed among Christians that the majority of the sinners for whom Christ died will never be saved (and that all unsaved sinners will remain forever “separated from God” in a place of unending torment). However, in addition to what has already been demonstrated in this article, there are several reasons why this commonly-held Christian belief is incompatible with the gospel of the grace of God. Consider the following:

1. Christ died as a sin-offering for all mankind

Elsewhere in his letters, Paul referred to Christ’s death using words and imagery derived from the sin offering (Rom. 3:24-25; 8:3; Eph. 5:1-2). Not only this, but in 2 Cor. 5:21 Paul explicitly stated that Christ was made a sin offering for our sakes. Moreover, the use of the preposition “for” (huper) in connection with the word “sins” occurs several times in the letter to the Hebrews in connection with the sin-offering (see Heb. 5:1, 3; 7:27; 9:7; 10:12). We can therefore conclude that the expression “Christ died for our sins” points to the fact that, when Christ died for us, he died as a sin-offering.

But what is a sin-offering? Answer: a sin-offering is a sacrifice offered to God that has, as its design and intended purpose, the elimination of the sins of those for whom the sacrifice is offered (such that the sins cease to be reckoned to the sinner by God, and thus cease to be a source of condemnation). It’s further evident that, when the work of the priest making the sin offering has been completed, the sin-offering secures the forgiveness of the sins of the one on whose behalf it was offered (see, for example, Lev. 4:26, 35; 5:10). 

It therefore follows that the sins of everyone for whom Christ died – which is all mankind – shall be eliminated as a source of condemnation, and that all mankind shall thus be justified and saved from the condemnation of death. Therefore, to believe that “Christ died for our sins” is to believe that, through his death, Christ secured the justification of all mankind, and that the sins of all mankind shall be (and not merely “may be”) eliminated/taken away. One cannot, therefore, believe that Christ died for our sins and not believe that everyone for whose sins Christ died shall be saved. To believe that only some sinners for whom Christ died will ultimately be saved means that one doesn’t believe that Christ died for our sins.

2. Christ gave himself a ransom for all mankind

The next consideration that supports the above understanding of what the words “Christ died for our sins” communicate is based on what Paul wrote in 1 Tim. 4:3-7. In these verses we read the following:

“God…wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all (the testimony in its own eras), for which I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the nations in knowledge and truth.”

The word “all” in the expression “ransom for all” refers to every member of the category of people who are in view. And according to the immediate context, the “all” for whom Christ gave himself a ransom is everyone who belongs to “mankind” (anthrōpos) – i.e., “all mankind” (v. 4). In other words, the “all” for whom Christ gave himself a ransom includes every human being who is in need of being saved (and whom we’re told God wills to save).

The word translated “correspondent Ransom” in verse 6 (or simply “ransom”) is antilutron, and denotes the payment by which someone’s release from captivity is secured. It thus follows that the salvation of everyone for whom Christ gave himself to God as a ransom – i.e., all mankind – was secured when Christ died on the cross in obedience to God. And this means that all mankind shall be saved and come into a realization of the truth.

3. Christ acquired the authority to save all mankind through his death

Another consideration that supports the above understanding of what we read in 1 Cor. 15:3 is what Paul wrote in Romans 14:9. In this verse we read the following:

“For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

According to what Paul revealed in this verse, Christ’s being “Lord both of the dead and of the living” is the reason why he “died and lived again.” And since every human being is either living or dead, it necessarily follows that Christ is Lord of the entire human race. And this, of course, includes everyone who has died (or who will die) in unbelief. And since Jesus’ God-given status as Lord involves having “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18), it means that, through his obedient death on the cross, Jesus acquired the power and authority to save every sinner for whose sins he died.

Although Scripture is clear that unjustified sinners will face divine judgment (with some being cast into the lake of fire and undergoing “the second death”), it is equally clear from Scripture that, through his obedience unto death, Christ acquired the authority to save all sinners. As Lord of the dead and the living, Christ can easily resurrect everyone who must undergo the second death, and subject them to himself by bringing them to a realization of the truth (and thereby transforming them into loyal, obedient servants of God). But will Christ actually use his God-given authority to save all mankind? Yes. The fact that Christ died for the sake of all mankind means that he is committed to saving all mankind (for Christ is necessarily committed to saving everyone for whose sake he died, and of whom he became Lord).

