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All this does is minimize evil. The denial of hell at its most fundamental level is nothing but a carnal daydream in which one's favorite vices are never atoned for. Adorn it with high-sounding platitudes, but that's really all it is.
I presume that you were conceived by human parents - a mother and a father - and that you would consider yourself to be their offspring, at one time their child. So in what sense are you meaning when you say "children of God"?
On the contrary. Knowing that God has each and everyone of us in the palm of His hand, that He loves ALL and His divine plan is the salvation of ALL brings about a humbling within. So much so that you look at your fellow man with a renewed vision. A new set of eyes.
You see your fellow man how the Creator sees them. As HIS CHILDREN. Knowing that we are not all that we seem to be. That there is the child within that God loves and cherishes. Seeing your enemy and realizing that God loves him or her. Seeing your enemy and knowing that love wins in the end. Seeing those who have harmed you or harmed your loved ones and the hatred inside struggles to transform into forgiveness and with the love of God and the help of the Holy Spirit, this seemingly impossible task, forgiveness...... is on the path to success. It's a constant in your life. Instead of "Well, they are a vessel of wrath, I don't have to worry about that person, he's going to hell, and good riddance." No. It's "that person is also a child of God, I must learn to love them. Because after all, God loves me. With all of my failures and falling short in the area of loving others, God loves ME, anyway... I must strive to LOVE." That is the renewing of your mind.
If you think this is about "not atoning for vices".... What is a vice? eating too much? smoking? drinking? I don't know what kind of vices you're talking about, but I know the vice we ALL need to atone for is not loving our neighbor. We all go through the refining fire, in this life and beyond. But the refining fire is like the fire of a silversmith:
Quote:
The Refiner's Fire
The woman watched the silversmith as he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He then explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were the hottest, in order to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; and then she recalled the verse which says, "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She then asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered yes; that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh that's easy, when I see my own image in it."
-author unknown
It's not easy to believe in the salvation of all, sometimes, because our carnal need for vengeance and our carnal aversion to forgiving others of their trespasses against us and ours, can sometimes be difficult. The darkness of non-love in our hearts.... and non-love takes MANY forms... it is difficult and painful having it refined out of you. But it is a process. We're ALL in the thick of it. We're ALL on the path. But knowing our Creator loves all and all are on the path to truth, and He holds us ALL in the palm of His hand, and that He IS the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 to save the ONE that is lost.... makes those vices of unforgiveness and the darkness of non-love, easier to overcome as time goes on. And if that isn't a "fruit of the spriit" then I don't know what is.
By crucifixion.
All this does is minimize evil. The denial of hell at its most fundamental level is nothing but a carnal daydream in which one's favorite vices are never atoned for. Adorn it with high-sounding platitudes, but that's really all it is.
It minimizes nothing, It simply eliminates the irrational. We may not know what consequences God wants us to avoid, but we can be fairly certain we will not like it. The "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is a dead giveaway. But knowing God's love for us they will only be equivalent and corrective of whatever level of failure we have attained, NOT some irrational, never-ending nonsense.
Quote:
I presume that you were conceived by human parents - a mother and a father - and that you would consider yourself to be their offspring, at one time their child. So in what sense are you meaning when you say "children of God"?
My parents are only responsible for the physical vessel (spiritual womb) that received the spiritual "seeding of my Spirit" from the "breath of God" upon my birth (making me a "living soul" like Adam). God is our spiritual Father, Mike. NOT our tyrant ruler!
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I presume that you were conceived by human parents - a mother and a father - and that you would consider yourself to be their offspring, at one time their child. So in what sense are you meaning when you say "children of God"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticPhD
My parents are only responsible for the physical vessel (spiritual womb) that received the spiritual "seeding of my Spirit" from the "breath of God" upon my birth (making me a "living soul" like Adam). God is our spiritual Father, Mike. NOT our tyrant ruler!
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Universalism is false to scripture since it teaches all will be eternally well with all humanity, yet scripture teaches that some shall be damned Mark 16:16
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
See that word but ? Its that of contrast to them that shall be saved
It wont be well for the damned Isa 3:10-11
10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Universalism is false to scripture since it teaches all will be eternally well with all humanity, which would therefore include them which the Resurrected Saviour calls the synagogue of satan Rev 2:9
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Rev 3:9
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
But according to universalism, Jesus also loved the synagogue of satan.
