What IS the Gospel??

What is the gospel?

John the Baptist preached it. Jesus preached it. John, James, Peter, Paul, Silas and many others preached it during the time of the Apostles. But what IS it?

Baptists teach "x". Methodists teach "y". Presbyterians preach "z". Catholics preach "xy+w".

We argue & debate over whether or not Jesus COULD have sinned. Over whether or not you can choose to forfeit your salvation. Over whether or not speaking in tongues is still an active spiritual gift. Over having deacons as servants, or having elders as church rulers. Over associations or synods. Over what wording should be in a "sinners prayer". Over sprinkling or full immersion. Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, Post-Trib. Pre-Millennialism, Post-Millennialism, A-millennialism. So many ways that the different denominations of THE Church choose to dis-unify, in resistance to our Lord's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

I've come to the point that I want to act in accordance with Psalm 119:63, "I am a companion of all those who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts". I believe that the name on the outside of the church doesn't matter, it's the name of the One that's worshiped on the inside that matters. We spend a LOT of time arguing over differences that honestly don't matter, time that we should be using to preach to the LOST, not our brothers. Are we straining out gnats while the camels march happily to hell?

To that end, I ask this: what is the CORE of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Is it:

1. Everything was created by God, who reveals Himself to us in three aspects of His being: Father, Son & Spirit.

2. The first man, Adam, chose to rebel against God. Because of that, sin entered his line and every person from birth is an enemy of God. Everything we do is tainted with sin and therefore filthy in God's sight. We CANNOT please Him with our deeds & service.

3. Knowing that we could never earn restoration, God sent His Son to us.

4. He spent 33 years walking among us, but NEVER sinned in thought, word or action.

5. Being a perfect and spotless man, He offered Himself as a sacrifice, offering His righteousness as a gift in exchange for our filthy rags. He died, was buried, and rose again on the third day in defeat of sin and death.

6. Anyone who acknowledges their sin, accepts His sacrifice and makes Him their LORD will be given forgiveness and resurrection.

7. At the end of history, everyone will be judged. Those who have forgiveness through Jesus will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Those who have never been forgiven of their sins will spend eternity in hell, being rightly punished for rebelling against the God of the universe.

How much of this did the thief on the cross know?

What about in Luke 18:13, where the publican prays "God, be merciful to me, the sinner"? Jesus said that he went home JUSTIFIED.

Just for clarification, I'm talking about Christians. Jehovah's Witnesses believe in a different god, a different resurrection, and a different eternity. Mormons believe in a different god, a different Jesus, and a different eternity. Again, salvation is from faith alone, not of works, lest any man should boast. Any church or denomination that claims that membership, rituals or baptism is required for salvation is in clear opposition to the Bible.

I DON'T want to start WW3, just a LOVING, RESPECTFUL discussion of where the line in the sand should be drawn on who we should accept as brother and ally, and who is in need of salvation.

Christian Body Building

When I was in high school, I was a runner. I wasn't a jogger. I wasn't someone who just wore running shoes and running clothes. I was a runner. On an average day, I ran somewhere between ten and fifteen miles during my workout. I ran the half mile in a little under two minutes, the mile in under five, and my best time ever in a 5K was 17:15. That's three consecutive sub-six minute miles. Again I say, I was a runner.

It was clearly observable that I was a runner. My parents almost went broke trying to keep me fed, as I ate about 4000 calories a day. Our Tupperware got so little use that it dry rotted. A 10-pack of pork chops meant that my parents and little sister got one each, and I ate everything else. But even eating that much, I couldn't gain weight if I'd wanted to do so. I was a 6', 145 pound lean, mean running machine.

Looking at me with street clothes on, you wouldn't think that I was much in the way of strength, most probably would guess me to the arch-typical "98 pound weakling". But they were wrong. Dead wrong. Since I also pole vaulted, I really didn't want to gain much in the way of mass, I wanted strength instead. And strength is gained by muscle density, not muscle mass.

If you talk to a body building type, they'll tell you that muscle mass is developed by working out using high weight amounts and performing low repetitions. Muscle density, on the other hand, is developed by using low weight amounts and performing high repetition. As an example of this, find an older, skinny automotive mechanic and try to have a hand squeezing contest with him. He'll crush your hand like it's origami. Because for years, he's been using his hands thousands of times a day. When I occasionally went to the gym, I did seated calf raises with 450 pounds. The first 3 of my 5 sets of 15, I slapped the weights. That means that I threw them up so hard and fast that they lifted off my knees. When I did bench presses, I took the 45 pound bar and did at least 100 repetitions straight. Doesn't sound like much, until you try to do it. Finally, definition of muscle groups is developed by doing a multitude of different exercises, making sure not to overlook or overwork any area or areas. Exercise guys have a variety of ways to ensure this, but the goal is to make sure that you don't look like Arnold Schwarzenegger above the waist and Olive Oyl below the belt.

