Showing posts with label Christian Universalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian Universalism. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

God’s Eternal Purpose Fulfilled

In Ephesians 1, St. Paul lays out the “Big Picture,” God’s eternal purpose in Christ, from beginning to end. It begins with God choosing us in Christ from before the foundation of the world. This is the Incarnation, by which Christ united divinity with humanity, God with humankind — but also eternity with time. Time itself is transfigured in Christ, such that the Incarnation is not merely temporal but eternal.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his good pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Thus chosen in Christ from the beginning, we have also been predestined for sonship through him. This is God’s eternally good pleasure, plan and purpose, God’s will and delight. It is the glory of God’s grace and is most praiseworthy in every way.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he 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 in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:7-10) 

God’s divine grace has been showered upon us beyond all bounds. Here again is the “good pleasure” and purpose (Greek, eudokia) of his will, revealed by the wisdom of Christ and understanding by the Holy Spirit, making known the eternal mystery, purposed in Christ from the beginning, and now revealed — unveiled — to us through the message of the gospel. From eternity, God purposed in Christ to bring all in heaven and on earth to unity, with Christ as the head and summation of all. It is the recapitulation (Greek, anakephalaiosasthai), the “recap” of all Creation — of everyone and everything.

Then Paul offers a pastoral prayer that God would give us wisdom and understanding by the Holy Spirit, that we may see what God has done in Christ, and what that means for us. That we may know God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe.”

That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:19-23)

Here is the consummation of all things, the eternal purpose of God in its fulfillment. It is Christ raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly realms, far above all rulers and powers and dominions. In Ephesians 2:5-6, Paul tells us the God has raised us up as well, together with Christ, and seated us together with him in the heavenly realms — this is present reality, not future promise. Further, God has placed all things under his feet and has given him as head (Greek, kephale) over the Church, which is his body.

What is this body? Paul says it is the fullness of him who fills All in All (Greek, panta en pasin). Put another way, Christ is the One who completely fulfills everything in every way — and the Church is that Fullness! Seen from this endpoint, then, all of Creation becomes the Church, the Body of Christ.

Christian Universalism is the belief that this is indeed so, that God’s eternal purpose in Jesus Christ will be completely fulfilled, and so will God be All in All.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

God is Both Willing and Able

Christian universalism
is the belief that God
is both willing and able,
that God can and will save
all in heaven and on earth,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Jesus Christ, God has shown both the willingness and the ability to save all in heaven and on earth. This does not require that God in any way ignore or override the will of anyone — that is contrary to the way of Love. But it does require that the human will be set free from ignorance, deceit, darkness, and bondage to sin — all of which render human will defective, and anything but free.

Freedom of will is the ability to live according to one’s true and inherent nature. The true and inherent nature of human being is to be like God, in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), in whom all the fullness of divinity of dwells in bodily form, and in whom we are made complete (Colossians 2:9-10). 

By the Incarnation, Jesus Christ has become human being, the humanity of which we all now partake. He defines what it means to be human. It means that all who once were headed up in Adam are now headed up in Jesus Christ. It means that Christ is not only God’s faithfulness toward all humankind, but he is also our faithfulness toward God. It means that we are inextricably united with the One who is the Image of God. Through this union, we become transformed, conformed to the image of God (Romans 8:29). And in Christ, we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

Just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). And so, whatever happens in the meantime, in the end, God will be “All in All” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

Friday, April 5, 2024

Deeply Connected With One Another


The Incarnation Means That
We are Deeply and Inextricably
Connected to One Another,
for Christ is Deeply and
Inextricably United with
All Humankind.

Though there are many human persons, there is only one human being, only one way of being human, of which we all partake. Christ, who is the Creator of all and from all derive their being, is being itself. By the Incarnation, he has united with all humankind by becoming Human Being.

This means that humankind, which was once defined by and headed up in Adam, is now defined by and headed up in Christ. And this is why St. Paul can speak so inclusively concerning Adam and Christ.

