Furthermore, even these “whole world” passages are congruent with the traditional view held by most Bible-believers when examined in their context: that a person needs to exert faith in Christ in order to be saved.
Second Corinthians 5:19 should be read in the context of 2 Cor. 5:17 in which the qualifier “if any person be in Christ” brings clarity to the fact that a person has to be saved in order to be reconciled. In this context 2 Cor. 5:19 can be seen to mean that Jesus reconciled the world to Himself, meaning either He saved all people potentially through His efficacious blood or that Jesus died for all kinds of people (i.e. His salvation extended beyond ethnic Jews).
The same can be said for John 3:16-17 which is balanced out by the context of John 3:18 which says “whoever believes not [in Him] is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
Romans 5:18 doesn’t refer to all human beings being saved because the qualifier in context, Romans 5:1, teaches that through faith we have peace with God through Christ and that the power of salvation is extended only to those who believe (Romans 1:16).
Thus, the mistake here, as in most heresies and cults, is that folks take a biblical passage out of context by not reading the entire biblical letter or book.
Here is an example of why context is so important: Let’s imagine a man were to receive a “Dear John” letter that starts with his girlfriend informing him she wants to break off their relationship forever. But, in the middle of the letter, she says she still loves him and will enjoy all of their memories together. He reads the entire letter but focuses only on the middle part of the letter and thinks she still loves him and wants to be together. By doing this he completely misses the point of the letter that was given in the opening part, which gave the context for the rest of the letter.
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The same effect takes place in 1 John 2:4 in which it seems as though Jesus is a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. But this verse most likely refers to the efficacious potential of the blood and not the actual application of salvation. Again, the context can be seen by 1 John 1:9 which refers to confessing sin in order to be forgiven and 1 John 5:12 which speaks about a person having the Son to qualify for eternal life.
Universalists also use John 12:32 which quotes Jesus as saying “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” They twist this passage to make it seem as though all will ultimately be reconciled. But Jesus, speaking to Jewish followers, was merely speaking about how His sacrifice would draw all people from all ethnic backgrounds and nations, not only Jews. Also, drawing “all people” can be explained by prevenient grace (the process describing the period of time when God’s Spirit convicts a person) but does not necessarily mean that all who experience conviction of sin will be saved.
Universalists also use psychology by asking “Doesn’t God always have His way?” Then they quote 2 Peter 3:9 which says: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” So, they ask, if God is not willing that any should perish, do you think we will overpower His omnipotence? Of course, the context of this passage is found in 2 Peter 3:8 in which Peter is speaking to God’s “beloved.” That is to say, God is not willing that any of His children should perish.
Furthermore, we also have an instance in which Jesus wept over His people because they rejected His desire to bring them to Himself as a hen gathers her chicks, but they were not willing and were left desolate and judged as a nation (Matthew 23:37-39). So here we have a passage in which God didn’t have His way or get what He desired!
