The compassion and grace of God know no bounds. The heavenly Father’s heart yearns to save all His children. These passages from scripture praise the extent of God’s saving work and predict it eventually to embrace all humankind.
In Buddhist terms, the essential purpose of absolute Truth is to liberate all sentient beings, and Mahayana Buddhist scriptures express the universality of grace in the bodhisattva vow of the Buddha Amitabha to save all beings.
Salvation may come to all people through one central point: thus in Abraham, “shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12.3).
For those who believe in one religion as the only way, the divine mandate to save all humankind is a powerful impetus to missionary activity. On the other hand, God may express His saving will by sending multiple prophets and sages to all nations, warning each to return to God using the means suitable to their different cultures.
If salvation is to be available universally, to every soul who has ever lived, regardless of his or her earthly life, the doctrine may appear at odds with beliefs about hell and the Last Judgment.
If God is most essentially just, how can the wicked ever receive salvation? On the other hand, if God is most essentially gracious and compassionate, how can He permit any creature to suffer in hell eternally?
To understand the heart of God, our heavenly Father, Father Moon asks us to imagine how we would feel if one of our children were a condemned criminal. We would want to save our child, even take his place at the gallows.
Father Moon also discusses the difficulty of the path of salvation in terms of the methods which God is constrained to use, because He created human beings with the sovereign freedom to live and mold our lives as each sees fit. Nevertheless, ultimately God’s purpose shall be done: all people will be saved and even hell will be emptied of its occupants.
The daily concern of the Parent is single-heartedly how best I can advance arrangements to save all of you. Ofudesaki 14.35 (Tenrikyo)
The Dharma of the Buddhas by the constant use of a single flavor causes the several worlds universally to attain perfection. By gradual practice all obtain the Fruit of the Way. Lotus Sutra 5 (Buddhism)
The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3.9
God is on the watch for the nations of the world to repent, so that He may bring them under His wings. Numbers Rabbah 10.1 (Judaism)
I testify that Thou art the Lord of all creation, and the Educator of all beings, visible and invisible. I bear witness that Thy power hath encompassed the entire universe, and that the hosts of the earth can never dismay Thee, nor can the dominion of all peoples and nations deter Thee from executing Thy purpose.
I confess that Thou hast no desire except the regeneration of the whole world, and the establishment of the unity of its peoples, and the salvation of all them that dwell therein. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 115 (Baha’i Faith)
We will make offering unto You with worship, O Lord, and to the Right, that you may achieve through Good Mind the destiny of all creatures in the Dominion. For the salvation of the man of insight among such as you, O Wise One, will hold good for everyone.45 Avesta, Yasna 34.3 (Zoroastrianism)
“As I live,” says the Lord God, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” Ezekiel 33.11
Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness an irrevocable decree: “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” Isaiah 45.22-23
God it is who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all [false] religion, however much the idolators may be averse. Qur’an 9.33
The Lord said to Abram… “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12.3
And there never was a people without a warner having lived among them.
Qur’an 35.24
“Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of Israel?” says the Lord. “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir?”46 Amos 9.7
The Tathagatas do not enter ultimate liberation until all living beings have entered ultimate liberation. Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 4 (Buddhism)
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.47 Isaiah 42.1-4
I establish the Vows unexcelled, And reach the highest path, Bodhi. Were these Vows unfulfilled, I would never attain Enlightenment. I will be the great provider Throughout innumerable ages. Should I fail to save all in need, I would never attain Enlightenment. Upon my attaining Enlightenment, If my Name were not heard anywhere In the ten quarters of the universe, I would never attain Enlightenment. Practicing the Holy Way—selflessness, Depth in right reflection and pure wisdom, Aspiring toward the highest path, I will be the teacher of devas and men. My wondrous power by its great light Brightens countless lands throughout, Removes the darkness of the three defilements And delivers all from suffering and pain.48 Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra 9.1-5: Juseige (Buddhism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
The sinful world brings humankind sorrow and causes God to grieve. (Gen. 6.6) Would God abandon this world in its present misery?
God intended to create a world of goodness and experience from it the utmost joy; yet due to the Human Fall, the world came to be filled with sin and sorrow. If this sinful world were to continue forever in its present state, then God would be an impotent and ineffectual God who failed in His creation.
Therefore, God will save this sinful world, by all means… The Human Fall was undoubtedly the result of human mistakes. Nevertheless, God also assumes some responsibility for the outcome because it was He who created human beings.
Therefore, God has felt compelled to conduct the providence to correct this tragic outcome and to restore human beings to their true, original state. Furthermore, God created us to live eternally.
This is because God, the eternal subject partner, wanted to share eternal joy with human beings as His object partners. Having endowed human beings with an eternal nature, God could not, by the laws of the Principle, simply annihilate them just because they fell.
If He were to do that, He would be violating His own Principle of Creation. The only choice left to God is to save fallen people and restore them to the original, pure state in which He initially created them. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Eschatology 2.1)
The purpose of the providence of salvation, and of religion, is to save the entire world. Since God created humankind as His beloved children, He cannot just beat and kill them and leave them in hell.
Therefore the goal of the providence of salvation is to save everyone, not leaving even a single person in the satanic world. God wants to take back every kind of human being. (80:283, November 2, 1975)
God is a God of love. When God looks down from His throne and sees spirits in hell crying out to Him in their misery, “Please, God, save me!” what would He say?
Would He say, “You deserve a lot worse”? Or does He have mercy on them? Surely, God will do everything possible to liberate hell. (98:116, May 7, 1978)
Imagine you have a son who committed murder and was sentenced to death. As he is going to his execution, would you say, “You deserve to die. Good-bye. At last we are rid of you!” Would any parent think like that? On the contrary, you would rather want to die in his place.
Imagine now you have many children, and they are dying tragically one after another. Do you think any parent could just watch them die without doing everything possible to rescue them? Loving parents would be desperate to save their children.
They would keep on trying, even though it may take an eternity. This gives you some sense of God’s misery. As He watches His children entering hell and eternal death, God is infinitely sorrowful and anxiously tries to liberate them to eternal life.
Only by so doing can He fulfill His responsibility as our Heavenly Father. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that in the end God will liberate every soul in hell. (62:51, September 10, 1972)
To believe, as some do, that all humanity will receive judgment and only 144,000 Christians will be saved at the Rapture is an unusually self-centered way of thinking. (245:97, February 28, 1993)
The Unification Church’s viewpoint of salvation is not for a husband to go to heaven while his wife goes to hell. Both have to go to the Kingdom of Heaven together. It is not for us to enjoy heaven while our father and mother languish in hell. We should dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven with our sons and daughters and parents together. (34:359, September 20, 1970)
God’s providence of salvation is to bring [evil] to voluntary surrender. If God could have used force as He pleased, why has the providence taken thousands of years? He could have finished everything in short time—a few weeks. However, since God does not use force, instead He endures a heartbreaking situation. (394:16, October 6, 2002)
Even fallen parents cannot feel joyful when one of their children is unhappy. How much more so for God, our Heavenly Parent? It is written, “The Lord… is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet. 3.9)
Accordingly, hell cannot remain forever. No trace of hell will remain in the ideal world, which is the fulfillment of God’s deepest desire. In the Last Days, when the time is ripe, evil spirits will descend to evil people on earth of the same spiritual level and assist them to accomplish God’s Will.
Indeed, even the demons testified that Jesus was the Son of God. (Matt. 8.29). (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Resurrection 3.3.3)
Sun Myung Moon