"For God hath concluded them all in
unbelief, that he
might have mercy upon all"
(Romans 11:32).
"[God] Who will have all men to be
saved, and to come
unto the knowledge of the truth"
(1 Timothy 2:4).
"We trust in the living God, who is the
Saviour of all
men, specially of those that believe"
(1 Timothy 4:10).
Justification of All
"Therefore as by the offence of one
judgment came upon
all men to condemnation;
even so by the righteousness
of one the free gift came
upon all men unto
justification of life"
(Romans
5:18).
Reconciliation of All
"And, having made peace through the
blood of his cross,
by him to reconcile all things
unto himself;
by him, I say, whether they be
things in earth, or
things in heaven" (Colossians 1:20).
The Restoring to Life of All
"For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be
made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Historic Confessions of Universalist Faith
The Winchester Profession of Faith
We believe, that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments
contain a
revelation
of the character of God, and of the duty, interest, and final
destination of
mankind.
We believe there is one God, whose nature is love; revealed in one Lord
Jesus
Christ,
by one Holy Spirit of grace, who will finally restore the whole family
of
mankind
to holiness and happiness.
We believe, that holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected;
and that believers ought to maintain order, and practice good works,
for these things are good and profitable unto men.
The Five Principles of Faith
1. The Universal Fatherhood of God
2. The spiritual authority and leadership of His Son Jesus Christ
3. The trustworthiness of the Bible as containing a revelation from God
4. The certainty of just retribution for sin
5. The final harmony of all souls with God
An Affirmation of Faith
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty and Universal; and in Jesus
Christ
his Son,
the true teacher, example, and Savior of the world.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the quickener and comforter of men.
I believe in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as a
revelation
of righteousness,
truth and love.
I believe in the Holy Church Universal;
in the communion of saints;
in the certainty of punishment for
transgression;
in the forgiveness of sins;
in the life immortal;
in the final triumph of goodness and
mercy;
and in the union and harmony, at last,
of all souls with
God."
Universalism: The Majority Belief of the EarlyChurch
"In the first five or six centuries of Christianity there were six
theological schools,
of which four (Alexandria,
Antioch,
Caesarea, and Edessa,
or Nisibis) were
Universalist,
one (Ephesus)
accepted conditional immortality;
one (Carthage or Rome)
taught endless punishment of the wicked. Other theological schools are
mentioned as
founded by Universalists, but their actual doctrine on this subject is
not
known."
"The Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge"
by Schaff-Herzog, 1908, volume 12, page 96
