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What
are the Basics of Christianity?
The writer of Hebrews says "Therefore, leaving
the discussion of the elementary principles of
Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying
again the foundation of repentance from dead works
and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of
baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of
the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will
do if God permits" (Heb. 6:1-3).
As Christians one of the first things that
should be settled are the basics. This would
include salvation through the death and
resurrection of Christ and the judgment for those
who refuse the gospel. Traditional
Protestant/evangelical and Biblical theology
teaches man is separated from God by sin and
destined for hell, that he needs to believe in
Jesus Christ's work on the cross (ie. the gospel)
as the ONLY way to be saved and go to heaven.
Today we are seeing the Church become seeker
friendly, so much so that a universalist view on
salvation is becoming accepted. Called by various
names such as the "Wider Mercy Doctrine," "The
Gospel of Inclusion" it presupposes that salvation
can be given to a person who has not heard the
gospel or of Jesus Christ. Those who hold this view
teach that God grants salvation to those who are
sincere in their religious beliefs, no matter how
false those beliefs are. This of course has been a
held position of most of the world religions that
already do not believe there is any one way to God.
The end result is that not just those who believe
in the gospel will be in heaven but many who only
believe in God.
Is
Universalism uniting religions?
The unity that many desperately are now seeking
is expanding to acceptance of other religions.
Ecumenism is one of the major means the New Age
movement intends to lead those who may not be
willing to cooperate into an interfaith level. With
the acceptance of other religions comes a universal
view of mankind. A good portion of Christianity is
already on the road of being brought together under
a false unity that excludes doctrine, so it is not
surprising to see individuals and denominations
willing to first merge with other compatible
religions. As the barriers are let down
incompatible religions will become the next step.
For Christians it starts by uniting with Roman
Catholicism's moral agenda, what many don't know is
that Catholicism teaches that "The plan of
salvation also includes those who acknowledge the
Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the
Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of
Abraham" (Catholic Catechism). The Pope unites in
prayer and effort with Hinduism, the traditional
African religions of animism, he acknowledges
Buddhism and approves of the Dalai Lama who is
regarded as a living deity. If you are involved in
ecumenism you're already connected to this.
Ecumenism unchecked leads to interfaith which will
eventually move the church into universalism.
Universalism teaches that all religions are
worshipping the same God in different ways. This is
what is known as syncretism. Some are teaching
there are Messianic Muslims, that they can accept
certain aspects of Jesus and still go back to
practice Islam. Others say that God was in various
cultures before Christianity and these cultures had
a valid concept of God. That Christ reaffirms what
they have known in their cultures practice. What is
proposed is that no matter which religion is
practiced, there are some common denominators we
can unite and agree on, that they all have
different roads that lead to the same destination.
There are many who call themselves Christians that
are moving toward a universalist view of mankind,
where we can accept anyone's God as the same God of
the Scripture claiming we do not worship different
Gods but the same one by different names. Accepting
other religions as valid under the auspices of "all
of us are worshipping the same God," with different
names is self-contradicting. The differences of
religion are like different species. You can't say
a bird is a dog even though it may eat similar
food. A whale may be a mammal but not like a human
is a mammal. A car is not the same as a plane
though they both may both run on fuel. What I'm
trying to say is that there are differences in
religion that cannot be overlooked, in both their
mechanism of practice as well as defining God's
nature.
The promotion of today's modern spirituality of
there not being one path to God, but many is not
what God says in the Bible, and it is made very
clear by numerous statements. Universalism in the
church is the natural outcome of liberalism. In the
process of opening the door in the name of
tolerance we end up accepting practices that oppose
the Bibles clear teachings on the basics.
The
Basics of Universalism
Universalism affirms that all people will be
saved. Within this belief system the concepts of
hell and punishment are rejected as inconsistent
with a loving God. People often want to do away
with a concept that they cannot understand. There
are many things in the Bible we cannot understand;
we can't really understand how God spoke and the
universe leapt into existence! But this does not
stop one from accepting the fact from one who was
there and passed it on. In the secular world the
majority of people do not know how electricity
works or why but they accept it in their everyday
lives. What we can understand from the bible we can
know is true therefore it is not a blind leap to
accept the things we may not fully understand. The
premise for all this is the authority of the
Scriptures being God inspired. Ask some questions
and you will find that most of those spearheading
this movement are committed to a liberal view point
and do not hold to the infallibility or inerrancy
of the Bible.
As tolerance becomes a major underlying
influence in the church many do not want to deal
with the harsh fact that people are going to go
hell. Universalism is going to have to be
addressed, as there is a growing renegade movement
in the church that is out to convince us to believe
that ALL will be saved no matter what their belief
is of God.
