Voting NO is Gracious to All

Hosting a BLOG that focuses on God's grace can easily attract criticism of any position I take that some readers might consider ungracious.

In Australia we are soon to vote at a referendum designed to change our Constitution so that Indigenous Australians have a greater influence in the design and implementation of the laws that govern our nation than non-indigenous Australians would have.

I am urging my family and friends to vote NO to this change, a position which is considered by some to be ungracious to the 3% of Australians who are Indigenous.
There are many social, political and legal reasons why I support a NO vote, but my main concern is that to vote yes would be ungracious to the 97% of Australians who would be denied this extra privilege.

Australia is a democracy in which all citizens are equal before the law and have an equal opportunity to influence those who make those laws through their local members of parliament and senators, and more broadly through the ballot box each three years.
To maintain this equality is being gracious to all Australians, including those of Indigenous ancestry.

Additionally, I would say that voting yes is ungodly as well.
Since God is no respecter of persons and loves all His creation equally, then for me as a Christian to support any action that unfairly advantages one group over all others would be an ungodly one.

As a Christian supporter of democracy I can only vote NO.

Blessings, Barry

WorkSpace Introduction

As regular readers of this BLOG know, my Bible Study aims to discover what the Bible reveals about God and His plans for us, both on this planet and beyond, without being restricted by traditional church creeds or doctrinal positions.

During 2023 I intend to commence a second BLOG called Barry's Work Space with an eschatological (end times) focus. It will provide a peek into my current research notes and an invitation for readers to discuss or debate these with me.

Please use the "Post a Comment" link for your discussion or debate, and offer appropriate Biblical support for any different points of views that you advocate.

Although I am now in my 80's, I consider my beliefs open to refinement and possible change, especially in eschatology, as I continue to grow and learn.
So don't be surprised if you challenge a point of view and receive a response from me like, "I agree. I've changed my mind since I wrote that note - and I'll tell you why." 

The new WorkSpace BLOG will be located at https://barrysworkspace.blogspot.com and my regular readers of this GraceSpace BLOG are invited to join me on this exciting journey of (end times) exploration. 

Blessings, Barry

Why Did Jesus Die?

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden there were several physical consequences for each of them, like toil to produce food and labour in childbirth.

However, this did not match God's original consequence that they would die.
Given that they didn't physically die the moment they disobeyed God, the death God was meaning had to be spiritual.
Yes, they immediately became mortal having lost their immortality, their God-likeness, their means of close fellowship/friendship with God, with which they were originally created.

So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female,
[Genesis 1 : 27 GNB]

In the New Testament, the Greek word for sin means "missing the mark" or "missing the target".
So their sin of disobeying God missed the target of obeying their Creator which resulted in the sin of spiritual death, thus missing the target of immortality, God-likeness, and close fellowship/friendship with God.

Consequently, all humans since that time have inherited Adam's death, his mortality, his loss of God-likeness.

Therefore, just as sin entered into the cosmos through one man, and death through sin, so also death pervaded all humanity, whereupon all sinned.
[Romans 5 : 12  DBH]

We (all humanity) have inherited immortality (death); consequently (whereupon) we have all missed the target (sinned).

Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, as a human, to fix the condition Adam inflicted upon us.
Although He was sinless and lived in relationship with and dependence on God, the sins of all of us were placed on the innocent Jesus, and He did the dying on our behalf.
How do we know?

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.
About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").
[Matthew 27 : 45, 46  NIV]

Jesus so carried humanity's sin of immortality, estrangement from God, that He experienced it in full measure on the cross.

Consequently, fellowship/friendship is restored for all through Jesus, and we become aware of it as God enables us to hear and believe this good news and implants His Spirit in us.
The Apostle John describing his time on earth with Jesus says:

That which we have seen and heard we are reporting to you also, that you too may be having fellowship with us, and yet this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ."
[1 John 1 : 3  CLV]

And to demonstrate the job has been completed?
Jesus came to life showing mortality and death had been conquered.
He then ascended to heaven demonstrating the estrangement with God had been completely resolved.

His death did it all; and his resurrection showed that it had been done.
Jesus died for us, so we no longer need to.

Accordingly:.
All are now reconciled to God, whether everyone knows it or not.
All must include everyone, not just believers as much of the institutional church regularly preaches.

And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
[1 John 2 : 2  GNB]

So pagans, Hindus, Muslims,and atheists are all included in the rescue operation, not because of what they currently believe or do, but because of what Jesus has done, which they will eventually discover and be given the faith to believe later in their time on earth or later beyond that time.

Some Christians who meet a person of another faith, or of no faith, see them as a "lost cause".
However, knowing what Jesus has done for all should prompt them to remember that Jesus died for these "lost causes" too and will eventually be saved from their estrangement from God, as they were.

God's unconditional love is unstoppable - it is that great!

Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.
[1 Corinthians 13 : 7  GNB]

Blessings, Barry
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Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au
 

Response to Universal Reconciliation Opposition - Part 15

It's been a long time since publishing Part 14 as I was getting tired of writing from a critical perspective rather than continuing to explore the wonder and extravagance of God's love, mercy and provision for his entire creation.