About this time, you're asking yourself, what in the world does this have to do with Christianity, or have I been suckered into reading a glory days bragging session? No, there is indeed a theological point to all this.

How does the Bible call a follower of Jesus most of the time? A disciple. One who follows the disciplines of becoming like their Master. 1 Timothy 4:7b tells us "... On the other hand, discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness." (NASB) The disciplines of a disciple include but are not limited to prayer, reading the Bible, meditation (mulling over Scripture, not contemplating your navel), worship, service, fasting, solitude, submission, humility, confession, stewardship and charity.

Now, let's consider the muscle development rules with regard to discipleship. If you want strength in your Christian life, you need to do small things over and over and over and over and over and over and over (are you getting the point?) Conversely, if you perform large things on a rare basis, it might very well result in you getting a massive ego, that is, getting puffed up. Again, care must be taken to exercise all of the spiritual disciplines, or you might wind up being a disciple with massive arms of prayer and pencil legs of fasting.

To exercise my own discipline of confession, I am HORRIBLE at spiritual disciplines. But I am working on building up my spiritual muscles. I encourage you to do the same.

Socialistic Welfare Is An Unbiblical Concept

I often see people on the Left side of the aisle use Jesus as a basis for state welfare. This always makes me laugh, as these same people are typically the ones who scream loudest about "separation of church and state" at the first public sign of Christianity by any elected official. It also makes me laugh because it reveals that while the person may know the name of Jesus, they do not know the Word of Jesus.

Yes, Jesus did tell the rich man in Mark 10:17-31 to go sell all he had, give the proceeds to the poor, and then follow Him. He said that to one individual, because He rightly saw that the rich man's trust and faith were in his wealth, not his God. Yes, He did say that this was common to those who had wealth, that they have trouble letting go of the material to take hold of the spiritual.

Yes, Jesus did indicate in Matthew 25:31-46 that He is very pleased with those who give food, water, shelter, care for the sick and imprisoned...that is, to those who are His brothers and sisters, especially "the least of these my brothers". He was speaking to individuals, not to governments.

Some might reply that our pooling resources as a local church body is no different than pooling our resources as a government. First, I would point out that church membership is, and always should be, voluntary. On top of that, giving to your church is up to you, your pastor doesn't take 10% of your check before you ever see it. Finally, Christians are instructed to practice charity, not welfare.

What is the difference, you ask? Simple. Charity is sharing your provisions with those who through no fault of their own do not have provisions. Or with those who have realized that their previous actions are wrong, and seek assistance to change. Welfare, however, is giving to anyone who asks, regardless of how they got into the situation, regardless of their repetition of this situation, or regardless of their admission or acknowledgement that their actions are producing bad results. For example, a single woman who has sexual relations outside of marriage and becomes pregnant, then realizes how her actions will have huge consequences for her life and for her child and asks for help to support her child and make better decisions is definitely someone worthy of Christian charity. But if this same woman comes back a year later in the same situation, charity requires that the situation be evaluated to determine how she repeated the wrong action and got back into the same situation. If she were to be assisted again, then the people assisting her would need to be much more diligent in helping her not only with monetary assistance, but also with personal guidance. And it should be stressed to her that if she were to repeat the action again, then there would be no further help for her. Welfare, however, continues to cut larger and larger checks to provide for her and her growing family. That is, as long as she doesn't marry any of the fathers. Because then, her State provided welfare would be cut off.

Still not convinced?  Do you remember Ruth? She came to the fields of Boaz to glean among the rows any of the harvest that was dropped or overlooked. As a matter of fact, the Law instructed Jews not to harvest to the full edges of their fields, and to allow the poor to glean. It did not, however, order them to fully harvest their field at their own expense and then give a percentage to the poor. The poor could have charity, but they had to work for their assistance.

Oh, but that's the Old Testament. Jesus did away with all that, right? Well, not actually. But consider Paul's instructions in 1 Timothy 5. Do not add any woman to the widow's roll who had family to provide for her, then, only if she was over the age of 60.