While the gospel has a universal call, it does
not teach universal salvation. The gospel is the
heart of Christianity it is the very reason the Son
of God became man. We have a responsibility to
evangelize; Jesus said to go into all the world;
teach others what He taught. If universalism was
His belief there would be no need for this command.
Universalism has no hell, only heaven, if this is
true there is nothing to worry about for anyone. If
universalism is true we no longer need to preach
the gospel. Let me ask you, who wants the church to
stop preaching the gospel? I can tell you, it's not
God who has inspired this message; it is another
gospel, a false belief of Jesus Christ. It is a
trump card of Satan who opposes the things of God,
especially the gospel as the only means of saving
people from their sin.
In this article I would like us to look at the
arguments and the usage of scripture by the
Universalist to see if they truly understand the
Bibles position on man, God, sin, and the
consequences of sin. Many Universalists are
claiming to be Christian. This becomes an oxymoron,
because to be a true Christian one must believe
that Jesus is the only way to be rescued from their
condition of sin.
The
true Gospel
The true gospel is prompted by love, showing
God's mercy, He does not want to show anger or
judgment toward us so he has taken the initiative.
However if the gospel is rejected He has no choice
but to judge. Some people think Jesus is all love
and forgiveness and he would never bring harm to
anyone, nor send anyone to Hell. Everyone is going
to heaven because of God's love. They are dead
wrong; Jesus said so. God is just and He must
punish sin, by rejecting the sinner who does not
repent. It is for this reason God sent His Son to
die for sin. The Lamb of God demonstrated God's
love in His first coming, but Jesus is coming back
the second time as the lion from the tribe of Judah
to judge all the earth. It will not be pleasant for
all people, as he establishes His kingdom on
earth.
The
History of Universalism
In Christianity Universalism can be traced for
the most part to an early church Father named
Origen (182- 251 AD). much like today's Catholic
purgatory, he taught that the unsaved are tortured
in Hell temporarily, with a series of graded
punishments. When they are sufficiently cleansed
they can be accepted into Heaven. He believed that
God would receive all people (even demons) into
heaven. This is the historical Universalist belief.
It was condemned as a heresy in the early church
and should be condemned today.
These beliefs formed a major part of the beliefs
of the Universalist church (which merged into the
Unitarian Universalist association. John Murray
(1741-1815), can be attributed to be the father of
modern organized Universalism. He stated that
everyone is eventually saved and is welcomed into
heaven. He believed that Christ had made full
payment for all men and that at the judgment all
unbelief in God's mercy would vanish and blessings
would begin for all.
Researcher and apologist Al Dager writes
Traditional universalism has long been regarded as
a major heresy that has inserted itself into the
modern Christian consciousness as a result of
liberal theological adherents. "Christian
universalism" seeks a middle ground between
biblical salvation through conscious surrender to
Christ, and traditional universalism. In other
words God will save those who believe in Christ as
well as those who do not. We may have different
positions in the end but all will be saved.
Some say Universalism is simply a non-essential
doctrine of error and does not make one a
non-Christian to believe it. But is it? If everyone
is going to be accepted, then one has to ask on
what basis. Christian Universalists state by the
atonement of Jesus, he brings reconciliation
between God and all people throughout history. This
reconciliation will occur regardless of whether
they have trusted in or rejected Jesus as savior
during their lifetime.
People come to these conclusions because they do
not realize how devastating sin is and how helpless
man is in countering its affects. Only the
strongest in spirit can deter some of its
influences but none can release themselves from its
captivity or consequences. It takes nothing less
than the sinless Son of God's death on the cross.
Jesus said "He is the way the truth and the life
and no one comes to the Father except by him," He
is the narrow gate. One of the criteria for what
makes one a Christian is wholeheartedly believing
this. There is no such thing as a Christian being a
universalist, it is an oxymoron. How can a
Universalist claim to be a Christian if salvation
is by faith in the Son of God's work on the cross
and acceptance of the true and living God through
the one Savior, Jesus Christ. To say there are
other ways to receive the gospel and following Him
is to deny all that He said. To be a Christian one
must admit their sinfulness and rely on Christ's
atoning work as the only cure for their sinful
condition. As Christians we must have agreement in
the essential doctrines that unite all Christians
and all denominations in the one true God, yet we
are allowed to have differences of opinions in the
non-essentials. Universalism deals with the
essential doctrine of Christianity it cannot be put
in a non-essential category.
Is
Universalism a denial of the
gospel?
When you adopt universalism you are denying the
gospel. Then it makes no difference if Christ died
for sin, we would do just fine with other religious
systems without him. Jesus only added another way
to God equal to the many ways already there. Those
who accept what is also called the "Wider Mercy
Doctrine" are ignoring the clear teaching of Jesus
Christ who said to believe and follow Me. By
accepting this they must also reject those who are
true believers, that are His sheep who are led by
the Shepherd who claim Jesus is the only way to
know God.
