davidbu@loowit.wr.tek.com (David E. Buxton) (01/21/91)
First of all some of the views on how we are saved: * Calvinist - God chooses whom He will save and not save and nothing we can do will can change His plan. * Universalist - Many cannot accept the Calvinist position because of the eternal torturing hell fire that it implies. They propose that God, having chosen the elect, being a loving God, cannot give up anyone to the fires of hell and so in the end He lets everyone, or virtually everyone, into His kingdom. * Arminian - They also look at Calvinism and just cannot buy it. They say that it is man who chooses God and man's fault, not God's, if he ends up in hell. Any man can choose or reject God at any time. * Arminian Calvinist - In this view of salvation it is man who chooses Jesus. There are liberal to conservative views on what constitutes becoming 'born again' which then results in becoming one of the "elect". From then on, if you have met the criteria, Calvinist salvation locks in securely and you cannot be lost. * What I believe -- God is eager to find a way to save everyone, if only they would let Him. I believe that back in the days of Hitler, God was eager to find a way to save even him and that the Holy Spirit worked upon his heart also. God is eager to save you, whoever you are, and eager to save me. So God is the driving force behind any hope of salvation. And we are lost only as we are successful in turning Him away in spite of His eager desire to save us. The reason He cannot save everyone is that He does not use force. It is our willingness to yield to His plan that makes it possible for Him to bring about our salvation. We are lost only as we somehow are successful in rejecting His plan of salvation that He has prepared for each of us. At this point I would like to ask what I think is a pivotal question about the resurrection. I am not asking you what sort of millenialist you are. Just for a few minutes, come over to my perspective where for the dead time has passed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor 15:52) and Jesus returns to take His people to the home that He has prepared for them (John 14:2,3). Let us stand now at the resurrection and seriously ask what will happen. I think we can agree that the saved are given immortal bodies. But what about the character? That is my question for you. What will happen to your character - the person that you are? The universalist would perhaps say that it is possible that some people will die hating God and then be resurrected wondering why they love Him. I cannot accept that - else why the repeated call of the Bible to repentance? Perhaps the Universalist says that the character does not change and yet all will be 'saved'. If such a view is right then we paint a heaven that is to be a re-run of this earth's history, except that it is for eternity. And you can be sure that Satan and his host, former angels of heaven, will be banging on the gates of heaven demanding admittance also. I simply cannot comprehend such a scenario as being God's design. For those who allow Him to, He is preparing us, as rough cut diamonds, for His kingdom. At any point in His plan we can say to Him, no God, you have done enough, I'm now good enough to save, my salvation is sufficient, it was secured when I was 'born again', now leave me alone and let me be just like I am. We might even list off all the impressive good things that we do and demand that God back off. And if we insist on holding Him at bay He will. With chisel and mallet in hand He will stand back and leave us alone to do things our own way. Yet, He still remains eager to continue the process of preparing and polishing us, but He will not do it against our will. Sanctification is the work (His work upon us) of a lifetime. Righteousness is the work of a lifetime as God prepares us for His kingdom. And a lifetime can be long, or short as it was for the thief on the cross. We reject His work in us, at any point, at our peril. We accept His plan in faith that He knows what is best for us. And this is a Faith that works (Gal 5:6) - His plan does indeed yield good works in obedience to Him and in service and love to mankind. Many of the people of Christ's day were self righteous to the point that they felt they did not need Jesus. Paul says that he used to think he kept the law blameless (Phil 3:6). Paul thought that his law keeping would save him. Paul was doomed as long as he thought his life was blameless. But Paul tells us that later in his life that every day he acknowledged his need to be Justified at the cross of Jesus - "I die daily" (1 Cor 15:31) is how he puts it. Paul no longer thought of himself self righteously as he had before. Read the stories of the 'saints' of the Bible. Each of them describe themselves as totally unfit for salvation - not one of them go around saying "I'm saved". And yet elsewhere in the Bible we read about these same people being referred to as righteous. That is why God called David "a man after my own heart" (Acts 13:22) - because of David's repentance and certainly not because of his sins. Does not the notion that I am "saved", short circuit the call to repentance? I fear for those who say - "I was/am saved". Because it is a statement that says that Christ's work upon them is complete and no further growth in Christ is called for. Too many of my friends stagnate in their Christian growth because they feel totally secure that they are fit to save in their present condition. A friend of mine had a saving experience from tobacco, alcohol, swearing and running around with women - the story that he told me about himself. These temptations were taken from him that day and that is all the change that he believes God plans to do in his life - he is convinced that he was 'saved' that day and that God changed him adequately for salvation. But regardless of how successful Jesus has been in working righteousness in our lives our righteousness is as yet as filthy rags (Isa 64:6) - regardless how good we think are, as our righteousness is compared to His we find that our righteousness stinks. Will they insist on continuing to be 'filthy' after the resurrection, or will they even be there? It worries me? How can they go through eternity with God, determined to be content in their present state? With plants and animals growth is life and stagnation ends in death. And so it can be with the Christian experience. I believe that heaven is for those who will enjoy heaven as Jesus has prepared it for us. Those who would not be happy there will not be there in misery and discomfort in the glorious presence of Jesus. Also understand that I believe that in the end the lake of fire cannot be quenched until the wicked are consumed and then it is all over with, actually rather quickly I believe. So, those who would not be happy there are not condemned to eternal torment - and that I'd be glad to explain to you. The gospel is a more powerful message than any attempt to scare people out of hell. People scared out of hell are only willing to do the minimum that their pastors tell them will save them. So let us consider our state soon after the resurrection. As we stand before Jesus it is abundantly clear to the saved that we fall so far short of His glory, as we stand there in our 'filthy rags'. At that point what will we do? We will do just what we would do here on earth (Rev 22:11,12). Would we yield to His eagerness to purify us and to cleanse us from all sin and to make us fit to live with Him for eternity? Or would we feel totally miserable as we contemplate all those choice sins that would now have to be given up, that should have been given up long ago? If the presence of Jesus would make you miserable and tormented then heaven would be eternal hell for you and why would God inflict such an eternity on anyone? If you must now cherish your independence and rebellion then what makes you think that you allow Him to make you fit to live with Him then? If an eternity without the pleasures of this earth is a chilling thought then why heaven? Or are you simply scared out of hell that someone told you is already burning? I believe that the plan of salvation for you is a plan that will prepare you to thoroughly enjoy heaven, in the presence of God, as Jesus has prepared it for you for eternity. Without the change of heart that His plan brings about you would only be miserable there - heaven and hell are not to be the same place where some delight to be there and some find it to be the hell they thought they were escaping. If you would turn to Him, eager to have your sins cleansed completely then you will rush forward that day, to fall into His arms. He has worked many miracles in your heart and you are eager to have Him get the job done. You have done so in the past and you will do so then. Jesus knows how fantastic heaven is going to be and is eager to make us ready. Heaven is for those who have been turning to Jesus as sinners and not for those who will stand before Him, with their tickets in hand, demanding admittance because they have done what seemeth right for salvation (Prov 14:12). In Friendship, Dave [I haven't read universalists extensively, but at least some of them believe that God will do something to convert non-believers after death. They won't just wake up loving God, nor will they be saved without repentance. This may imply some punishment, or at least some treatment that is painful. --clh]