However, I must complete this assignment as I plan to use this series of posts as the source material for an appendix to a second edition of "The Really Good News About God" in the next year or two.

This is the fifteenth (and final) in a mini-series of posts responding to the arguments offered by Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Dr Arnold) against God's plan to eventually reconcile and save all His creation.

His arguments against Universal Reconciliation (UR) are offered under five headings, the fifth of which is e. The Contradiction to Scripture. (see a previous post "Opposition to Universal Reconciliation" here) 

Under the e. The Contradiction to Scripture heading Dr Arnold states that the fifth argument is that any form of universalism is directly contrary to Scripture and cites Matthew 25 : 46, John 5 : 29 and Revelation 22 : 11 - 15 to illustrate his assertion.

I find it interesting that anyone should say that the plan of the God of love and mercy to reconcile the world to Himself could be directly contrary to Scripture, when Scripture so clearly says things like:

(God our Savior,) who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
[1 Timothy 2 : 4  NIV]

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
[1 Timothy 4 : 10  NIV]

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[Colossians 1 : 19 - 20  NIV]

So whatever is cited to make "the contradiction" point will almost certainly be not relevant to the topic, wrongly translated or wrongly interpreted. Let's look at Dr Arnold's verses.

Firstly, Matthew 25 : 46

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." [NIV]

I have mentioned this verse and the whole teaching of Jesus that includes it (Matthew 25 : 31 - 46) in several previous posts and devoted an entire post to it here in 2013.
In brief, this verse does not contradict the universal reconciliation verses as it addresses the judgement of nations prior to the establishment of the Christ's Messianic kingdom (the Millennium) - not individuals at a "last chance" final judgement.

Secondly, John 5 : 28 - 29

Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. [WEB]

As we have stated many times during this mini series, and most recently in Part 14, judgement is not the end of the road for anyone. It is a step on the way to "rehabilitation" and subsequent reconciliation to God.

Thirdly, Revelation 20 : 11 - 15
The most relevant verse in Dr Arnold's position is verse 15.

If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. [WEB]

The lake of fire has been discussed in several previous posts and an introduction to the topic was here in 2010.

Malachi Chapter 3 describes God as being like a refiner's fire and launderer's soap used for refining and purifying, and Paul has a similar description in 1 Corinthians 3 : 10 - 15.  
In brief, and to be consistent with God reconciling all mankind to Himself, I see the lake of fire (actually fire and brimstone/sulphur) as a picture of the cleansing and purifying process God uses to prepare everyone for eternity.

Dr Arnold's "contradictory verses", if relevant to the universal reconciliation discussion at all, can be seen as complementary to God's ongoing process of "reconciling to himself all things", rather than negating it.

Blessings, Barry

Future Study and Posts

Just a quick post to let you know I am still here and actively studying the Scriptures, although I haven't added to this BLOG for several weeks.

The reason is two fold.
I feel I have written about as much as I can over the last 10 years or so exploring the reconciliation of the universe that God planned before creation and that Jesus guaranteed through his death and resurrection 2000 years ago.

Nevertheless, I hope to start publishing revised versions of some previous posts later this year, and maybe even publish a revised/expanded version of the book, The Really Good News About God, next year.

The second reason is that my current study has been almost exclusively on eschatology (end times) and I will shortly begin sharing some of my thoughts on the workspace site at https://barrysworkspace.blogspot.com as mentioned in a December post last year.

Some of this research may also cause additional revision of previous posts and chapters of the book as well - as a growing follower of the Lord you never stop learning.

In the meantime, if readers have suggestions for the revision of any previous posts, please make comments (in English) on the post itself and I will respond.
(Some of the comments I have had on previous posts have been in languages other than English and I have been unable to respond to them. Sorry)

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Blessings, Barry

A Fearful Experience

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
(Hebrews 10 : 31  ESV)

What is the most fearful experience you've had?
Being sent to the Principal's office for the first time, not knowing what you'll face having heard horror stories/fantasies from others?
Being diagnosed with a serious illness, not knowing what can be done about it having heard bad stories from others with a similar diagnosis?

Have you thought about standing at the Great White Throne, not knowing what your fate might be and having heard "destroyer" stories from sermons in churches about eternal torment or annihilation using Hebrews 10:31 (among others)?

Of course it's fearful!
There is no place to hide when you have to honestly face yourself and your life being revealed by the all-knowing God.
And you don't know him ...
So you have no idea that He is loving, forgiving, merciful, and has planned for everyone to be saved.

You don't know Jesus has dealt with your sins, so you don't know God is no longer holding your sins against you.
All the fear you experience is internal because of these unknowns.

But what do you discover at the Great White Throne?
Yes, you deserve punishment as all guilty criminals do before a court judge.
But, you discover that your penalty has already been paid for you.
You are saved !! - saved from punishment and further embarrassment.
    

