Optimism

'Love Wins' by Rob Bell

My desire to write this book was born after I read Rob Bell's book, Love Wins, published in 2011. His claim that all mankind is finally saved created a stir among Christians that prompted me to investigate his ideas for comparison with my own. Since you are reading my thoughts, I would also encourage you to read his also, and then compare everything to the Bible. Do read his book rather than base your conclusions... read more.

1 Corinthians 1:17-25

Consider 1 Corinthians 1:17-25 (WEB), 17) For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void. 18) For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19) For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will... read more.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Consider 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (WEB), 14) For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died. 15) He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16) Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we... read more.

A House Divided

Consider one more interjection before I defend the thesis of my book. When I became a Christian, I was so overjoyed about being restored to fellowship with God. I was also so excited to have the huge pack of guilt removed from my back. I literally skipped. However, it was not long before my joy was sobered with two painful realities. One, I was still a sinner. Two, other Christians were still sinners. I was... read more.

A Thought

Our Salvation Evaluator matrix has been useful to categorize different streams of thought concerning Christian salvation. When the factors of [ PART or ALL ] of mankind and [ PART or ALL ] of salvation are considered carefully, there is no fence riding. You might possibly ride the fence between PART and ALL . You could argue that this subject is similar to the mystery of the Trinity being three in one, or Jesus being... read more.

Acts 13:48

Consider Acts 13:48 (WEB), As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed. This verse is commonly cited by Calvinists to defend their view that Christ has only atoned for the sins of a subset of mankind. The verse seems to say that everyone who is appointed to eternal life will believe immediately when they hear the gospel. However, in light... read more.

Aion

Most Christian Universalists have observed, as I, that the Greek word "aion" is at times wrongly translated "eternal" in the English Bible when the meaning can also be "age", "life", "entire", "complete", and "world". To help your own study I have used the http://www.blueletterbible.org to find every usage of the Greek words "aion," " aionios ," and " aidios" in the New Testament. aion: Strong's G165 occurs 128 times in 102 verses in the Greek... read more.

ALL for ALL

In this case consider the good news that Christ did ALL of salvation for ALL of mankind. Some believe that when Jesus died on the cross he paid for the sins of ALL of mankind and that he did ALL of the work so that any individual can simply trust that Jesus has completely forgiven us ALL already. For example, suppose Mother Teresa and Hitler are both within the part of mankind that Jesus forgave.... read more.

ALL for PART

In this model Christ did ALL of salvation for PART of mankind. Based on this, when Jesus died on the cross he only paid for the sins of PART of mankind. Yet he did ALL of the work so that the chosen individuals simply trust that Jesus has completely saved them. For example if Mother Teresa is not within the part of mankind that Jesus forgave, then she will not be saved from eternal damnation... read more.

Appendix

Admittedly the ideas in this book are controversial... as was Jesus himself. While many have been able to find fellowship in a tidy theological camp, I have both agreement and disagreement with available traditions. My goal in pursuing Christ has been to be pro-Christ, anti-denominational, thoroughly Biblical, and willing to consider the hard questions. Yet I do not want to be dogmatic and close the door to discussion. The truth does not change with discussion,... read more.

Arminian & Calvin Only?

One thoughtful reader asked... READER>> Why do you only compare Arminianism and Calvinism? There are many other religions and many other Christian denominations. So why do you only focus on the Arminian and Calvinist denominations? ME>> That is an excellent question. Your question reminds me why this salvation discussion is so difficult. It is too easy to miss prerequisite concepts. First, understand that the labels " Arminianism" and " Calvinism" are not the names of... read more.

Believe Jesus

Jesus Christ is your savior, my savior, and the savior of all mankind! So what does it mean to believe in him? Mark 9:21-24 (WEB) says, 21) He asked his father, "How long has it been since this has come to him?" He said, "From childhood. 22) Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help... read more.

Book Reviews

My book has mentioned other authors and their books. Friends have also asked me to read additional books to challenge my understanding. Each of the authors below has attempted to consistently and systematically answer questions about Christian salvation. The variation of conclusions is surprising and even disturbing. Read the books below ( index ) to learn more about the thoughts of others and of course compare them to the Bible. If you do read each... read more.

But ya gotta accept it!

OBJECTORS>> BUT YA GOTTA ACCEPT IT! ME>> Friends, consider these questions: WHAT "IT" DO WE HAVE TO ACCEPT? What is the "IT" that we must accept in order to be a Christian? If I hear correctly, many are saying that we must accept Jesus' offer of forgiveness in order to be forgiven. However, there is a fundamental difference in the "IT" that must be accepted. This understanding of "IT" is not true to grace and... read more.

Can Such a Minority View Be True?

FRIEND>> How can such a minority viewpoint be true or even worth consideration? Furthermore, Christians have translated and studied the Scriptures for 2,000 years. How can you suggest that there is a mistranslation of the word "eternal?" ME>> Those are excellent questions. In fact I have asked them of myself quite often over the past year. Let me give reply. We both agree that "narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads... read more.

Certain Knowledge

We also need to consider the certainty of salvation. Most Christians agree that followers of Christ can have certain knowledge of their salvation. Yet how could our understanding of salvation be so radically different from one another with each claiming that they are certain? Someone is claiming to be certain, but just as certainly is confused or deceived! The Bible confirms in I John 5:13 (WEB) that we can have certain knowledge of salvation. These... read more.

Christ Dismembered

There is confusion and division in the body of Christ. Though Satan appears to be getting the upper hand, through grace God sees us "in Christ" as if all God's people have perfect understanding and unity -- even though we are far from it in any practical sense. It is like God the Son is a giant safe or vault and we are hidden safely inside, protected from God the Father's holy wrath against our... read more.

Christendom Confusion

As a new Christian, I learned that not all Christians agree. Sadly we are divided over many things. New Christians need to be nurtured just like newborn infants, but when there are family dysfunctions, newborns can suffer. For example, I read an account of a church family which divided over the shade of green for the new carpet in the sanctuary. Yikes! The tragedy is that when families divide, the children suffer most. Thankfully, God... read more.

Compatibilism is the Answer? (AKA Molinism)

FRIEND>> Compatibilism is the answer! Your arguments pit God's sovereignty against man's free will. That is the error of your thinking because these ideas can co-exist and they are compatible. ME>> So you say... and actually compatibilism is the majority view held by both the schooled and unschooled theologian alike. A basic explanation of compatibilism can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatibilism . Compatibilism really is a variation of the 16th century heresy, Molinism, explained at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molinism... read more.

Constructive Envy

I have shown that special tactics are required to help those who persist in stubborn unbelief. The stubborn may have various reasons for rejecting the good news that Jesus Christ is the savior of all mankind. Foremost among them is the spiritual pride of thinking that we are PART of a supposed chosen subset forgiven by God, such as the Jews. Or equally crummy, we may imagine that we provided PART of the condition to... read more.

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