Friday DIVE – An Introduction to Universal Hope | FD20260424

Friday DIVE / By

INTRODUCTION   

  1. In the past, I’ve spoken about my spiritual journey … and the fact that, as I’ve journeyed,  I’ve had to change some of my views about certain topics, including salvation, hell and even the Gospel.
  2. In our last session, I shared a document that I said contributed, in a big way, to me starting to think outside of the box … and which helped to shape my current views, especially on salvation.
  3. In this session, I want to share some other “stuff” that I’ve come to embrace during my journey … because I think some of you will probably have to address some of the same issues I had to address  at some point in the future.
  4. Today, I plan to look at what is referred to by some as the concept of UNIVERSAL HOPE … so the title of this session is An Introduction To Universal Hope, and it features a presentation by Brad Jersak (of Plain Truth Ministries).
  5. But, first … a few words about …

MY NON-TRADITIONAL THOUGHTS re: THE GOSPEL

Because we contribute nothing to our salvation …

  • the GOSPEL is NOT about something that CAN BE DONE  for someone to get saved;
  • the GOSPEL is about something that HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE to save us. 
      • Ephesians 1:11-14  In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.  13 In Him you also trusted, after  you  heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.  
      • Here’s the POINT:  The gospel the Ephesians heard was the gospel (good news) of their salvation (the good news that they had already been saved)   
        1.  We were saved … NOT because we repented and/or believed … BUT because of God’s love for us.   
        2.  God saved us BEFORE we repented or believed  … because He saved us in Christ.  
        3.  Here’s ANOTHER POINT:  God must have saved the rest of humanity, already, as well … given that Christ died once for all … which means we would have all been saved at the same time (which is NOT to say we all received salvation at the same time).  

That said … I want to use this session to help you understand why I really believe that ALL people WILL be saved … because, in a very real way, ALL HAVE BEEN already saved (in principle).   

 

Featured Article

Beyond “Hopeful Universalism” – Bradley Jersak     

 

In recent years, I find myself sitting comfortably with friends who would self-identify as “hopeful universalists.”  It’s not a label I am comfortable with, for a number of reasons, though I’m certainly fine with the spirit of their intent.  The following clarifies why I resist the label for myself:  
1.  Until recently, I called my position “hopeful inclusivism” as described by Hans Urs von Balthasar  and  Kallistos Ware,  but have discovered that people consistently misunderstand “hopeful” as if I mean “wishful” or “doubtful” or “maybe.”  The upside of that misunderstanding is that they correctly infer that I am not “dogmatic” and this saves me a bit of grief.  And it’s true: I would not teach “ultimate redemption” (my conviction) as dogma or doctrine.  But my position is actually a third critter:
I have always clarified that when I say “hopeful,” my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  That is, I use “hope” the same way Paul does when he refers to Christ as our “blessed hope.”  He is completely convinced of something that is yet to come.  For Paul, “the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) is not wishful or doubtful.  He holds a conviction that is anchored specifically in the faithfulness of Jesus.  In the same way, I am personally convinced of ultimate redemption or the restoration/summing up of  all things  in Christ.  I believe the New Testament anticipates this telos dozens of times.  And in that sense, I’ve moved from Balthasar’s and Ware’s open-ended hopeful inclusivism (that leaves room for the possibility in principle, however unlikely, that some might forever reject the love of God) to a more confident conviction (as in St. Gregory of Nyssa or St. Maximos the Confessor) that meeting Christ face-to-face will so heal the soul and remove the dysfunctions of the fallen will, that an entirely willing response to grace will inevitably result (a la Paul’s conversion or the Philippians 2 confession of faith).  
On the other hand, I call this a confident conviction, rooted, I think, in Scripture and good theology BUT am not permitted (by my conscience or my spiritual father) to teach it as doctrine.  Simply put, the Nicene Creed (our dogma) says of eschatology:  
  • He will come again [doesn’t say how], 
  • to judge the living and that dead [doesn’t specify whether retributive or restorative],
  • We look for the resurrection, and 
  • the life of the age to come.  

