Salvation for All: A Doctrine, or a Hope?
Intro to Christian Theology II
Salvation For All: A Doctrine, or A Hope?
Throughout history, salvation has been a common topic for discussion and debate. Questions regarding not only methods of reaching salvation but also the recipients of salvation have been analyzed with great scrutiny, especially within the Christian community. So the main question at hand is the following: Can those outside of the church obtain salvation? Some have stated that only God’s chosen people are allowed access to heaven, while others argue acceptance and understanding of Christianity can lead to salvation. Hans Urs von Balthasar discusses in his work, Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved?, the issue of universalism, specifically the possibility for salvation of men outside the church. He reviews his views on the matter, other theologians’ views, and establishes the importance of the individual responsibility rather than the community’s responsibility. Balthasar opens up his views by firmly establishing his idea that man should hope for salvation for all. He quotes the theologian, Hans-Jurgen Verweyen, who also believes that men should, “make a really unreserved decision to accept every man in his total worth and to seek one’s own final joy in this affirmation of others,” under the rationale that “heaven for all” isn’t an excuse to lazily live our lives, but a quest involving love and patience that Christians must take in order to fulfill one of their main goals: to live in an image of God, Himself. (Balthasar, 212) Balthasar then establishes the idea that it is a responsibility for all Christians to, “hope for the salvation of all men,” under the principal of loving one’s brother and that those who do not believe so violate the sacred doctrine. However, while Balthasar believes all of this too be true, when asked whether or not all men will be saved, he would answer that it is impossible for man to know the answer. He believes that it is not important for man to know whether
Salvation For All: A Doctrine, or A Hope?
Throughout history, salvation has been a common topic for discussion and debate. Questions regarding not only methods of reaching salvation but also the recipients of salvation have been analyzed with great scrutiny, especially within the Christian community. So the main question at hand is the following: Can those outside of the church obtain salvation? Some have stated that only God’s chosen people are allowed access to heaven, while others argue acceptance and understanding of Christianity can lead to salvation. Hans Urs von Balthasar discusses in his work, Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved?, the issue of universalism, specifically the possibility for salvation of men outside the church. He reviews his views on the matter, other theologians’ views, and establishes the importance of the individual responsibility rather than the community’s responsibility. Balthasar opens up his views by firmly establishing his idea that man should hope for salvation for all. He quotes the theologian, Hans-Jurgen Verweyen, who also believes that men should, “make a really unreserved decision to accept every man in his total worth and to seek one’s own final joy in this affirmation of others,” under the rationale that “heaven for all” isn’t an excuse to lazily live our lives, but a quest involving love and patience that Christians must take in order to fulfill one of their main goals: to live in an image of God, Himself. (Balthasar, 212) Balthasar then establishes the idea that it is a responsibility for all Christians to, “hope for the salvation of all men,” under the principal of loving one’s brother and that those who do not believe so violate the sacred doctrine. However, while Balthasar believes all of this too be true, when asked whether or not all men will be saved, he would answer that it is impossible for man to know the answer. He believes that it is not important for man to know whether