Written during Spring 2008
Introduction
Numerous surveys reveal that a large percentage of Americans cling stubbornly to the belief that all “good” persons will be saved. Such survey results are unsurprising. Scripture declares: “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (Eccles. 7:29). The human tendency is to embrace schemes or proposals which seem to validate whatever behavior they wish to indulge in, no matter how selfish and evil such behavior might be.
Centuries before the virgin birth of Christ, the Lord lamented the mindset of a sin-sick society: “Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush” (Jerem. 8:12a). Likewise, our present-day American culture believes that anything goes sexually. It is expected that such a culture would also be pleased to affirm that anything goes theologically.
What is disturbing, though, is the eagerness with which a substantial percentage of the American Church has welcomed this thinking. Various polls show a significant portion of professing Christians who believe that many (or most) persons will go to heaven, even if they spend a lifetime rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Can you imagine members of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization applauding others for driving while intoxicated? Yet, there are members of Christian churches who publicly align themselves against the Jesus of Biblical Christianity.
Denying the exclusivity of Christ Jesus for salvation goes beyond the parameters of Biblical Christianity. Universalistic belief is incompatible with Biblical Christianity. Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘incompatible’ as “incapable of or unsuitable for association or use together.” Biblical Christianity affirms the Perfection and Sinlessness and Sufficiency of Jesus Christ as He is presented in the Bible. If a Jesus is appealed to who is believed to be merely one of many avenues to God, such a Jesus is most emphatically not the Jesus of the Bible. As will be shown in the pages to come, the Jesus of the Bible is revealed as Savior and Lord. Apart from Him, human beings have no salvation and no hope of salvation.
Biblical Christianity unswervingly contends that salvation, Divine forgiveness and everlasting blessedness are found exclusively in Jesus Christ. The theological opposite of this exclusivity is Universalism, the belief that every individual (or most individuals) will be saved, whether or not they have faith in Jesus Christ. A concise, but helpful summary of current Universalistic belief has been put forth by the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics:
One of the most influential twentieth-century theologians to embrace Universalism was Karl Barth (1886–1968). Philosopher John Hick is a contemporary proponent of the view. A small number of otherwise evangelical theologians, such as Clark Pinnock and John Stott, have embraced forms of Universalism and/or annihilationism. Most liberal theologians and cults hold to some form of Universalism or its cousin, annihilationism, the view that persons who cannot qualify for heaven simply go out of existence. The common principle throughout Universalist and annihilationist theologies is that there is no eternal punishment.[1]
Universalism: Variations on the Theme
One can readily comprehend why Universalism is treasured by so many. The common principle referred to above is: No human being will be subjected to an eternal punishment. In order to achieve the benefits of paradise or heaven, the only thing a person has to do is die.
It has been said: “Dying is rather like approaching a customs post, nervously hoping that officials will not spot the contraband we are carrying, only to find that when we get there the post is deserted and we can march straight through.”[2] There is no need for concern or anxiety about the afterlife because everybody is going to make it. Whatever transgressions have been committed will be instantly erased and forgiven by God(s). Those who have perpetrated the most vile crimes without remorse are going to be everlastingly blessed because God(s) love(s) every human being who has ever lived.
Of course, not every pagan buys into this way of thinking. More than a few persons are troubled by the prospect of Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin, Idi Amin and Saddam Hussein being included among the heavenly multitude. So a modified version of Universalism has been crafted: All good people will go to heaven after they die, but bad people will be blotted out of existence when they die. This modified Universalism seems ‘more fair’ than the belief that all people are rewarded with eternal life after death.
