A popular past-time for many people at this time of the year is to make (and break) new year resolutions.
These are most often centred around being materially or personally better off.
Favourite resolutions are to lose weight, quit smoking, save more/spend less, learn something new, exercise more, and other "me-focused" goals - all very worthy targets.
Disciples of Jesus might consider adding something more "other-focused" to these.
A recurring exhortation in both the Old and New Testaments is for God's people to love God and neighbour.
When Jesus was asked by a Jewish leader which commandment he considered was the most important, he replied:
"The most important one is this: 'Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
The second most important commandment is this: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'
There is no other commandment more important than these two."
[Mark 12 : 29 - 31 GNB]
So our added resolutions could be "to love God more" and "to be more loving to my neighbour".
And how could we do that?
Well, it depends on what we mean by love.
My definition: to love someone is to always want the best for them, and whenever the opportunity arises, to do that best for them.
(Notice that it has nothing to do with whether we like that someone or not.)
So, how could we love God more?
In other words, how could we do more of what would be best for God?
One way would be to represent him and his love for humanity more often and more faithfully.
... He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships.
In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn't hold people's faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others.
Therefore, we are Christ's representatives ...
[2 Corinthians 5 : 18 - 20 GW]
Then how could we love our neighbour more?
In other words, how could we do more of what would be best for our neighbour?
A back-handed answer is for us to become more Christ-like, as he was always doing the best for others.
Those whom God had already chosen he also set apart to become like his Son, so that the Son would be the first among many believers.
[Romans 8 : 29 GNB]
All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.
[2 Corinthians 3 : 18 GNB]
We do this by allowing the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide and correct us, so progressively transforming us into Christ-likeness.
Out of that Christ-likeness flows insight into what is best for our neighbour, prompting us into action.
I am amazed at how often the Holy Spirit prompts me to call, visit or pray for someone I have not even been thinking about and discover my contact has resulted in meeting a current need of that neighbour.
As well as transforming me, I am prompted to love my neighbour as Christ would. Indeed, he is loving them through me.
So what about the "me-focused" resolutions on my list?
How can these contribute to our loving God and neighbour more?
To be better off financially might allow us to be better providers for our families and give us more options for doing the best for our neighbour.
To lose weight (a perennial favourite) might be an admirable goal if it means carrying less weight makes us more effective and efficient in serving God and neighbour.
To learn something new might be just the thing the Holy Spirit wants us to use in loving our neighbour.
Disciples of Jesus have so many options when choosing resolutions for the new year together with the Holy Spirit's empowering to ensure those new goals last the distance.
And all of them can contribute to Jesus' call for us to love God and love our neighbour as ourselves.
Wishing you a Spirit-guided and productive new year.
Blessings, Barry
It is so easy to forget (neglect) the reason we celebrate Christmas when we become over-consumed with parties, shopping for gifts, arranging travel and accommodation, family dinners, etc.
So we, especially those of us who are disciples of Jesus, need to ensure some time is given to focus ourselves and our families on the One whose birthday we acknowledge at this time of the year.
And although it is easy to start with the baby and the manger, let's not stop there. Let's discuss who the baby was and why he came.
Jesus' visit and ministry were planned by God even before the beginning of time.
God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.
[2 Timothy 1 : 9 CEV]
His arrival was announced by the Old Testament prophets centuries before he appeared.
So the Lord himself will give you this sign: A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel [God Is With Us].
[Isaiah 7 : 14 GW]
The LORD said, "Sing for joy, people of Jerusalem! I am coming to live among you!"
[Zechariah 2 : 10 GNB]
His divinity was recognised.
The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.
[John 1 : 14 GNB]
For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity,
[Colossians 2 : 9 GNB]
Jesus' purpose in coming to earth was acknowledged.
The next day John (the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
[John 1 : 29 GNB]
This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
[1 Timothy 1 : 15 GNB]
And Jesus himself said:
I came, not to judge the world, but to save it.
[John 12 : 47b GNB]
Indeed Jesus, God in an earth-suit, is in the only One who can provide the salvation God has chosen to give us.
Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us."
[Acts 4 : 12 GNB]
Clearly, if the Creator of the universe would so confine himself to a human body in order to provide for our salvation and ultimately eternal life in his company, the least we can do is make sure he and his salvation work are acknowledged on the day we celebrate his earth birthday.
I wish you and your loved ones a holy and blessed Christmas as you celebrate and give thanks for our wonderful Saviour.