Or Paul's instructions in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, which says: 
6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly and not according to the tradition received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you must imitate us: We were not irresponsible among you; 8 we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and struggled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us. 10 In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.” 11 For we hear that there are some among you who walk irresponsibly, not working at all, but interfering with the work of others.12 Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ that quietly working, they may eat their own food. 13 Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

Christians are clearly, and repeatedly commanded, instructed, and ordered to help the needy, poor and less fortunate. To fellow Christians first, but also to those who might believe. Scripture repeatedly makes it clear that we are stewards of everything that God has given to us. Continuing to pay for people who misuse the assistance, come to expect it and eventually demand its continuance is not good stewardship. And being a bad steward is always condemned in Scripture.

All a matter of time

At the end of his recounting of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, John states that he is only recording a fraction of the things that Jesus did during the three and a half years that John walked with Him as an apostle.

"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." John 21:25

We might be tempted to simply attribute that statement to the sheer amount of time that John spent with Jesus. Based on the time frame of 3-1/2 years, that comes to:

42 months
180 weeks
1260 days
30,240 hours
1,814,400 minutes
108,864,000 seconds

That's a LOT of time! I can only imagine the number of people that Jesus met during that time. I can only guess how many meals He shared with the apostles and others. 

During His life, Jesus was fully God, while fully Man. He chose to be bound by the physical restraints of a human body. He could only be in one place, could only speak to one person at at time, could only do one thing at a time.

Now, He sits at the right hand of the Father, constantly making intercession for His saints.

Consider that for a moment...some surveys put the total number of Christians alive today at approximately 2.2 billion people. That number obviously includes people that identify as Christian, but have no personal relationship with Jesus. Taking half that number, Jesus was intimately aware of what happened to one billion people yesterday...adding that up, that means that He experienced:

24,000,000,000 hours yesterday
1,440,000,000,000 minutes yesterday
86,400,000,000,000 seconds yesterday

We couldn't record what Jesus did in one MINUTE yesterday!

Do recognize when God matures someone?

My family and I have been blessed to be members of a vibrant, growing, missional church for the past 16 years. During this time, we've seen many of our children's peers grow up to become missionaries and ministers in the Kingdom.

I sat and talked last night with one such man. He was an adolescent when I first met him, a typical teenager. He has since finished his BA and has his MDiv. As a matter of fact, he's teaching my NT Survey course at NOBTS's Mid-South Extension Center. During our discussion, we talked about hermeneutics and eschatology. As we talked about the variant camps of interpreting Revelation, I was struck by how much he had not only grown in knowledge, but God had matured him greatly. I had to mentally re-adjust my view of him a smidgen more, as the goofy teen had been replaced by a man of God.

The Bible records several instances of this happening:

Consider David, when he came to the battle front to check on his brothers. His older brothers scoffed at him and did not treat him with respect. Remember, though, at this point, David had already killed a lion AND a bear while defending Jesse's flocks.

What about Timothy? Lois and Eunice, who watched their grandson and son become a leader in the early church, had to accept him as such.

Then, remember how the people of Jesus' region received Him? "Isn't this the carpenter's son?" Luke 2:52 tells us how Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, but those around Him refused to see Him with clear eyes and to recognize Him for who He was, instead of who they viewed Him to be.

We must be careful to allow our views and opinions of those around us to grow and mature. The neighbor's idiot son could be the next Billy Graham or Adrian Rogers.

Even more so, we must continue to allow our view, opinion and understanding of Jesus to grow. He is not a good teacher. He is not a great man. He is God incarnate, the atoning sacrifice for those who confess and believe, and the grand example of how we should live in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Are you looking at Him?

The other night, my son cut his hand, so he and I spent several hours at the ER for his treatment. We watched TV, laughed and joked, and just generally had about as good a time as possible. Then came our turn for treatment. The doctor had to clean the wounds to prevent infection and sew up the damage.

But before he could do that, he needed to numb up my son's hand. When the doc pulled out a needle the size of a railroad spike, my son got very tense. When he started jabbing the needle in multiple places and injecting the anesthetic, my son tensed up even more and looked like he was going to bolt out of the room!

So I took his other hand in mine, turned his head to look toward me and made a show of breathing slowly and deeply. In only a few seconds, my son had relaxed, was looking only at me and was matching my breathing.

A common situation similar to this is during childbirth. The mother focuses on the father, who is speaking calmly to her, holding her hand and helping her focus on something besides the struggle in her life.

