Universalism (updated edition)

                Although I do want to kick off this blog with some basic worldview and other simpler topics, I will instead, begin with something that is fresh in my mind.  This is on the topic of Universalism.  Below are the words from a speech I gave to my homeschool group on this topic.  At the end, I will have additional comments and verses.  Enjoy!

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                Arminianism, dihydrogen monoxide, electromagnetic radiation - these words may seem mystifying and perhaps even frightening.  In fact, many words in religion and science may seem complicated and confusing, but may turn out to mean something quite simple.  It turns out that arminianism is simply the belief that you can choose your salvation and that it's not forced upon you.  Dihydrogen monoxide is water, and electromagnetic radiation is light. 

                Universalism is another one of those mind-boggling terms.  However, Universalism is a concept that you may come to realize is a very common belief here in the United States of America.  Supposedly, it is even in line with the Bible.  But does the Bible actually support Universalism?  I will explain to you what exactly Universalism is, what Universalists see as their basis is for this belief, as well as what the Bible has to say concerning the issue.

                Now there are two types of Universalism - Unitarian Universalism and Christian Universalism.  Unitarian Universalists are a pluralistic group.  In other words their focus is on loving others and accepting others.  It doesn't matter to them what religion you semi-adopt - whether it's Atheism, Buddhism, Islam, or Christianity.  Christian Universalists, on the other hand, hold many Christian views and believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  Today we will focus on Christian Universalism.  Thus, from now on, when I use the term "Universalism," I will be referring to Christian Universalism.

                In short, these Universalists believe that because of God's great love and mercy, He would never keep anyone from eventually getting to heaven.  Now there are two camps within Christian Universalism.  One camp believes that God will never send anyone to hell.  The other holds that God will send some to hell, but later will bring them to heaven.  Keep these two views in mind. 

                To support their claim, Universalists point to verses like 1 Timothy 2:3-4 which state, "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth."  Now as Christians, this makes sense since we do recognize that God is loving and merciful.  However, another of God's traits is that He is the Righteous Judge who rewards those who choose Him and punishes those who reject Him.

                Another passage pair that Universalists site is Romans 10:9 and Philippians 2:10-11.  Romans 10:9 reads, "That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  In the minds of Universalists, then, everyone who does this "confessing of the mouth" will be saved.  Now Philippians 2:10-11 says, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  Consequently, this verse seems to imply that everyone will do the “confessing of the mouth” referred to earlier.  Thus, supposedly everyone will be saved.  The problem with this is that the verses are being taken out of context and glued together to make a new statement.

                Taking the Bible out of context is a dangerous thing to do.  There is a story about a man who did this very thing.  He wanted to find some meaning in his life.  So he took a Bible and decided that he randomly flip the pages of that Bible and stick his finger on a page and do whatever that verse told him to do.  The verse he landed on read, "And Judas went out and hanged himself."  Not knowing quite what to make of that, the man tried again.  This time the verse said, "Go and do likewise."  The man was now becoming frightened.  He decided to make one more effort.  The final verse read, "What you are about to do, do quickly."

                In defiance of Universalism, the Scriptures are full of verses, passages, and even books that discuss punishment, hell, and destruction.  You can't claim that the Bible is all about love, mercy, kindness, and that's it, because it's just not true.  Let's look at a few of these instances.  The first is Hebrews 10:30-31.  It says, "For we know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.'  It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." 

                Another example is in the book of Revelation.  In the prophetic scene that I will share with you, God is judging the world.  Off to the side stands open a book, called the Book of Life.  In it are written the names of all those who have chosen to devote their lives to God.  It says in Revelation 20:15 that, "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."  By reading this verse, you can’t biblically pitch your tent in the camp that claims that God won’t send people to hell.   This verse is clear about that. 

                However, there are those Universalists in the other camp that believe that some people will go to hell; but that after some time, God will bring them to Himself in heaven.  It's time to look at our next passage.  This is Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man.  In His story, Jesus contrasts two characters - a rich man who had everything going for him on earth, and a poor beggar named Lazarus.  Both of these men died.  Lazarus went to heaven, and the rich man went to hell.  The Bible says, "In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire."  Abraham points out that there is this great chasm between heaven and hell so that no one can go from heaven down to hell or from hell to heaven.  It is obvious, then, that the wicked will spend eternity separated from God in a miserable place called hell.  Now we have obliterated that second camp. 

