Calvinist and Arminian theologies have been in conflict within the Christian church for 400 years.
Calvinism says that God is powerful enough to save all people, but doesn't.
Arminianism says that God desires all people to be saved, but isn't able to accomplish it.
Universal reconciliation says that God desires all people to be saved, and that He accomplishes it.
Universal reconciliation is neither Calvinistic nor Arminian. And, if true, it resolves a four century old conflict in the church.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Problematic verse: 1 Cor. 15:23 -- ...those who belong to Christ
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. - 1 Cor. 15:22-23
These two verses in 1 Corinthians can be, and have been, used to show that only those who "belong to Christ" at his coming will be made alive -- that is, will secure salvation. The implication, of course, is that those who do not "belong to Christ" will not secure salvation.
But the passage does not stop with verse 23. Reading on:
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when it says, "all things were put in subjection," it is plain that he is expected who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. - 1 Cor. 15:24-28
Taken in isolation (and out of context), 1 Cor. 15:22-23 does seem to state that only those who belong to Christ when Christ returns will receive eternal life. But taken in the full context of the passage through verse 28, we see that redemption, and the granting of life, is a process; that many will be "made alive...each in his own order." And the order is this: Christ the firstfruits, at his resurrection; then those who belong to Christ at his coming; then, ultimately, "all things," which will be brought by Christ into subjection to the Father, so that God may be "all in all."
The repeated use of the word "all" makes this passage similar in meaning to Rom. 5:15-21. And the assurance that Christ will eventually redeem "all things" and present them to his Father implies that salvation isn't simply reserved for "those who belong to Christ at his coming," but shall extend to all things; "all" implying...well, all -- a much broader or universal reconciliation rather than a limited one.
Problematic verse: Matt. 25:46 -- Punishment vs. correction
"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." - Matt. 25:46
Had penal retribution been intended [in this passage], Matthew could have used the applicable Greek word, timoreo/timoria...Instead, he chose the restorative term kolasis, usually [over]translated as punishment, but which actually carries a connotation of corrective discipline or chastisement.
The Greek word for punish and punishment appears just three times in the NT...Our common version translates two Greek words, timoreo, and kalazo, "chastise," with the same English word, "punish." Chastizing carries the idea of correcting with a view to amendment of one's mistakes, while punishment is penal action. These two words were defined by Aristotle in his Rhet. 1, 10, 17, as, "kolasis is corrective, timoria alone is the satisfaction of the inflictor." Archbishop Trench states in his synonyms of the N.T.: "timoria indicates the vindictive character of punishment; kolasis indicates punishment as it has reference to correcting and bettering the offender.
If so, then the goats of Matthew 25 are not dismissed to eternal, retributive torment. Rather, we have something more like Malachi's refiner's fire, which by implication, finds its terminus when the subject's "pruning" -- the root meaning of kolasis -- is complete.*
*Bradley Jersak, Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem [Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2009], 30.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Universal Reconciliation
For starters...
Key passages:
John 4:42 – “We know that this is indeed the…Savior of the world.”
John 12:47 – “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
Rom. 5:18 – Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free give came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
Rom. 11:32 – God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
2 Cor. 5:18-19 – God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.
1 Tim. 2:3-4, 6 – This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth…Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Titus 2:11 – The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.
Heb. 2:9 – Jesus…tasting death for…everyone.
1 John 2:2 – He…is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
1 John 4:14 – The Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
Other passages:
Matt. 5:26 – “Assuredly…you will by no means get out of there [Gehenna prison] till you have paid the last penny.
Indicates that one can and will get out of “Gehenna.”
Matt. 12:20-21 – “Till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.”
Indicates that judgment isn’t simply to condemn, but to accomplish God’s ultimate purposes.
Mark 1:26-27 – “Who then can be saved?”…”With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
1 Cor. 3:15 – If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
1 Cor. 15:22 – For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
1 Cor. 15:55 – Where is death’s sting or Hades’ [hell’s] victory?
2 Cor. 5:14 – If One died for all, then all died.
Rev. 20:13 – Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Indicates that only their works will be judged. Similar to 1 Cor. 3:15.