Peter knew a little about this type of situation. Jesus walks up to the boat, and Peter's mouth writes a check that he soon has to try to cash. Peter steps out of the boat, and walks toward Jesus...until Peter puts his attention on the storm, not the One who controls the storm. Peter sinks and cries out in desperation..until Jesus pulls Peter's focus back to HIM.

Our lives face these storms every day. Whether a cut hand, an arriving baby, a job loss or just a simple bad day at work...the storms will overwhelm us and distract us if we are not careful. Remember, our focus must always be on the One who has power over the storms. He will walk beside us and lead us through the storms! And we, as Christians, must make sure that we point those around us to Him too!

Where Are You Looking?

The other day, I re-Tweeted a post from the pastor of a large area church, who was sharing his excitement and burden to share the message that the Holy Spirit had given him for Sunday morning. I have heard him preach several times, know several members of his church and see him to be a very godly and energetic preacher of the Word.

About an hour later, I saw a notification in my Interactions feed that he was now following me!

Let's be honest for a moment. On Twitter, everyone WANTS followers. Some pay for them, some follow others just to be followed back, and some just take whomever decides to follow. But seeing "@ChrchCurmudgeon and 6 others followed you" will put a smile on your face! Especially when it's someone like the pastor I mentioned.

However, that still, small voice whispered into my heart "Are you more excited about him following you, or are you more excited about you following ME?" #OUCH

Jesus didn't tell Peter and Andrew "Come, follow each other, and you will become fishers of men." He said "follow ME, and I will make you fishers of men."

Now, I'm not cancelling my Twitter account, or suggesting that anyone else should. My point is simply this: Our greatest passion and excitement should and must come from the fact that the Creator of the universe has invited us to personally follow HIM.

Do You Treat The Bible Like Twitter?

I have a decent presence on Twitter, and receive interaction notifications almost every day. They typically say something like "@FairICBaptist followed you" or "@BackRowBaptist favorited one of your Tweets".

In case you are not on Twitter, when you see a Tweet that you like, you can "favorite" it so that you can find it again easily. It could be compared to bookmarking a verse in your Bible, so that you can read it again in the future. Psalm 119:11 tells us "Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You."

However, there is another option when you find a great Tweet. You can Re-Tweet it to YOUR followers. That is, you have a different circle of influence than the person who originally made the statement. The only way someone may hear that wisdom (or joke) is if you share it with them. Reading the Bible is the exact same. You may be the only way that your co-workers, neighbors or friends ever get biblical wisdom poured into their lives.

There are multiple verses that state this, but one of my favorites is my life-verse, Ezra 7:10 "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." In Psalm 51:13, David tells us "Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You."

So, are you being selfish with God's word, or are you sharing it? Remember, you may be the messenger God desires to use to speak Truth into someone's life.

A Discretionary Response

A man's discretion makes him slow to anger,

And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

Proverbs 19:11

Have you ever heard someone tell you that "I have a right to be mad!"  I have to admit, as an American, I see my own rights as being very important. All to often, I think of myself first and foremost in any situation.

However, that is not the attitude of Jesus Christ. Peter tells us about His response to offenses against Him. Choosing to overlook a transgression IS a response. And based on Scripture, it is the one that honors Christ and shows His light through you.

and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, 

He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

1 Peter 2:23

Before you think about your rights, remember the rights, position and worship that Jesus set aside to deliver you. Treat others with that love, so that you can honor His sacrifice.

Clean Your Cup!

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 

For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, 

but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 

You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, 

so that the outside of it may become clean also.

Matthew 23:25-26

I have a coffee cup within reach most of the day when I am at work. Many times during my shift, I go tot the coffee machine and get a fresh cup of brew. And it tastes the same, time after time.

BUT, about once a week, I take my cup to the sink, and wash it out with soap and hot water. And that first cup tastes MUCH better!

Jesus tells us that our hearts are the same way. If we do not keep our sins scrubbed off, we build up layers of selfishness and pride. We become jaded to our sins, and bitter to those around us.

Keep your hands clean and your heart pure. Confess as soon as the Holy Spirit reveals sin in your life, so that you may be a source of fresh, clean Living Water to a thirsty, parched world around you.

Personal Treasure

If you seek her (wisdom) as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Proverbs 2:4

I'm a fan of the National Treasure movies. I enjoy the way that they intertwine true historical facts with their embellishments to create a story. But the real driving force behind the movies is the search for TREASURE! How many of us have toyed with purchasing a metal detector, or seen someone wandering the beach early in the morning just swinging his back and forth over the sand? As a child, how many of us dug holes in the back yard or fields because we hoped to find gold?

