WHAT IS COVENANT UNIVERSALISM?

COVENANT UNIVERSALISM DEFINED

     Covenant Universalism is a system of doctrine that synthesizes Reformed Theology with a universal restorationism along the lines of Origenian apocatastasis. Like all Reformed theology it holds to the highest degree of confidence in the absolute sovereignty of God. And like Origen's apocatastasis it holds to the eventual restoration of all intelligent beings. Apocatastasis is a particular type of universal restorationism. One of at least three types. The other two are those popularized by Elhanan Winchester and James Relly. Space will not permit me to develop why I think those other two views are flawed.     

THE NATURE OF MAN

     When it comes to the nature of man, we believe that Origen's theory of preexistence of the soul is more in line with the biblical message than either of the two more commonly ascribed views, creationism and traducianism, It rejects outright the monist view of Berkouwer and Spykeman as being entirely out of accord with the testimony of scripture.  The objection to these two is that in creationism one can not explain the transmission of sin, while traducianism cannot account for the sinlessness of Christ. With Calvin, we believe that man is totally depraved and altogether dead in sins spiritually. Therefore it is impossible for fallen man to ever come to Christ on his own, without the Holy Spirit first regenerating him. 

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

      With respect for the sovereignty of God we take the strongest possible view of that. In this respect we are much more in accord with Calvinism than Origen was. Our position with respect to the logical order contained within the decree of God is supralapsarian.  Although that position is regarded by the majority of evangelical Christians as the harshest perspective when combined with belief in the doctrine of endless torment, it becomes a gracious message of enduring hope when it is combined with a belief in universal restoration.           

                                                                     THE ATONEMENT    

     The Scriptures are plain enough that the atonement of Christ was substitutionary in nature. This is particularly illustrated in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The divine example theory is not acceptable as it fails to account for the clear denunciation of human nature as being incapable of turning to Christ apart from divine intervention. The atonement has a limiting aspect and a universal aspect. The atonement is EXCLUSIVE to those who are in the covenant of grace. Jesus did not die to save all mankind in Adam,  but to save HIS people from their sins. Those who are not in the covenant do not receive the benefit of the covenant which is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. But with Origen, it is our belief that the scriptures say that eventually every knee shall bow and every tongue shall give praise that Jesus Christ is LORD, and that confession will usher all into the covenant in due time.

JUSTIFICATION

     Justification is a legal declaration of  right standing before the divine court in the heavens. Scripture is clear that the only means of justification is to be found within the Covenant of Grace and therefore only those within that covenant are justified. While the death of Christ upon the cross is the material means of justification, faith is the instrumental means. Through faith a man enters into the covenant and there is afforded the benefit of Jesus' substitutionary atonement which is applied to him. His sins are all covered

                                                                      ESCHATOLOGY    

    We hold to a preterist postmillennial eschatology which looks to an expansion of the kingdom through the people of God evangelizing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like leaven invading a lump of bread, the gospel permeates the human race until the entire loaf is leavened. Only then, when    the last lost soul has been redeemed will the Earth  have fulfilled its reason for being. After the last soul has been redeemed the question remains whether it will continue.                                                                              

    But what of the souls of men who die in their sins? James Relly believed that by virtue of Christ's finished work they went to heaven. But this defective soteriology falters at the feet of covenantalism. It fails to recognize the necessity of faith as the instrument that brings the child of God into the covenant and therefore it fails to understand that one must be in covenant to receive the benefits therein. This is not a small mistake, for it undercuts the entire reason for the Church's presence on earth which is to evangelize. The great commission to make disciples of all the nations (Matt. 28:28) is reduced to an irrelevant exercise if in fact all men will be redeemed apart from it. 

     The theology of Elhanan Winchester is much more biblically plausible. He believed that all souls lost in this life are cast into hell to suffer until such time as they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and thenceforth delivered out of hell and ushered into the celestial realm. Many modern day evangelical universalists hold to this view.