The modified version of Universalism is in keeping with full-scale Universalism in that the exclusivity of Jesus Christ continues to be denied: One can still dodge a relationship with Jesus and yet receive everlasting life. Bill O’Reilly, host of “The O’Reilly Factor”, champions this perspective:
I respect all religions that espouse goodwill toward men. I am not a missionary and will not tap on your window urging you to embrace Jesus. I believe that all human beings are equal in God’s sight and all sincere beliefs that do not cause injury are acceptable under heaven./ Right away this philosophy puts me at odds with many who believe that if you don’t believe what they do, you are bound for Hades…If a human being lives a good life, holds sincere beliefs, but just happens to be a Hindu, an all-just and all-merciful God is going to set the guy on fire for eternity? I don’t think so.[3]
You can see the appeal of what I call ‘Selective’ Universalism, an outlook which elevates ‘sincere, good’ people above a Holy God. In other words, sociology trumps theology. The mindset is: “People I like should go to heaven because I think they’re nice. I enjoy a personal chemisty/affinity/rapport with them. Since I like them, God must also like them enough to save them, no matter what they believe.”
Another outworking of selective Universalism is Inclusivistic Christianity, which speculates: Jesus Christ is indeed the only Savior, but faith in Christ Jesus is unnecessary for one’s salvation. If people try hard to frame their lives according to the precepts of any religion, or if they believe in a Divine Being, Jesus can still be their Savior. Sincere people can belong to Jesus without knowing Him as Savior and Lord.
Accompanying these variations of the universalistic theme is the stubborn, unyielding conviction that God has to adapt to human ways of thinking, The God of the Bible needs to make adjustments and concessions, The Holy, Omnipotent Divine Being MUST go against His infallible Word merely because sinful human beings want Him to.
A Motivation Killer
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that at least the selective brand of universalism is true. What are the practical implications for the Church of Jesus Christ?
For one thing, we should bring back to America all missionaries on foreign soil, especially those in hazardous environments. Why should they bother trying to spread the Gospel if nice people can be saved without ever hearing it? Why should they undergo personal danger if people are saved anyway by virtue of ignorance? What’s the point? We can save a great deal of money by bringing all missionaries back home and subsequently instructing them to do something more meaningful with their lives.
While we’re at it, let’s discourage all attempts at Christian evangelism. For that matter, let’s evade all opportunities for the corporate worship of God. After all, it doesn’t really matter. Why worship the God of the Bible, anyway? Why bother thanking God for His Son, since nice people can go to heaven without any appreciation of Christ whatsoever? We could spend our time better by doing something more productive. In short, Universalism is a motivation killer.
In startling contrast to the premises of Universalism, Scripture discloses life in Christ as being of eternal significance. Why? Because Jesus Christ Himself is of eternal significance. The written Word of God testifies powerfully to the living Word, Christ Jesus. It is to this written Word that we now turn.
The Biblical Jesus
Biblical Christianity informs us of a Biblical Jesus WHO is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revel. 19:16). This Jesus has given His people words of challenge and assurance known as the Great Commission:
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20).
Observe that Jesus instructed His followers: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” These words clearly inform us that the message of Christ is to be proclaimed throughout the world. Note the Messiah’s words of assurance: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” ‘All authority’ has been given to Christ, not to Mohammad, Gautama Buddha, L.Ron Hubbard or anybody else.
In Matt.11:27, Jesus declared: “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Those who claim to know the Father, but who spurn the unique Lordship of Jesus Christ, do not truly and savingly know the Father. Additionally, John 1:11-13 indicates that only those people who are born of God and who receive Christ are given the right to become children of God. This truth strikes a decisive blow to Inclusivistic Christianity.
In the Great Commission, the Biblical Jesus instructed His followers to observe all He commanded. This ‘observing’ all Jesus has commanded translates to taking the words of Jesus seriously. It means you embrace the statements of Jesus in the Bible, even if some statements might seem unpalatable.
Jesus spoke and taught things that some present-day churchgoers find offensive. For example, He taught that there was an everlasting Hell and that human beings actually go there. One of Jesus’ most vivid stories was of the rich man and a beggar named Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). In that story, Hell/Hades is referred to as “a place of torment.” The one sent to hell acknowledged “I am in anguish in this flame.” If you take the words of Christ seriously, then there is no way you can logically conclude that bad people merely cease to exist when they die.
