QT 27 Sep 2011, Rob Bell is wrong, it is not true that all will be saved

Rom 5:15-17 (NIV) But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

NOTE: There is some current thought in American evangelical circles, that all will be saved.  It is a variation of universalism, but is essentially the same.  Some of these verses might seem to support that idea, but there is just enough qualification to dismiss it.  Verse 15 uses "the many" to describe the result of Adam's trespass, and the result of Jesus's grace.  Verse 16 says "judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation" and in a parallel form says "the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification."  Here a slight differentiation is observed.  Judgment is for every single man, and is repeated elsewhere in scripture.  The gift, though, has to be accepted (by definition of the term gift).  Judgment is earned, i.e., the wages of sin is death.  But a gift is free and only realized when accepted or taken.  Verse 17 makes it even more clear when it says "death reigned through the one man," but "God's abundant provision of grace" to "those who receive."  In other words, all mankind is affected by death, but grace is only to those who receive it.  The parallelism is useful in comparison, but there is a difference in the population that is affected.  You don't get a choice about death (unless you never sin), but you do get a choice about receiving God's grace.  While it is not possible to not sin, one could argue that both have a choice attached.  We willfully disobeyed God--we chose to sin.  We willfully choose to receive God's gift.  Otherwise, unlike the new theology of the day, we will go to hell.