Col. 1:19-20 – It pleased the Father…by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
1 Tim. 4:9-11 – This is a faithful saying and worth of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially [not exclusively] of those who believe.
Key passages:
John 4:42 – “We know that this is indeed the…Savior of the world.”
John 12:47 – “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
Rom. 5:18 – Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free give came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
Rom. 11:32 – God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
2 Cor. 5:18-19 – God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.
1 Tim. 2:3-4, 6 – This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth…Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Titus 2:11 – The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.
Heb. 2:9 – Jesus…tasting death for…everyone.
1 John 2:2 – He…is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
1 John 4:14 – The Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
Other passages:
Matt. 5:26 – “Assuredly…you will by no means get out of there [Gehenna prison] till you have paid the last penny.
Indicates that one can and will get out of “Gehenna.”
Matt. 12:20-21 – “Till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.”
Indicates that judgment isn’t simply to condemn, but to accomplish God’s ultimate purposes.
Mark 1:26-27 – “Who then can be saved?”…”With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
1 Cor. 3:15 – If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
1 Cor. 15:22 – For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
1 Cor. 15:55 – Where is death’s sting or Hades’ [hell’s] victory?
2 Cor. 5:14 – If One died for all, then all died.
Rev. 20:13 – Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
Indicates that only their works will be judged. Similar to 1 Cor. 3:15.
Col. 1:19-20 – It pleased the Father…by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
1 Tim. 4:9-11 – This is a faithful saying and worth of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially [not exclusively] of those who believe.
How broad a salvation?
I raised some questions about the passage in Romans 5 which seem to indicate that all are saved through the work of the Second Adam, Christ, in the weekly men's study at our church. Our pastor, who leads the study, candidly pointed out that if all we have of Paul's comments about who will be saved is Rom. 5:12-21, we'd have to conclude that all will be saved, that none will be lost. But, he pointed out, we have other passages in Paul's writings, such as 1 Cor. 6:9-10 -- "...do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God" -- which indicates that salvation is not universal. The point is that in spite of the Rom. 5 passage, the preponderance of Paul's teaching is that salvation is limited to those who come to faith in Christ in this life. In addition, if all are saved, what's the point of evangelism and coming to Christ? We might as well all eat, drink, and be merry, in our own way, for tomorrow we go to heaven.
Seems a fair enough answer to the question. But the Rom. 5:12-21 passage still seems ackward. It states, in part, that just as "all died in Adam," "all shall live in Christ." If salvation is limited only to a select (or the elect), why did Paul use the term "all" to indicate those who would be saved by Christ? Wouldn't it have been more correct to say, "all died in Adam, and many shall live in Christ"?
And the answer -- that "the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God" -- begs a couple of questions. What is the kingdom of God? Who are the "righteous"? And what is the inheritance that the righteous come into possession of?
Is "the kingdom" heaven, by-and-by? Jesus implies that "the kingdom is at hand," and while his kingdom is "not of this world," it is nevertheless something that his followers can seek here-and-now.
In regard to "the righteous," Paul states in 1 Cor. 1:30 that Christ is our righteousness; no one is righteous in and of themselves, as righteousness is an imputed characteristic.
In regard to inheritance, Paul makes reference to the believer's inheritance in Ephesians 1:11, and it doesn't have to do with what we gain upon death and our being ushered into eternity. In fact, we've already obtained it, as Paul states in that verse. It has to do with possessing and experiencing "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" which Paul clearly says we have already, here-and-now, been blessed with (Eph. 1:3).
Later in the chapter, Paul prays for the Ephesian church that they might come into a full experience of "the inheritance" they have in Christ, now, not later when they die and go to heaven: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know [from experience, not simply in one's head] what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe" (Eph. 1:18-19).