The Biblical Jesus is no Universalist. At the conclusion of His Mount Olivet Discourse, Jesus spoke of persons who would most certainly go to a realm of eternal fire: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life"(Matt. 25:46). Jesus also made it abundantly clear: He Himself will separate the nations and enact judgment (Matt. 25:31ff; See also Matt.7:13-14; 2 Thess.1:10). In other words, the Biblical Jesus will trump sociology. Universalists recoil at the prospect of hell; nevertheless, Jesus taught this reality.
If you go to the doctor’s office and wait for over an hour to see the doctor, such is the reality. You can wring your hands; you can mutter obscenities; you can pace the floor in disgust; you can angrily and frequently complain to the receptionist that this waiting time is a personal inconvenience to you. All of that will not overturn the reality that you have waited over an hour to see the doctor.
A common human reaction to the Biblical Jesus is to manufacture a more pleasant and palatable Jesus. Some who allege devotion to Jesus want little to do with the Jesus of the Bible. Some welcome a Jesus of their own making, a Jesus who surely didn’t mean it when He said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).[4] Adherents of Inclusivistic Christianity yearn for a Jesus who saves many Muslims and pagans, in spite of their ongoing denial of Jesus as Lord. But, How exactly does such theological compromise exhibit a ‘contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3)?
It is insufficient to believe in a Jesus ‘of some kind’. A phony, unbiblical Jesus is incompatible with the core beliefs of historic, Biblical Christianity. The true Jesus has authority and is worthy to be believed in and obeyed. Since Jesus is the Truth, He is always and forever faithful and True (Rev. 1:5; 19:11). His words are true. It follows, then, that the Biblical Gospel of Jesus is true.
The Biblical Gospel
It is important that we grasp up front that there is but one Biblical Gospel rather than a motley collection of gospels. Granted, we read of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Even so, these gospel writers emphasized the one true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The exclusivity of Jesus Christ (instead of the supposed gospel of Universalism) was foundational for the gospel writers and for the writers of the epistles as well (See Gal.1:6-9).
Is this Gospel for ‘good, sincere’ people? No! Actually, the gospel is for sinners. Rom.4:4 speaks of the One Who “justifies the ungodly.” God justifies those persons who are not always marvelous in word and behavior. Rom. 8 begins with these words: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” There is now no condemnation for those who were previously under condemnation.
1 Peter 3:18 says: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” Don’t miss the import of the phrase ‘the righteous [suffered] for the unrighteous’.
The Biblical Jesus suffered was sacrificed on the Cross in place of sinners. In Matt. 20:28, Jesus declared: “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus was sacrificed for ‘many,’ but not all, sinners.
Jesus also stated: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32; See also Matt.4:17; 2 Cor.7:10)). We should remember that Jesus said this to an audience well acquainted with Eccles. 7:25: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” The lesson is clear: Jesus called sinners to repentance and He died for sinners who, by the grace of God, repent and trust Him for their salvation.
Imagine a young man approaching a football coach. Imagine the young man informing the coach: “I like the game of football. But, there are a few things we need to get straight. I want my best friends on the team with me, even if they don’t like football. I want to be a running back and I want to get the ball on every play. I also want the players on the opposing team to get out of my way so that I score a touchdown on every play. And, by the way, I don’t want to come to scrimmages, either.” What reasonable coach would be thrilled to have this young man on the team?
Yet, there is the warped public expectation: God is obligated to ‘go along’ with those persons who seem good to us, even if they reject Christ and perpetually despise His Gospel. The mentality is: “It’s all right to restructure Biblical Christianity, and to add our own conditions, so as to include good people in heaven apart from Christ.” The problem is: There are no people good enough for God.
Isaiah 64:6 bluntly declares: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Rom.3:10-18 asserts: No human being is good enough to be saved.
Thus, the Biblical Gospel is not about ‘good people’ pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps into the glories of heaven. The Gospel is about the perfection and greatness and compassion of the Biblical Jesus Who died for His people.