There is no dogmatic statement about the destiny of unbelievers or the nature of hell.  

There is no dogmatic statement that all shall be saved or that any shall be damned.  
So while I hold a personal conviction that all shall be saved, and am even free to share my conviction and the reasons for it, I cannot impose it as doctrine, nor should the infernalists.  To do so, in my mind, is technically a heresy (a mistake) because it violates the freedom of conviction of such mysteries as preserved in the Creed.  
2. Despite my conviction in ultimate redemption and belief that the Scriptures teach that all shall be saved, I have also always resisted the word “universalism.”  The reason for this is because the term has become so nebulous that using such a broad brush incites a lot of mistaken inferences and dismissive misrepresentations.  But the problem is not only in those who misunderstand what I would mean by the term.  It’s also a problem among those who use it.  From my observations, today, the great majority of those who identify as ‘universalists’ have minimized some elements I believe to be essentials of the gospel.  Specifically, MOST universalists now seem to downplay or negate:  
  • the seriousness of sin and its consequences,  
  • the necessity or even reality of the Incarnation,  
  • the critical importance of Christ’s death and resurrection,  
  • the reality of judgment and of a final judgment,  
  • the necessity of a truly willing faith response to Jesus.  
If most universalists find these elements optional or even unsavory, and if labeling myself a universalist causes opponents to infer wrongly that I don’t hold to them, then it’s not the right term for me.   Far too often, the word creates a redline that simply ends the conversation.  Far better if I create bewilderment that demands further questions.  For example, if I say, “I’m a universalist” (hopeful or otherwise), the immediate response is “You’re a heretic.”  But if I say, “I am not a universalist but I believe in ultimate reconciliation,” at least I get the opportunity to answer the question, “What’s the difference?”  And to that I reply with the convictions above in this way:   
Most universalists disregard the following but I am convinced that: 
    • the wages of sin is death and that its fatal consequences require a means of redemption …
    • the means of our redemption is through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ … 
    • and if all shall be saved, only by his death and resurrection … 
    • and that by way of a final but penultimate restorative judgment …
    • followed by a universal willing faith response (nothing is automatic OR coerced).   
For these reasons, I like to speak of judgment as penultimate (the age to come) and redemption as ultimate (“the end of the ages” when “God is all and in all”).  That way I don’t need to skirt any of the dire warnings about a forthcoming judgment.  But then I also insist that mercy gets the final word.  
In Her Gates Will Never Be Shut, I said that we cannot presume that all shall be saved or that any shall be damned, but rather, that the love of God obligates and inspires us to hope, pray, preach, and live for the salvation of all.  That is the express will of God revealed in the NT.   Now, I would add this follow-up question that simplifies things for me: Does the NT foresee God’s will coming about?   To that, I would offer my favorite catena of 32 Scriptures that dare us to “hope” and let the reader see if that speaks to their convictions.    
(Editor’s note:  The plan is for us to look at those passages in our next session.)
WHY AM I SHARING THIS?
  1. It speaks to the nature of the God we worship (As some have said, “We become like the God we worship”.)  
  2. I believe this is a belief that some/many in GCI share.  Note the following … a quote I referenced in our last session …  (As we go through the quote, remember the title of the article by Brad Jersak: Beyond Hopeful Universalism.)   
Quote in context:
‘Lastly, the Bible indicates that there will be some who refuse God’s forgiveness, refuse God’s love, and alienate themselves from God’s kingdom.  I don’t know how many there will be … I’m what is known as a hopeful universalist … I don’t teach Universalism, Universalism is wrong, you can’t impose that on scripture. I just would rather see everyone get saved, even Hitler, even Stalin, any mass murderer, I would love to see them come to forgiveness, because those people that they hurt and killed, they’re not dead forever, they walk again.  And wouldn’t it be a wonderful picture of reconciliation to see Hitler apologizing to all the people that he killed, I think that would be beautiful.  Looking at them and saying, “I was so wrong.”  Any mass murderer, going to the people he butchered, “I was wrong, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”  And they say to him, you’re forgiven, I’m forgiven, we’re all forgiven’.   
That quote … was a quote by the immediate Past President of GCI, Joseph Tkach … as you can see in the video clip below …
For the record … GCI’s OFFICIAL Teaching on the subject is captured in the following video … 
Featured video  

