I have snipped a big portion here of your post to save space, shorten an already super long reply, and I do apologize. I have no problem if you are convinced of your position. And since you have brought up Church History, you may not have the full picture, but only the position that you are familiar with. It has been maybe 10 years ago I read this book and it had an interesting piece of information about the Lutheran position of post-mortem salvation. IF I still had the book I could share the contents, but I do recall that like many denominations they have a version of restoration to cover the topic of "what about those who never hear the gospel before they die. You might want to check that book out at your library.
No Other Name: An Investigation into the Destiny of the Unevangelized - John Sanders
I have also come across a few Lutherans who have told me that Lutherans have a version of the restoration view. I have not asked them to expand, so I don't know where they are getting that from, but they are "universal restoration' friendly.
Just to inform those who do not know the restoration view, the belief and supports for the ultimate victory of Christ is not some 19th-century liberalism but is in fact, the views held by some of the earliest and greatest Church Fathers such as Clement of Alexandria (ca. 160-215 A.D.), Origen ( ca. 185-ca 251 A.D.), and Gregory of Nyssa (331/340-ca. 395 A.D.). These great men were not alone in their hope for universal salvation and an end to hell's punishments as others such as Gregory of Nazianzus (ca. 329-390 A.D.), Didymus the Blind (313-398 A.D.), Evagrius of Pontus (345-399 A.D.), Ambrose (339-397 A.D.), and Theodore of Mopsuestia (350 – ca 428-39 A.D.) shared in this belief in varying degrees.
It would again be a major surprise for most people to know that of the six theological schools known to exist in the first five centuries, one taught annihilationism, one taught eternal torment but the other
four taught the restoration view. The church of Rome in the West position was that of eternal hell, and the Eastern Church's position was a limited duration in hell. This goes back to the Patristic church. Russian Orthodox Bishop today, Catholic Richard Rohr, Eastern Orthodox Brad Jersak, Evangelical Robin Parry and so many others are teachers today of Universal restoration. I will tell you that my husband and I have a universal restoration ministry and those who join our membership are mainly retired Pastors of all denominational lines. A new reformation is taking place. Martin Luther opened the way to question the status quo. Question the majority, they may not always be correct, much deception has saturated Christianity today via, seminaries, churches, books, etc. I do believe that if people knew more about Church history they would have a much different mindset.
What restoration teaches:
1. Sin will be punished (Deut 24:16; Isa 3:11; 13:11; Ezek 18:30; Rev 20:12-13)
The Bible is very clear that
each of us will be accountable to God for our sins. Everyone will be punished
fairly for what they’ve done here on earth. Patristic Universalism
does not teach everyone avoids hell; it teaches everyone will
eventually get to heaven. There will be punishment for those who deserve it; but this punishment has as its goal the reconciliation of the sinner.
2. Salvation comes only through faith in Christ (Acts 16:31; Rom 10:9; Eph 2:8; 1 Pet 1:5)
As soon as people hear the word restoration they immediately think you’re advocating pluralism. That may be true of other forms of universalism, but it’s not what the universalism of the early church taught. To be saved, everyone must receive Christ as their Lord and Savior; they cannot be saved apart from faith in Christ. The only difference from the traditional view is that death does not end a person’s chance to accept Christ.
3. God continues to evangelize to people even after they die (1 Chron 16:34; Isa 9:2; Matt 12:32; Rom 8:35-39; Eph 4:8-9; 1 Pet 3:18-20; 4:6)
The main problem with the traditional view – and one that has never been satisfactorily addressed – is how can one
“accept Christ” if they have never heard of Christ, or were unable to understand the message (i.e. too young, mentally handicapped, etc.). The traditional view seems much less appalling when viewed from the balcony of Middle America where there is a church on nearly every corner and Bibles available in multiple translations. But this is not the experience of many people in the world. Many struggle from day-to-day just to get enough to eat. To suggest they will spend eternity in hell because they didn’t stop and “accept Christ” to me is ludicrous. Given the environment most people live in throughout the world, a belief in post-mortem evangelism is the only view that makes sense. After all, didn’t Paul tell us that Christ is the God of both the living and the dead (Rom 14:9)?
4. Everyone will be judged when they die (Psalm 62:12; Prov 24:12; Eccl 3:17; 12:18; Jer 17:10; Matt 12:36; 16:27; Rom 2:16; 14:10-12; 1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 20:12-13)
No honest believer would suggest they were perfect here on earth and if that’s true, how can we say any of us are ready for heaven? We will all come before God with much “wood, hay, and straw” (1 Cor 3:12) that will need to be “burned up” (v. 15) prior to entering through heaven’s gates. The problem I see with modern evangelism is the idea that once someone has said the “sinner’s prayer,” they believe they are immune from all punishment which can result in a lazy faith – the kind of faith that produces indifference to others and apathy about one’s own spiritual health. So contrary to the popular view that universalism minimizes or completely eliminates judgment for sin, it actually takes a stronger stance than the traditional view by taking the passages seriously that discuss the believer’s accountability to God. What this means to the believer in terms of the type of punishment nobody knows. All I can say for sure is that there will be a process of removing the dross from the silver for
every person.
5. The purpose of hell is remedial not retributive (1 Chron 21:13; Prov 3:12; Isa 19:22; Heb 12:7-11; Rev 3:19)
Closely linked with the belief that all will be saved is the understanding that the purpose of hell is remedial. Rather than simply a place where non-believers are discarded and forgotten, hell actually serves the purpose of helping to bring about reconciliation with God. This means that even “believers” might spend some time in the purifying fires of hell to prepare them for heaven by removing any remaining “hay” or “straw” (1 Cor 3:10-15). Christ is our savior and we cannot be saved apart from Him, but that doesn’t mean that all who profess Him are ready for heaven. Think of believers you know who “aren’t there yet.” If non-believers can’t live anyway they want to and be saved, why should we think believers could? Sometimes Christians abuse the grace of God by believing they’re already in heaven and so become more focused on worldly things. Patristic Universalism reminds everyone that none of us are “there yet.”
6. The duration of hell is limited not eternal (Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 30:5; 77:7-9; Psalm 86:5; Jer 23:20; 30:24; Lam 3:31-32; Matt 6:14-45; Luke 12:47-48)
If the purpose of hell is to restore the sinner then obviously its duration cannot be eternal. I know the classic argument has always been that a crime committed against an eternal God must be punished with an eternal sentence but this concept completely breaks down when we remember that the Bible describes degrees of punishment for sinners. How can there be degrees of eternality? Is the lesser offender slapped in the face for all eternity while the more offensive sinner is burned for all eternity?
7. Everyone will eventually be saved (John 1:29; Rom 11:25-26, 32; 1 Cor 15:22, 28; 1 Tim 4:10)
This is not to say there is no hell or that people are not held accountable for their sins, but only that after the proper punishments have been administered whether they be medicinal, pedagogical, or purificatory, then all will be ready for entrance into Heaven’s sinless domain.
What Restoration Does Not Teach
· It does not teach there is no hell
· It does not teach there is no judgment for sin
· It does not teach pluralism
·
It does not teach that people go straight to heaven
·
It does not reject the Bible as God’s Word
· It does not teach you can be saved apart from faith in Christ