Sin and the Savior
Universalism in its varied forms is in agreement on one key issue: Sin is really not that bad. Therefore, even if human beings are sinners, most human beings are pretty good sinners because sin itself is no big deal. We humans deserve compassion from God because we’re such nice sinners.
A more Biblical attitude is evident in Jude’s doxology: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25). The Divine Being is able to present His own people blameless before the presence of His glory.To dismiss Jesus Christ as being no more special than Mohammad or Buddha is to sneer at the Heavenly Father’s gift of His Son, the Savior.
Jesus, with reference to Himself, told an audience: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29). No other religious leader has achieved what the heaven-sent Savior has achieved. Acts 4:12 is very clear about this: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” He alone is Savior.
The all-too-human tendency is to ascribe reverence to almost anyone else besides Jesus Christ. We are told by news media pundits about persons who are so remarkable that they are ‘super.’ It is presently inadequate to describe a model as being ‘successful;’ the highly successful model is now termed a ‘supermodel.’ During recent political conventions, certain influential leaders were revered as ‘superdelegates.’ Yet, in the eyes of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ is less than super, i.e. There is no way Jesus could possibly be a ‘super Savior.’ Such is the mindset of Universalistic thinking, and it is a most abominable sin, fully incompatible with Biblical Christianity.
The popular opinion, ‘Jesus is just one way to God,’ shortchanges the Biblical Jesus. This opinion devalues the clear teaching of God’s Word. It belittles the magnitude of the Savior’s sacrifice. It trivializes His wonderful Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. It scorns His continual intercession for His people (Heb.7:25). It deeply insults His honor and His Person. It seeks to rob Him of His rightful glory.
A more Biblical viewpoint was promoted by J.Gresham Machen, who bore powerful testimony to the Savior. In 1923, Machen published a work contrasting the historic, Biblical Jesus with the so-called ‘modern’ Jesus devoid of all supernatural qualities and Divine power. We conclude with his words:
The Jesus who is supposed to be left after the elimination of the supernatural element is at best a very shadowy figure; for the elimination of the supernatural logically involves the elimination of much that remains, and the historian constantly approaches the absurd view which effaces Jesus altogether from the pages of history. But even after such dangers have been avoided, even after the historian, by setting arbitrary limits to his process of elimination, has succeeded in reconstructing a purely human Jesus, the Jesus thus constructed is found to be entirely unreal. He has a moral contradiction at the very center of His being--a contradiction due to His Messianic consciousness. He was pure and humble and strong and sane, yet He supposed, without basis in fact, that He was to be the final Judge of all the earth! The liberal Jesus, despite all the efforts of modern psychological reconstruction to galvanize Him into life, remains a manufactured figure of the stage.
Very different is the Jesus of the New Testament and of the great Scriptural creeds. That Jesus is indeed mysterious. Who can fathom the mystery of His Person? But the mystery is a mystery in which a man can rest. The Jesus of the New Testament has at least one advantage over the Jesus of modern reconstruction--He is real. He is not a manufactured figure suitable as a point of support for ethical maxims, but a genuine Person whom a man can love. Men have loved Him through all the Christian centuries. And the strange thing is that despite all the efforts to remove Him from the pages of history, there are those who love Him still.”[5]
END NOTES
[1]Geisler, Norman L.: Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, Mich. Baker Books, 1999 (Baker Reference Library), p.746 [Electronic file; Libronix software]
[2] Quoted unapprovingly by John Blanchard, in his pamphlet Where Do We Go From Here? Darlington, England, 2008. p.13
[3] O’Reilly, Bill. “Who is Looking Out for You? C.2003. Broadway Books, NY. P.112
[4] Notice that Jesus did NOT say: ‘All persons who have ever lived come to the Father through Me’ nor did He promise ‘All persons of different faiths come to the Father through Me.’