 

Transcript …  

Well, it’s very nice to be back with you.  

Today, we’ll just get everything rolling out here … and I think what I should do is start with a greeting from, first of all, from Greg Albrecht at Plain Truth Ministries, where I work … ptm.org … and some of what I’m going to be teaching today is going to be coming out in article form tomorrow in the new issue of CWRm (Christianity without the religion magazine) … and that’ll be online and it’s free and you can find it at ptm.org.   

I also want to say a big hello from Baxter Kruger and from Paul Young, who had such a good time when they were here.  And I was just with both of them recently and they were bragging about you all and so I wanted to make sure to say hello from them as well.   

Before we get into the message proper,  I do want to read you one page from  Jesus Showed Us.  

Now this is why I got a PhD … in Theology … so we could start telling kids the truth about the God who’s revealed perfectly in Jesus Christ … and in this book, what I’m trying to do is I’m trying to answer the question What is God like? … and on every page we have a gospel story that tells us the answer.   God is like Jesus.  He’s exactly like Jesus.   He’s always been exactly like Jesus … and he always will be.   So, the preface of this book … it’s very short … What is God like?  Jesus showed us.  In every gospel story, Jesus showed us what God is like … because Jesus is “God with us”.   What did Jesus show us?  That God is perfect love … that God loves you … and so we have these available.   Think Christmas gifts.  Get them for your nephews, nieces, children and grandchildren and so on … and then you’ll be done for Christmas.   That’s good.  You’re welcome.   

This morning, what I would like to focus on is Christ — our universal Hope. 

We have a hope … and that hope is a person … and that person’s name is Jesus Christ … and it’s a hope for all.   

And this morning, we’re going to cover a lot of territory.  

My apologies, but I guess you’ve recorded this  so you can double check what I’m saying after.   

I’m going to start with a Bible text from the epistle to Titus — Paul’s epistle to Titus, the second last, little, one page epistle of Paul’s in the Bible.

Titus chapter 2 verse 11 to 13 (Titus 2:11-13)   “for the grace of God” … oh you’re into that here, aren’t you?  grace … “for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”  There’s a grace that has appeared.  Did you know that?   “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present age, looking for the blessed hope.”  

Did you know there’s a blessed Hope you can look for … with a capital H?  That blessed Hope and glorious appearing of our great God and savior Jesus Christ. 

Later in the message, we’re gonna go deep into this passage.   I think … no … in fact … I’m sure … but I want to start out with just saying that the New Testament is full of these kind of passages about universal hope … And I’ll say some things about those passages.  I’ll make some distinctions between universal hope and universalism … and then we’ll come back to Titus for our grand finale.   But when I say that, this is not just about cherry-picking verses that we like from the New Testament … or from the Bible.   This is a major theme … and so I want to give you an impression, an overall impression, of that major theme of universal Hope in the New Testament … just by reading you 32 passages very quickly.  And what I’m going to do is, once in a while, when I hit the word “all”, I’m gonna put my hand up … and I’d invite you, when you hear the word “all”, put your hands up with me …  and, then, if you hear other words like “everyone” or “whole” or “whatever” … just … inclusive words … “all” words … “everyone” words … “whole” words … and so on … and what we’re going to do is just get a general impression of this universal Hope in the New Testament.  