Barry
In a previous post, we dismissed the "hell of eternal torment" proposed by many people by first showing its absurdity, and then the Bible's declaration of God's intention to reconcile all of His creation to Himself.
Since we are currently living in an age which is dominated by sin, death and hostility towards God, there is clearly a lot that must happen to get mankind from where it is now to that promised reconciliation and peaceful state.
A broad brush stroke overview of the journey from here to there is outlined in the Scriptures and briefly described below.
It is a multi-age process with an advance party chosen and equipped in the current age, joined by a regathered and restored national Israel, to serve in Christ's kingdom age, followed by a final gathering and restoration of the rest of mankind at the end of time.
(Christ's kingdom age is often referred to as the Messianic Age by the Jewish community and as the Millennium by many in the Church community.)
Those in the Advance Party, also called the Body of Christ, are given the faith to believe that Jesus died for their sins and was resurrected to guarantee their life beyond the grave, and have subsequently committed themselves to serving Jesus as training for their future kingdom duties.
Serving Jesus in the current era also involves progressive correction and reformation into the image in which God originally made them. However, the journey to Christ-likeness will not be completed before the end of their lifetime on earth, so a future assessment and refining process is provided to ensure their perfection for service in the kingdom.
Paul explains this process when writing to the Corinthian believers in the Advance Party, who came to faith under his ministry.
Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each of you must be careful how you build.
For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid.
Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw.
And the quality of each person's work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone's work; the fire will test it and show its real quality.
If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward.
But if your work is burnt up, then you will lose it; but you yourself will be saved, as if you had escaped through the fire.
[1 Cor 3 : 10 - 15 GNT]
This judgement and refinement for believers occurs before Christ Himself.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 10 ESV]
Clearly, the more believers grow towards Christ-likeness during their lifetime on earth, the less refinement will be needed for their role in the kingdom.
When the last of the Advance Party is chosen and perfected, and Israel's regathering and restoration completed, the kingdom age begins. It is during this age, under the personal direction of Jesus Christ and the major judgement and restoration events at its end, that God completes His plan to reconcile all mankind.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep.
For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming.
Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy that will be abolished is death. ...
When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 20 - 28 WEB]
The New Testament has other references to this final result. Here's an example:
Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.
He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things.
For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God.
Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.
[Colossians 1 : 17 - 20 GNT]
Just as the perfection process for the Advance Party involves judgement and correction, as characterised by a refining fire at the end of this current age, so the remainder of mankind will experience judgement and restoration, also characterised by a refining fire at the end of the kingdom age.
However the scale of this latter process will be much larger than for the believers in the Advance Party as the final harvest will be dealing with the rest of mankind compared with only the first fruits in the former.
Indeed the Book of Revelation refers to the final judgement scene as the Great White Throne and its refinement facility as the Lake of Fire, giving an indication of their size.
The penalty for sin being paid for, death being abolished, God becoming "all in all", and all of creation being reconciled to God, are surely the outcomes we'd confidently expect from a loving heavenly Father who is in full control of His creation.
Judgement and correction/refinement are the methods God uses to complete that outcome for all - for those in the Advance Party and for those whose reconciliation awaits the end of time.
Blessings, Barry
This is the eighth in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.
His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the second of which is b. The Fixed State of the Unbelieving Dead. (see a previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here )
Under the b. The Fixed State of the Unbelieving Dead heading Dr Arnold claims that the unbelieving dead are seen in a fixed state that cannot be altered and then quotes numerous texts from the New Testament hoping to illustrate his assertion.
(i) The Matthew texts were discussed in a previous post.
(ii) The Rich Man and Lazarus parable from Luke's gospel which is presumed to show the fixed state of "hell".
Dr Arnold uses this story to point out that the rich man could not pass from his place in Hell to Lazarus in Abraham's bosom; there was no crossing the line, and no future opportunity to do so, thus demonstrating a fixed state that cannot be altered.
I won't list the lengthy parable here, so please read it in your Bible - Luke 16 : 19 - 31.
First of all, let me note that a correct Greek to English translation would use Hades instead of Hell to describe the rich man's position. In any case, apart from being a poor translation, the word "hell" has some grisly connotations derived from centuries of fear-mongering, church teaching and is best avoided in serious Bible study.
Hades is the unseen realm of departed spirits - nothing more; nothing less. (Sheol is the Hebrew equivalent.)
