For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified.
Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15: 22, Concordant New Testament
It ranks as one of the hardest truths of the Lord which I have come to accept. That each and every one of Gods children will ultimately be saved. It's easy for me to proclaim that I myself will be saved, for I know this truth in my heart. However, what of those who for one reason or another we do not deem worthy to be saved? The brutal murderer, the bully or the one who extorts millions from those in need. What about them? Will they also be saved? The short answer is...yes. I realize that this fly's in the face of a lot of Christians these days, but that's ok. I grew up in the mainstream church, where there were rewards for the good and consequences for those who bring evil unto the world. Of course, this continues to be the mantra of the church today. But let me present to you the words of Jesus, Who in Matthew proclaims "Do not judge, lest you be judged" {Matthews Account 7:1}. In other words, it's not up to me to decide who it is that will be saved. It's not up to any of us. At the end of the day, God will decide who He will bring into His eternity with Him. We can celebrate the grace of the Father that brings us unto Him through the works of Christ Jesus. Yet we have no grounds to place condemnation upon those around us, that's Gods department. This is the strongest argument I can make for the idea of Christian universalism, the idea that God will save all of His children in the end. You probably won't hear this preached from the pulpits of the mainstream church anytime soon. Why? Because as believers we understand that there must be consequences for our actions here on earth. Yet as believers we must also understand that it is God Himself who ultimately decides who is and isn't saved. If we believe that we are saved through His love and grace, we must know that God has the right to bestow that love and grace on whomever He chooses. The good news for us is that Gods very nature is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}, and that His desire is that all will return to Him {Paul to Timothy (1) 2:4}.
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and losing one of them, is not leaving the ninety-nine in the wilderness and is going after the lost one, till He may be finding it?
Lukes Account 15: 4, Concordant New Testament
The mainstream church needs you! It needs you to believe in what they are telling you. It needs you to accept what they tell you hook, line and sinker. That God has designated a place for those who do wrong. This domain has come to be known in Christian circles as hell, and too many believers have been threatened by it. Threatened that if they don't tow the line that they are headed to hell. This, of course, is nothing more than the church passing judgement unto others. They place themselves upon the throne of God and declare who it is that will suffer the agonies of an eternity in hell. I've seen this played out far too many times in my life. I have had the eternity in hell scare tactic used against me more than once. I have used the hell scare tactic on others. This is what we did. Those who do wrong need to be punished! Those who speak to the existence of hell quote scripture after scripture of how God brought punishment upon those who did wrong. Yet they do not proclaim that His love for us transcends that punishment. That He dispatched His Son that ALL the world might be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:17}. The fact is, when we threaten others with eternity in hell, we are placing upon them a judgement, and the Father has given all judgement unto the Son {Johns Account 5:21-22}. Christ Jesus gave Himself that He would be the propitiation not only for our sins, but for those of the entire world {First Epistle of John 2:2}. The truth about universalism is that it is the Fathers desire that all come to Him {Titus 2:11}.
~Scott~
No comments:
Post a Comment