    • Luke 3 verse 6 then all flesh shall see the salvation of God
    • John 1:7 and 9 this man came for a witness to bear witness to the light that threw him all might believe … the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world
    • John 1:29 behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world … I guess “world” that means all doesn’t it? …
    • for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life … For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17) 
    • John 3:35 and 13:3  the father loves the son and has given all things into his hand

let’s move over to the other side of my page 

    • John 4:42 we know …  these are Samaritans believe testifying after they’ve said yes to the gospel through the woman at the well … we no longer believe because of what you said woman at the well for we have heard for ourselves from Jesus and we know that this really is the savior of the world
    • John 6:33 for the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world all that the father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out … this is the will of the father who sent me that of all he has given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up in the last stage  (John 6:37,39) …
    • John 8:12  I am the light of the world and
    • if I am lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself  … that’s John 12:32  
    • Here’s John 13:3 … Jesus knew that the father had given all things into his hand
    • John 17:2  for you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him (wait a minute, he just said he’s given them all) … for you granted him authority over all people  that he might give eternal life to those you’ve given him
    • heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore all things  (Acts 3:21) 

Moving into Romans now, we get to Paul’s teachings 

    • Romans 5:18  as through one man’s offence that’s Adam judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation Even so one man’s righteous act that’s Christ the free gift came to all men resulting in the justification of life
    • Romans 11:26   from him and to him are all things 
    • Romans 11:32  “he has shut up all to unbelief so that he might have mercy” … on … good Christians … no, “on all.”   
    • 1 Corinthians 15:21-22  for since death came through a man the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man; for as in Adam, all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive.”

We’re about half done

    • 1 Corinthians 15:26-28   for God has put everything under his feet and when everything is subject to Christ then the son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him so that God may be all in all   
    • Ephesians 1:9-10    he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him
    • Ephesians 1:22-23    and he has put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all    
    • Philippians 2:10    you know this one at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father
    • Philippians 3:21   he will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself
    • Colossians 1 … Here’s a strong statement Colossians 1:15-17 and 20  he is the image of the invisible God the first born over all creation for everything was created by him in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether Thrones or dominions or rulers for authorities all things have been created through him and for him he is before all things and by him all things hold together and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through his blood on the cross things on earth or things in heaven

Now we get to the pastoral epistles … 

    • 1 Timothy 2:4 … what do you think God desires?  … he desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth   
      • There are theological movements, prominent in Christian history, that outright say he does not desire that all would be saved.   Paul had a different opinion … and you don’t get to throw in “all the elect” there … for the convenience of your theology  …  He desires all men to be saved … the women already are; don’t worry   
    • 1 Timothy 4:10    we labor and strive for this because we have put our hope in the living God who is the savior of everyone, especially of those who believe.  
      • That’s an interesting verse
    • Titus 2:11 (which we’ve read today) … for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men   
    • Hebrews 1:2   he appointed the saved son heir of all things and through him through whom also he made the universe in these last days he spoken to us by his son whom he appointed heir of all things
    • 2 Peter 3:9 and 10  … what is God’s will … and what is not??  God’s will is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to eternal life” or to repentance
    • 1 John 2:2   he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world   
    • I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and everything in the sea saying blessing and honor and glory and dominion to the one seated on the throne and to the lamb forever and ever.  (Revelation 5:13).   
    • and we’ll wind up with Revelation 21:5 …  then he who sat on the throne said behold I make all things new.  Amen.   

There we have 32 passages expressing universal hope for the salvation of the whole world … and I know there are other passages, but let’s not think this is a thin theme in the New Testament.   It is a pressing urgent expression of the will and desires of God … and the means of bringing it about and so, the Bible, I believe, dares us to hope that in the height, the width, the depth, and the length of God’s love for us … a love only grasp by his indwelling grace and power through the Holy Spirit … there is hope for all … far more vast than we could ask or imagine. 