Before the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, this was the resting place for all who died.
Second, Hades could hardly be describing a fixed state as there are at least two resurrections to occur subsequent to this age, making Hades only a temporary place of residence.
Do not be amazed at this, for an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear his voice, and those who have done good things will come forth into a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil things into a resurrection of judgement.
[John 5 : 28 DBH]
Although the gulf between the rich man and Lazarus is not able to be crossed at the time of the telling of this parable, it will be irrelevant at the time of the resurrections.
Third, some people conflate the Hades of this parable with the Lake of Fire described in Revelation 20, assuming that both are a description of the "hell of eternal torment" that has been taught relentlessly as the future for unbelievers.
However the Lake of Fire is called the Second Death in the Bible and, since death is to be abolished at the end of the ages, the Lake of Fire can't be permanent either.
Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power, and the last enemy he destroys will be death.
[1 Cor 15 : 25 - 26 CEV]
So the conflation is not helpful (as well as being ill-conceived).
Fourth, using this parable to produce an eternal doctrine is also inappropriate.
Let's remember that parables are stories that use familiar earthly ingredients to illustrate spiritual principles or realities.
Let's also remember that Jesus was only sent to Israel for his earthly ministry,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel"
[Matthew 15 : 26 NIV]
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel."
[Matthew 10 : 5 - 6 NIV]
and the only two ages that Israel was concerned with were their current age and the Messianic KIngdom Age, which Christians often call the Millennium.
"As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'"
[Matthew 10 : 7 NIV]
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
[Matthew 6 : 33 HCSB]
They didn't conceive of an eternity at all, and Jesus never addressed eternity with them, even though many English Bible translators put the word "eternal" in Jesus' mouth. (If you're not sure about that, check out a literal translation of the New Testament like Young's or Hart's or Rotherham's or the Concordant Version. You'll find that Jesus did not use the word "eternal" or "eternity" or "everlasting" or "forever" at all.)
So Jesus' parables were designed to convey spiritual meanings about the kingdom of God, the Messianic Age promised by Israel's prophets.
They had nothing to do with the eternal realm on which many Christians are focused.
Dr Arnold's opposition dissolves in the face of the kingdom circumstances of this parable - there is nothing in it that even hints of a permanence that extends into eternity.
We'll discuss the texts from John's gospel in the next part.
Blessings, Barry
Note 1
I have addressed Dr Arnold's objection using his assumption that the parable is being used to describe conditions in "hell" (Hades).
Many commentators agree with that assumption.
However, I think the parable is telling his Jewish audience something quite different and much more relevant to them at that time.
I could write a post describing my interpretation, if you're interested.
Let me know if you are and I'll get a separate post written in the new year.
Note 2
As an aside, I think that Jesus' audience would have had difficulty visualising this parable as a description of "hell" as their view had "hell" populated by people who were asleep and unable to speak or debate.
For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, ... (this verse is the most frequently cited)
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
[Ecclesiastes 9 : 5, 10]
So man lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no longer, He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.
[Job 14 : 12]
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
[Daniel 12 : 2]
These verses from the Hebrew Scriptures demonstrate their view that the dead know and do nothing because they are asleep and therefore unconscious until the resurrection.
So a parable describing inhabitants conversing and debating ... is unlikely to be interpreted by Jesus' audience in the way many Christian commentators do.
In the presence of those who promote a belief in a "hell of eternal torment" I find my mind posing the question "Do you really believe what you say you believe?".
I admit that a "hell of eternal torment" is the majority position held by mainstream church goers, and others, for all unbelievers, but I find it illogical, immoral, unBiblical and contradicted in the lifestyle of its proponents.
Firstly, the belief is illogical.
Suppose the torment only lasts for a billion years rather being eternal. For the mistakes made in a lifetime of about 70 or 80 years on this planet, can you imagine even the harshest judge imposing a sentence of a billion years? That doesn't make sense.
Secondly, the belief is immoral.
A sentence of a billion years for a crime of 70 or so years is unjust, unfair -- just downright immoral. Can you imagine any parent imposing such a disproportionate penalty on a mischievous child? Not even a fallen human parent would do so, let alone a perfect, loving heavenly Father.
Thirdly, the belief is unBiblical.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has already paid for the sins of the world.
Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
[1 John 2 :2 GNT]
And if all sins have already been dealt with, if everyone's debt to God has been fully paid, by God Himself no less, why should anyone else have to pay again?