Objection: “There are some verses of Scripture that reveal that some people will never be saved.”

If there were any verses that revealed that some people will never be saved, then such verses would contradict the gospel of the grace of God. However, there is not a single verse of Scripture that, when better understood (and, in some cases, more accurately translated), can’t be harmonized with the truth of the gospel. For every verse appealed to in support of the commonly-held Christian doctrine of “hell,” I believe there is a grammatically valid and contextually-informed way of understanding it that is perfectly consistent with the truth of the gospel of the grace of God.

One example of a verse that is commonly thought to contradict the truth that everyone for whom Christ died is going to be saved is Matthew 25:46. Although most Bible versions have the expressions “eternal punishment” and “eternal life” in this verse, the Greek word translated “eternal” in such versions (i.e., aiónios) doesn’t actually mean “without end.” Instead, this word is the adjectival form of the noun aión (“eon” or “age”). As the adjectival form of a noun that means “eon” or “age,” aiónios always refers to one or more eons/ages (for a more in-depth defense of this point, click here for part two of my article on John 3:16). Instead of “eternal punishment” and “eternal life,” a more accurate translation of the Greek expressions found in the original text of Matthew 25:46 would be “eonian chastening” and “eonian life” (with the “eon” or “age” in view being that which Christ referred to elsewhere as “the eon to come” – i.e., the eon that will begin when Christ returns to earth).

Moreover, the immediate context in which these expressions occur indicates that the people whom Christ had in mind (and whom he figuratively referred to as “sheep” and “goats”) will be gentiles who will be alive on the earth after Christ has returned to earth and begun to reign from “the throne of his glory” (Matt. 25:31; cf. 24:30). The righteous “sheep” (i.e., those gentiles who show kindness to the persecuted Jewish saints during the time of “great affliction”) will receive an allotment in the geopolitical territory of the kingdom that will be established on the earth at this future time (see Ezekiel 47:21-23; cf. Isaiah 14:1-2; 61:5; Amos 9:11-15). In contrast, the wicked “goats” are gentiles who, because of their ill-treatment and neglect of God’s persecuted people, will be excluded from the geopolitical territory of the kingdom. These gentiles will comprise “the nations” whom the faithful saints among God’s covenant people will, during the eon to come, be “shepherding…with an iron club, as vessels of pottery are being crushed” (Rev. 2:26-27).

For a more in-depth examination of what the eonian destiny of the “goats” will involve, click here for part six of my study on Matthew 25:31-46.

Objection: “Only those who believe on the Lord Jesus before they die will be saved (Acts 16:30-31). Those who die in unbelief will never be saved.”

To believe on Christ is to believe the gospel concerning him. But we’re not told in Acts 16:30-31 (or anywhere else in Scripture) that those who don’t do this before they die will “never be saved.” Not only this, but – as has been demonstrated in this article – the gospel of the grace of God flatly contradicts the idea that those who die in unbelief will never be saved. To believe the gospel of the grace of God is to believe that Christ died for the sins of all mankind (which means that all mankind are going to be saved by virtue of Christ’s death). Moreover – and as I’ve argued in greater depth elsewhere (see, for example, “Therefore they could not believe”) – it is God alone who determines who believes on Christ and who doesn’t; thus, those who believe that only believers will be saved must also believe that God doesn’t will the salvation of all mankind. However, this view is explicitly contradicted by the inspired testimony of Paul.

Moreover, if only those who believe on Christ before they die will ever be saved, then it would follow that all who die as infants/young children (as well as adults who live and die without the mental capacity to believe) will never be saved. But I’ve never heard any Christian affirm or defend this view (even those Christians who claim that they can’t be “dogmatic” on the subject of the salvation of infants or mentally handicapped people seem entirely open to the possibility – and are in fact inclined to believe – that such people will, in fact, be saved by virtue of Christ’s redemptive work).