So these passages … they’re as I said … they’re not random proof texts into one convenient lump … they represent a sustained biblical testimony of God’s revealed purposes in Christ … from alpha to Omega … and many of them speak of  a salvation, not only offered, but given and delivered and fulfilled … not only for a … frozen, chosen few, but for all ….  

The good shepherd’s promise to seek every last lost sheep … for how long? … until he finds them  

So, I think those who hope, humbly hope … and pray … and preach … for the salvation of all … find their hope firmly rooted in the scriptures.   

I think we’ve seen that … here now … that brings about objections … and I would say a lot of those objections are based in myths … and, remember, I’m not speaking about an “-ism” here … I’m speaking about a hope with a name … His name is Jesus … but some of the myths come up.    

I’m going to express a few of them very quickly and give short responses, but, as I said, this will be in written form tomorrow.   

Myth #1 … Universal hope means you don’t believe in hell.

That’s actually too simplistic.  Historically, all Christians, even universalists, like my friend Robin Parry, definitely had a doctrine of hell.  The question is about what’s the nature of that hell.?  Is it about retribution, violence and vengeance … or is it about purification and restoration and redemption?   And so, there’s debate about what the nature of hell is … but there’s no question that we have a Bible that talks about hell … and we’ll go into that tonight and tomorrow night in great depth.   

Myth #2 … People who believe in universal hope don’t believe the Bible.   

Hopefully, we’ve just seen that if you take these texts seriously, and you don’t marginalize them, using a theological system … that universal hope is deeply rooted in the scriptures … and is derived from a careful reading and interpretation of what the text is actually trying to say to us.  

Myth #3 … People who believe in universal hope don’t take sin seriously. 

O, my goodness … Have you watched the news lately?   We are completely aware of the depths of the power of sin to ruin a world … and we believe that no amount of striving will solve that problem.   No amount of law-keeping will solve the problem of sin.  No amount of religiosity … and even passionate worship … will solve the problem of sin.   It is a deep and fatal disease, solved only in the cross of Jesus Christ.   Oh, sin’s bad, alright … but, also, the cross is bigger than sin.   As one of my friends, who was getting freed up recently said … His roar was louder than my demons … It was the roar of love.   

Myth #4  … People who believe in universal hope believe in God’s love, but they forget about his justice and wrath.  

Well, the truth is that  we believe that God, in his very essence and nature, is love … and it is not love plus anything.   If we’re going to talk about holiness, it is a facet of love.  If we’re going to talk about righteousness, it’s a facet of His love.   If we’re going to talk about judgment, it’s a facet of his love.   A good example of that is Hebrews chapter 12.   He makes it very clear … any form of judgment coming from God is the love of a father who wants to restore.   So we imagine this diamond of love, with many attributes,  but every attribute is a facet of love … love plus nothing.   And so, yeah, we believe in justice,  but it’s a just love.   Even the wrath of God is the mercy of God, wrongly received … or we could say, like Paul Young says,  “the wrath of God is nothing more than when I turn away from love, I create a shadow … and what happens in the shadow we call wrath.”     

Myth #5 … People who believe in universal hope think all roads lead to God.   

Simply not true.  That’s called pluralism.  We’re not pluralists.   I like how Paul put it in The Shack, where Jesus says to Mac:   “Oh no.  Most paths lead nowhere … but I will travel any path to find a lost sheep.”    

Myth #6 … Universal hope undermines evangelism.  

Actually, it’s freed me up.   I’m a more aggressive evangelist than I’ve ever been … because … I have good news now … and I don’t have any little dark secrets behind … that I’m waiting for them to … you know … or I’m not feeling this intense pressure that will then be projected on the people listening … as pressure.   I might not even come knock on your door, but I will definitely tell you the good news that God has shown us that he is love through Jesus Christ’s self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love  that will never turn from you … or give up on you.  That’s good news I could tell anyone that … and they probably won’t even get offended.   

