My point is not "moot". You haven't demonstrated from Mt.7:13-14 any reference to a "final judgement" of that generation let alone all mankind. Or even that such a judgement precludes corrective punishment thereafter till all are saved. Or that Mt.7 references separate destinies in the millennial age kingdom of Christ.
Jesus speaks of "few" finding it. At that time. He does not state how many or few would be finding it in the following 2000 years after that, up to our present time. Or the millennium also, etc. Paul says "many" will be saved (Rom.5:18-19). Why would Paul say that? Do you think he was not aware of what Jesus said re "few"?
Jesus does not say that the "destruction" in view is endless, or final destiny, or non corrective, so why should i accept that this passage necessarily proves universalism false?
If the Lord had wanted to speak of "endless destruction" He had perfectly suitable Greek words to express such an idea, e.g. "no end" (Lk.1:33), "endless" (1 Tim.1:4), "eternal" (Rom.1:20). The fact Scripture - never - uses such expressions re the future destiny of those who die in their sins is evidence against endless annihilation or torments.
Committees of pro HellFire Club folks clone pro endless hell versions after their own preconceived dogma of endless punishment. They distort the truth & decieve the masses. They sell a lot of books. OTOH early church father universalists who were native Greek speakers & Greek scholars knew better.
https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
(Note, i'm going to include the entirety of chapter 7 at the end of this post for reference)
1. If we look at the immediate context of the entire chapter we see: (A) Proper judgment between man and man to be without hypocrisy; (B) Keeping sacred matters sacred; (C) God granting good things to those who
seek Him; (D); Choose to love others as you would love yourself; (E) Obedience to God's will will "bear good fruit" and make clear that one is on God's side; (F) Man's free will must be exercised to "build his house" [spiritual house] on the proper foundation or else man will be destroyed; and (G) Jesus' authority was clearly seen.
The main topic is judgment between God and man. Vs. 13-14 is the introduction, but when looking at vs. 15-20 + 24-27, it's important to note the concept of repentance...not doing evil and instead doing God's will...building upon the foundation of Christ's teaching.
Now, look at vs. 21-23. This is talking about a future judgment (the final one)--"in that day". In the final judgment, Jesus says not all will enter into heaven.
So after reading the entire context, particularly from vs. 13- to the end...we can then go back to vs. 13-14 and know that Jesus is indeed talking about the final judgment when He speaks of "the strait gate".
2. "Corrective punishment"--if you're referring to something after death like purgatory, such a concept is found nowhere in scripture that I'm aware of. Therefor, the burden of proof is on you ( by providing scripture). My stance is that I have no reason to believe in it if God did not reveal it in His holy Word.
3. The Gospel is the Gospel. What Jesus preached while He was on earth is what His apostles & disciples continued to preach after his ascension into heaven. We have no reason to believe this teaching of Christ was subject to time limits of applicability.
Why did Paul say "many" will be saved? Paul was making a different point than Jesus was in Matthew 7. Paul was contrasting between Adam and Jesus. We were not in the garden of Eden, only Adam & Eve were...and Adam sinned, obviously without any of us who came after being able to do anything about it. One man sinned, resulting in the world of chaos and turmoil where Satan has temporal power, in which billions and billions of people have been a part of.
On the flip side, Jesus, the
only perfect human to ever live...by His righteousness
alone many will be saved. None of us who have existed before Christ or after could ever do anything to earn by works God's grace. Just like we can't do anything about Adam's sin...we also can't do anything about Jesus's perfection + sacrifice...(A) we can't save ourselves, and (B) we couldn't have done anything to prevent God from being so loving to proceed with His plan of the Messiah.
Let's continue looking at the immediate context of Romans 5. Just a few verses after 19 is Romans 6:1-2 (which is all part of the same discussion). And that reads "What, then, shall we say?
shall we continue in the sin that the grace may abound? 2
let it not be! we who died to the sin -- how shall we still live in it?"
Paul reinforces the point Jesus made time and time again--though God's grace is so awesome and immense, there's this concept of
repentance as a part of God's plan. God
offers us the gift of salvation, but we have to
choose to take it! One of the ways in which we do that is turning from sins.
Also, side note: "many" does
not mean "all".
4. We must remember that the Gospel was taught and written down, ultimately to be understood by
unlearned and poor citizens. Jesus Himself picked uneducated people to be His apostles--this is significant!
When we approach scripture, we should read it as it is to be
naturally understood. Yes, we must realize that some passages are allegorical, or poetic, or in rare cases use intense symbolism (such as Revelation)....but by and large, the NT is written very plainly to be understood by the common man.
So my point is, don't necessarily overthink things!
God is not obligated to speak out against every individual heresy and false teaching in the world, whether it be universalism, or Muhammad as the final prophet.