The Universalists are people do not want to
enter the fold by means of the door which is
Christ, but want to allow for people to enter other
ways (as if it is up to their broad minded view).
John 10:9-14 "I am the door. If anyone enters by
Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and
find pasture." Jesus himself said "if you enter ANY
OTHER WAY you are a thief and a robber" He goes on
to say "The thief does not come except to steal,
and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they
may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly." I am the good shepherd. The good
shepherd gives His life for the sheep." "I am the
good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by
My own."
Jesus does not accept any other way, in fact He
makes this exclusive statement of Himself in John
14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through Me." This
seems to be quite exclusive at least according to
Jesus' own words, but again we find that most do
not want to take his words to mean what he said but
fiddle with them to mean something else. We need to
understand that Christian Universalists use certain
words, but change the concepts and meanings.
To know its context is essential to bring one to a
correct understanding of doctrine in Scripture.
Modernism, post-modernism denies the existence of
objective truth and its applicational meaning. It
is a direct attack on Christianity as we know it.
The universal doctrine is a challenge to the nature
of God and what He has revealed to us in the
Scripture. Despite the few scriptures used by
universalists, they must reinterpret the clear ones
by the unclear and isolated texts, thereby changing
the meanings of both.
Simply put Paul says by grace through faith we
are saved. The Universalists takes out the faith
part to make it say by grace you are saved and
nothing more. All the "whosoever will" passages
become meaningless if everyone makes it in the
end.
This philosophy becomes the very opposite
practice of those who go beyond the gospel such as
the aberrant groups and cults who add baptism and
other works of obedience to be saved and often make
it sometime in the future. Universalists subtract
the Biblical conditions and necessary components
and present a shell of the gospel and call it good
news.
It ends up that the universalists hold to the
idea that those rejecting Jesus receive the same
benefits as those who accept Him. However Jesus
said Mt. 7:13-15: "Enter by the narrow gate; for
wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and there are many who go in by it."
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way
which leads to life, and there are few who find
it." Jesus is not saying all will make it, not even
many. He said another time "Strive to enter through
the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek
to enter and will not be able." (Luke 13:24) Strive
has the concept to agonize to get in, in other
words repentance is a key part of receiving eternal
life.
The
doing away of punishment for sin and hell after
death
So how do they arrive at a universal salvation
for those who do not believe the gospel? This
Gospel of Inclusion states: all are forgiven for
the original offence which came through Adam and
are SAVED FROM THE WRATH OF GOD that comes as a
result of this offence. Inclusivism teaches that
unbelievers in Christ will avoid Hell if they
worship any God as they know it, claiming that God
works through all of the world's religious faiths.
Even Atheists, Buddhists, etc. who do not believe
in a God will go to Heaven and avoid hell. The
Bible teaches that the gospel is NOT inclusive by
content. It has certain qualifications, one must
believe to be saved; this is repeated over and over
again. No one is saved without their knowing; they
are to make a decision.
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me,
though he may die, he shall live. "And whoever
lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you
believe this?" Do you?
Universalists often say it is unreasonable for a
loving God to send people to a place of eternal
torment. They believe that we suffer the
consequences of sin in this life only; in the next
life it will all be erased.
Universalism teaches that all people will
eventually be saved through the atonement of Christ
yet they ignore any conditions of being in the
atonement. John the apostle writes in his gospel
1:11-12 "but as many as receive him, to them he
gave the right (power) to become children of God,
to those who believe on his name." If one does not
receive him they are not children of God.
The
danger of Universalism
The danger of universalism is that it to can
give someone a false sense of security about their
eternity. You can hear this rhetoric on the talk
shows like Oprah all the time. The tolerance of the
New Age movement has found a large audience in our
society and its message is boldly propagated
through the media. They want to show their love by
accepting all those who have rejected Jesus. This
includes those who have willingly committed
horrible crimes and died without repentance. They
too are assured to enjoy a future in God's heaven.
I find this interesting because you always hear
people react when someone on death row comes to
repentance and trusts in Christ. People find it
abhorring that they would be forgiven from their
crime and be allowed go to heaven. But this is
exactly what they are accepting without Christ!
Milliard Erickson a number of years ago explains
the growing acceptance of universalism" God of love
will not allow any to perish unendingly. Instead,
God will bring all men to repentance either without
Hell or by means of a purgatory-like Hell.
Universalism has a broad appeal because of the
positive nature of its message: everybody wins.
[Millard J. Erickson, "Is Universalistic
Thinking Now Appearing among Evangelicals?"
[United Evangelical Action, Sept./Oct. 1989,
pp. 4-6.]
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