So there we have some of these myths … and they’re very common myths.  They come up and … they’re not really rooted in the reality of talking to real people who have universal hope.   

 

Now, I do want to take a few minutes to say why some of my friends are universalists … (why) they believe in universalism … and why I don’t … and  it’s a narrow distinction, actually.  In fact, because I know the early church fathers … many of them … were actually universalist … I will defend my universalist friends, for being such … and say they’re not actually, technically, heretics.  I just don’t happen to be one.  Here’s why …

There is a kind of universalism that says … everyone’s in and anything goes, …but my friend Robin Parry, for example, he would not say that.  He would say,  No … Only through Jesus Christ, is anyone saved.   And, yes, we do need to respond to this Jesus Christ.  But the Bible tells us all will.  That’s the … that’s Christian universalism.  Where I stopped short of that would be on 4 points …

one is there’s a kind of … there is an immature rejection of universalism … immature rejection … This is just really mean … and I don’t like experiencing that … so all these myths keep coming up  and you never get anywhere in the discussion.   And so it’s like not a very helpful label, apparently.   People can be cruel … really cruel … especially Christians … and it comes … that cruelty … often comes out of an immature rejection … even of the universal hope … and all of these kind of myths … even after you’ve explained everything, knowing that you’ve made the caveats, knowing that you’ve made the clarifications … even then, the cruelty comes out … and, to me, that’s really stopped the show, in many cases. 

Second, there can also be a very immature embrace of universal hope … a kind of universalism that actually does fall into those myths.  It says,  Well, we don’t do evangelism anymore … and we don’t really think about sin  or judgment  anymore.   We don’t really … and … all of a sudden, you’re realizing the myths became myths because somebody actually believed that.   It was a an immature form of universal hope that took its eyes off of Jesus.   I think that can happen.  

Third … in the early church, there were a lot of teachers … a lot of bishops … a lot of theologians … who would come to they believed in a strong universal hope … and they’d come to the brink of universalism, and they would say, “the moment we make this an -ism, we will put our trust in it … we will put our trust in a doctrine, instead of a person … and, for that reason, we’ll step back.”   And so, I thought that was pretty wise … and that it was a common response in the early church.   Now, some of them were bold universalists … Gregory of Nyssa, the father to the fathers, the flower of Orthodoxy, the final editor of the Nicene Creed … he was a full blown universalist.   So, it’s not a heresy, technically, but you have this other voice coming through saying, “Careful if you start teaching this as doctrine people will put their hope and rest in a doctrine … and then they will actually have lost the plot, as they say in the UK.”  

And then a fourth element is this … that there’s a kind of universalism that is very deterministic.  You … all will be saved, no matter what, regardless of response … and, in the early church, they really wanted to preserve this principle of human response … human freedom to respond.  They wanted to say, no matter how compelling the love of God is, even at the … on the … final day,  when we see Jesus face-to-face, and all the deceptions of the world, the flesh and the devil, are out of the way,  I will still need to respond … and … they would even … you could even say it this strongly,  that when you see Jesus face to face, and you are called to make a response, it may be infinitely improbable that you would ever reject him … infinitely improbable … but you still need to respond … and, so, out of that, you preserve the possibility that, in that, the human freedom could say NO to that love, in principle … and so, they had a very high regard for a kind of free will response, even if that could only take place after you die … because many who passed away in this lifetime … could you really say they’ve given a free will response? … Perhaps completely deluded response … completely deceived response … completely dysfunctional will … so much so, it’s like … Is  it even a free will … seems pretty bound up to me … but, at some point … for God to be just and merciful … we need to be able to make a freed will response … freed will … and so, these are some of the little distinctions between universal hope  and  universalism … and why I’m in the universal hope camp, where I will preach, and pray, and work, to see the will of God to save all people come to pass … and that the gospel itself is the means by which that could happen … And I am exceedingly hopeful … that every knee will bow, (every) tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father … but I think it will help us if we stay … if we stand a little shy of the -ism … and, if you don’t, I will still defend you …  So, let’s come back, now … to a deeper look … at what we’ve talked about so far is … we looked at 32 passages affirming universal hope … we looked at  and tried to respond to six myths about universal hope … made 4 little distinctions between universal hope and universalism.   

