The "half" gospel vs the whole gospel.

[B-A-C]

There is a popular phrase amongst Bible scholars. It's called "cherry picking". It means you find certain verses that support your beliefs, but ignore many other verses that show your belief is incorrect.
Context is king. A verse given without context, is really a pretext.

I could literally give dozens of examples about this. These are things that are argued and debated frequently here on TalkJesus. .. and the debates go on.

.. but they don't have to, and really.. they shouldn't. In order for a doctrine to be valid, it has to agree with the whole Bible. You can't pick out one or two verses and build an entire doctrine on it.
Especially when dozens of other verses say the opposite.

Probably a good example of this is Universalism. This is a belief that everyone is going to heaven, and no one is going to hell. There are certain verses picked to support this...

1Jn 2:2; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
1Cor 15:28; When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
Col 1:20; and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

There are more, but these should be sufficient. If you simply read the verses out of context, and there were no other verses to oppose them, then you could build a doctrine on them.
However... the Bible doesn't say everyone will be saved.

Matt 7:13; "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
Matt 7:14; "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Luke 13:23; And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them,
Luke 13:24; "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Luke 13:25; "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.'
Luke 13:26; "Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets';
Luke 13:27; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.'

Rev 20:15; And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Matt 25:10; "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.
Matt 25:11; "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.'
Matt 25:12; "But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'

Matt 25:26; "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.
Matt 25:27; 'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.
Matt 25:28; 'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'
Matt 25:29; "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
Matt 25:30; "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matt 7:19; "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
John 15:6; "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

Rev 14:9; Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
Rev 14:10; he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Rev 14:11; "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

.. so then, it seems some of the verses are contradicting each other. Which is it... do many people really go to hell, or did Jesus really die for every one's sins, and He is going to reconcile all things?

As I said earlier, in order for a doctrine to be valid, it has to agree with both sides. The thing is all three verses I gave in the second paragraph are true and correct.
Jesus did die for the sins of the entire world. No argument there. He will reconcile all things to Himself, no argument there either. So then, what's the problem?
Well you have literally dozens of verses that say people will go to Hades and the lake of Fire. Jesus died the whole world, but you have to accept Him as an individual. His death was enough to cover the sins
of the whole world, that's true. But you have to make a personal choice to accept Him, to receive Him, to repent and follow Him. Ok, but what about the verse that says He will reconcile everything?
That verse is true also, but people have a misunderstanding of what reconcile means. Reconcile simply means call all accounts due.
If you've accepted Jesus, then your sins are covered. If you haven't they aren't. You still have a balance due and you have to pay. Welcome to the Lake of Fire.

There are dozens of other examples, freedom of choice, predestination, the pre-trib rapture, and many others... they are all easy to refute and have been many times. But some people will always
the few fringe verses that seem to say something else, and build a doctrine on them.

A half truth is a whole lie. Even Satan uses partial truths sometimes. A half gospel is not the gospel at all.

2Cor 11:4; For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you accept this without question.

 

[Samson2020]

1Jn 2:2; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
1Cor 15:28; When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
Col 1:20; and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

There are more, but these should be sufficient. If you simply read the verses out of context, and there were no other verses to oppose them, then you could build a doctrine on them.

Then reconcile those verses with the ones you have cherry picked.

The universalist position is valid when you understand that the lake of fire is not hell (the grave) and during the second death is when all Israel shall be saved.
Can't save all Israel in this dispensation as a bunch died prior to Jesus' time. Including JTB

The real problem is an inability to rightly divide the word into its proper time dispensations.

Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of TIMES He might gather together in ONE(spirit) ALL things in Christ(the anointing), both which are in heaven,
and in earth.

 

[Samson2020]

Matt 7:13; "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
Matt 7:14; "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Romans 9:22-23 What if God wanting to show His wrath, and make His power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels(bodies) of wrath fitted
to destruction: and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory.

In both cases each prepared for what it gets, by His choice not ours. But this is just the first death period not the final outcome.

Rom 9:15 For He saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16- So then it is not of Him that wills, nor him that runs, but of God that showeth mercy.
18- Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will HE HARDENETH.

Does this seem just to anyone?
The above verses by B-A-C are indeed true for NOT ONE of us is able to find that way unless we received mercy from the Father!

What would be the purpose of making known the riches of His glory to the vessels fitted to wrath? They will see that glory at the second resurrection right?

Luke 3:5-6 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be
made smooth; and ALL flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Now as Romans points out it is Gods choice as to who is a vessel fitted to wrath and who is a vessel of mercy, but eventually ALL flesh shall see what is
the salvation of God. To what end that they being fitted to destruction should be eternally tormented? No. So that God could show his wrath and glory
to both types of vessels so that when ALL have been reconciled none would ever dare to contend with their Father.

We who have the first fruits of the spirit are challenged to continue in a world that has not seen what they will see thus most was written to us to encourage
and warn of not making it into the first fruits group. Keep the faith, do good and reject evil, love God, love thy neighbor, do what is expected of a vessel that
has obtained mercy and tasted the goodness of God by receiving the Holy Ghost.
It isn't that they will never receive the same gift we have received or that they rejected the gift already for a vessel fitted to destruction surely was not given
a gift of faith, it was fitted to wrath and destruction.

Rightly divide dispensations!