Putting verses 11 and 18-19 together, the conclusion is that every believer has already received an inheritance in Christ, but each believer needs to come into the full experience of that inheritance, or a full manifestation of it in their lives.
So, if Ephesian believers have yet to enter into the full experience of the inheritance they have in Christ, to experience the kingdom which is "here-and-now," it makes sense that the unrighteous, whether in the church or outside it, certainly won't experience or inherit the things of the kingdom of God. But this doesn't have to do with eternity and entering into heaven. It has to do with experiencing and walking in the blessings and experience of Christ now. Heb. 6:12 shows how we gain possession of our inheritance: we "inherit the promises" of God in Christ "through faith and patience." I don't see that this "patience" refers to waiting until we die and go to heaven.
Also, the 1 Cor. 6:9-10 passage is addressed to believers in Corinth. Is this passage even talking about unbelievers? Look around our own congregations: Aren't there revilers, adulterers, the covetous among us, people who declare a faith in Christ? If these are not in line to inherit the kingdom of God due to their behavior, is this to say that their going to heaven is dependent upon their actions, and not soley their declaration of faith and dependence upon Christ? Again, 1 Cor. 6:9-10 may not be about entering heaven, but about experiencing and manifesting the fullness of life in Christ. In short, "inheriting the kingdom of God" may have nothing to do with inheriting heaven (unless we're talking about "heaven on earth"). I'm persuaded that this is indeed the case.
So, the question remains: Why did Paul refer to a broad salvation in Rom. 5:12-21? The preponderance of his teaching may be that only some enter heaven (which I'm not convinced of), but the statement that "the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of heaven" isn't a conclusive refutation to the idea of a broad, universal reconciliation.
And on the question of "Why evangelize?"...in fact, why receive Christ at all if all are saved?...the question might be asked as to what constitutes evangelism? Jesus's "Great Commission" wasn't to go out and make Christians, but to make disciples. God isn't simply calling people to "be saved," but to enter into a relationship with Him through Christ such that their lives reflect the presence of God, the life of God, that God be able to live His life out through them and through each of us and through His church, that we might all reflect or manifest the inheritance we have in Christ. Not many, in fact very few Christians so reflect or manifest this, but this appears to be the point of evangelism and coming to Christ...Not to be "saved," per se, but to reflect the life and image of Christ. In this sense, the work of evangelism isn't yet complete in the lives of many Christians, let alone in the garden variety unbeliever.
So, "going to heaven" isn't the point of evangelism. It's certainly the end point of our destiny, but it is not the main point of sharing and receiving Christ. The point of evangelism is to transform people into the image of Christ, here-and-now, to gain victory over the destructive tendencies of the flesh and indwelling sin, with heaven being a surety by-and-by. It might be contended that until a person is completely transformed into the image of Christ, reflecting a fullness of the Spirit such that what people see in that person is Christ -- if a person falls short of this kind of transformation, it may be said that they are not yet fully evangelized. And, in fact, many Christians (the vast majority, in our culture) haven't yet been fully evangelized, particularly if they assume that getting into heaven is the main point of becoming a Christian.
It also needs to be said that in thinking that universal reconciliation (i.e., everyone eventually gets to heaven through the atoning death of Christ for the sins of the world) would encourage people to "eat, drink, and be merry," they haven't yet fully understood the devastating effect of indwelling sin, nor discovered the fullness of the blessings that are given to them in Christ. We should never be afraid of proclaiming the gospel of grace, even if the ultimate effect of that grace is that everyone makes it to heaven in the end.
Seems a fair enough answer to the question. But the Rom. 5:12-21 passage still seems ackward. It states, in part, that just as "all died in Adam," "all shall live in Christ." If salvation is limited only to a select (or the elect), why did Paul use the term "all" to indicate those who would be saved by Christ? Wouldn't it have been more correct to say, "all died in Adam, and many shall live in Christ"?
