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Today I want to talk about a subject that has haunted the church for almost two thousand years. A doctrine that keeps reappearing, always in a different guise, always with new words… but with the same old mistakes.

I am talking about universalism — the belief that ultimately everyone will be saved.

The reason for this is a recent message from the former Dutch evangelist David de Vos, in which he states that all people are already children of God, and that salvation is guaranteed for everyone—regardless of conversion or faith. It sounds friendly, warm and inclusive. But is it also biblical?

Today we will look at why this teaching is so appealing… but also why it is deeply problematic.

1. An Old Heresy in New Clothes

Some doctrines are popular! They seem so innovative, refreshing, so enlightening and compassionate—but often they are nothing more than an old heresy with a modern marketing strategy. A false doctrine, delivered with a friendly smile.

For a moment, David de Vos had a Luther moment. He stood there in front of a church door, just as Luther once did with his 95 theses. For a moment, it seemed that David was bringing something new. And as I said, his idea sounds so loving.

But let’s be honest: universalism is not new at all. The church has seen this many times before. And time and again, the church has rejected it—not out of stubbornness, but because it mutilates the core of the Gospel.

When I heard David de Vos’s idea, I had a brief flashback. A memory from 2011, when I was presented with Rob Bell’s book entitled Love Wins. Bell was a pastor of a megachurch called Mars Hill Bible Church congregation. Initially, his book was celebrated as innovative… Until people who really understood it pointed out that he was doing nothing more than teaching the doctrine of universal reconciliation—universal reconciliation is another word for universalism. Bell describes a God whose love is so great that the concept of eternal punishment is not about eternity, but more about what we make of it here and now.

2. Origen and the Great Error

If you know a little about church history, you may be aware that Origen, who lived sometime between approximately 185 and 253/254, already claimed that ultimately all beings would be saved. Yes, you heard right: all beings. According to Origen, even the devil would one day repent.

His reasoning was simple: if God is love, then He cannot allow eternal judgement.

But the early church rejected this teaching outright. Why?
Because universalism causes a domino effect:

• It removes the need for conversion.
• It undermines faith in Jesus as the answer to God’s invitation.
• It relieves man of any responsibility.
• And ultimately, it renders the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross completely unnecessary.

If everyone is going to be saved anyway… why would Jesus die? Why should we still care about unbelievers? Universalism turns the gospel into some kind of story that can be used to moralise and make people obey.

3. God so loved the world…

Many universalists refer to John 3:16: "God so loved the world…"
And that is true. Jesus came for the world. But what these people conveniently forget is that Jesus also said:
"…that whoever believes in him shall not perish."

And indeed, that is the Gospel, namely that God loves the world and does not want anyone to perish. That does not mean that everyone will automatically be saved, because what does Jesus say in John 3:18:
“Whoever does not believe is already condemned.” (John 3:18)

Salvation is offered to everyone, but it must be accepted by man; man must repent.

I recently made a video about how this conversion works. You’ll find it here, together with the article.

This is why we are called to preach the gospel. We cannot help but call for repentance and faith. If we teach that everything will ultimately turn out fine, we are venturing into dangerous territory. That territory is a weak imitation of Jesus’ own words.

4. Why do we See False Teachings Tecurring Time and Again?

Why do we see these kinds of errors recurring? There are many reasons, but one that I had not heard before is the reason given by Sebastiaan van Wessem on his website, hearingandobeying.org. Sebastiaan says that false teaching returns when Christianity becomes detached from its Jewish roots. Let me summarise it for you.

In Hebrew thinking:

• A covenant requires a response.
• A relationship requires conversion.
• An identity requires loyalty and trust.
• Grace and judgement are not opposites but partners.

Sebastiaan says that Israel never believed that all nations were automatically children of God. They did believe that all nations were invited to come under God’s rule.

This is a beautiful insight because when we look at the teaching of the Lord Jesus, we must realise that He too was Jewish. His teaching must be seen in the context of Israel’s covenant thinking—Sebastian says that He, the Lord Jesus, reinforced covenant thinking and brought its meaning to a climax. He fulfilled it!

The apostles, who were also all Jews, called people to repentance because salvation was always understood within the framework of covenant, holiness, and reconciliation. After all, Jesus Himself said in Luke 22:20

This cup is the New Testament [New Covenant] in My blood, which is shed for you.

