Was Jesus a Universalist?

More than once recently I have heard people either infer or directly assert their belief that Jesus was a Universalist.  For those who don’t know, and without getting too technical, Universalism is the concept that all religions ultimately lead to the same destination, all paths lead to God, all people will be saved, and everyone (or nearly) will go to heaven (or paradise).  So what about Jesus?  What were His views?  Was Jesus a Universalist?  That is the question I will seek to answer here.

I think the best way to answer this question is to examine what Jesus had to say about one’s ultimate destination after this life is over.  I was not with Jesus nearly 2000 years ago when He lived and taught in Israel, as it existed under Roman occupation.  I did not see or hear Him.  I did not witness His actions or listen to His teachings.  I did not have direct contact with those who did.  What I know about Jesus, other than through my own experiential relationship, which I will concede is by definition subjective, comes from His words and life as documented in the Bible.  Some people will immediately object to the reliability and accuracy of the Biblical record.  I am honest enough to concede the point that, although I have been convinced from a scholarly perspective in the reliability of the Biblical record, the source material I use to form the basis of my views regarding Jesus is not recognized by all as an infallible record.  Nonetheless, the Jesus I will be presenting is the Biblical Jesus based upon His words as recorded in the Bible.  If anyone takes issue with my presentation of Jesus from this perspective, I would challenge you to offer up other reliable and widely accepted source material from which to form an opposing viewpoint of Jesus.  Otherwise, your view of Jesus is based upon less information at best, misinformation at worst, or a fantasy of your own creation.  I fully recognize that many of my readers can equally propose that my view of Jesus is based upon fantasy, as recorded in the Bible; but if so, at least that fantasy has been consistently presented for nearly 2000 years and thus the Jesus I am presenting is the traditional Jesus of Christianity, and not some other fanciful, modern, trendy concept of Jesus.

Here are a few things Jesus had to say about the afterlife, according to the Bible:

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  (John 3:3-7, King James Version)

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.  (Matthew 7:13-14, New King James Version)

The disciples were amazed at his words.  But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”  The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”  Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”  (Mark 10:24-27, New International Version)

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.”  Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?”  The King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”  Then He will also say to those on His left, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.”  Then they themselves also will answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?”  Then He will answer them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”  These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.  (Matthew 25: 31-46, New American Standard Bible)

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?”  And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”  (Matthew 7:21-23, English Standard Version)

(Note: I used multiple translations since multiple translations are in agreement; and there is no one translation that is reliable to the exclusion of others.)

These words, spoken by Jesus, as recorded in the Bible, do not sound like the words of a Universalist.

• Being “born again” is a uniquely Christian concept, denoting one’s death to the old, sinful self and rebirth as a new creature in the Spirit of God through Christ.  Other religions do not teach that one must be born again.  Universalism is not as exclusionary as this.
• Universalism teaches that many, if not all, paths lead to God.  In other words, broad is the path that leads to God.  But that is not what Jesus said.
• Jesus stated that it is extremely (to put it mildly) difficult for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom.  Indeed, Jesus went so far as to say that it is impossible for mankind to be saved apart from the work of God.  This is not in line with Universalism.
• Separation of the righteous from the unrighteous in the day of final judgment, with eternal life for the one and eternal punishment for the other?  This is not the teaching of Universalism, but it certainly was the teaching of Jesus.
• Not everyone who acknowledges God, or says “Lord, Lord” will be saved, according to Jesus.  Not all people who believe in God, or “the divine,” will enter God’s kingdom.  Not all religions lead to the same destination.  Not all names/views/perspectives of God are the same.  Universalism is in direct contradiction to this claim.

So, was Jesus a Universalist?  I would say, “No.”  I think the Bible says, “No.”  Someone may believe in a Universalist Jesus, but their Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible.

Was Jesus a Universalist?  You tell me.