Now, let’s go deeper into the text … back to Titus.   I found this passage very interesting and I’m going to presume … to work with the Greek on it a little bit. 

One of the great advantages of my misadventures in getting here yesterday was long conversations, via e-mail, with one of Houston’s top Greek scholars … so, in my opinion … and I won’t name him, in case I get it wrong.   

So, I’m reading Titus 2:11.   When I first opened it up, in let’s say Bible Gateway, it offers me the New International Version, which talks about the grace of God that “offers” salvation.  

I thought … Why does it say “offers” in some Bibles … and “brings” salvation in others?  So, I thought, “I’m gonna check what the verb is.”    Is it that he “offers” salvation … or he “brings” salvation?  

There’s no verb at all in the Greek … the only verb in the phrase is “appears” later on.  I’m like,  “Well, what’s this “offers” or “brings” talking about?  them and so I’m looking up … I look at the word “salvation” … so it’s “the grace of God” … and then the next word is “salvation” and it’s an adjective.   An adjective is a describing word, right?   So salvation is describing the grace of God.   So, then, probably a more … what the translators have tried to done is … what is it about salvation and the grace of God?   So they will insert a verb … which is a bold move and, … according to my friend Chris, his name is … completely inappropriate … “salvation” is an adjective for “the grace of God” … so, if we were to translate it literally, it would be something like “the saving grace of God” … or “the grace of God that saves” … saves … salvation … It’s describing the grace and what it does.  Right?  It’s not saying “offering it” … it is not saying “bringing it“ … It’s an act of sense … “this grace saves” … It’s a saving grace … It’s the grace that saved.  Got it!   All right.  

And that’s why I said already, at the beginning of the message, and this grace is a person … and His name is Jesus Christ.  The grace of God — Jesus Christ — has appeared.  

The second question is “Who is it referring?   Who is the “all” here?   What’s the “all” it’s talking about?   And it could be either.  You can translate it legitimately either way.   Here’s two possibilities:  it’s either “the grace that saves has appeared to all” … or “the grace that saves all has appeared”.   Both completely legitimate translations of that verse.  So, it’s either “the grace that saves has appeared to all” or “the grace that saves all has appeared”. 

So Jesus has appeared to all … or Jesus has saved all … And then you have to do interpreting after that.  

But I’m just saying … Let’s … if we’re true to the text … that’s what it actually says … and  either is legitimate.   And then … and this … and so  then as I’ve said  “the grace that saves that has appeared is Jesus” … whether he saved all … or appeared to all … it’s Jesus.   Jesus is our grace … and then we get into the tricky verse 12 … tricky because of the ethics right … “teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present age.”

Now, you could do all sorts of legalistic stuff with that, couldn’t you??  

You could see a Jewish ethic in this, where you have an external law … and Jesus is like a rabbi who’s delivering you this law and he’s teaching you and now you’re gonna keep his law.   You could do that. 

This is also happens to be Roman ethics … so you could see a Greek philosopher teaching his students … teaching them say no to ungodliness and so on … and then, again, it’s an external law, and they’re obeying their guru or their master,  their mentor.  

But we don’t have a Jewish ethic  in Paul … We don’t have a Roman ethic in Paul.  We have a Christian ethic … and the Christian ethic is different than the Jewish and the Roman because it is rooted in “Christ in you”. 

How does … how is it that the grace of God teaches you to say no to ungodliness?   Because the grace of God lives in you … empowers you … leads you … and gives you new impulses … as you’re eating from the tree of life. 