And the answer -- that "the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God" -- begs a couple of questions. What is the kingdom of God? Who are the "righteous"? And what is the inheritance that the righteous come into possession of?
Is "the kingdom" heaven, by-and-by? Jesus implies that "the kingdom is at hand," and while his kingdom is "not of this world," it is nevertheless something that his followers can seek here-and-now.
In regard to "the righteous," Paul states in 1 Cor. 1:30 that Christ is our righteousness; no one is righteous in and of themselves, as righteousness is an imputed characteristic.
In regard to inheritance, Paul makes reference to the believer's inheritance in Ephesians 1:11, and it doesn't have to do with what we gain upon death and our being ushered into eternity. In fact, we've already obtained it, as Paul states in that verse. It has to do with possessing and experiencing "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" which Paul clearly says we have already, here-and-now, been blessed with (Eph. 1:3).
Later in the chapter, Paul prays for the Ephesian church that they might come into a full experience of "the inheritance" they have in Christ, now, not later when they die and go to heaven: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know [from experience, not simply in one's head] what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe" (Eph. 1:18-19).
Putting verses 11 and 18-19 together, the conclusion is that every believer has already received an inheritance in Christ, but each believer needs to come into the full experience of that inheritance, or a full manifestation of it in their lives.
So, if Ephesian believers have yet to enter into the full experience of the inheritance they have in Christ, to experience the kingdom which is "here-and-now," it makes sense that the unrighteous, whether in the church or outside it, certainly won't experience or inherit the things of the kingdom of God. But this doesn't have to do with eternity and entering into heaven. It has to do with experiencing and walking in the blessings and experience of Christ now. Heb. 6:12 shows how we gain possession of our inheritance: we "inherit the promises" of God in Christ "through faith and patience." I don't see that this "patience" refers to waiting until we die and go to heaven.
Also, the 1 Cor. 6:9-10 passage is addressed to believers in Corinth. Is this passage even talking about unbelievers? Look around our own congregations: Aren't there revilers, adulterers, the covetous among us, people who declare a faith in Christ? If these are not in line to inherit the kingdom of God due to their behavior, is this to say that their going to heaven is dependent upon their actions, and not soley their declaration of faith and dependence upon Christ? Again, 1 Cor. 6:9-10 may not be about entering heaven, but about experiencing and manifesting the fullness of life in Christ. In short, "inheriting the kingdom of God" may have nothing to do with inheriting heaven (unless we're talking about "heaven on earth"). I'm persuaded that this is indeed the case.
So, the question remains: Why did Paul refer to a broad salvation in Rom. 5:12-21? The preponderance of his teaching may be that only some enter heaven (which I'm not convinced of), but the statement that "the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of heaven" isn't a conclusive refutation to the idea of a broad, universal reconciliation.
And on the question of "Why evangelize?"...in fact, why receive Christ at all if all are saved?...the question might be asked as to what constitutes evangelism? Jesus's "Great Commission" wasn't to go out and make Christians, but to make disciples. God isn't simply calling people to "be saved," but to enter into a relationship with Him through Christ such that their lives reflect the presence of God, the life of God, that God be able to live His life out through them and through each of us and through His church, that we might all reflect or manifest the inheritance we have in Christ. Not many, in fact very few Christians so reflect or manifest this, but this appears to be the point of evangelism and coming to Christ...Not to be "saved," per se, but to reflect the life and image of Christ. In this sense, the work of evangelism isn't yet complete in the lives of many Christians, let alone in the garden variety unbeliever.
So, "going to heaven" isn't the point of evangelism. It's certainly the end point of our destiny, but it is not the main point of sharing and receiving Christ. The point of evangelism is to transform people into the image of Christ, here-and-now, to gain victory over the destructive tendencies of the flesh and indwelling sin, with heaven being a surety by-and-by. It might be contended that until a person is completely transformed into the image of Christ, reflecting a fullness of the Spirit such that what people see in that person is Christ -- if a person falls short of this kind of transformation, it may be said that they are not yet fully evangelized. And, in fact, many Christians (the vast majority, in our culture) haven't yet been fully evangelized, particularly if they assume that getting into heaven is the main point of becoming a Christian.
