Evangelical Universalism

Hi everyone.

Lately, I have been looking into Universalism (NOT Unitarian Universalism) after trying to pull together a logical explanation of man's "freewill" and God's "freewill". Previously I have been an Arminianist who was looking into Calvinism.
I have nearly come to the conclusion that man and God do not have free will at all. It is more like we have free agency (A freedom to act out our character). I am thinking this way because, if God chooses from before the foundations of the world those whom would be saved and at the same time be choosing those who accept Him, then there must be a predictable nature about our characters.
Our characters must have a system or predictable character by which God can read us. Just like God has a character and does not change. We cannot decide who we are. I think our perceptions of who we and who God is can change but not who we really, truly are. If we did have a "free" choice, then our choices would be random, because they would not be following a system or character. Randomness is not observable or coherent.
So, God made us, and so we will be what God made us to be.
Then it leads to, why would God make someone specifically for eternity in hell?

As I said, I have been looking into Universalism for obvious reasons. I originally thought they were a bunch of wackos who didn't take the Bible seriously, and to my surprise I found out that they actually do and that they actually have some strong arguments to illustrate their case.

These guys are quite an interesting read http://www.evangelicaluniversalist.com/forum/
and also this non-exhaustive list of scriptural support was interesting too http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/univ3.html

Keen to hear people's thoughts.

Dan

God of the Present

Exploring the meanings of the names of God that we see from the Bible is a neat study. Some of those names mentioned in the Bible are:

• El Shaddai- God Almighty
• El Elyon- God Most High
• El Roi- God that sees
• El Olam- The Eternal God
• YHWH Jireh- God provides
• YHWH Rophi- God that heals
• YHWH Nissi- God is our banner
• YHWH Shalom- God of peace

But as I was studying there was something that kept coming to mind; something was missing about these names. It wasn't in the differences between Latin (Jehovah) and Hebrew (YHWH) versions. It wasn't in the name actually at all but it is in the verb that stands with the name. These verbs are present tense. They are not past or future, but present. That means that God is not the God of the past. We can thank Him for what He has done of course but He is not the God of the past. He is not the God of the future. This is not to say that He has nothing to do with the future or that we don't have to care about our future eternal life. He is the God of the present. We live in the present. He cares about us now.

The best name for God is the one He gave Moses. I AM. Notice it is not "I was" or "I will be", but I AM. Sure, this also means He transcends all time and that time is meaningless to Him. But, with God there are always two meanings, one spiritual and one physical. This also means He is here with us now. So, when we say His name as Jehovah Jireh, we are not saying God will provide. We are saying God is providing! God will not heal, God is healing! God will not give us peace, God is peace! When Isaiah said that by His stripes we are healed it is not saying that we will be healed. It says we are! God provides our daily bread. God sets us at peace every morning because His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). If we believe then we receive.

Too many times we pray God if you will, when we should be saying thank you God for what you are doing. This is why Jesus told us to pray as though you have already received it (Mark 11:24). He is doing it now. This may show why sometimes things happen at once and others take time. We are in the process of receiving these promises that God will not forsake us. We live day by day. Our faith grows day by day. Our faith struggles if we have to wait for the results. The strongest of faith knows it is already done. But sometimes our faith goes through hard times so we can see the glory of God when time reveals. This is hard to do since we live in a physical world and our senses deceive us. We rely to many times on what we see, but we are not suppose to walk by sight but by faith. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

Jesus' name is also Y'shua Ha Mashiach which means Jesus the Messiah, the Savior. When does He save? Now! Forever. With each day that comes, God provides, heals, sees, saves, and waves His banner of love over us (Exodus 17:15). We are forever His. The Great I AM is here, now, waiting for us to accept His promises and then watch our faith work.

For more reading click here:  http://ideasoftimbible.blogspot.com/2010/01/31-names-of-god.html.