See a Jewish ethic … or a Roman ethic would be coming to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil … looking at it and saying, “Yes or No … and will I obey … or will I disobey?”  

But the Christian ethic … you have the tree of life, which is the cross … rooted in you,  producing the fruit of eternal life, flowing through your spirit …  so that Paul is able to say “and the life I live, I” … how does that go?  In Galatians … “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet, not I, but Christ lives in me … and the life I now live, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me … and gave his life for me.”   

It’s like … I live from the tree of life … by partaking of the tree of life … and my life flows out of that, empowered by grace.    Perhaps that could work here … and I will let Don fix up any messes I’ve just created.   

But, then, we get to verse 13 … how precious is this … “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and savior Jesus Christ.” 

This is loaded … Just as grace has appeared, so hope will appear and the grace that has appeared as Jesus Christ in the hope that will appear as Jesus Christ.   He’s our living hope … and so when I talk about universal hope, I’m not talking about wishful thinking.  I’m talking about fixing my eyes on the Prince of peace … and the merciful Judge, who gets the final say … and his final say will be deeply rooted in the nature of God, which is love, compassion, mercy … Right? 

And so I just love that … this … that we have grace personified … and now hope personified … in Jesus Christ … and it says and that there will be a glorious appearing … So we had that “he has appeared” and “there will be a glorious appearing”.  

Now … Shout out to my orthodox brothers and sisters.  Greetings from them, by the way.   Nicene creed … we sing it every week … and I was asking Don, kind of jokingly before the service, like so do you have an eschatology now?  … Like … eschatology is our theology of “last things” because the truth is … the longer Don and I walk through this life, the more we see the end times as a mystery and less as a system that we can put our finger on.   I think he’s in the same camp as me on that one … and so, even in the early church, by the end of the three hundreds, they had a very … the same thing happened to them … They had a very small eschatology … and here’s what it was … the whole thing … this is all you needed to believe … and were required to believe … when you’re getting baptized.   “We believe that he will come again in glory  to judge” … whatever that means … Remember … restoration … “to judge the living and the dead … whose Kingdom shall have no end … and we look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life” … not the death … “of the age to come.”  That’s it … that’s the whole shebang.

Now, when I was growing up you had to believe pre-mill, post-mill, pre-trib, post-trib … we had all these little things you had to believe … and they put them in and dropped mental statements … The early church would have said that’s cuckoo … to use a technical word … we don’t know a whole lot about his coming, but we know it will be a glorious appearing … and I love this idea that when we see him, we will be like him … and that every eye shall see him.  

Do the math … That’s really helpful, really, really hopeful … It will be a glorious appearing, looking for the blessed hope, Jesus … and the glorious appearing of … and this is one of the highest titles for Christ, in the New Testament, for our great God and savior Jesus Christ.   

I have a lot of friends that … they would call themselves progressives.  In many ways, I’m a progressive, but a lot of my progressive friends now are getting cold feet around the full deity, God-hood, of Jesus Christ … and so, sometimes, I like to just poke that button a little bit … and say “I don’t know about you, but Jesus Christ is my God and I worship him.”   And I say it without flinching, without fear.   I say it as faith statement … but it’s a faith statement Paul made to Titus:  This is our great God and savior … He’s our grace that saves all men … that is appearing … He’s our hope that will come again, in glory … and he’s our great God and savior.  He’s our Lord Jesus Christ.   

I just want to close by saying that these are … these are … hard times in America … and it’s gonna be an intense couple days in America … and by, maybe midnight Tuesday, half the nation will believe you have elected the devil … no matter who gets in.   Right?  Half the nation … half the nation … will believe you elected the devil.   So, I want to give you a word of comfort … a word of love and exhortation …

My hope is built on nothing less … say it with me … than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest name, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.  On Christ, the solid rock, I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.  All other ground is sinking sand.  Amen.  Amen. 

 

CLOSING SONG   

 

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