By Paul Ellis
Escape To Reality (http://escapetoreality.org)
The world sure is a strange place. Just when you think you’ve seen
everything, something new hits you on the side of the head. When I was
growing up, the number one theological question was this one: “Once
saved, always saved?” People who asked this question wanted to know
whether it is possible for a Christian to lose their salvation. Well if
bullfrogs and butterflies can turn back into tad-poles and caterpillars,
then I guess it’s possible.
But now there’s a whole new question being asked, which is this: Is
everybody saved? Many are saying yes: “Jesus is the Savior of the world.
Therefore everyone is already saved, they just don’t know it.” Now
before you write this off as universalist heresy, let me add that those
who preach this brand of historical reconciliation do not believe
everyone is going to heaven. It’s just that everyone is in until
unbelief kicks them out.
Since this is a popular teaching today, I think it would be good for us
to take a closer look. Let’s start with an oft-heard statement:
“All are forgiven, reconciled, and saved.”
To these three points I respond: (1) it’s true (we are forgiven), (2)
it’s sort of true (God has reconciled the world but you still need to be
reconciled), and (3) it’s not true (not all are saved).
You are forgiven
The reason why forgiveness is a done deal and salvation is not, is
because forgiveness is a game that requires only one player. God doesn’t
need your permission to forgive you. In our puny human minds we find
this hard to grasp because we are not natural forgivers. We keep long
records of wrong done to us. But God is not like us. He loves us with an
unconditional love. He forgives us without any regard for our behavior
and in accordance with the riches of His grace (Eph 1:7). Agape-love
keeps no record of wrongs which is why God can choose to remember our
sins no more. This is wonderful news! When you know His forgiveness, you
are empowered to forgive yourself and others.
Yes, we still need to receive His forgiveness just as we need to receive
His grace. If you don’t believe that you are forgiven, then you will
act like an unforgiven sinner. But we need not ask God to do what He has
already done. Forgiveness, along with all the benefits of salvation,
comes to us in Christ.
I have written more about forgiveness than just about any other aspect
of God’s grace, so if you need further convincing that you are eternally
forgiven, start with this post.
You are reconciled; be reconciled.
Reconciliation, unlike forgiveness, is a two-player game. Both sides
need to play. Consider the husband who wishes to be reconciled with his
estranged wife. He loves her with an unconditional love that keeps no
record of wrongs. In his mind there is no hurt or offense that has not
been forgiven and forgotten. So in his love he has come to the table of
reconciliation declaring that all is well from his side. Would you say
they have been reconciled? Well that depends on the wife. Unless she
chooses to be reconciled, there is no reconciliation.
Now let’s imagine that the wife is so damaged by an unhappy childhood
that she unfairly projects her brokenness onto him. Even though he is a
perfect gentleman and beyond reproach, in her mind her husband is an
angry and violent man. This is how fallen humanity relates to our loving
Father in heaven. Even though God has been unfailingly good to us, in
our fallen state we think the worst of Him. We imagine Him to be angry
and violent.
For as long as we are separated from the life and love of God by our
imagined offenses, are we reconciled? Of course not. If the man in our
story went around telling others that he and his wife were reconciled –
even as she continued living with another man – they would think he was
nuts. Yet this is exactly the message that many are preaching.
Has the world been reconciled to God? Paul’s answer was “Yes and no.”
From God’s side, reconciliation is an historical event. “All this is
from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ…” (2 Cor 5:18).
God has come to us with open arms. He holds nothing against us – not our
sins, not our past, not anything. “While we were still sinners Christ
died for us (Rom 5:8). Glory to God!
However, there is no reconciliation in fact unless we respond to His
overtures. Hence Paul’s exhortation, “We implore you on Christ’s behalf:
Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). God loves the world so much that He
came and died for us. His heart yearns for the lost and broken. He does
not want an historical reconciliation that is not presently true. He
wants His kids!
Those who preach historical reconciliation argue that fallen man’s
estrangement is based on a lie. Men fear God needlessly and I agree. God
is not angry with us. He really does love us. And it is certainly not
wrong to preach that God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ
since this is what Paul preached. But with equal passion we must also
preach the other side, as Paul also did: We implore you – be reconciled
to God.
Are you saved?
I’ve heard some claim that the whole world is saved as if this
declaration would somehow cause the unsaved to come to their senses and
start acting saved. So far I haven’t seen that happen. The Father loved
the prodigal at all points in the story, but he never chased his son
into the city telling him “You’re mine! Come home.” If he had, his cries
would have fallen on deaf ears. Now the son was the son for the entire
story, but separated from his dad he was very much a lost son. He wasn’t
“saved” until he turned back and found himself in his father’s embrace.
So is the whole world saved or isn’t it? Well if the answer is yes, then
why are there so many scriptures indicating that God wants us to be
saved (1 Tim 2:4) and that He now commands people everywhere to repent
(Acts 17:30) and believe in the name of His Son (1 Joh 3:23) in order to
be saved (Mk 16:16), etc. By my count there more than two dozen
scriptures specifically exhorting people to be saved and literally
hundreds more exhorting them to repent, believe, receive, have faith,
trust in God, etc.
As far as I can tell, there is not one verse in the Bible that
categorically says all humanity was saved at the cross. Certainly, Jesus
has provided for our salvation – His is a finished work. Certainly it
is the Father’s will that all should be saved and that none should
perish. But His is not the only will in the equation. It takes two
people to make a relationship and this is why the New Testament writers
repeatedly say that all are not saved. I don’t have time to delve deeper
here, but if you’re interested or are wondering about a particular
scripture, I encourage you to check out my easy-to-read study notes.
So what?
Does it really matter if we tell unbelievers that they were reconciled
and saved 2000 years ago? It surely does! I have heard those who preach
historical reconciliation say, “Jesus has established a relationship
with all of us.” This is simply not true. Although He surely desires it,
Jesus has no relationship with those who are “darkened in their
understanding and separated from the life of God” (Eph 4:18). The light
of men has come into the world but some men prefer the darkness.
If Jesus had a relationship with everyone, why would Paul exhort us to
preach the message of reconciliation? Why would John proclaim “what we
have seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us and the
Father and the Son”? What kind of husband are we portraying when we tell
sinners that Jesus married them without their knowledge or permission?
Tell a sinner that they are saved and already in a relationship with
Jesus and they will look at you sideways. As far as they are concerned,
Jesus is not a part of their life. So don’t tell them that He is.
Instead tell them that the Lover of their Souls is standing outside
their door holding a big bunch of flowers, knocking, and waiting to be
invited it. They may hesitate in the belief that God is angry with them
or wants them to get their lives sorted out before they come home, but
it’s not true! Their heavenly Father longs for them with unconditional
love and eternal forgiveness in His heart. He has already shown us His
love through the cross and countless other ways. Now He waits to see how
we will respond. Will we stay in the pig pen? Will we come to Him
looking for a job? Or will we lose ourselves only to find our true
selves in His wonderful embrace?
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