“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:22 NKJV)
This particular verse is a wonderful promise to those of us who believe. However, it is this verse that as been used by Unitarians and Universalists to mean that everyone is automatically saved and, therefore, going to heaven. But is that accurate?
Context is KING.
Taken all by itself, it does seem to imply all are automatically saved. That’s because IT IS BEING TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. This is how misunderstandings, misinterpretations and misleading, i.e. DEADLY, doctrines of demons come about; WHEN VERSES ARE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. As Pastor Joseph Prince is so fond of saying, “take the text out of it’s context and what you are left with is a CON.”
The Proper Context.
Let’s read the entire passage this time so we can see it in it’s proper context:
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ “ALL” shall be made alive. But EACH ONE IN HIS OWN ORDER: Christ the firstfruits, AFTERWARD THOSE WHO ARE CHRIST’S AT HIS COMING. (I Corinthians 15:20-23)
Those who are Christ’s indicates that, at His coming, THERE WILL BE SOME WHO ARE NOT CHRIST’S at His coming. The “ALL” in this verse obviously refers to those who are saved, blood-washed believers. They are Christ’s “at His coming.”
Paid-In-Full Receipt.
If I were you, I’d want to be VERY SURE I was in the “Christ’s-at-His-coming” group. It’s easy, really. All you need to do is accept the paid-in-full receipt that Jesus is holding out to you; in fact, has been for some 2,000 years. You can take it from Him, freely. Just say, “Yes.”
You see, what the universal salvation bunch don’t understand is that there was a HUGE DEPT TO PAY for sin that mankind owed to God. But man is BANKRUPT. We had no way to pay. But THANKS BE TO GOD, we didn’t have to. It was paid by another: GOD’S BELOVED SON, JESUS! In fact, it was OVERPAID!
You see, God requires a RIGHT SACRIFICE in order to pay our debt, “right” being the operative word. Humans, you and I, don’t qualify to be a “right sacrifice” because we are stained with sin. It must without blemish.
We do, however, need to accept from Jesus’ nail-pierced Hand that paid-in-full receipt so that God sees it and declares us “NOT GUILTY.”
The key word here is “TAKE,” which implies you can choose “not take.”
You have two choices:
#1. Take the receipt and live in heaven…..eternally;
#2. Refuse the receipt and die…..eternally in hell.
Hell Is A Real Place.
Folks, hell is a very real place, I assure you, just as heaven is a real place. Otherwise, where would a risen, flesh and blood Jesus ascend to if it was only a “spiritual” place?
Jesus Himself actually talked a lot about hell. He, Who loved us so much that He gave His life for us, wants us forever in heaven with Him. He doesn’t want us to go to that awful place! Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, not for man.
But He is a great respecter of your free will. He won’t force anything on on you, including salvation.
So what’s it gonna be? Take? Or not take? It’s all about choice.
Emmaus Road Ministries 