Daily Dosage

When your stomach aches the thing most people reach for faster than any other thing is Pepto- Bismol. The instructions on the bottle say take 2 tablespoons every 1/2 to 1 hour as needed. When a headache comes around people start to reach for the Advil. The instructions say take 1 tablet every 4 to 6 hours. When we suffer from allergies we take decongestants and antihistamines. Those instructions are basically the same; take a tablet every so often. When we are hungry we know we need to feed ourselves 3 times daily. The instructions here is try and complete the food pyramid to get a full and balanced diet. These are the things that when we feel bad, under the weather, not so right, or unbalanced we take to make us feel better in our lives so we can function properly. We know taking these things will help or at least give us some security that we have taken steps to make us feel better and that in and of itself gives us hope that we will be up and around like our old selves as much as possible. If this is the case, then why do we ignore the calling of our souls when they hurt? Our bodies scream to us to tell us we are not feeling well and we listen to it. Yet, when our souls cry out that we are hurting we ignore it. We need to feed our souls daily.

Jesus said He is the bread of life (John 6). He said those who believe in Him shall not thirst. Yet, so many people are thirsting and hungry on the inside. They have wholes intheir life that can not be filled by material matters or physical desires. Jesus told us to pray about giving us our daily bread. We are supposed to get a little Jesus every day! We wander this earth hurting and feeling alone. Our souls cry out and desire relationships. We ache and pain in our souls because we are not using the daily dosage prescribed by the Word of God; the instructions tell us to take it daily.

In Exodus 16 we see how God provided His people with a daily dosage of manna. Each and every day He faithfully allowed manna to fall from heaven and His people were filled. They were to collect all they could and let not one drop go to waste. Today we have spiritual manna. We have the Word of God. We have Jesus Christ. Manna is all around but we don't take our fill. We pick up pieces when we feel we need it. We let manna go to waste. We shall never go hungry if we take the daily bread.

If the wisdom of man is telling us to take certain substances to make our bodies feel better imagine how much more powerful the wisdom of God as He tells us to take Jesus, our daily bread, to make our souls feel better. Reading the Word, daily prayer, praise in the morning, worship at night. Take the manna, the bread of life daily and your soul will feel better.

The Full Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-17

 

•10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

•11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

•12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

•13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

•14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

•15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

•16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

•17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

 

This thought has been used by many over the years but something I heard the other day made me realize something very special about this passage. Each piece not only has a specific job to do; that is common sense. None of these can stand alone. This is why Paul writes we need to put on the full armor of God. This is not to say that God has a weakness. It is to say man has a weakness. Any “armor” we put on that is of flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Any opening we give to the enemy is vulnerable. God wants us to completely trust in Him. Without trust in God our faith is weak. Without using all of the armor we show lack of trust or even worse, self pride. But what does each piece mean?

 

Helmet of Salvation. Why do we wear a helmet? To protect our head of course. Our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Four out of our five senses are located in the head. It gives us direction and collects our bearings. They think, guide, and reason. So we have to protect these things if we want to protect our lives against the evils of this world. But there is a deeper meaning to this. Salvation! A helmet covers us. God’s salvation covers us. Our sins are covered. It starts at the top. It is the beginning. We all wash from head to toe. When our heads are covered, the rest follows. Since our sins are covered, the rest of salvation and the fight can begin.

 

Shield of Faith. Believing in our cause. When things of this world try and break us and tear us apart we have something that can block the attack. Our faith can get us through the worst of times. Paul tells us that when all things have passed away faith, hope, and love will remain. It is eternal. It is always here for us to use. But there is the catch. We have to use it! And the larger the shield, the better. Many of us have small amounts of faith. We can take small attacks in our lives but the more battered the less we feel safe with that shield. The larger the shield, the more we can defend with. The stronger the material, the more battering it can take. We need to build our faith each day so that nothing can break it or batter it. And we get a stronger faith by reading the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

 

Sword of the Spirit. Paul specifically tells us this is the word of God, scripture. It is our greatest weapon. With the Word in our hands we can stand against the enemy. Notice one major thing here; Paul writes about many defenses we have but we have one offense---SCRIPTURE! Everywhere in the Bible when the word “scripture” itself is used it means something that has been written down by God, etched in stone. What God has said nothing can overrule it. God’s word is final. When satan tries to tempt you and you want to fight back then quote scripture.