For if, by the trespass of the one man [Adam], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. (Romans 5:17-18)

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

This deep and inseparable connection of Christ with all humankind, and of all humans persons with each other, means that, if there are any who are not finally restored, then none of us will ever fully be restored. There will always be something missing. Humankind — Human Being — will be eternally diminished.

Friday, March 22, 2024

Paul’s Surprising Conclusion in Romans

Many evangelicals know how Paul begins his long argument in Romans 1. But I wonder how many know the surprising conclusion he comes to at the very end of his argument, one that we would not have expected by the way he begins. The argument stretches from chapter 1 all the way through chapter 11, after which Paul breaks into wondrous doxology.

Paul’s point in this long argument, even at the beginning, is not to establish blame, though there is certainly plenty of blame to be had. And, clearly, God’s interest was not in establishing blame but, quite the opposite, in revealing salvation.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (Romans 1:18-23)

What we see in Romans 1 is that the wicked had rejected God because their thinking was futile and their foolish hearts that were darkened. In verse 24-28, we see that God “gave them over” (Paul repeats this three times): to their sinful desires, their shameful lusts, their depraved minds.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1:24-28)

Had not their minds been depraved, and had not their hearts been foolish and darkened, perhaps the revelation of God in nature (which is created by Christ) might have been enough to keep them from wickedness, for the human will would then have been able to function properly. But the will was manifestly not free but in bondage to sin and darkness and depravity of mind, and so the will was defective, not able to function freely.

So, God handed them over to that darkness and depravity. But we must ask for what purpose? Was it so they would finally be destroyed? No! Quite the opposite — and that is the surprising thing. The dark hearts and confused minds of men call for retribution and revenge. But God is Love (1 John 4:8), so everything God does is a manifestation of who God is. Love is not retributive, nor does it seek revenge — that is simply not the way of God.

Paul’s long argument continues, ranging over hill and dale through eight chapters, with many insightful points along the way. Then in the final section, Romans 9-11, he takes up a completely hypothetical proposition and thoroughly examines it.

What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath — prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory — even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? (Romans 9:22-24)

The hypothetical here is the notion that some people are destined for destruction and others are destined for mercy. Paul works through this proposition in the balance of Romans 9-11. And what is his conclusion? That this is exactly what God is doing, with the destiny of some being destruction while others receive mercy? No, not at all! Quite the opposite, and many have not seen this coming. Paul concludes: 

For God has bound all over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on all. (Romans 11:32)

All are blameworthy, and God has handed all over to disobedience, not that they be finally destroyed but precisely in order to have mercy on all in the end. Who would have anticipated this from the way Paul opens his argument in Romans 1? But this is the good news of the gospel. Not that some are going to eternal damnation while others will be the object of God’s mercy but, rather, that God will have mercy on all.

So, evangelism is not about brokering some deal, getting people to complete some transaction, fulfill some condition, do some quid quo pro or “this” for “that” with God. The gospel is not a transaction but an announcement, a proclamation, that God is having mercy on all. That God is in Christ reconciling all the world to himself, not counting our sins against us (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Monday, March 4, 2024

The Cast Net

The gospel is not a transaction, or an offer. It is an announcement, and it is unconditional. It is not about what we must do but about what Christ has done, and is doing through the Holy Spirit.

Looking to the Cross, Lord Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to myself” (John 12:31-32).

The Greek word for “draw” literally means to drag, like a cast net. Christ has been lifted up from the earth and has cast his net, drawing all, gathering all, dragging all, to himself.

St. Paul said that it is the goodness of God the leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). And the grace of God has appeared, giving salvation to all and teaching us to live righteously and godly in this present age (Titus 2:11-12). And so Christ crucified, risen and ascended gathers all to himself.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Draw us all into the Eternal Bliss
Of Your Divine Fellowship.
Amen.