[5] Machen, J.Gresham Christianity and Liberalism. P.63-64. [Electronic file]
Introduction
Numerous surveys reveal that a large percentage of Americans cling stubbornly to the belief that all “good” persons will be saved. Such survey results are unsurprising. Scripture declares: “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (Eccles. 7:29). The human tendency is to embrace schemes or proposals which seem to validate whatever behavior they wish to indulge in, no matter how selfish and evil such behavior might be.
Centuries before the virgin birth of Christ, the Lord lamented the mindset of a sin-sick society: “Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush” (Jerem. 8:12a). Likewise, our present-day American culture believes that anything goes sexually. It is expected that such a culture would also be pleased to affirm that anything goes theologically.
What is disturbing, though, is the eagerness with which a substantial percentage of the American Church has welcomed this thinking. Various polls show a significant portion of professing Christians who believe that many (or most) persons will go to heaven, even if they spend a lifetime rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Can you imagine members of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization applauding others for driving while intoxicated? Yet, there are members of Christian churches who publicly align themselves against the Jesus of Biblical Christianity.
Denying the exclusivity of Christ Jesus for salvation goes beyond the parameters of Biblical Christianity. Universalistic belief is incompatible with Biblical Christianity. Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘incompatible’ as “incapable of or unsuitable for association or use together.” Biblical Christianity affirms the Perfection and Sinlessness and Sufficiency of Jesus Christ as He is presented in the Bible. If a Jesus is appealed to who is believed to be merely one of many avenues to God, such a Jesus is most emphatically not the Jesus of the Bible. As will be shown in the pages to come, the Jesus of the Bible is revealed as Savior and Lord. Apart from Him, human beings have no salvation and no hope of salvation.
Biblical Christianity unswervingly contends that salvation, Divine forgiveness and everlasting blessedness are found exclusively in Jesus Christ. The theological opposite of this exclusivity is Universalism, the belief that every individual (or most individuals) will be saved, whether or not they have faith in Jesus Christ. A concise, but helpful summary of current Universalistic belief has been put forth by the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics:
One of the most influential twentieth-century theologians to embrace Universalism was Karl Barth (1886–1968). Philosopher John Hick is a contemporary proponent of the view. A small number of otherwise evangelical theologians, such as Clark Pinnock and John Stott, have embraced forms of Universalism and/or annihilationism. Most liberal theologians and cults hold to some form of Universalism or its cousin, annihilationism, the view that persons who cannot qualify for heaven simply go out of existence. The common principle throughout Universalist and annihilationist theologies is that there is no eternal punishment.[1]
Universalism: Variations on the Theme
One can readily comprehend why Universalism is treasured by so many. The common principle referred to above is: No human being will be subjected to an eternal punishment. In order to achieve the benefits of paradise or heaven, the only thing a person has to do is die.
It has been said: “Dying is rather like approaching a customs post, nervously hoping that officials will not spot the contraband we are carrying, only to find that when we get there the post is deserted and we can march straight through.”[2] There is no need for concern or anxiety about the afterlife because everybody is going to make it. Whatever transgressions have been committed will be instantly erased and forgiven by God(s). Those who have perpetrated the most vile crimes without remorse are going to be everlastingly blessed because God(s) love(s) every human being who has ever lived.
Of course, not every pagan buys into this way of thinking. More than a few persons are troubled by the prospect of Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin, Idi Amin and Saddam Hussein being included among the heavenly multitude. So a modified version of Universalism has been crafted: All good people will go to heaven after they die, but bad people will be blotted out of existence when they die. This modified Universalism seems ‘more fair’ than the belief that all people are rewarded with eternal life after death.