So, on the one hand, we’re assured by most Christians that the only way people can be “eternally saved” is through faith in Jesus Christ. On the other hand, it’s also commonly believed by Christians that a vast number of human beings who die without having ever believed the gospel will, in fact, be finally saved. However, for Christians to make any category of human beings an exception to the requirement that one must believe on Christ in this lifetime in order to be eternally saved is to completely undermine their position that only believers will be eternally saved. That is, the exception that most Christians are willing to make for infants/young children (and many mentally handicapped people) completely invalidates their belief that only those who have faith in Christ before they die will be saved.

Rather than affirming that only believers will be saved, Paul wrote that God is “the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers” (1 Tim. 4:10). God’s being the Savior of any group of people necessarily means that they will be saved (Eph. 5:23; Titus 1:3-4; 2:13); the salvation of those whom God wills to save is the very reason why God can be considered their Savior. And since the word “especially” in this verse doesn’t mean “exclusively” (click here for a more in-depth defense of this point), we can conclude that all mankind will be saved by God. Moreover, since Paul made a distinction between believers and the rest of “all mankind,” we can conclude that the rest of “all mankind” consists entirely of unbelievers. This means that all who die in unbelief will ultimately be saved by God (otherwise, God wouldn’t be “the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers”; he would instead be the Savior of believers only).

Thus, in addition to being contrary to the truth of the gospel, the view that only believers will be saved is contrary to the fact that God is the Savior of unbelievers as well as believers. God couldn’t be the Savior of all mankind if only those who die as believers will be saved by him.

Objection: “It’s ultimately our choice whether we’re saved or not. Even though God would like for everyone to be saved, God respects the choice of his human creatures. God is not going to save anyone against their will.”

This objection not only betrays a lack of faith in the gospel of the grace of God but it elevates the will of the creature over the will of the Creator, and makes the human will more effectual than the divine will. To see how this is so, we need only consider what, exactly, God’s will is with regard to mankind’s salvation.

In 1 Tim. 2:4, Paul wrote that God “wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth.” The Greek verb translated “wills” in this verse (theló) means to decide, intend or purpose something. Every other time that Paul used this word in his letters to refer to what God wills, he had in mind something that, by virtue of being willed by God, will certainly take place, or had already taken place (Rom. 9:18; 1 Cor. 4:19; 12:18; 15:38; Col. 1:25-26). In no instance did Paul ever use this word to refer to something that God would like to occur (or that God “hopes” or “wishes” will occur), but which will not ultimately take place. The will of the Creator will ultimately prevail over the will of the creature; whatever God intends to happen will happen. No one can successfully resist God when it’s his intention that something occur (Rom. 9:19).

God’s ability to save anyone he wills to save is completely unlimited. God is just as able to save people in the future as he is able to save people in the present. We also know that Christ came to do the will of his Father (John 6:38; Heb. 10:7), and that God’s will “shall prosper in [Christ’s] hand” (Isaiah 53:10). It thus follows that Christ will, without fail, accomplish what he came into the world do. And since the will of God with regard to the purpose for which we’re told Christ came into the world is that ”all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth,” it follows that Christ will ultimately use his God-given authority to save all mankind.

The idea that God can’t or doesn’t save people “against their will” is completely unscriptural. As was so clearly manifested in the dramatic calling of the apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-22), God can, through Christ, bring about the salvation of any of the sinners whom he wills to save without the sinner having to do or believe anything beforehand to “qualify” for his or her salvation. As was the case with Paul, no prior willingness on the part of those who are yet to be saved is required in order for Christ to save them and bring them to a realization of the truth. It is completely within Christ’s God-given power to bring about the circumstances in which even the most stubborn and hard-hearted of sinners are effectively brought to repentance and come into a realization of the truth.

Objection: “Even if Christ can save every unbeliever just like he saved Paul on the road to Damascus, the fact is that he hasn’t done this yet. And since Christ is clearly permitting people to remain unsaved now, couldn’t he also permit people to remain unsaved for all eternity?”