When you fall into the hands of the living God, you are a sinner who is really falling into the hands of a loving God (who will certainly want to clean you up a bit with a visit to the lake of fire before you move on).

This is the picture that Jesus paints for us about his and our father when he told the parable of the Prodigal Son. The returning son was fearful as he fell into his father's hands, yet there was no better place to be.

He fell fearfully into the hands of the forgiveness, healing and restoration of his loving father, who ordered a radical change in his dress and appearance in preparation for the celebrations about to take place.
   
Rembrandt captured this truth in a beautiful painting called "The Return of the Prodigal Son" - a picture of a sinner in the hands of a loving God.
This painting should be hung prominently in every Christian church in the world.

The anticipated fear of appearing before the living God will be swamped by love and forgiveness - the acceptance and celebration of the God who is love - because of what Jesus has already accomplished on our behalf.

Blessings, Barry

Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

 

Jesus Kingdom Parables

Even though Jesus directed his parables specifically to Israel in the first century AD, there is much that we can learn from them.
I appreciate there is great danger in creating theology from those parables, or his miraculous events. 

To illustrate this let's consider a farcical example.
Take two cases of Jesus' healing ministry as recorded in the Gospels.

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"
He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
[Mark 8 : 23 - 25  NIV]

and

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
[John 9 : 6 - 7  NIV]

Theological conclusion?
How about this?
If you want instant healing you must use mud.
Indeed we could go further and absurdly suggest that the first two Christian denominations could be created from such theology - the muddites and the anti-muddites.

Although we need to be careful not to use parables to create our theology, parables can be interpreted and applied in various ways.
Some people consider one way is the correct way and any other ways are incorrect.
However I suggest that most ways have value and show different aspects of the teaching Jesus is presenting in the parable.

A bit like looking at a mountain. You get different views when looking from different sides or looking up from the bottom or from half way up or from an aeroplane or an overhead drone.
All the views are different. Not one is right and the others wrong. But just different views - each giving a bit more information about the mountain.

Let's consider a different interpretation than is usual for a mini-parable Jesus told.
The disciples knew from Jesus’ teachings that He was constantly talking about the Kingdom of Heaven (or the Kingdom of God as some New Testament writers called it).

So they asked Him to tell them what the Kingdom of Heaven was like.
Matthew Chapter 13 records nine parables Jesus used to answer their question.
We’ll focus on the one described in verse 44.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. [NIV]

May I suggest this mini parable (one verse) has at least two views.
The usual interpretation is that the kingdom of heaven is such a precious treasure that we, like the man, should give up everything we have to lay hold of it.
Of course, that’s absolutely true.
—but possibly that is not what Jesus was talking about on this occasion when answering the disciples’ question about what the kingdom was like.

What if this isn’t a parable about something we must do to possess the kingdom?
What if we are not the man in the parable.
What if Jesus is talking about himself?
What if Jesus is the one who finds the treasure and buys the field?
What if we human beings are the treasure?
What if the field is this world, as Jesus described it in an earlier parable?
And what if it is Jesus who gives up everything He had to purchase this world and reclaim it as His possession?
What if that’s what the kingdom of heaven is actually like?

Our Concept of Salvation Enriched
This second way of looking at the parable gives us another way of looking at the gospel of salvation.
Probably, for the first thousand years of Christendom this view was likely the more common way of understanding the concept of salvation.
It is sometimes described as Christus Victor (Christ the Victor).
 
Today the more common view of salvation is penal substitution: that is, Jesus died in our place to pay for our sins.
It’s not that Christus Victor is right and penal substitution is wrong.
They simply represent different ways of looking at the gospel.
God’s work of salvation is so great, like a huge mountain, that we must view it from many angles to gain a more comprehensive picture.

Interestingly, as Augustine put it centuries ago, Christ is both Victor and Victim.
By becoming the Victim and dying on the cross, he also became the Victor by defeating sin and Satan there, being resurrected three days later to conquer death, then ascending to the Father to establish his kingdom.
That used to be a more common way to understand the gospel of salvation.

Other Biblical Support for Christus Victor View
This view of the parable of the treasure in the field – that we are the treasure Jesus found and bought – is supported in other parts of Scripture.
Indeed, this short parable seems to condense several verses about Jesus’ death found in Hebrews and Paul’s letters:

.... is so happy that he goes ...

—“because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, ...”
(Heb. 12:2  GNB).

.... and sells everything he has ...

—“of his own free will he gave up all he had ...”
(Phil. 2:7  GNB).

.... and buys that field

—“You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price.”
(1 Cor. 6:19–20  GNB).

Just in passing, let’s note that Jesus didn’t just purchase the treasure, he bought the whole field – the whole world.
The kingdom of heaven contains the treasure and the rest of the field. Which again can also be supported Biblically:

“And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.”
(1 John 2 : 2  GNB)

“Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself.”
(Colossians 1 : 20  GNB)

Penal substitution is certainly one way to understand the gospel, but so also is Christus Victor. They both contribute to our understanding of the extent of God's love for this fallen world.

Blessings, Barry