22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 1 Corinthians 15:22-24 (LSB)
“Christian Universalists” say that God would not send people to burn in Hell for eternity. What is their basis for this? They misquote passages such as the one I placed at the top of this post saying that “all’ and “all’ means all people. The basis for taking this stand is this, “I reject that God will send all unbelievers to burn in Hell eternally!” Really?…
On what are you basing that? It sure cannot be Sacred Scripture unless you are one who takes a little from here and a little from there and ignores context and the rest of it that states the very opposite.
Let us unpack 1 Corinthians 15:3-28.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that, He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 1 Corinthians 15:3-11 (LSB)
This is a summary by Paul to the Corinthians of how the Gospel came to them. Some at Corinth were denying that Christ rose from the dead. Here Paul is addressing this heresy by starting with how the Corinthians came to believe when he planted the church there. Christ died for the sins of those who believe, who are the elect. This is the “our” in v3. This word in Greek simply refers to “us” or “our company of people.” This is the elect, not all people. He died, but He rose from the dead. Why is this important?