According to the flawed logic of this objection, it would be just as reasonable to believe that Christ will permit believers to remain sinful and mortal (and permit deceased believers to remain dead) simply because he’s presently permitting this imperfect state of affairs to continue. But that’s absurd. The fact that Christ is allowing an imperfect state of affairs to continue at this time doesn’t make it reasonable to believe that he will allow an imperfect state of affairs to continue forever.

Just as there is an infinite difference between the allowing of temporary evil and suffering by Christ and his allowing of endless evil and suffering, so there is an infinite difference between Christ’s permitting people to remain unsaved for a temporary duration of time and his permitting them to remain unsaved for an endless duration of time. Although the former is perfectly consistent with Christ’s commitment to carrying out God’s will to save all mankind (as well as consistent with his love for all sinners), the latter is not.

The fact is that Christ is not presently doing everything within his power to save all of the sinners for whom he died (and this includes completing the salvation of believers, for no believer has yet been made sinless and immortal). Although God wills that all mankind be saved, it’s not God’s will that everyone be saved now (or that everyone be saved all at once); the accomplishment of this divine plan is occurring in stages, and over a relatively long period of time.

Objection: “If everyone is ultimately going to be saved by God, then it makes no difference whether one believes the gospel or not. One could be cursing God and Jesus right before they die and they'd still be saved regardless!”

The first point that needs to be made here is that no sinner deserves to be saved. Both the believer and the unbeliever are equally dependent upon God's grace for salvation. Thus, the fact that those “cursing God and Jesus” don't deserve to be saved is no objection to the truth that they're ultimately going to be saved (and it should be noted that, when someone like this is finally saved, they'll no longer be the kind of person who would ignorantly curse God and Jesus).

Now, the above objection assumes that, if all unbelievers are eventually going to be saved (rather than “going to hell for all eternity”), then there would be no advantage or benefit to being a believer. However, such is not the case. Unlike those who live and die in unbelief, those whom God has chosen to become members of the body of Christ (and to whom he thus gives faith to believe the gospel) will enjoy the salvation of which Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:7-9. In these verses we find the salvation of believers described as follows:

“…yet God, being rich in mercy, because of His vast love with which He loves us (we also being dead to the offenses and the lusts), vivifies us together in Christ (in grace are you saved!) and 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. For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is God's approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.”

The “oncoming eons” to which Paul referred in this passage are the eons of Christ’s future reign (which will begin when Christ returns to earth to establish the kingdom of God, and will end at some point in the distant future). And the salvation that believers will be enjoying during these eons will involve being immortal during (and thus being alive for the entire duration of) this future time. This salvation – which is referred to elsewhere in Scripture as “life eonian” (Rom. 6:23; 1 Tim. 1:16; Titus 1:1-2; 3:4-7; cf. Luke 18:30; John 3:15-16; Acts 13:48) – is the salvation from which unbelievers will be excluded. It is in light of this truth concerning the salvation of believers that Paul could refer to God as “the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.” God is the Savior “especially of believers” because believers are being saved before the rest of mankind.

In addition to the above consideration, it should also be pointed out that the motivation for believing the gospel of the grace of God has nothing to do with what will or could happen if one doesn’t believe it. No one who has actually come to believe the gospel of the grace of God has done so based on a consideration of the risks of not believing it, or because it was thought to be in their best interests to believe. Instead, those who’ve come to believe the gospel of the grace of God have done so because God removed their spiritual blindness, dispelled the darkness in their hearts, and brought them to a realization of the truth (2 Cor. 4:3-6). Faith in the truth is the inevitable outcome of this work of God in a person’s heart; once God brings someone to a realization of the truth, it is simply not possible for them to remain in unbelief.

Conclusion

When one believes the gospel of the grace of God, one realizes the grace of God in truth. And as has been demonstrated in this article, realizing the grace of God in truth involves apprehending the truth that every sinner for whom Christ died (i.e., all mankind) is going to be saved. That is, by virtue of Christ’s death for the sake of sinners, the grace of God is going to superabound to the same number of people who were condemned and made sinners as a result of Adam’s disobedience. It can therefore be concluded that, despite their claims to the contrary, most Christians do not actually believe the gospel of the grace of God.