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Those who hold to Augustinian notions of "Original Sin" spend so much time trying to prove how all men were made sinners that they fail to understand that there is a universal end to Adam's original sin death judgment which nullifies Original Sin as a doctrine.
Put simply, Adam's judgment is ABOLISHED and nullified resulting in the repeal and vacatur of Original Sin for every person PRIOR to the final judgment of the Great White Throne Judgment (GWTJ). Therefore, regardless of one's views on Original Sin, it ends BEFORE final judgment and has no bearing on one's eternity.
The mechanism for this is a universal resurrection. Because the universal resurrection occurs PRIOR to the final judgment of the GWTJ, it does not result in universal salvation, and therefore, Universalism is not implicated. In fact, distinguishing universal resurrection from universal salvation destroys the possibility of Universalism.
Act 24:15 NASB95 - 15 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
Here we establish the fact that the resurrection is universal without respect to guilt or innocence.
The mechanism for that destruction is the nullification of Adam's death judgment.
Notice what 2Ti 1:10 above - death is abolished not by atonement, but by Christ's APPEARING!
Consider: as long as there are none righteous - no not one - a universal death judgment is JUST. We all essentially ratify that judgment when we sin. But what would happen if a single righteous One did appear? It would render a universal death judgment UNJUST. That universal death judgment would need to be repealed so that in its place we could have individual judgments to separate the righteous from the wicked.
So because a single righteous one (Christ) appeared, it results in the abolishment or vacatur of Adam's Original Sin death judgment. That repeal of Adam's judgment results in a universal resurrection from Adam's death PRIOR to the final judgment of the GWTJ.
So each person comes resurrected to life and unencumbered by Original Sin to the final judgment. This includes infants and babies who have no judicable deeds to be judged by. They have not yet reached an age of accountability. Therefore ALL infants and babies (as well as the mentally infirmed) are saved from judgment.
Christ's righteousness clothes the individuals who believe on Him in the GWTJ, so they are judged as righteous. But consider - once the individual judgments of the GWTJ do occur, the possibility of a universal resurrection is lost. You can only have a universal resurrection from a universal death judgment. Once individual judgments occur, you no longer have any basis for universal resurrection, and therefore, the possibility of universal salvation and Universalism is utterly destroyed by the concept of a universal resurrection prior to the GWTJ. 1) it uses up Rom 5:18 and 1Co 15:22 so that they are no longer available as a mechanism for Universalism, and 2) it demonstrates that there can only be individual actions rather than universal actions after final judgment.
Put simply, Adam's judgment is ABOLISHED and nullified resulting in the repeal and vacatur of Original Sin for every person PRIOR to the final judgment of the Great White Throne Judgment (GWTJ). Therefore, regardless of one's views on Original Sin, it ends BEFORE final judgment and has no bearing on one's eternity.
The mechanism for this is a universal resurrection. Because the universal resurrection occurs PRIOR to the final judgment of the GWTJ, it does not result in universal salvation, and therefore, Universalism is not implicated. In fact, distinguishing universal resurrection from universal salvation destroys the possibility of Universalism.
Act 24:15 NASB95 - 15 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
Here we establish the fact that the resurrection is universal without respect to guilt or innocence.
Jhn 5:28-29 NASB95 - 28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good [deeds] to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil [deeds] to a resurrection of judgment.
Here we establish that both resurrection is universal AND that it occurs PRIOR to the final judgment. Dan 12:1-2 NASB95 - 1 "Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands [guard] over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2 "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace [and] everlasting contempt.
Here we further establish that the resurrection occurs PRIOR to final judgment. Incidentally, this is also a great passage for those who hold to Universalism's claim that the Greek of the Hell passages in the New Testament claiming "everlasting torment" are just figures of Greek speech. Here, we have an agreeing passage in Hebrew which corroborates that this is a literal eternity, not a figurative one. Rev 20:11-15 NASB95 - 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one [of them] according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Here we see the final judgment of the GWTJ. We see that there is a universal resurrection which precedes the judgment with the sea, death, and Hades giving up all of their dead prior to judgment. Then, each person is judged INDIVIDUALLY, rather than corporately.... each one according to their deeds. It is that universal resurrection which destroys Original Sin. The mechanism for that destruction is the nullification of Adam's death judgment.
Rom 5:18 NASB95 - 18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
1Co 15:22 NASB95 - 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
In these two passages we see that just as there was a universal, corporate judgment in Adam, there is an identical universal, corporate repeal of that judgment in Christ. The same "all" who are condemned and die in Adam are resurrected because of Christ. The mechanism for this is the nullification, repeal, or vacatur of Adam's Original Sin death judgment. 1Co 15:26 NASB95 - 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
2Ti 1:10 NASB95 - 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
This is remarkable. Adam's death judgment is not "forgiven" or "atoned for." Rather, it is ABOLISHED. That Greek word is katargeō and it means to end or nullify. What would happen to ALL who died in Adam if Adam's death judgment were repealed? It would result in the resurrection of ALL who died because of that judgment. So lets establish the universality of Adam's death judgment. Rom 5:16 NASB95 - 16 The gift is not like [that which came] through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment [arose] from one [transgression] resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift [arose] from many transgressions resulting in justification.
Here we see that - for a SINGLE TRANSGRESSION - there was a universal death judgment. If we read Genesis 3 we see God judged Adam, Eve, their offspring, the animals, the plants, the ground of the whole planet with death as a result of a SINGLE transgression. That is a universal judgment. So if we look at Rom 5:16b do we see Christ's free gift of righteousness applied to the one transgression? No! We see Christ's free gift of righteousness is applied to MANY transgressions, not the ONE transgression. This simply means that Christ's righteousness is applied to the INDIVIDUAL judgments, not the universal judgment. So how is Adam's Original Sin death judgment repealed? Notice what 2Ti 1:10 above - death is abolished not by atonement, but by Christ's APPEARING!
Consider: as long as there are none righteous - no not one - a universal death judgment is JUST. We all essentially ratify that judgment when we sin. But what would happen if a single righteous One did appear? It would render a universal death judgment UNJUST. That universal death judgment would need to be repealed so that in its place we could have individual judgments to separate the righteous from the wicked.
So because a single righteous one (Christ) appeared, it results in the abolishment or vacatur of Adam's Original Sin death judgment. That repeal of Adam's judgment results in a universal resurrection from Adam's death PRIOR to the final judgment of the GWTJ.
So each person comes resurrected to life and unencumbered by Original Sin to the final judgment. This includes infants and babies who have no judicable deeds to be judged by. They have not yet reached an age of accountability. Therefore ALL infants and babies (as well as the mentally infirmed) are saved from judgment.
Christ's righteousness clothes the individuals who believe on Him in the GWTJ, so they are judged as righteous. But consider - once the individual judgments of the GWTJ do occur, the possibility of a universal resurrection is lost. You can only have a universal resurrection from a universal death judgment. Once individual judgments occur, you no longer have any basis for universal resurrection, and therefore, the possibility of universal salvation and Universalism is utterly destroyed by the concept of a universal resurrection prior to the GWTJ. 1) it uses up Rom 5:18 and 1Co 15:22 so that they are no longer available as a mechanism for Universalism, and 2) it demonstrates that there can only be individual actions rather than universal actions after final judgment.