For God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 19 TLB]
Fourthly, the belief is contradicted in the lifestyle of its proponents.
If it was really believed, I would expect its adherents to use every opportunity every day to warn their families and friends in the hope they would avoid this outcome. But I don't see them being stirred into urgent action on this score at all.
This widely-held belief in a "hell of eternal torment" fails on many levels and contradicts what the Bible reveals about a loving God's plans for His creation.
The Son is the image of the invisible God ... all things were created by him, and for him ... and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[Colossians 1 : 15 - 20 NIV]
because God
intends all human beings to be saved and to come to a full knowledge of truth.
[1 Timothy 2 : 4 DBH]
As faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, let's continue to proclaim the really good news about what God intends for His creation through what Jesus' death and resurrection have achieved. Expecting anything less than eventual success is an insult to our loving, sovereign God.
Blessing, Barry
This is the seventh in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.
His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the second of which is b. The Fixed State of the Unbelieving Dead. (see a previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here)
Under the b. The Fixed State of the Unbelieving Dead heading Dr Arnold claims that the unbelieving dead are seen in a fixed state that cannot be altered and then quotes numerous texts from the New Testament hoping to illustrate his assertion.
I will address these cited texts in five groups:
(i) Four texts from Matthew's gospel describing Jewish unbelievers weeping and gnashing their teeth;
(ii) The Rich Man and Lazarus parable from Luke's gospel which is presumed to show the fixed state of "hell";
(iii) Two texts from John's gospel which announce that Jews not believing in the Messiah will die in their sins;
(iv) Two texts from 2 Peter declaring that the unrighteous will need to face judgement; and
(v) Two texts from Jude describing so-called "eternal" dark outcomes for sinners.
(i) The Matthew Texts.
These texts are used by Dr Arnold to argue that the unbelieving dead are in an unalterable fixed state of punishment.
They are part of the conclusions to parables Jesus was using to teach his Jewish audience.
(Parables are stories that use familiar earthly ingredients to illustrate spiritual principles or realities.)
Matthew 13 : 41 - 42
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [NIV]
Matthew 22 : 13
Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ [NIV]
Mathew 24 : 51
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [NIV]
and Matthew 25 : 30
'And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' [NIV]
I certainly agree that the places and experiences described in these parable are extremely unpleasant.
In each case, Jesus has used strong hyperbolic images for severe chastisement to communicate to the Jews the serious cost in rejecting their long-expected Messiah and the kingdom He came to establish for them.
However, none of these texts gives even a hint that the situation is an unalterable fixed state, as Dr Arnold claims.
The punishment suffered is being locked out of the Messianic Age, the coming earthly kingdom often called the millennium, for which they will suffer agonising grief.
But that's not the end of the story - for them (or for anyone else for that matter).
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:
Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,
and in this way all Israel will be saved.
As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
[Romans 11 : 25 - 27 NIV]
So there is nothing permanent in the cited texts, nor is permanent torture or destruction or agonising grief consistent with God's plan for national Israel found in other texts.
Here's an example from one of their prophets, Jeremiah.
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
[Jeremiah 31 : 31 - 34 NIV]
We'll discuss Luke's parable in the next post.
Blessings, Barry
This is the sixth in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.
His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the first of which is a. The Scriptures Used. (see a previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here)
Under the a. The Scriptures Used heading Dr Arnold quotes five (carefully chosen) texts that he claims teachers use to prove the truth of a second probation, as Dr Arnold calls it. He concludes, "So none of these five passages that are used actually teach the doctrine of a second probation."
We have discussed Dr Arnold's evaluation of these texts in Parts 1 to 5 and have shown where he has misquoted one, isolated some from their context, and added dubious interpretation/commentary in his attempt to prove his theological position that God will not succeed in His plan to restore and bring unity to His entire creation by the end of the ages.
By carefully selecting the verses to oppose, he creates straw man arguments for his rebuttals by using peripheral verses that provide an incomplete view of the text or using verses isolated from their contexts.
This approach is common among critics who use their a priori belief that most of humanity will end up either annihilated or eternally tormented to shape their understanding of the Scriptures.
It's obvious that if you begin with such a horrible belief, you must find ways to discredit or ignore verses in the Bible which teach the complete plan of God to redeem His creation.
More importantly, this belief totally discredits the character, love and sovereignty of God.
I find it much easier, and more faithful to God and His written Word, to start with the belief that God will complete His advertised plan to save all creation and then explore how the punishment verses fit within that plan.