The modified version of Universalism is in keeping with full-scale Universalism in that the exclusivity of Jesus Christ continues to be denied: One can still dodge a relationship with Jesus and yet receive everlasting life. Bill O’Reilly, host of “The O’Reilly Factor”, champions this perspective:
I respect all religions that espouse goodwill toward men. I am not a missionary and will not tap on your window urging you to embrace Jesus. I believe that all human beings are equal in God’s sight and all sincere beliefs that do not cause injury are acceptable under heaven./ Right away this philosophy puts me at odds with many who believe that if you don’t believe what they do, you are bound for Hades…If a human being lives a good life, holds sincere beliefs, but just happens to be a Hindu, an all-just and all-merciful God is going to set the guy on fire for eternity? I don’t think so.[3]
You can see the appeal of what I call ‘Selective’ Universalism, an outlook which elevates ‘sincere, good’ people above a Holy God. In other words, sociology trumps theology. The mindset is: “People I like should go to heaven because I think they’re nice. I enjoy a personal chemisty/affinity/rapport with them. Since I like them, God must also like them enough to save them, no matter what they believe.”
Another outworking of selective Universalism is Inclusivistic Christianity, which speculates: Jesus Christ is indeed the only Savior, but faith in Christ Jesus is unnecessary for one’s salvation. If people try hard to frame their lives according to the precepts of any religion, or if they believe in a Divine Being, Jesus can still be their Savior. Sincere people can belong to Jesus without knowing Him as Savior and Lord.
Accompanying these variations of the universalistic theme is the stubborn, unyielding conviction that God has to adapt to human ways of thinking, The God of the Bible needs to make adjustments and concessions, The Holy, Omnipotent Divine Being MUST go against His infallible Word merely because sinful human beings want Him to.
A Motivation Killer
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that at least the selective brand of universalism is true. What are the practical implications for the Church of Jesus Christ?
For one thing, we should bring back to America all missionaries on foreign soil, especially those in hazardous environments. Why should they bother trying to spread the Gospel if nice people can be saved without ever hearing it? Why should they undergo personal danger if people are saved anyway by virtue of ignorance? What’s the point? We can save a great deal of money by bringing all missionaries back home and subsequently instructing them to do something more meaningful with their lives.
While we’re at it, let’s discourage all attempts at Christian evangelism. For that matter, let’s evade all opportunities for the corporate worship of God. After all, it doesn’t really matter. Why worship the God of the Bible, anyway? Why bother thanking God for His Son, since nice people can go to heaven without any appreciation of Christ whatsoever? We could spend our time better by doing something more productive. In short, Universalism is a motivation killer.
In startling contrast to the premises of Universalism, Scripture discloses life in Christ as being of eternal significance. Why? Because Jesus Christ Himself is of eternal significance. The written Word of God testifies powerfully to the living Word, Christ Jesus. It is to this written Word that we now turn.
The Biblical Jesus
Biblical Christianity informs us of a Biblical Jesus WHO is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revel. 19:16). This Jesus has given His people words of challenge and assurance known as the Great Commission:
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20).
Observe that Jesus instructed His followers: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” These words clearly inform us that the message of Christ is to be proclaimed throughout the world. Note the Messiah’s words of assurance: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” ‘All authority’ has been given to Christ, not to Mohammad, Gautama Buddha, L.Ron Hubbard or anybody else.
In Matt.11:27, Jesus declared: “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Those who claim to know the Father, but who spurn the unique Lordship of Jesus Christ, do not truly and savingly know the Father. Additionally, John 1:11-13 indicates that only those people who are born of God and who receive Christ are given the right to become children of God. This truth strikes a decisive blow to Inclusivistic Christianity.
In the Great Commission, the Biblical Jesus instructed His followers to observe all He commanded. This ‘observing’ all Jesus has commanded translates to taking the words of Jesus seriously. It means you embrace the statements of Jesus in the Bible, even if some statements might seem unpalatable.
Jesus spoke and taught things that some present-day churchgoers find offensive. For example, He taught that there was an everlasting Hell and that human beings actually go there. One of Jesus’ most vivid stories was of the rich man and a beggar named Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). In that story, Hell/Hades is referred to as “a place of torment.” The one sent to hell acknowledged “I am in anguish in this flame.” If you take the words of Christ seriously, then there is no way you can logically conclude that bad people merely cease to exist when they die.