There is a natural drive in the human soul to seek and gather valuable things. To a scholar, this could be information. To a prospector, this could be gold or silver. To a politician, this could be power or influence.

However, God offers His wisdom equally to everyone. Regardless of position, financial status or profession, His wisdom is available for discovery. BUT, discovery requires searching and seeking. Are you seeking to gain His wisdom and grow in knowledge about Him?

First and foremost, have you discovered the most valuable thing in all the world? A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is worth more than all the knowledge, power and riches of the world. Jesus Himself said in Mark 8:36 "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

Seek Him. Seek His wisdom. Gather that which cannot be lost, rusted or decayed.

Have you met my bride?

My failures as a husband are many and varied. As Stan Lee would add, 'NUFF SAID. But I do have one total success as a husband. That is the fact that after 20 years of marriage, I refer to the mother of my children as "my bride" instead of "my wife".

It may seem trivial, and it is sometimes just thought of as me trying to score points with her. But it isn't. It demonstrates a fundamental view of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church, that is the entirety of believers in Him throughout human history. Jesus Himself referred to His followers as His bride. In the Old Testament, Israel was rightly called an unfaithful bride by God. The way God loves me is is the way that I should love my bride.

I'm writing this on Good Friday, thinking of how Jesus was falsely accused, illegally tried, wrongly convicted, in-humanely beaten and cruelly crucified for ME. And for YOU. That He spent SIX HOURS on the cross in agony because He loved me that much.

He didn't have to go to the cross.

He didn't want to go to the cross.

He didn't deserve to go to the cross.

He didn't need to go to the cross, personally.

But He CHOSE to go. Because of love. Agape love. Selfless, sacrificial love. Love that is defined as "the deliberate, conscious choice to put the needs, wants and desires of another over your own, without counting the cost or remembering that you made the payment." Expensive love.

I should always love her more than I love me. I don't, but I should, and desire and intend to. My bride. Not my wife or the old ball and chain. My bride.

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A heart that burns

As my pastor was preaching a Christmas message from John 1 last night, I saw a note I had written a few years ago about the story of Jesus on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-32.

After the resurrection, Jesus appears to some of His disciples as a stranger as they were walking. He begins talking to them and joins them in a discussion about His death. Then in verse 27, He explained what Scripture told about Himself.

He joins them for dinner and as He blessed the bread and gave it to them, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.

Verse 32 says "They said to one another, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?' "

My note by that verse was a simple question: How can my heart burn if I don't listen to Him and read the Scriptures? All to often, I find that I am guilty of performing the Christian life instead of walking with my Master with a burning heart.

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Redefining Victory

What sources do you see as trustworthy? Newspapers? If so, which ones? Television? If so, some networks more than others? The internet? Do you trust all blogs and sites equally? What about Wikipedia?

If we are honest, any book, article, sermon or even this blogpost must be evaluated to determine what is fact and what is opinion. As a Christian, I know that the only exception to this is the Bible. The sixty-six books of the Bible have been proven to be historically accurate and without contradiction or error in the original languages. These words were not penned by the thought of man, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to recount the history of man's relationship with God and to share the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Recently, a book has been released that caused a considerable amount of controversy and discourse: "Love Wins", written by Rob Bell, the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before the book was released, word spread that Bell's book espoused his belief that everyone goes to Heaven when they die. I was intrigued by panel discussions and interviews that talked about the book and its teachings. The doctrine described in the book was labeled as both "Universalism" and "Inclusivism". Universalism is the belief that "all roads lead to God", where Inclusivism is the belief that it is possible to experience salvation through Jesus without actually knowing who Jesus is or that you even needed salvation.

Since I'd previously watched two of Bell's Nooma videos and actually liked them, I didn't want to completely discount his book without investigation. So I bought the book and read it. In some ways, I was slightly relieved by what I read. In a nutshell, Bell is neither a Universalist nor an Inclusivist. While he affirms that salvation only comes through personal intentional acceptance of Jesus as Savior, he claims that we still have that opportunity even if we die without Christ and go to Hell. At any point, a lost sinner in punishment can bow his knee and claim Jesus as Lord, which removes him from Hell and delivers him into Heaven. He makes the point several times that we can have as much of Hell as we want, so his belief is that a lost person could choose to spend eternity in torment. If any label is applied to Bell, either “Extensionist” or “Infinitist” might be worthy attempts. While not as far from Biblical truth as Universalism or Inclusionism, his views are not founded or backed by Scripture, so they are still heresy.