We also need to be aware that this discrediting approach is also used by some who translate the Scriptures from the original languages to English.
Here is one such example - one of my favourite verses.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
[1 Cor 15 : 22 NIV]
That is, the same all who are in Adam (all humanity) will be made alive in Christ.
Most versions translate this verse accurately, but a few change the order of the words so that it supports their view that only believers will receive the life promised.
Look at this from the New Living Translation.
Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
[1 Cor 15 : 22 NLT]
That is, the everyone who belong to Adam (all humanity) will be reduced to the everyone who belong to Christ (all believers) - a subtle but substantial change.
And we wonder why so many people believe that God's plan to save all creation will be defeated.
In addition, by choosing such a limited number of verses he claims teachers use to prove the truth of universal reconciliation, Dr Arnold has totally ignored the many verses that clearly demonstrate this eventuality (as well as the themes of God's love, compassion and sovereignty that weave their way through both Testaments).
Let me quote a few of those verses.
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
[John 12 : 32 ESV]
For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
[1 Timothy 4 : 10 ESV]
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
[Titus 2 : 11 ESV]
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
[Romans 5 : 18 ESV]
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
[Luke 6 : 35 - 36 ESV]
Let's complete this response to Dr Arnold's critique of the The Scriptures Used as might the Apostle Paul.
Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his wisdom and knowledge and riches!
How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods!
For who among us can know the mind of the Lord?
Who knows enough to be his counselor and guide?
And who could ever offer to the Lord enough to induce him to act?
For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory.
To him be glory evermore.
[Romans 11 : 32 - 36 TLB]
This is truly God's plan - creation, redemption, restitution.
Whatever we find in Scripture must fit that plan in some way.
Blessings, Barry
This is the fifth in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.
His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the first of which is a. The Scriptures Used. (see a previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here)
Under the a. The Scriptures Used heading Dr Arnold quotes five (carefully selected) texts that he claims teachers use to prove the truth of a second probation, as Dr Arnold calls it.
He says, Basically they point to five passages of Scripture ... The fifth passage is a combination of 1 Peter 3 : 19 with 4 : 6, which speaks about the gospel being preached ... to the dead. Since it is preached ... to the dead, then it must mean a second probation.
Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison.
[1 Peter 3 : 19 CEV]
The good news has even been preached to the dead, so that after they have been judged for what they have done in this life, their spirits will live with God.
[1 Peter 4 : 6 CEV]
Dr Arnold's objection is extensive, so I will break it into several parts and address each separately.
First, let me confess I am not a Greek scholar. My understanding of the Greek New Testament relies on the publications of reputable Greek scholars, with my starting point being the literal English translations of the New Testament published by them. (The literal New Testament translations I use are listed below.)
Dr Arnold begins ...
as to their comparison of 1 Peter 3:19 with 4:6, they are ignoring the fact that these are two different contexts.
Mmmm. Let's see.
Paul is using the particular (the lost in Noah's day) as an example of the general, so they have a genuine connection.
continues ...
In 3:19, the Greek word for "preaching" here is not the word that means, "to preach the gospel", "to evangelise" or "to get people saved". It is a different word keirusso that simply means "to proclaim".
Actually kierusso just means to herald or proclaim or preach. So it could be used to proclaim anything, including the gospel.
In fact the epistles use this same Greek work (or its derivatives) to describe Paul's ministry of doing just this.
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages,
[Romans 16 : 25 NET]
... the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald (a proclaimer) and an apostle ...
[1 Timothy 2 : 5 - 7 NIV]
So proclaiming the good news is not precluded by the use of this Greek word, but indeed is used that way by Paul.
then ...
A proclamation not to save them, but a proclamation to condemn them.
My goodness!
An assertion not based on Biblical or even philosophical support, but based solely on the previously-determined theological position of Dr Arnold.
Based on Paul's use of the word above, the proclamation is more likely a continuation of Jesus' earthly ministry when ...
... Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
[Matthew 4 : 17, 23 NRSV]
As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations.
[Mark 13 : 9 - 10 NRSV]
... the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him (Jesus). Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
[Luke 4 : 17 - 19 NIV]
This Greek word is used most frequently throughout the Scriptures to proclaim or to preach or to herald God's good news.
and ...
Furthermore, it was made to one group of spirits, those who were disobedient in Noah's day.