When we no longer preach the Christian faith from a Jewish foundation, we quickly fall back into philosophical nonsense, as we saw with Origen. Preaching must feel good and, above all, put us at ease. Paul warned against this in 2 Timothy 4:3

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, they will heap up for themselves teachers tickling their ears.

5. The Problem with Religious Sales Strategies

David de Vos’ Luther moment is, consciously or unconsciously, a clever trick to draw attention to his new book. I really wonder if he would have dared to do this if he had been in Luther’s shoes. Now, in 2025, people see it and praise him for his courage! But let’s be honest, what’s the worst that can happen to him now? A few YouTubers talking about him, people dismissing him as a false teacher… That’s about it. Meanwhile, he’s selling his book.

This is also called religious marketing. And we see this in all shapes and sizes. In the past, the contractor went to church because his customers were there too. Now entrepreneurs sell their products online to unsuspecting churchgoers. Churchgoers who apparently have great difficulty with the sharp criticism that such an entrepreneur then receives.

Christians like to listen to teachers with a friendly smile and a Gospel that is sweet. After all, we must be kind to one another, right? But the Gospel is not sweet! The Gospel is sharp and divisive.

Salvation was paid for with the highest price and is therefore anything but cheap. But cheap grace sells well because it costs people nothing. This kind of Gospel asks for nothing but promises everything.

What Jesus Does not Say…

You don’t hear Jesus say, "Don’t be afraid, you are already a child of God without even knowing it."
No, Jesus says, "Be born again." That means we must first die. Die to what?

Die to our own will, our own desires and our own sinful nature. The Bible teaches us that we are born with this nature. But when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, He comes to live in us through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit allows us to be born again. He gives us a new heart. A heart that is willing to do what Jesus says.

Our old nature, our old heart, wants Jesus to work for us. He must give us what we want, He must say what we want to hear—even if that means we have to interpret His word, the Bible, differently.

When we learn how to “die to ourselves” and follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we can overcome our selfish attitude. Perhaps we will not succeed 100% as long as we walk this earth, but the Holy Spirit lives in us and wants to help us day and night. Provided we are willing to obey Him in everything.

Dying to yourself is not a cool advertising slogan but a direct invitation from the Most High to change into people who serve Him wholeheartedly, wherever that path may lead.

The gospel is not a product. It is a call to repentance, forgiveness and new life.

6. A Call to Return

I am sorry to say, but we really do not need more people like de Vos and Rob Bell. What we need are Christians who love the Bible and understand the context in which the writers worked. We need Christians who dare to preach repentance and who are not willing to adapt the Gospel in order to become popular.

And of course, we cannot forget Joel Osteen. He is also one of those men who likes to be liked. Because yes, he preaches nice things without ever stepping on anyone’s toes.

God the Father is not interested in sentimentality. He wants followers. People who have converted and come to believe in the Saviour Jesus Christ. People who are willing to warn the world about the coming judgement. People who obediently go out into the world to teach all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them everything that Jesus commanded.

7. The God of Israel

I have often said that our Western civilisations are founded on the Judeo-Christian world-view. This is the world-view in which Christians accept and profess that our roots lie in Jewish thinking. We see around us what happens when we throw that world-view overboard. People develop a relativistic attitude. Something is good if it feels good.

Unfortunately, we also see this attitude among many Christians. Sermons must feel good. As I said, we must return to the Judeo-Christian world-view of the Bible in order to recognise false teachings—such as universalism—for what they are.

Remember: We are not automatically children of God.
We become children of God through:

• grace,
• by faith,
• through Christ.

That is good news. It means that there is salvation for everyone, but that God does not leave sin unpunished. That punishment was borne by the Lord Jesus, and only if you trust and believe in Him will you be saved from that eternal punishment!

This Gospel must never be replaced by anything inferior.

OUTRO

I hope you found this article helpful. I am very curious about your ideas, so please let me know in the comments below.

And remember: God’s love is greater than universalism—because His love not only calls us, but changes us.

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500 Eyewitnesses Saw Jesus After His Death Why are Christians not Bolder? Can a Christian Lose his Salvation? Christ, not Caesar, Is Head of the Church