                However, besides being a not very well grounded belief and not being able to stand up to the criticisms of these verses, Universalism is not consistent with the Bible's big picture.  If Universalism were true, why would God have made Hell if we are all going to be saved anyway?  Why would Satan waste his time tempting us if we are all going to be saved anyway?  Why does God instruct us to follow His commands if we are all going to be saved anyway?  Why should we bother believing in Him if we are all going to be saved anyway?  Why should we evangelize and fulfill the Great Commission if we are all going to be saved anyway?  And why would God put His only Son through the torture that He had to endure on the cross if we are all going to be saved anyway?

                 We have seen that despite the claims of Christian Universalism, the Bible screams in protest that it is a false doctrine.  God is loving but also the Righteous Judge.  So, did this theory sound somewhat familiar at all?  Perhaps you have believed this yourself.  “I’ll go to heaven since I’m better than the next guy.”  Or, “I’ll go to heaven because God would not do anything else to me since He is loving.”  Or, “I’ll go to heaven because God is good and I am good.  In fact, my dog will go to heaven because God is good and Scruffy is good.”  You see, Universalism, despite its long name, is fairly common.  People think that they can get a free ticket into heaven apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  Now, I shared with you that verse from 1 Timothy that supposedly supports Universalism.  Remember it said that God wants all men to be saved.  Here is what the next verse says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”  This verse makes it clear that though God does in fact want everyone to come to repentance, the only they can do that is by believing in the One who bridges the gap between us and God.  That person is Jesus! 

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                Here are a few other verses that stand against Christian Universalism. 

David says in Psalm 62:12, “…Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.” 

In Romans 2:5 Paul points out, “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”

When referring to anger during his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated in Matthew 5:22, “…But anyone who says [to his brother], ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

 In His parables, Jesus talks about people going to a place (sometimes called a fiery furnace) “Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Revelation 11:18 declares, “The nations were angry and your wrath has come.  The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

                Just in case you haven't realized it yet, Universalism is more common than you might expect.  True, very few people use the term "Universalism," but it is seen everywhere.  Think of the TV shows that you have seen, the movies you have watched, the music that you have listened to, the books you have read, or the people that you have come in contact with.  Somewhere you have seen or heard people say things like, "We'll all go to heaven."  Or concerning their dead relative, an actor in a movie might say, "I'm sure they're looking down on us now."  Although that statement might be true, you need to see it in context.  Often times the person in question is not a believer.  Yet, people assume that heaven is where they will go because of their works. 

               

                In fact, if you were to ask someone where they would go when they died, let's say that they replied, "To heaven."  If you were to follow up their answer with "Why?" you may receive an answer like, "Because I'm a reasonably good person."  That is Universalism staring you right in the face.  Remember what the Bible says.  Besides the numerous verses above, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."

                Be encouraged by what Jesus has done for you.  If we had to be saved by our works, no one would meet the criteria.  Remember, that criteria is "Be perfect."  Romans 3:23 reminds us, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God..."  Thus, no one is perfect.  That verse goes on, however, to declare, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

                Bask in the love that God is pouring out on you and be sure to share that love with everyone you come in contact with today!

                I want to touch on Unitarian Universalism briefly and show its faultiness.  I visited the website for the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, and watched a video on the website where several of the members were asked to explain who exactly Unitarian Universalists are and what they believe.  Check out the video at http://vimeo.com/13394129.  There was one comment made that I especially want to point out.  Here is a quote from one man, "In a sense, you're allowed to believe what you choose."  Alright does that look a little fishy to you?  That man walked right into a trap.  This is a question that if you ask the right follow-up question, you can disclaim the whole religion.

               

                Let's examine this.  Here is how you should respond: "Alright, if I can believe whatever I want, can I believe that Unitarian Universalism is wrong?"  This is a yes or no question and he will lose either way.  If he says, "Yes, you can believe that," that would make Unitarian Universalism wrong because that's what the proposed belief (the underlined portion of the question) states.  However, if he says, "No, you can't believe that," then he has successfully contradicted his own words and brought down the Unitarian Universalists' stance. 

                Another comment is made where one man says "We're not afraid to use our brains to think."  Ouch!  Every other "non-thinking" religion just got slammed.  Ironically, in the clip they play right after, someone says, "There is more than one truth out there."  THERE IS NOT MORE THAN ONE TRUTH!!!  Two plus two does not equal four and five at the same time.  Nor are massacres both right and wrong.   So Unitarian Universalists may not be afraid to use their brains, but they still don't use them.  In summary, if you use your brain, you will see that Unitarian Universalism makes absolutely no sense.    

Matthew