These two verses are open to several interpretations so I would not place great weight on them, in isolation, to be evidence of God's plan to save all creation.
However, the story of the spirits that are specifically mentioned in 3 : 19 - 20 is linked to the verses in chapter 4 with "therefore", indicating that the wider application in chapter 4 is using Noah's "disobedients" as an illustration of what might happen to all other "disobedients".
and finally ...
In 4:6, the Greek wording means, that the Gospel had been preached to those while they were still alive but had now passed away.
Dr Arnold's interpretation cannot be supported by any correct translation (like CEV above), and especially literal ones (like DBH below).
Because it was for this that the good tidings were proclaimed to the dead, that though judged in the flesh according to human beings they might live in spirit according to God.
[1 Peter 4 : 6 DBH]
Dr Arnold's insertion of "now" before "passed away" is very naughty and designed to grossly change the meaning of the verse - and it is also inserted in some modern versions of the New Testament by translators who hold the same position as Dr Arnold.
In any case it was described as "the good news" or "the good tidings" or "the gospel" - depending on which translation you are using.
You could hardly construe the good news to be "A proclamation not to save them, but a proclamation to condemn them."
What a shocking description of the gospel Dr Arnold claims was being preached!
We always need to keep
All things come from God, through God, and return to God. Praise him for ever! Yes, it is so!
[Romans 11 : 36 WE]
in mind to alert us to verses of Scripture misquoted or misinterpreted by those endeavouring to deny God's wonderful plan for His creation.
Blessings, Barry
Literal English New Testaments I most frequently use.
YLT - Young's Literal Translation (Public Domain)
CLV - Concordant Literal New Testament (Concordant Publishing Concern)
DBH - The New Testament - A Translation - David Bentley Hart (Yale University Press)
Can you remember back to the start of the year when I discovered a new New Testament, a recently published translation by David Bentley Hart?
You can read of my discovery in a February 2019 post here.
And later, in April, I shared how the introduction and postscript to the translation were such a bonus as well.
You can read that post here.
One of the highlights in these "bookends" was Hart's admission that as a result of his translation experience God's plan of universal salvation was confirmed for him.
However, even more excitement for me.
Hart has now just published a book called "That All Shall Be Saved" and subtitled "Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation", again published by Yale University.
My copy has just arrived from the USA.
And has it caused a storm over there!
Here's another very highly credentialled theologian "coming out" as a universalist - and the mainstream Christian academia is tearing into him, even though some are admitting "A brilliant treatment - exegetically, theologically, and philosophically" and "some of the most exciting, perspicuous and powerful theological writing I have read in recent years".
His introduction includes statements like: "if Christianity taken as a whole is indeed an entirely coherent and credible system of belief, then the universalist understanding of its message is the only one possible. And quite imprudently, I say that without the least hesitation or qualification."
As you know, I wrote a popular book geared for lay-people, including non-Christians, called "The Really Good News About God" several years ago and finally published in 2015, which presented the Biblical case in non-technical language for the eventual reconciliation of all through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But Hart's new book is geared towards scholars trained in theology and/or philosophy and presents Biblical evidence and arguments at that level.
It is certainly not an easy read for people with no formal theological or philosophical training (like me) but I am enjoying the challenge of understanding his rhetorical arguments expressed in long, wordy sentences filled with unfamiliar vocabulary and technical asides (and surprising wit in such an academic volume).
When I finish this challenging adventure, I am hoping to be armed with new concepts and arguments to more rigorously flesh out the basic Biblical ones that I have been sharing in my book and website and this BLOG.
I'll keep you posted - but don't hold your breath waiting.
This project make take me some time.
Blessings, Barry
This is the fourth in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.
His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the first of which is a. The Scriptures Used. (see a previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here)
Under the a. The Scriptures Used heading Dr Arnold quotes five (carefully selected) texts that he claims teachers use to prove the truth of a second probation, as Dr Arnold calls it.
He says, Basically they point to five passages of Scripture ... The fourth passage is Philippians 2 : 9 - 10 which teaches that every knee [shall] bow.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[Philippians 2 : 9 - 10 NIV]
Dr Arnold's objection is that but again this passage only shows the subjection of all to God; it does not mean the salvation of all. Even unbelievers will some day be in subjection to Him.
As in Part 2, Dr Arnold cites verses isolated from their context, effectively constructing a straw man rebuttal. He has so carefully selected these two verses that he ignores verse 11 which just happens to torpedo his criticism.