It also needs to be said that in thinking that universal reconciliation (i.e., everyone eventually gets to heaven through the atoning death of Christ for the sins of the world) would encourage people to "eat, drink, and be merry," they haven't yet fully understood the devastating effect of indwelling sin, nor discovered the fullness of the blessings that are given to them in Christ. We should never be afraid of proclaiming the gospel of grace, even if the ultimate effect of that grace is that everyone makes it to heaven in the end.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
One act of righteousness leads to justification for all men
On the topic of universal redemption, I find Rom. 5:12-21 most intriguing. In summary, it states:
-- Death came to all through Adam.
-- Life came through Jesus Christ.
-- MANY died through one man's trespass [Adam's].
-- The free gift of life comes by the grace in Christ for MANY.
"Many" = "Many"? How many died in Adam? All. Correspondingly, how many come to life in Christ? The same word is used..."many." Can that "many" mean only "some"?
Continuing on...
-- One trespass led to condemnation for ALL men.
-- One act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL men.
"All" = "All"? How many died in Adam? "All." How many are led to justification and life? "All." Can "all" mean ALL when referring to the impact of sin upon mankind, and then "all" mean only "some" when referring to the effect of Christ's work of securing salvation?
Moving on...
-- One man's disobedience made MANY sinners.
-- One man's obedience made MANY righteous.
How "many" were made sinners by Adam's disobedience? All. Can the "many," then, who are made righteous by Christ's obedience be only "some"?
Finally...
-- The law came in and INCREASED the trespass [of Adam].
-- but...where sin increased, grace ABOUNDED ALL THE MORE.
In the earlier verses of Rom. 5, "many" = "many," and "all" = "all" (or so it should seem), but in this verse, Rom. 5:20, grace is GREATER than sin; we see that grace is actually superior, and has a greater effect, a more wide-ranging effect, than sin. If Adam's sin impacted "ALL," then Christ's obedience to death on the cross is more powerful and is more than sufficient to be applied to "ALL." As "many" who were ruined by Adam's fall, they now have been redeemed by Christ's righteousness...Or so implies Rom. 5:12-21.
I'm not inclined any longer to reject this idea out of hand.
-- Death came to all through Adam.
-- Life came through Jesus Christ.
-- MANY died through one man's trespass [Adam's].
-- The free gift of life comes by the grace in Christ for MANY.
"Many" = "Many"? How many died in Adam? All. Correspondingly, how many come to life in Christ? The same word is used..."many." Can that "many" mean only "some"?
Continuing on...
-- One trespass led to condemnation for ALL men.
-- One act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL men.
"All" = "All"? How many died in Adam? "All." How many are led to justification and life? "All." Can "all" mean ALL when referring to the impact of sin upon mankind, and then "all" mean only "some" when referring to the effect of Christ's work of securing salvation?
Moving on...
-- One man's disobedience made MANY sinners.
-- One man's obedience made MANY righteous.
How "many" were made sinners by Adam's disobedience? All. Can the "many," then, who are made righteous by Christ's obedience be only "some"?
Finally...
-- The law came in and INCREASED the trespass [of Adam].
-- but...where sin increased, grace ABOUNDED ALL THE MORE.
In the earlier verses of Rom. 5, "many" = "many," and "all" = "all" (or so it should seem), but in this verse, Rom. 5:20, grace is GREATER than sin; we see that grace is actually superior, and has a greater effect, a more wide-ranging effect, than sin. If Adam's sin impacted "ALL," then Christ's obedience to death on the cross is more powerful and is more than sufficient to be applied to "ALL." As "many" who were ruined by Adam's fall, they now have been redeemed by Christ's righteousness...Or so implies Rom. 5:12-21.
I'm not inclined any longer to reject this idea out of hand.
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