 

Shoes of Readiness. Sometimes we have to be mobile. Sometimes the path we have to take is rocky and hurts. Paul tells us to put on shoes that can protect our feet from the path we have to take. Breastplate of Righteousness. Your most vital organ is your heart. Many times we are told we have to protect our heart. God judges us by our hearts. If we love, forgive, show compassion, and trust then we have righteousness. This righteousness protects our hearts.

 

But after all of this the most important thought is still to come. Think of a soldier (from Paul’s time). He can put on a helmet but nothing else is protected. He can carry a sword but has to defend twice as hard. He can put on shoes and run if he needs to. He can carry a shield and wear a breastplate for better protection. But there is one thing that allows the armor to be fully connected. It connects offense with defense. The Belt of Truth! It attaches the upper and lower extremities. It keeps you from falling over your cloak. IT CARRIES YOUR SWORD! Without truth, nothing matters! If you do not have the truth, then what are you defending? Why would you need an offense? The truth of God is what the cause of Christ is all about. Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life. Because Jesus died (truth) and because He was the Son of God (truth) and because He rose again (truth) we have life. He showed the way by living the truth. We need to live the truth. We need to wear the full armor of God. And above all remember our struggle is not against flesh but against the spiritual forces that hate you.

Quid est Ecclesia?

What is the Church?

Old Testament terminology equates it to the Temple. The first temple was the Tabernacle or the Tent of Meeting. Everywhere the Jewish nation went they would set up a place to where the priests and Moses could go to God and talk to Him, sacrifice, pray, and worship God. When the physical Temple was built by Solomon all of the symbols and items from the Tabernacle were placed inside, most importantly the Ark placed behind the Veil. The Temple was divided into parts. Depending on who or what you are is where you could go inside the Temple. But only those close enough to God were allowed to go behind the Veil, the curtain that symbolicaaly separates man from God, which Jesus's death caused to be torn in two. For more information on the temple see http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/2008/08/iv-worship.html. The point here being that no matter where God's people are there is God as well, permanently.

New Testament terminology equates it to us. This new temple is what we are. The Church are not individuals though. The Church is a body. Some are hands. Some are feet. Some are speakers. Some are seers. But these both have something in common and its the same connection the Old Testament Temple had; God is always there. And if God is always there how can you let worldly ideas and actions into the Church and/or Temple?

Keep in mind, the church is not the Church. Small "c" means thet building. Capital "C" means Christ's body.

The Church is suppose to be:

1. Spirit-led, not man-led
2. Glorifying God, not humanistic
3. Use of gifts to help serve people and God, not show casing human ability
4. Holy, not worldly
5. An organism, not an organization
6. Loving, compassionate, hospitable
7. Witnesses!

But what has the Church become?

1. Leaders with egos that can not see past their own accomplishments to see the hurt in some.
2. Worried about growth in numbers instead of growth in spirit.
3. Entertainment focused and "jamming" instead of true worship (putting God first).
4. Lost in culture and becoming immune to the world's sickness.
5. Business and less personal, more worried about reputation than character
6. Divided, hypocritical, worried about reputation instead of character
7. Bad examples because the world sees no difference between living a Christian life and a non-Christian life.

The Church is supposed to be separate from the world for we are not part of this world. Yes, we have to live in it and deal with it but nowhere in the Bible does it say we are to become part of it. The book Animal Farm, although not about Christianity, ends exactly the way what the Church has become.

• "Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to, and from pig to man again but already it was impossible to say which was which."

