I believe that judgmentalism and legalism are a natural byproduct of the traditional “gospel” of acceptance/exclusion. The traditional “gospel” affirms that God ultimately accepts some people and excludes/rejects others. If we believe this then we will naturally seek to identify those who are accepted “with us” and those who are and will be excluded from God and us. We naturally question whether or not we and others are accepted, and we come up with a list of rules, requirements as to whom we believe to be accepted by God and thus by us. The rules might be as simple as confessing faith in Jesus, praying the sinner’s prayer, or as specific as taking several steps.
I was raised in a fellowship which taught that no one was really saved until they actually made it into heaven because a person could fall from grace at any time if they… We didn’t know for sure we were saved, but we were pretty confident that others were not! This judgmentalism and legalism flowed from a lack of faith in the atonement of Christ for ourselves and others.
Thankfully, I have come to have faith that salvation is by grace alone, and not based on my rightness in beliefs, attitudes, or actions. I believe that Jesus died for all my sins – past, present, and future, sins I’ve repented of and sins I’ll not repent of until I stand before Him in judgment. And since He died for my sins, I’m assured I’ll live with Him forever. He has redeemed me and is and will set me free from sin and death! This was a revolutionary change in faith for me, chaning from a works based salvation to a grace based salvation.
And now I have come to have faith in Christ not only for my salvation, but for the salvation of others also, all humanity, believing that Jesus not only died for my sins, but for the sins of the whole world. I’ve come to trust that the revelation of His love for me that set me free will ultimately set everyone free when they receive that revelation, if not in this present evil world, in the world to come (Evangelical Universalism).
This faith in Christ and faith in the grace of God has freed me from legalism and judgmentalism. Instead of seeing others as not being accepted by God, I see everyone as family, “us”, whether they believe as I do or not, whether they’ve been born of the Spirit as I have or not. I see them this way because 1) they are created in the image of God (an idiomatic phrase that speaks of family relationship, even parenthood), 2) Jesus died for their sins, and 3) God loves them/us and love never fails. Jesus does not fail to save any whom He loves, and He loves all humanity!
Judgmetalism and legalism are natural byproducts of the tradtional “gospel” of exclusion. And note that I put “gospel” in quotes; I did so to highlight that this “gospel” is not really “Good News” at all; rather, it is “bad news” for the excluded. Is it a wonder that most Christians are not active in sharing the traditional “gospel”; no one wants to be the bearer of “bad news”.
The thing is there really is bad news, you know like we are sinners ALREADY already condemned by God, just read John 3:36.
ReplyDeleteSo being that there is already bad news, then being right with God by repenting and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ is good news.
But the Gospel is "good news", not bad news. The good news is that God loves us and accepts us. The good news is that Jesus died for us to redeem us from slavery to sin and death. Yes, Jn.3:36 affirms that being able to perceive the kingdom of God comes through faith in Christ. And those who do not believe do not see. And as long as they do not believe they will not see, and they often live having a sense that God is some how angry at them. Their image of God is warped, distorted by sin and death. Whereas the truth is that God is not angry at them, He loves them and desires a relationship with them.
ReplyDeleteIt's also significant to note that passages like these are meant to encourage people to repent; they are not saying that such a person will never repent. It is not speaking of their future rejection by God, but of their current state of being, and in no way diminishes the fact that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord!
Does universalism actually include everyone? Will Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, etc. be resurrected to eternal life?
ReplyDeleteWell, Ozarks Boy, let me ask you something, if Hitler, in the last moments of his life had a moment of clarity coming to the full reality of the atrocities he had committed, but also recalled something he heard as a child, that God loves him and Jesus died for him, and then cried out to God for forgiveness just before He died committing his soul to the love of God, would he be saved?
ReplyDeleteWas Paul saved though he persecuted the church and considered himself the worst of sinners? Is salvation based upon the grace and mercy of God or is it based on how good we are?
In fact, didn't Jesus say that those who have been forgiven the most, love God the most! Should our faith rest in the grace of God or in our goodness. Can the most wicked evil person be saved, be forgiven by God?
I believe that salvation is truly by grace, not something we deserve! So yes, if salvation is truly based on Grace, then I believe that this grace covers Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, and even me and you!
Sherman, I'm seeking more clarity on your position regarding salvation through grace. Would Hitler have to cry out for God's love in the last moment of his life to receive eternal life? If Paul had persecuted the church his entire life, would he have gone to heaven anyway? If I understand your position, your answers would be no to the first question and yes to the second.
ReplyDeleteI believe that all will ultimately cry out to God for salvation, that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall joyfully proclaim their faith in the one who died for us. Salvation is truly by grace for us all. This grace is ultimately irresistible, though in the present resistible to some degree. Even in this present age though, when God moves in we crumble and turn to Him. When God moves in the power of His Spirit, even the most hardened obstinate sinner like I was, bows in repentance to Him. Have you not read of the great revivals of history where whole communities were reconciled to God by a sovereign move of God! I believe that God will reconcile all of creation to Himself, everything in heaven, earth, and under the earth! Some are fortunate to experience the deliverance of God before they die; many do not and will not experience it until after they die. Remember how Jonah died and in Sheol, the realm of the dead, cried out to God in the anguish of his soul, and God saved him and even brought him back to life. And doesn't scripture say that Jesus has the keys of Hades and that He has even given the keys of the Kingdom to the church so that even the gates of Hades shall not hold back the church. Because Christ is and shall reconcile all of creation to God, we have been given the privilege of participating in that ministry of reconciliation. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and I trust that He will author and finish faith in all of us, even me and you! Just like the sin of Adam got us all in this mess, the sacrifice of Christ gets us all out of it! In fact, the sacrifice of Christ is even greater than the sin of Adam for it not only overcomes the sin of Adam, but the sin of all of us, ultimately bringing us into righteousness and life - if not in this age, this life, the age/life to come. And brother, this is Good News! It is by grace we are saved, through faith, and even that faith is not of us but is a gift from God! Jesus truly is in reality (not just some meaningless title) the savior of all humanity, especially we who believe!
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