Posting 12 EVANGELICAL INCLUSIVISM IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
I have been justly faulted for advocating the premise of Evangelical Inclusivism strictly on the basis of New Testament considerations. I did not trust my grasp of the Hebrew language to convey the evidence that is found in the Old Testament for this concept. Therefore I was very pleased when Dutch writer Jan Bonda’s book The One Purpose of God (Eerdmans, 1998) appeared in English. Bonda’s book is a welcome supplement to much of what I have been attempting to say.
According to Bonda, the one purpose of God is to undo the havoc caused by the disobedience of the first Adam by means of the obedience of the second Adam (Jesus). Bonda presents a scholarly exposition of the book of Romans. This study is buttressed by the biblical portrait of salvation for “all persons” as depicted in the Psalms, the Prophets, and Historical books of the Old Testament. Whether or not one agrees with everything Bonda writes, it is impossible to escape Bonda’s proof for the fact that the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, teaches that "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22).
ALLOWS NO EXCEPTIONS
Listen to what Bonda says: "The evil that has been brought about by Adam extends to the whole of humanity, without any exception. And the salvation that Christ brings extends to the whole of humanity without any exception, comprising everyone, just as Adam's fall did" (Bonda, P. 107). “Without any exception” is a theme that runs throughout his book. It epitomizes what Bonda means by “The One Purpose of God.”
Although we can learn much about the Old Testament’s inclusive perspective regarding the plan of salvation from Bonda’s book, his repeated emphasis on “without any exception” is to be lamented. Bonda appears to have failed to recognize that the repeated Old Testament expressions concerning the final salvation of all mankind would still allow for the exceptions that are revealed in other portions of the Old as well as the New Testament. Here Bonda, together with many others, fails to appreciate the legitimate and necessary distinction between universal declarations and generalizations as considered in Posting 3.
SPECULATION ABOUT "THE GREATER HOPE"
Bonda’s emphasis on “without any exception” forces him to speculate about the possibility of “the greater hope.” This is the teaching that all of God’s judgments have a redemptive purpose. Therefore the hope (and for Bonda the certainty) that even the final judgment of God has as its purpose the restoration of all mankind in the life hereafter.
However, those who desire such a "greater hope," including Bonda, can do so only at the cost of giving up the far, far "greater hope" that is expressed in the familiar words of the hymn: "Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe." Jesus bore all the sins of all his people. The biblical evidence for this truth is so extensive that only a fraction of it can be cited here. "The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). "It is finished" (John 19:30). "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
To claim that for some of God’s elect there remains some payment for sin that must still be made after Jesus Christ accomplished his sacrifice is to demean the perfect work accomplished by Jesus on the cross. Think of all the testimony of Scripture that “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10) when we considered the reality of objective salvation (Posting 4).
Why would it be necessary for those whose sin was removed by Christ’s blood to continue to experience the consequence of their sin after their life upon earth? Was there something lacking in the offering Christ made “once for all” for man’s salvation? Is there something that those sinners must do or an attitude they must display before God can or will translate them to glory? If so, then the teaching of Scripture concerning salvation by sovereign grace is compromised.
ALLOWS SOME EXCEPTIONS
We already noted that throughout his book Bonda insists that these universal expressions allow for no exceptions. However, in the final analysis Bonda concedes that certain exceptions are possible: “Surely, that is possible. God is free to accept this 'NO' of that particular person as his final choice" (Bonda, P. 259). It appears that by this concession Bonda has abandoned his strict view that all the universal expressions of the Scriptures are “without exception.” Bonda can be identified as one who accepts the so-called “universalistic” texts as generalizations (see Posting 3).
Even without knowing the intricacies of the Hebrew language, one can detect certain broad outlines of the pattern of God's dealing with the children of men in the Old Testament. These are consistent with the premise of Evangelical Inclusivism that all persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares will be finally lost.
OLD TESTAMENT PATTERNS
God created man good and in a right relationship to himself. "God blessed them" (Gen. 1:28). This blessedness of knowing God and living in fellowship with him was not something conferred upon mankind in response to or merited by obedience. However, this blessedness would no longer be theirs if they willfully walked in disobedience. The blessing was unconditional; the judgment had to be earned. That is the premise of Evangelical Inclusivism.
An unconditional blessing was promised to the descendants of Abraham before they were born. "I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you" (Gen. 17:7). Abraham and his descendants would enjoy the unearned blessing and favor of God unless they refused to believe in him or to walk in obedience to him. The blessing was unconditional; the judgment was contingent upon man's action.
The commandments were not given to the children of Israel so that by keeping them they could merit God's favor. They already were God's adopted children when they received the commandments. "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son" (Hos. 11:1). They were the recipients of God's blessing. However, it was also true that if they willfully and finally refused to walk in accordance with God's revealed will, they would not experience his blessing.
God's favor at the time of creation, in the covenant with Abraham and in the affirmation of God's goodness to Israel, was not given on the basis of faith, obedience, holiness, or any other good quality in man as a cause or condition for those blessings. In light of this history, it is not surprising the good news is that in Christ all persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares will be finally lost. Salvation is by God's grace; condemnation never occurs apart from the sinner's willful, persistent, evil deeds (see Posting 2).
That God’s favor and blessing would extend far beyond those with whom God established his covenant (the nation of Israel) is the biblical theme developed in Walter Vogels’ book God’s Universal Covenant (University of Ottawa Press, 1986). On pages 44–45 he notes that this is declared to the patriarchs:
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“And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:3), to Abraham
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“And all nations on earth will be blessed through him” (Gen. 18:18), to Abraham
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“And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed” (Gen. 22:18), to Abraham
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“And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed” (Gen. 26:4) to Isaac
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“All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring” (Gen. 28:14), to Jacob
The drama unfolds: “The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God” (Ps. 47:9); and “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork and Israel my inheritance” (Isa. 19:25).