The pigs who were supposed to be different and make a change ended up taking on what the humans were doing and in the end became just as bad as humans. Now, we are all sinners, so do not take away from this Thought that Christians are "better". That is far from the truth. What it is saying is we are supposed to act better. We are supposed to change the world. But the Church has become so liberal and weak, has watered down the message of Christ so much, has lost the true meaning of worship so much, that the culture ended up changing it. We have allowed the culture to change sermons, our service to people, our charity, our education, and the worst is we allowed it to change our worship. A non-Christian would say that is a good thing because it would make the Church easier to deal with. But due to this changing the Church has become insincere and less relevant to this world. Ask Europe. http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/2008/10/xiii-church-of-culture.html

Yet, the big problem is those who are supposed to be temples do not live holy and don't see the problem. They want to justify their own beliefs and actions. Church leaders get egos and prideful and blinded. They look for validation from friends and family. The people find excuses to not live outside the culture. The Church is dying because it is not being the Church. The Church is supposed to be a witness to the world. The Temple (you) is with God always. So, how can we as the Church as a whole or as an individual Temple allow the culture inside?

And the last thing, the Church is not INSIDE a building. It goes OUT to the world. Too many people think the church building is the place to get saved. No, technically the church building is for the Church. You get saved in your heart, not a building. But still the church building is there for a reason as well. It is a place of worship and education but it is also a place where people can feel safe and comforted; a haven, if you will. The building is a symbol of where someone cango who is feeling down and out because the world has beaten up on them. When people come into the church building they want to feel safe. They want to forget their troubles that the world and culture has caused them. Yet, what does the Church offer? Programs, sermons, and worship that is filled with the same culture that destroyed the individual in the first place, and mostly just to get a good reputation in the community. It's like an alcoholic goes to church and the Church offers them a drink and people think the church is cool then.

After reading this many will try and rationalize that reaching the culture means we have to use their ways to bring them in. Jesus went into the culture, He did not become part of it. This is not to say that church buildings cannot hold fun events and be entertaining to crowds. But the event has to be real and sincere, it is not a place to showcase one's talents for their own glory. Coffee and donuts never saved anyone. How far can worship service use secular ideas before true worship is sacrificed? Where is the line? Answer: it should stay out as a piece of worship, unless there is a point to it.

Other Thoughts you need to read for more explanation:

http://ideasoftimreligion.blogspot.com/search/label/Worship

Father of Lies

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."-Jesus, from the Gospel of John 8:44

We live in a world that would rather believe in lies than believe in the truth. We do so because if we live the lie then we don't have to change who we are. Because if we have to change who we are then that means we have made mistakes and there is something wrong with us or we are doing the wrong thing or have the wrong ideas. And no one wants to admit that. We are satisfied living in darkness. We feel we know better than God. We feel gray areas are fine. This is why Jesus said some are of the devil. The world throws away righteousness and takes on evil masquerading as good. Paul says that satan masquerades as an angel of light. Many times the world calls good evil and evil good. They do not know the difference anymore. Listen to these lies that the accuser has given to us and that we believe:

He turns love into lust.

He turns a baby into a fetus.

He turns a bad day into depression.

He turns depression into suicide.

He turns pain into doubt.

He turns doubt into atheism.

He turns a bad habit into an addiction.

He turns a disagreement into hate.

He turns pornography into freedom of speech.

He turns a condition into an excuse.

He turns knowledge into rationalization.

He turns self-awareness into pride.

He turns humanitarianism into liberalism.

He turns your past into the present.

He turns discipline into abuse.

He turns fossils into evolutionary fact.

He turns civil rights into racism.

He turns community leaders into politicians.

He makes "being good" into "good enough".

He turns women into objects.

He turns children into punching bags.

He turns fathers into one-night stands.

He turns a marriage into a definition.

He turns tolerance into apathy.

He turns moral standards into a joke.

He turns a family into a village.

He turns faith into a religion.

He turns worship into an argument.

And worst of all he turns Christians into lazy, lukewarm, twice-a-year-pew-sitting hypocrites who listen to these lies.

Funny, though, because a couple of verses before the scripture above tells us how to get out of this mess. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”- Jesus, from the Gospel of John 8:32. But unfortunately, no one wants to live in the truth.