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
[Philippians 2 : 11 NIV]
Dr Arnold pleads that *the subjection of all to God* does not infer salvation of those all, and I agree, in isolation, that might be so.
The possibility of forced subjection, which Dr Arnold infers, with participants compliant on the outside but rebellious on the inside, is unlikely in a situation that is deemed to bring glory to God.
More likely this subjection is the result of God's work in the hearts of all who are bowing the knee and acknowledging the lordship of Jesus, as it has been with us.
In support of this, it is worth remembering that the Bible teaches that it is not possible to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus without the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit.
no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
[1 Corinthians 12 : 3 NIV]
This great worship event, which was also foreseen by Isaiah (chapter 45), alludes to God being "all in all" [NIV] or "everything to everyone" [CEV] in our previous 1 Corinthians 15 : 28 reference cited in Part 2.
It is important to keep God's big picture in view when considering small text snippets to ensure our small-scale thinking remains consistent with it.
And because God is the source and sustainer of everything, everything finds fulfillment in him. May all praise and honor be given to him forever! Amen!
[Romans 11 : 36 TPT]
Blessings, Barry
This is the third in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.
His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the first of which is a. The Scriptures Used. (see a previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here)
Under the a. The Scriptures Used heading Dr Arnold quotes five (carefully chosen) texts that he claims teachers use to prove the truth of a second probation, as Dr Arnold calls it.
He says, Basically they point to five passages of Scripture ... The third passage is Colossians 1 : 20, which states that God will reconcile all things unto himself, both in the earth and in the heavens.
and through him (Christ) to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[Colossians 1 : 20 NIV]
Dr Arnold's objection is that in this verse reconciliation does not mean all are saved. In fact, the very term "reconciliation" only means that all are savable. They still must believe and if they die without believing there is no further opportunity.
There are three parts to this objection - the meaning of reconciliation, the need to believe and no after-death opportunities.
Firstly, the meaning of reconciliation.
I can't find any dictionary that offers a definition of reconciliation as making people savable.
My Oxford dictionary offers five meanings for the verb "reconcile":
1. Make friendly after estrangement (between people)
2. Purify (a consecrated place after desecration)
3. Make acquiescent or contentedly submissive
4. Heal, settle (a quarrel)
5. Harmonize, make compatible
To me, people who have been reconciled to God have had their relationship to God saved (to get the word "saved" into the discussion), even if they aren't aware of it during their life on this planet in their earth-suit.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.
[2 Cor 5 : 19 NIV]
because
(God) desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all.
[1 Timothy 2 : 4 - 6 NIV]
Why would God bother to reconcile the world to Himself, inflicting such humiliation and suffering on His Son, if He didn't plan to save us all?
Making a distinction between reconciliation and salvation seems quite a stretch for me.
In any case, Paul speaks specifically of the joint ministry of Jesus' death and resurrection in his letter to the Romans - we are reconciled to God by Jesus' death and saved through his life.
For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life.
[Romans 5 : 10 NIV]
Secondly, the need to believe.
God is surely the Saviour of the whole world, including current unbelievers.
That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
[1 Timothy 4: 10 NIV]
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.
[Titus 2 : 11 ESV]
And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
[1 John 2 : 2 GNB]
So do people need to believe in order to be saved?
No, not at all.
God has already taken care of our salvation 2000 years ago without any input from us.
So what's this thing about believing?
You can only believe in something that already exists. (If you believe in things that don't exist you are a strange person indeed.)
God chooses to give faith to some so they can appreciate, experience and enjoy the salvation that Jesus has already won for them - as well as become His messengers of reconciliation.
These are the "especially" people mentioned in 1 Timothy 4 : 10 above.
Those not given faith while in their earth-suits, whose salvation has also been won, will need to wait until the Great White Throne judgement to appreciate what Jesus has done for them.
Salvation is our joy right now as God gives faith to those He has chosen to be the advance party (the Body of Christ), and will be the joy of those not in the Book of Life who will see Jesus and come to the knowledge of the truth at the Great White Throne.
So 'yes' we do need to believe, but not so that we will be saved, but to appreciate the salvation already granted to us.
For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them.
And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
[2 Cor 5 : 19 NLT]
Thirdly, no after death opportunities.
I can't find a text to support or refute Dr Arnold's opinion that people have no after death opportunities.
However God does have a plan for His creation.