The Biblical Jesus is no Universalist. At the conclusion of His Mount Olivet Discourse, Jesus spoke of persons who would most certainly go to a realm of eternal fire: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life"(Matt. 25:46). Jesus also made it abundantly clear: He Himself will separate the nations and enact judgment (Matt. 25:31ff; See also Matt.7:13-14; 2 Thess.1:10). In other words, the Biblical Jesus will trump sociology. Universalists recoil at the prospect of hell; nevertheless, Jesus taught this reality.
If you go to the doctor’s office and wait for over an hour to see the doctor, such is the reality. You can wring your hands; you can mutter obscenities; you can pace the floor in disgust; you can angrily and frequently complain to the receptionist that this waiting time is a personal inconvenience to you. All of that will not overturn the reality that you have waited over an hour to see the doctor.
A common human reaction to the Biblical Jesus is to manufacture a more pleasant and palatable Jesus. Some who allege devotion to Jesus want little to do with the Jesus of the Bible. Some welcome a Jesus of their own making, a Jesus who surely didn’t mean it when He said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).[4] Adherents of Inclusivistic Christianity yearn for a Jesus who saves many Muslims and pagans, in spite of their ongoing denial of Jesus as Lord. But, How exactly does such theological compromise exhibit a ‘contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3)?
It is insufficient to believe in a Jesus ‘of some kind’. A phony, unbiblical Jesus is incompatible with the core beliefs of historic, Biblical Christianity. The true Jesus has authority and is worthy to be believed in and obeyed. Since Jesus is the Truth, He is always and forever faithful and True (Rev. 1:5; 19:11). His words are true. It follows, then, that the Biblical Gospel of Jesus is true.
The Biblical Gospel
It is important that we grasp up front that there is but one Biblical Gospel rather than a motley collection of gospels. Granted, we read of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Even so, these gospel writers emphasized the one true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The exclusivity of Jesus Christ (instead of the supposed gospel of Universalism) was foundational for the gospel writers and for the writers of the epistles as well (See Gal.1:6-9).
Is this Gospel for ‘good, sincere’ people? No! Actually, the gospel is for sinners. Rom.4:4 speaks of the One Who “justifies the ungodly.” God justifies those persons who are not always marvelous in word and behavior. Rom. 8 begins with these words: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” There is now no condemnation for those who were previously under condemnation.
1 Peter 3:18 says: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” Don’t miss the import of the phrase ‘the righteous [suffered] for the unrighteous’.
The Biblical Jesus suffered was sacrificed on the Cross in place of sinners. In Matt. 20:28, Jesus declared: “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus was sacrificed for ‘many,’ but not all, sinners.
Jesus also stated: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32; See also Matt.4:17; 2 Cor.7:10)). We should remember that Jesus said this to an audience well acquainted with Eccles. 7:25: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” The lesson is clear: Jesus called sinners to repentance and He died for sinners who, by the grace of God, repent and trust Him for their salvation.
Imagine a young man approaching a football coach. Imagine the young man informing the coach: “I like the game of football. But, there are a few things we need to get straight. I want my best friends on the team with me, even if they don’t like football. I want to be a running back and I want to get the ball on every play. I also want the players on the opposing team to get out of my way so that I score a touchdown on every play. And, by the way, I don’t want to come to scrimmages, either.” What reasonable coach would be thrilled to have this young man on the team?
Yet, there is the warped public expectation: God is obligated to ‘go along’ with those persons who seem good to us, even if they reject Christ and perpetually despise His Gospel. The mentality is: “It’s all right to restructure Biblical Christianity, and to add our own conditions, so as to include good people in heaven apart from Christ.” The problem is: There are no people good enough for God.
Isaiah 64:6 bluntly declares: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Rom.3:10-18 asserts: No human being is good enough to be saved.
Thus, the Biblical Gospel is not about ‘good people’ pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps into the glories of heaven. The Gospel is about the perfection and greatness and compassion of the Biblical Jesus Who died for His people.