Response to Homosexuality

http://weknowawesome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/homesexuality-sin.jpeg

YES

I know this is a sensitive and weighty issue. With all the humility, love, and sincerity I have (which I know is insufficient), I affirm that homosexuality is sinful, and government should not recognize ‘homosexual marriage’ in its legislation. I find this poster emotionally intimidating because we subconsciously feel that if we assent to the 'logical' conclusions, we must also assent to the emotion behind the poster.

I want to ensure people deal with the real issues in this whole debate – partly by dismantling the abundance of straw men in this poster, and partly by highlighting true conflict where it exists. My main hope (and prayer) is that the Holy Spirit will work with my words – not to be logical, but to address the emotion and spirit, so that people will see Christ’s glory as surprisingly beautiful.

This is a relatively quick post, so it will be full of words and I will have missed a lot of pertinent verses. By all means research it yourself! And comment/question at the end!

If you don’t want to read the whole thing, skip to point 7) and the conclusion :)

1) The Bible defines marriage as 1 man + 1 woman, for life.

This is easy to defend from Scripture (Gen 2:24, Mar 10:1-12), and the purposes God designed marriage for: the raising of Godly children (Mal 2:15), and the demonstration of the relationship between Christ and the church (Eph 5:21-32). Also nature, and the history and tradition of most of humanity for most of history, testify that this is a reasonable point of view.

Polygamy (and rape) are against God’s design for marriage (1Ti 3:2, 1Co 7:2, Deut 17:17). God commanded marriage in the instances of rape or female slaves/prisoners of war, to protect women in an environment of male leadership (which He knew sinful men would abuse). It was enforcing the natural/traditional order for the good of those involved.

2) Jesus uttered many words relevant to same-sex relationships.

Its not hard to figure out Jesus’ point of view on it. He taught God's view of marriage (Mat 19:5-6), how to apply the Old Testament today (Mat 5:17, Mat 12:8, Joh 4:23-24, Mat 23:23), the importance of humility and selflessness, and ultimately finding more purpose and pleasure in God than sex (or any other earthly pleasure – Luk 18:22, Mat 19:29).

Under these principles, even the following are sinful to God: lust (Mat 5:28), adultery/fornication, polygamy, selfishness in 'traditional/natural' marriage, idolizing your spouse higher than God and His purposes. He raised the standard so high that we all need his grace - even pious 'naturally/traditionally' married people.

3) There is clear guidance in the New Testament (especially from Jesus) on how to apply the OT views of homosexuality to our lives today.

The specifics laws in the OT fulfilled several functions: to keep Israel safe and separated from surrounding nations (God's mission has shifted - for now - to be global), to point toward Christ (Heb 10:1 – we now aim to reflect Christ more directly), and to teach the character of God (intended to direct us to God rather than being a rigid legalistic program). Even the less relevant of these purposes are useful to show us what God is like. And it is easy (especially with the help of the NT) to tell which functions the various laws served.

One aspect to God's character described in the OT is that He is very holy, and jealous about his holiness. He defines good, not us (1Pe 1:16, Psa 16:2, Jas 1:17, Mat 19:16-17). Anything which clouds or muddies or opposes that 'good', is by definition bad for us and God - evil. So there really are no 'grey' zones. Natural/traditional marriage is clearly described for multiple reasons as being 'good' (Pro 18:22, Pro 19:24, Gen 2:18, 1Co 7:9) – anything which confuses this (including homosexuality) is ‘evil’.

4) Its fairly obvious what Paul’s view of homosexuality was.

Paul deliberately focuses not on the lack of commitment in a relationship, but on a lack of adherence and submission to God's character (Rom 1).

The Biblical understanding of sexual complementariansm is extremely protective of women, and challenges husbands to be the most humble, gracious, serving, sensitive, protective men on the planet (Eph 5:25). Marriage is meant to demonstrate two roles - the role of Christ (in loving leadership) and the Church (in loving submission). Both are challenging, sacrificial, and rewarding to do as Christ intends – and easy to abuse or refuse.

5) There is, in fact, an undeniable natural order of things.