With all wisdom and understanding, he (God) made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
[Ephesians 1 : 8 - 10 NIV]
This plan, motivated by God's love for His creation, must be implemented, since God is in sovereign control.
So my logic tells me that
if God's plan is to bring unity to all things, and
if God has already reconciled the world to Himself, and
if God is the Saviour of the world
then people who do not believe in the Saviour Jesus before they die will do so after they die.
Otherwise
God doesn't achieve His unity plan, and
God has not reconciled the world to Himself, and
God is not the Saviour of the world, and
Jesus was not successful on the cross, and
God is not the God of love and sovereignty I serve.
Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.
[Romans 11 : 36 MSG]
Blessings, Barry
This is the second in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.
His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the first of which is a. The Scriptures Used. (see a previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here)
Under the a. The Scriptures Used heading Dr Arnold quotes five (carefully chosen) texts that he claims teachers use to prove the truth of a second probation, as Dr Arnold calls it.
He says, Basically they point to five passages of Scripture ... The second passage is 1 Corinthians 15 : 27 - 28, which states that all things, will be subjected to the Son.
For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 27 - 28 NIV]
Dr Arnold's objection is that the "all things being subject to the Son" does not mean the salvation of all, but only that the unsaved will be in subjection to Him.
I agree that, as King, Jesus will have all things in subjection to him by the end of the kingdom age.
But that's not all!
What also happens when the kingdom age is completed?
Previous verses, which provide the context for the two verses Dr Arnold quotes, indicate that this subjection to Christ is in a setting of all (people) being made alive in Christ
Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us.
[1 Cor 15 : 22 CEV]
and Jesus having destroyed death as the final enemy.
Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power, and the last enemy he destroys will be death.
[1 Cor 15 : 25 - 26 CEV]
It seems obvious to me, that if all are alive because of what Christ has done (just as all die because of what Adam has done), and death itself is now destroyed, then life is the only condition possible from then on.
And since these events happen at the end when Christ hands over His kingdom to God the Father,
Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom to God the Father.[1 Cor 15 : 24 CEV]
and God becomes everything to everyone,
After everything is under the power of God’s Son, he will put himself under the power of God, who put everything under his Son’s power. Then God will mean everything to everyone.
[1 Cor 15 : 28 CEV]
then the life we will all experience together must be eternal life.
So all are indeed saved, given eternal life, even though the verses quoted by Dr Arnold, isolated from their context, only tell part of the story.
Because eventually ...
Everything comes from the Lord. All things were made because of him and will return to him. Praise the Lord forever! Amen.
[Romans 11 : 36 CEV]
Blessings, Barry
This is the first in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.
His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the first of which is a. The Scriptures Used. (see previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here)
Under the a. The Scriptures Used heading Dr Arnold quotes five (carefully chosen) texts that he claims teachers use to try to prove the truth of a second probation, as Dr Arnold calls it.
Before I address these five passages of Scripture, it is worth mentioning that there are many, many more [and more emphatic] passages that demonstrate God's intention to save all His creation, as a quick scan through this BLOG site will reveal.
He says, Basically they point to five passages of Scripture. The first is Acts 3 : 21, which speaks of the times of restoration of all things.
Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. [NIV]
Dr Arnold's objection is that the "all things" is limited to that which was spoken by the prophets, and that did not include any kind of universalism, limited or unlimited.
Well, I wonder what Isaiah and Malachi, for example, might say about that.
Although the Old Testament prophets were usually focused on contemporary Israel for their near-future insights and the Messianic Kingdom age for their far-future insights, their writings did occasionally give a strong hint of God's bigger picture.
Isaiah prophesies that all people will worship God ...
“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.
They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’”
All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame.
[Isaiah 45 : 22 - 24 NIV]
and that all nations will feast at the table of the Lord
In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
[Isaiah 2 : 2 NIV]
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.
[Isaiah 25 : 6 - 8 NIV]
Malachi also mentions that all nations will worship, and bring offerings to the Lord.
"My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.
[Malachi 1 : 11 NIV]
David's description of God's character would back these hints from the prophets.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow in anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
[Psalm 145 : 8 - 9 NIV]
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
[Psalm 107 : 1 NIV]
Although Acts 3 : 21 is not a verse that I personally use to "prove" the truth of UR, it cannot be dismissed as being antagonistic to the Biblical theme of UR, as Dr Arnold suggests.
For all things were created by him, and all things exist through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen.
[Romans 11 : 36 GNB]
Blessings, Barry