God only speaks truth. And truth has not revealed the concept of "corrective punishment" or universalism anywhere in the NT--therefor we should not imagine up those false doctrines! We should be careful not to read into the text concepts that are not there.
Time and time again, Jesus talks about the final judgment and He defines that as deciding if some go to eternal life and eternal torment ("gehenna" or hell).
Mark 9:47-48 "47 And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it is better for thee one-eyed to enter into the reign of God, than having two eyes, to be cast to the gehenna of the fire --48
where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched;"
5. Once again, be careful with language and translation unless you are deeply involved with ancient texts. Thousands of scholars have understood the passages of Jesus such as these as meaning eternal life and eternal torment.
The word for "eternal" that you posted in Romans 1:20 ("aidios") also appears in Jude 1:6
"6 messengers also, those who did not keep their own principality, but did leave their proper dwelling, to a judgment of a great day, in bonds everlasting, under darkness He hath kept,
God is currently keeping rebellious angels (such as those in the story of Sodom with Lot) in eternal bondage until the final judgment. If He punishes rebellious angels eternally, why can't He punish rebellious humans eternally?
6. I am concerned because you are afraid of this so-called biased dogma of eternal punishment believers, and yet you are going to great lengths to attempt and see things between the lines of scripture that are clearly written! And worse yet, you are linking me a PDF written by MAN! I encourage you, friend, to look at ALL scripture equally as it is naturally written. Jesus was simple in His teachings.
1 Timothy 3:16-17 "16
every Writing* [is]
God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for
setting aright, for instruction that [is] in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be fitted -- for every good work having been completed.
*Meaning God's word as written in the OT + NT.
7. The early church fathers DID believe in eternal punishment:
I'm just point to post a few early ones, as listed in the 'Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs' complied by David Bercot:
Barnabas AD 17-130 "The way of darkness is crooked, and it is full of cursing. It is the way of eternal death with punishment."
Letter to Diogenetus, AD 125-200: "You should fear what is truly death, which is reserved for those who will be condemned to the eternal fire. It will afflict those who are committed to it even to the end.
Justin Martyr, AD 160: "He goes to the everlasting punishment of fire"
Irenaus, AD 180: "He will send into eternal fire those who transform the truth and who despise His Father and His coming"
But I admit I am not versed in the contexts of all these writings, and I don't want to use these quotes as proof-texts. However, I would strongly recommend to listen to the sermons by David Bercot on YouTube titled "What the Early Christians Believed about Eternal Security" and "What the Early Christians Believed about Salvation" etc, as he is familiar with their writings in their entirety.
Regardless, I do not need the early church fathers to prove that the SCRIPTURES teach against universalism.
__________
YLT:
Matthew 7:
1 "Judge not, that ye may not be judged,
2 for in what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and in what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you.
3 `And why dost thou behold the mote that [is] in thy brother's eye, and the beam that [is] in thine own eye dost not consider?
4 or, how wilt thou say to thy brother, Suffer I may cast out the mote from thine eye, and lo, the beam [is] in thine own eye?
5 Hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6 `Ye may not give that which is [holy] to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before the swine, that they may not trample them among their feet, and having turned -- may rend you.
7 `Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you;
8 for every one who is asking doth receive, and he who is seeking doth find, and to him who is knocking it shall be opened.
9 `Or what man is of you, of whom, if his son may ask a loaf -- a stone will he present to him?
10 and if a fish he may ask -- a serpent will he present to him?
11 if, therefore, ye being evil, have known good gifts to give to your children, how much more shall your Father who [is] in the heavens give good things to those asking him?
12 `All things, therefore, whatever ye may will that men may be doing to you, so also do to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
13 `Go ye in through the strait gate, because wide [is] the gate, and broad the way that is leading to the destruction, and many are those going in through it;
14 how strait [is] the gate, and compressed the way that is leading to the life, and few are those finding it!
15 `But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves.
16 From their fruits ye shall know them; do [men] gather from thorns grapes? or from thistles figs?
17 so every good tree doth yield good fruits, but the bad tree doth yield evil fruits.
18 A good tree is not able to yield evil fruits, nor a bad tree to yield good fruits.
19 Every tree not yielding good fruit is cut down and is cast to fire:
20 therefore from their fruits ye shall know them.
21 `Not every one who is saying to me Lord, lord, shall come into the reign of the heavens; but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, lord, have we not in thy name prophesied? and in thy name cast out demons? and in thy name done many mighty things?
23 and then I will acknowledge to them, that -- I never knew you, depart from me ye who are working lawlessness.
24 `Therefore, every one who doth hear of me these words, and doth do them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock;
25 and the rain did descend, and the streams came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell not, for it had been founded on the rock.
26 `And every one who is hearing of me these words, and is not doing them, shall be likened to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;
27 and the rain did descend, and the streams came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell, and its fall was great.'
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus ended these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,
29 for he was teaching them as having authority, and not as the scribes."
