The One Purpose of God: An Answer to the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment [Paperback]

Jan Bonda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 1998

Throughout the centuries the church has taught that the vast majority of humankind will suffer eternal punishment. But is this teaching truly biblical? In this book Jan Bonds scrutinizes church tradition and Scripture - especially Paul's letter to the Romans - and concludes that neither Paul nor the prophets to whom he appeals show any trace of supporting the doctrine of eternal damnation. On the contrary, they tell us that God wants to save all people and that he will not rest until that goal has been achieved.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (March 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802841864
• ISBN-13: 978-0802841865
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,341,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finite Punishment? A Desirable Thing..., July 17, 2000

By A Customer

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This review is from: The One Purpose of God: An Answer to the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment (Paperback)

Jan Bonda struggled as a Christian for 50 years with the same thing I struggle with today - reconciling a belief in an infinitely loving and merciful God with One who will punish all non-Christians who ever lived (which would be the majority of world history's population) with eternal damnation.

This work is an introduction to Bonda's version of Universalism - the belief that, at the end of time, God will reconcile ALL people, living and dead, to Himself as Jesus Christ, and that no one (or almost no one) will suffer the eternal torment of Hell that Christianity often warns of to non-believers.

It's an appealing belief - and, to people like me, one which would describe the character of God in a way which I'd be more comfortable with. Bonda (and his translator) acknowledge that espousing such a belief would sound like nothing but a liberal "feel-good" kind of faith without Scriptural support, and there is plenty of that. Relying heavily on the writings of Paul, especially his letter to the Romans, Bonda compares the commonly-held Christian doctrine of eternal punishment to Scriptural references about the final judgement, and he comes to the conclusion that there is, indeed, hope for the many.

It is a hope that I myself wish and pray for. Bonda's work is both thoroughly researched and accessible to the lay reader, which can be hard to do. His references are meticulous (to the point that some footnotes read only in Latin). He has done his homework.

I can't say that I agree with everything Bonda wrote, but I'm extremely glad I read the book. It marked the beginning of a journey to find my own answers, one that will include careful reading of the Bible and books from others with views on both sides of this most important question: Would God will an eternal punishment for the majority of his own children?

59 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Does God Want All People To Be Saved?, July 27, 2000

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heidi mensink - See all my reviews

This review is from: The One Purpose of God: An Answer to the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment (Paperback)

In THE ONE PURPOSE OF GOD, Jan Bonda successfully argues that God has only one purpose and desire for mankind- their salvation. This point is presented with in-depth scriptural proofs. Bonda discusses relevant scriptures from throughout the Bible, yet the greater part of the book focuses on the Biblical book of Romans. Most of Romans is covered, and as is typical of this book, startling new interpretations are brought to light.

Bonda's book grew out of his personal struggle with the beliefs of his own Reformed Church tradition, which teaches that God predistines some people to be saved, and other people to be lost. This struggle led him to a deep study of the Bible and a subsequent new belief- hopeful universalism. As a "hopeful universalist" Bonda presents Biblical evidence for a sturdy hope that all people will some day be saved, though he does not believe there can be a 100% certainty of this. Bonda's universalism is strongly Biblically based and centered upon the work of Christ.

I appreciated both the depth and the accessibility of this work. It should be appreciated by theologian and layman alike.

On my initial reading of this book, I found it stimulating and at times shocking. At least one of the Bible passages he used I could have sworn was NOT in the Bible until I looked it up! Actually, the passage was there, and very clear in its meaning. Many of the other texts I was familiar with. Yet, upon reading Bonda's book, I found I had been skimming by these texts, never listening to what the words really said. Occasionally, I felt that Bonda's scriptural interpretations were forced- that there could be other ways of interpreting these texts. Nontheless he stimulated me to do my own Bible study of the texts he used. In the end, I have concluded he was right! But check it out for yourself- this is a stimulating subject, too often ignored or misunderstood- as well as an excellent book.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The One Purpose Of God, September 26, 2006

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Alan Sindler (Colorado Springs,CO) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The One Purpose of God: An Answer to the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment (Paperback)

I've read several books on Christian Universalism, and although they were emotionally satisfying (in other words, I agreed with their conclusions), they weren't scholarly enough to satisfy the nagging biblical questions still left over. Bonda's book is entirely different. First, he tackles this issue as a reformed Presybetarian pastor, which rachets up his credibility enormously. Second, he looks at this from a scriptural standpoint, starting with the Old Testament and going through the New Testament to put his argument in context. Finally, he wraps all this up with church history, where we come to see that never-ending punishment was NOT a prevailing view of the early church, nor was the theology of election, or predestination. Instead, Bonda argues rather elequently that the idea of "the restoration of all things" is very biblical, and that questioning the doctrines our current churches hold dear is not blasphemous, but rather is something the Reformation itself encouraged us to do.