That being said, I was just as troubled by the background of the book as its primary thesis. While described as “a book about heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived”, it revealed more about Bell’s view of God than anything else. Bell repeatedly makes the inference that if God sends the lost to Hell who never heard of Jesus or who didn’t like “the Jesus” that was shared with them, then He is mean, cruel or vindictive. What the Bible SAYS about God is that He is our Creator, and He is righteous and holy. We were made for the purpose of knowing God and to have fellowship with Him. Adam and Eve lived in such a state until he chose sin over obedience. At that point, sin and death entered the world and became the nature of all men. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” and Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord”.  He is (as Bell over-emphasizes) love. He sent His Son to serve as a perfect, blameless sacrifice so that we could either choose to be restored to our intended relationship, or choose to follow our nature of sin and death. While no Christian should take pleasure or satisfaction in the eternal destination of the unrepentant, shirking away from Biblical truth does not honor God, nor does it help those who have not repented. It is, in fact, heresy. Bell’s claim of post-mortem salvation cannot stand under the light of Biblical examination. In short, we must see God as the Bible reveals Him, not remake Him into a portrayal that we can “accept” or “tolerate”.

Throughout “Love Wins”, Bell seems to read into the Scriptural text his own ideas, views and biases. This practice of eisegesis is apparent in several places in “Love Wins”.  

Bell uses cultural and/or historical arguments to suggest that first century Jews had an understanding of heaven as being more about a better life than about post-mortem existence. The argument that this was the motive of the mother of James and John when she asked for them to sit at the right and left hand of Christ doesn’t seem to be viable, since the other ten apostles clearly saw it as we have traditionally read the passage.

Another example of Bell reading into a story is the Luke 16 account of the rich man and Lazarus. According to his understanding of the story, the only reason that the rich man remains in torment is that he’s asking Abraham to allow Lazarus to bring him water, which means that he still hasn’t gotten rid of his prideful attitude. He wants Lazarus to serve him, so he hasn’t learned humility. Now, to be fair, taken in context with his view of possible infinite salvation opportunities, I can understand how he might see that. However, since Jesus tells this as a STORY and not a parable, it would be a perfect opportunity to make it clear that the rich man could repent and go to Heaven.

Bell repeatedly makes the observation that Christians either seem to be concerned about Heaven later, or suffering on Earth now, but rarely both. I’m honestly not sure if he was speaking against both extremes, but it felt like it was geared more towards those of us focused on evangelization. Again, given his views of salvation, you might be able to say that it’s more important to make sure kids have clean water than tell them about the Living Water. But his views are not Biblically accurate, and therefore both heretical and dangerous.  Indeed, a perfect situation would be to have clean water now and to enjoy the crystal sea later. But if I have to choose, I’d take a lifetime of dirty water now and live with the great promise of the crystal sea later.

My biggest concern about Bell’s “infinity” interpretation of salvation is its impact on evangelization! Just as Hyper-Calvinism leads to the discouragement of evangelization since God will save everyone who He has elected to save, will not the “infinite opportunity” interpretation lead to discourage evangelization and emphasize social activism? If you are convinced that everyone can repent their way out of Hell, doesn’t it make more sense to focus on making life better now?  “They’ll find out about Jesus when they die, and we’ll have clean water and no nukes today.” Intended or not, the logical and catastrophic end to Bell’s infinitism is the death knell of evangelism. He is attempting to re-write the “story” of Christ’s redemptive work into one that “feels” and “seems” better. The truth, however, is that God speaks of very serious consequences to those who spread a different Gospel than the one that the Bible reveals.

So where does this leave us? Scripture does not allow the latitude taken by Bell for such a view of infinite salvation opportunities.  While I do not doubt that he is a Christian, I do see an obvious departure from the Word of God in his theology.  And therein lays the dilemma: We MUST hold to the Biblical standard. Every teaching must be measured and tested, and then either accepted or rejected according to its agreement with God’s Word. Like the men of Berea in Acts 17, we cannot be lead astray by fanciful arguments. We must know and search the Scriptures. We must cast off every vain imagination and well packaged lie as the heresy it truly is.

I’ve never met Rob Bell. I think that I’d probably enjoy sharing a meal with him and discussing our views. I know I’d enjoy the opportunity to share with him..and with  you, that love DID win. Not in a pretty image or story, but in a bloody cross and an empty tomb! The ultimate victory over death, hell and the grave has been won, and you can share in the spoils of that triumph!

But despite Bell’s idea, your choice to join Christ in victory does not extend past your last breath. As Hebrews 4:7 says, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart”.