Universalism's most serious motivator for redefining the Gospel and the salvation process is that they don't believe God has given all people enough of a chance to accept Jesus during this lifetime.
They are rebelling against traditional understandings of Heaven and
Hell, traditional teachings about salvation and the Gospel, and against
Calvinism, (which claims that God created some people for Heaven and
some people for Hell and there's little if anything we can do about it).
However, Scripture paints a very different picture than either of these extremes. God "wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth," which is why Jesus "gave himself as a ransom for all people" (I Timothy 2:3-6). John 3:16 specifically talks about the "world" having the offer of Christ's salvation--not just a select few. Jesus said, that the "gospel must be first preached to all nations" (Mark 13:10), and Peter explains that, though Jesus seems slow to return, He's merely giving more people time to be saved while they are still alive and still have that chance (II Peter 3:9).
Speaking of those who fail to testify to the truth, Jesus said, "If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40). Consider the parable Jesus told of the scattered seed, recorded three times in Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-8, and Luke 8:5-8. In each version, the seed of the knowledge of God is scattered widely and, though most choose not to believe, there is no place where the seed doesn't land.
Furthermore, we have many examples of people God called out of civilizations that seem completely devoid of God's truth: Abraham, Noah, Moses, Rahab, King Josiah, the Ethiopian eunuch, etc. If anyone seeks to know God, God promises they WILL find Him (Matthew 7:7-8).
However, Scripture paints a very different picture than either of these extremes. God "wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth," which is why Jesus "gave himself as a ransom for all people" (I Timothy 2:3-6). John 3:16 specifically talks about the "world" having the offer of Christ's salvation--not just a select few. Jesus said, that the "gospel must be first preached to all nations" (Mark 13:10), and Peter explains that, though Jesus seems slow to return, He's merely giving more people time to be saved while they are still alive and still have that chance (II Peter 3:9).
Speaking of those who fail to testify to the truth, Jesus said, "If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40). Consider the parable Jesus told of the scattered seed, recorded three times in Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-8, and Luke 8:5-8. In each version, the seed of the knowledge of God is scattered widely and, though most choose not to believe, there is no place where the seed doesn't land.
Furthermore, we have many examples of people God called out of civilizations that seem completely devoid of God's truth: Abraham, Noah, Moses, Rahab, King Josiah, the Ethiopian eunuch, etc. If anyone seeks to know God, God promises they WILL find Him (Matthew 7:7-8).
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