The world has not evolved beyond the need for God's purposes. Especially one He thought was important enough to ingrain in our very DNA – male and female design. The only time God overrules his general purposes, is when he calls some (few) people do it out of necessity (not want!) for the sake of focusing on other areas of God’s mission. That’s why God allows people to remain single (1Co 7:34-35).

The fact that some animals commit homosexuality does not make it any more natural. They are usually showing signs of mental disturbance, and are obviously aberrant. There is also a clear natural selection disadvantage. Nothing natural about it. Besides, even truly 'natural' behaviors (such as many male animals eating their young) are grotesque when applied to humans. When you consider humans without a clear gender (e.g. with chromosomal abnormalities or ambiguous genitalia), applying the term 'homosexual' to them is nonsensical anyway. I'm only discussing committed homosexual relationships, as opposed to traditional/natural marriage.

History teaches us that accepting homosexuality as a way of ‘moving forward’ and defining ‘civilized society’, is probably a bad idea. All civilizations in history, no matter how glorious, have fallen into pride and moral and financial strife just prior to their dramatic (often shameful) decline. The hallmark feature of such decline has always been an excessive and increasing focus on experimenting outside traditional/natural sexual behavior. The Bible also predicts this progression (Rom 1).

6) God is the most tolerant and loving being in the universe.

We all deserve punishment for our sins, but God is being patient and continues to show common grace to all, which is meant to draw us to repentance and trust in Him (Rom 2:4). Don't trample Him underfoot by defending the sin He died to save us from. If we fail to understand God’s ways in fullness, at least trust that He knows what’s best for us, others, and Himself. Ultimately you will only find lasting delight in the display of God’s character to you and through you.

7) The Bible does not deny homosexuals the ability to choose.

There is a difference between allowing, and condoning or defending. Government may not have the right to force morality (unless it is harming others) – we have a responsibility to let people choose. But we also have a responsibility to encourage the best (God’s character on display in traditional/natural marriage), and to NOT condone anything which muddies, confuses, or opposes this.

Legal backing cannot be given to a nonsensical entity. Marriage has a meaning – two men cannot be married to each other, just like two bachelors cannot be married to each other. Gays are welcome to marry - find one member of the opposite sex and commit yourself to them for life in love and faithfulness. There are several stories of people with continuing homosexual tendencies (some of which were at one point openly 'gay'), living well in a loving, Christ-honouring, natural/traditional marriage.

People can add legal backing to marriage if they like, but ultimately marriage is spiritual – God designed it from the beginning, and He defines, defends, and rejoices in it. The basis for opposing gays living sinfully together, is not that society or the legal system – or even Christians – think its sinful. Its that God thinks its sinful.

Finally, some notes about the emotion behind the poster.

Maybe some Christians are self-righteous, hateful, unsympathetic, and prideful. But the Bible encourages humility, grace, bearing eachother’s burdens, and respect. We are all sinners before God – we are all sexually broken in some way, and fail to delight in, pursue, or express the character of God as we ought (and need, for our satisfaction).

I don’t know where homosexual people come, what their experience of delight and struggle is, how they tick, or how broken they are. And I don’t pretend to. God alone knows that, and He cares. I just know my own struggles. But one thing I know – we will all only find true delight in God and His glory.

God alone knows ultimate outcomes, how characters will change, and what areas in life we will discover ourselves to be completely wrong about. He along has the ability to know what is ‘good’ for us. He made us so that we would find ultimate purpose and meaning and satisfaction and life and power, when we delight in the full display of His character to and through us. Marriage does this when performed God’s way – part of which means being traditional/natural.

Ultimately, homosexuality only matters because it is a sign of how we treasure Christ. To pridefully integrate homosexuality into your very identity, instead of agreeing with God about it, is evidence of (at best) a serious distraction from this, or (at worst) heartfelt prideful hatred toward Christ. Both of which condemn you like all sin outside of Christ, but both of which Christ can forgive and overcome if you will let Him!

I want God to enable Christians to come alongside homosexuals as fellow strugglers in the battle against sin and for our perfect delight in God’s glory. May we battle together with humility and love and uncompromising devotion to God.