Dont worry synagogue of satan, universalism says it will be well with you, you also belong to me, washed in my blood, clothed in my righteousness and will also inherit my eternal kingdom of Glory.
"When you have once departed there, there is no longer any place for repentance, and no possibility of making satisfaction. Here life is either lost or saved; here eternal safety is provided for by the worship of God and the fruits of faith. Nor let any one be restrained either by his sins or by his years from coming to obtain salvation. To him who still remains in this world no repentance is too late. The approach to God's mercy is open, and the access is easy to those who seek and apprehend the truth. Do you entreat for your sins, although it be in the very end of life, and at the setting of the sun of time; and implore God, who is the one and true God, in confession and faith of acknowledgment of Him, and pardon is granted to the man who confesses, and saving mercy is given from the divine goodness to the believer, and a passage is opened to immortality even in death itself. This grace Christ bestows; this gift of His mercy He confers upon us, by overcoming death in the trophy of the cross, by redeeming the believer with the price of His blood, by reconciling man to God the Father, by quickening our mortal nature with a heavenly regeneration. If it be possible, let us all follow Him; let us be registered in His sacrament and sign. He opens to us the way of life; He brings us back to paradise; He leads us on to the kingdom of heaven. Made by Him the children of God, with Him we shall ever live; with Him we shall always rejoice, restored by His own blood. We Christians shall be glorious together with Christ, blessed of God the Father, always rejoicing with perpetual pleasures in the sight of God, and ever giving thanks to God. For none can be other than always glad and grateful, who, having been once subject to death, has been made secure in the possession of immortality."
"When you have once departed there, there is no longer any place for repentance, and no possibility of making satisfaction. Here life is either lost or saved; here eternal safety is provided for by the worship of God and the fruits of faith. Nor let any one be restrained either by his sins or by his years from coming to obtain salvation. To him who still remains in this world no repentance is too late. The approach to God's mercy is open, and the access is easy to those who seek and apprehend the truth. Do you entreat for your sins, although it be in the very end of life, and at the setting of the sun of time; and implore God, who is the one and true God, in confession and faith of acknowledgment of Him, and pardon is granted to the man who confesses, and saving mercy is given from the divine goodness to the believer, and a passage is opened to immortality even in death itself. This grace Christ bestows; this gift of His mercy He confers upon us, by overcoming death in the trophy of the cross, by redeeming the believer with the price of His blood, by reconciling man to God the Father, by quickening our mortal nature with a heavenly regeneration. If it be possible, let us all follow Him; let us be registered in His sacrament and sign. He opens to us the way of life; He brings us back to paradise; He leads us on to the kingdom of heaven. Made by Him the children of God, with Him we shall ever live; with Him we shall always rejoice, restored by His own blood. We Christians shall be glorious together with Christ, blessed of God the Father, always rejoicing with perpetual pleasures in the sight of God, and ever giving thanks to God. For none can be other than always glad and grateful, who, having been once subject to death, has been made secure in the possession of immortality."
Universalism is a false dogma since it disbelieves that there are some in the last day, Christ will disown and banish them from His presence stating to them, I never knew you. Matt 7:23
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
First notice whose doing the talking here ! Jesus who died for sinners is saying this to people who did many good or wonderful works in His Name Vs 22
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Here are preachers and religious workers, not the dregs of society, drug dealers and bank robbers. Remember the pharisee of Lk 18:11-12
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
This type Jesus is speaking of. Jesus will tell these religious, zealous, sincere people " I never knew you"
What does He mean by these words " I nver knew you" ? For we know as God He knew all about them, He knew all their inward thoughts, and motives, for Hes their Judge in that Great Day as well.
He means He never knew them intimately with Love and affection, as a Husband does His Wife He knows and Love and cherishes, and who belongs to Him as the Gift of Gods providence.
Jesus does know His own that are His 2 Tim 2:19
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
So could those in Matt 7:23 who He said I NEVER KNEW YOU be those of 2 Tim whom He does know ? Yes or No
Universalism denies the coming wrath of the Lamb which sinners will be punished forever.
Rev 14:9-10
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
The Lamb Himself has Wrath in store for the wicked Rev 6:16
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Universalism really is no different from the doctrine being preached in Christian churches all over America. It has just one twist, you must believe in Christ. With belief being an agreement of facts. If you agree with the facts, you believe and are saved.
So it is really the same thing with a twist. With the twist being the agreement, nothing more is required, everything is forgiven all past, present and future SINS.
Just one thing for American Churches: You must give money.
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