Sin and the Savior
Universalism in its varied forms is in agreement on one key issue: Sin is really not that bad. Therefore, even if human beings are sinners, most human beings are pretty good sinners because sin itself is no big deal. We humans deserve compassion from God because we’re such nice sinners.
A more Biblical attitude is evident in Jude’s doxology: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25). The Divine Being is able to present His own people blameless before the presence of His glory.To dismiss Jesus Christ as being no more special than Mohammad or Buddha is to sneer at the Heavenly Father’s gift of His Son, the Savior.
Jesus, with reference to Himself, told an audience: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29). No other religious leader has achieved what the heaven-sent Savior has achieved. Acts 4:12 is very clear about this: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” He alone is Savior.
The all-too-human tendency is to ascribe reverence to almost anyone else besides Jesus Christ. We are told by news media pundits about persons who are so remarkable that they are ‘super.’ It is presently inadequate to describe a model as being ‘successful;’ the highly successful model is now termed a ‘supermodel.’ During recent political conventions, certain influential leaders were revered as ‘superdelegates.’ Yet, in the eyes of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ is less than super, i.e. There is no way Jesus could possibly be a ‘super Savior.’ Such is the mindset of Universalistic thinking, and it is a most abominable sin, fully incompatible with Biblical Christianity.
The popular opinion, ‘Jesus is just one way to God,’ shortchanges the Biblical Jesus. This opinion devalues the clear teaching of God’s Word. It belittles the magnitude of the Savior’s sacrifice. It trivializes His wonderful Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. It scorns His continual intercession for His people (Heb.7:25). It deeply insults His honor and His Person. It seeks to rob Him of His rightful glory.
A more Biblical viewpoint was promoted by J.Gresham Machen, who bore powerful testimony to the Savior. In 1923, Machen published a work contrasting the historic, Biblical Jesus with the so-called ‘modern’ Jesus devoid of all supernatural qualities and Divine power. We conclude with his words:
The Jesus who is supposed to be left after the elimination of the supernatural element is at best a very shadowy figure; for the elimination of the supernatural logically involves the elimination of much that remains, and the historian constantly approaches the absurd view which effaces Jesus altogether from the pages of history. But even after such dangers have been avoided, even after the historian, by setting arbitrary limits to his process of elimination, has succeeded in reconstructing a purely human Jesus, the Jesus thus constructed is found to be entirely unreal. He has a moral contradiction at the very center of His being--a contradiction due to His Messianic consciousness. He was pure and humble and strong and sane, yet He supposed, without basis in fact, that He was to be the final Judge of all the earth! The liberal Jesus, despite all the efforts of modern psychological reconstruction to galvanize Him into life, remains a manufactured figure of the stage.
Very different is the Jesus of the New Testament and of the great Scriptural creeds. That Jesus is indeed mysterious. Who can fathom the mystery of His Person? But the mystery is a mystery in which a man can rest. The Jesus of the New Testament has at least one advantage over the Jesus of modern reconstruction--He is real. He is not a manufactured figure suitable as a point of support for ethical maxims, but a genuine Person whom a man can love. Men have loved Him through all the Christian centuries. And the strange thing is that despite all the efforts to remove Him from the pages of history, there are those who love Him still.”[5]
END NOTES
[1]Geisler, Norman L.: Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids, Mich. Baker Books, 1999 (Baker Reference Library), p.746 [Electronic file; Libronix software]
[2] Quoted unapprovingly by John Blanchard, in his pamphlet Where Do We Go From Here? Darlington, England, 2008. p.13
[3] O’Reilly, Bill. “Who is Looking Out for You? C.2003. Broadway Books, NY. P.112
[4] Notice that Jesus did NOT say: ‘All persons who have ever lived come to the Father through Me’ nor did He promise ‘All persons of different faiths come to the Father through Me.’
[5] Machen, J.Gresham Christianity and Liberalism. P.63-64. [Electronic file]
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