Posted on 06/17/2015 12:06:49 PM PDT by NRx
I would very much like to be a Universalist. In terms of my Christian hope, in terms of my emotional attachments, I would love to believe that in the end, no one would harden their heart against the Love of our Lord Jesus Christ, all would repent and believe, and all would find salvation in the age to come. I believe that this is at least a logical possibility, as there is no person who ever lived who could not repent, to whom God does not extend the offer of salvation.
In recent years, Universalism has become a popular option in the Protestant world. This is true not only of larger mainline denominations in which the idea of any condemnation coming from God has been rejected for going on two centuries, but also increasingly in evangelical circles through popular books like Rob Bell’s Love Wins. Of late, it has begun making inroads into the beliefs of some Orthodox Christians, at least in the United States, albeit in a version carefully tailored to circumvent conciliar condemnation.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.ancientfaith.com ...
As if anyone considers Rob Bell a evangelical. And he's not very "popular" - his own church booted him out.
quote from Jesus Christ:
On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, “We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles.”
But I will tell them, “I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!”
Matthew 7:22-23
” The idea that when a person dies, their soul goes to heaven or hell for eternity, leaving their body behind is in no wise Christian.”
Sounds a lot like it to me.
Note the use of the word “many”
That is the scariest two verses in the bible in my opinion.
That is the scariest two verses in the bible in my opinion.
Think "LDS" or "Jehova's Witness" and "many" falls into context.
IMHo, anyone who has seen how mere mortal men can create what any sane person would call Hell and who also believes in both the existence of a spiritual realm that includes an afterlife cannot honestly say they believe in Universalism.
The fact is... we dont know, and the fact is Christ says that MANY will THINK they are saved and will in fact not be.
That is scary as heck to me.
Could not disagree more. We are assured of our salvation when we accept Christ. The ones the Master is speaking about are those that are trying to gain eternity without accepting Him and His atonining work on the cross. Judas Iscariot was who He had in mind when He made that statement.
To subscribe to your interpretation would mean that salvation through Christ is nothing more than a guessing game and that Jesus were capricious in His acceptance of His church.
The priest said that “there is no person who ever lived who could not repent, to whom God does not extend the offer of salvation.”
Hebrews 12:17 refutes the first part of that claim. Romans 10:14, in context, refutes the second part of that claim. In view of these blunders by a well-meaning but weak theologian, the correct statements he makes concerning the awful reality of hell become even more stark.
BTW, love your tagline!
I don’t know why more people and Churches focus on that one passage!
Because of that I long ago stopped asking if anyone knows the Lord (for so does satan), but DOES JESUS KNOW YOU? Seems to me that is the critical question, or at least one of the major ones.
Rob Bell is a pagan opportunist who makes a fortune reading and regurgitating John Shelby Spong’s works.
You have only to look through which of Spong’s works Bell hasn’t paraphrased yet to get a clue as to what Bell’s next apostate tome will assert.
Then what about the resurrection? If we’re all already in heaven or hell, then what is the point of that?
Sounds like a denial of physical resurrection, and a denial of the new heaven and the new earth to me.
ROTFL
“The idea that when a person dies, their soul goes to heaven or hell for eternity, leaving their body behind is in no wise Christian.”
_________________________
It’s not a mere idea. It is a TRUTH and it is foundational for all all Christians.
For the Love of God, and Jesus, their love is not a guarantee against judgment nor expectations of those who worship.
The irony is acknowledging you failings and humbly asking forgiveness is the way to the light..and it the narrow way for a man
And thinking you can not fail because “its all good”, God is so easy everybody going, no matter what... that the broad way to the pit
...hate to say it but it but you need to always be a bit scared.. keeps you humble and willing to acknowledge your failings and for help, ask for forgiveness... how can you learn if you think you know it all..and God is a teacher that gives a graded final..some people will flunk out
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