Posting 18 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF EVANGELICAL INCLUSIVISM
Shortly after I had written this Posting, I received notice that I would be hospitalized for seven to ten days. I resolved to put into practice, among this smaller group of persons with whom I would be in contact, the practical application of the concept that “We should recognize and relate to all persons as being children of God for whom Christ died and treat each one of them with such respect.”
As I consciously put this into practice, I really began to feel that way about each person I met in the hospital, whether someone from house-keeping or a doctor. The result was that even when they woke me at three A.M. to take my blood pressure, I had no right to think of them as idiots who were needlessly interrupting my precious sleep. I said, “Here is a person for whom Christ shed is blood, who is doing what they truly believe they should be doing at this very moment.”
What peace this brought to me and joy to those who were caring for me! A twenty four-year-old male nursing student wrote me following my stay in the hospital:
Nothing makes my job more rewarding than spending time with patients who
lift you up with their graceful personalities. You definitely were one of those.
While in the hospital you were more than welcoming every time I came through
that door, no matter what time of night.
Holly, (the one who wheeled you out) thought she was pretty funny stealing you
from me. She knew I wanted to wheel you to your car when you left the hospital.
She must have enjoyed your gracious attitude as much as I did. Luckily I caught
you at the elevator for a parting word of thanks.
What a vast difference it makes to view all persons as those for whom Christ died, and to treat them as such! What warmth would radiate from the church if every Christian adopted this attitude of Inclusivism.
TWO VIEWS
The silhouette of the goblet demonstrates that our mind interprets what we see. A person who had never seen a goblet would recognize only the faces. Whether we see the faces or the goblet depends on past experience. By concentrating, we can direct our mind to see the faces or the goblet.
Something similar happens when we read the Bible. If we accept the fact that some persons will not be saved, there are two ways of viewing the overall message of God's Word. The "good news" is either all persons will be finally lost except those the Bible tells us will be saved; or all persons will be saved except those the Bible tells us will be finally lost. In the Introduction, I referred to premises A and B as prescriptions for the eyeglasses we choose to wear and through which we see the world of humanity.
The Bible speaks of two men ─ two "Adams." One came at the dawn of history; the other came "in the fullness of time." Through the disobedience of the first Adam, condemnation and death came into this world. The obedience of the second Adam (Jesus Christ) brought salvation and life.
We can concentrate our attention on the first Adam so fully that we see all mankind involved in his disobedience having brought corruption, condemnation, and death on themselves. Entering this dark picture are separate spots of light shining upon those who by God's grace were “selected” and will be saved.
The other possibility is that we give the crucified and risen Savior the place of preeminence and through him we see the world (of people) bathed in the light of his glorious grace. In this second picture there are some who cover themselves with darkness for no other reason than that they love darkness rather than the light (John 3:19–21).
For some people, the first picture of a fallen mankind due to Adam's sin has been so deeply etched on their mind that they find it impossible to see the second picture. Others see the two ways of viewing the Bible's message and are not impressed. It is a matter of six of one and a half dozen of the other, they say. One picture or the other does not change either the number of persons who will be saved or the way in which God saves them. Nothing actually changes, so why bother about it.
Still others begin to see that the righteousness of Christ “brings life for all men” (Rom. 5:18b). This new insight has a dramatic effect upon their life. They begin to see God, themselves, and others in a new way and it brings them a joy, a peace, and a delight in God's plan of salvation they had not known before.
The two views are not merely a play on words. The difference in how we view mankind will be a change within our heart and mind. Our perceptions form our attitudes. Our attitudes, in turn, affect the way we relate to God, to ourselves, and to all other human beings wherever we meet them and in whatever circumstances. Christians ought to view themselves as children of God and ought to respect all other human beings in the same way.
FINDING WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The difference between premises A and B is so profound that it even affects what we find in the Scriptures. Reacting negatively to the claim that salvation is unconditional, an internationally known theologian responded, "Salvation is a gift conditional upon response.” To substantiate this claim he referred me to Heb. 4:2, which says, "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith."
Because he was thoroughly immersed in premise A, that "All persons will be finally lost except those who the Bible declares will be saved," he drew the following conclusion from Heb. 4:2: "The good news comes indiscriminately to all persons, those who benefit from it do so because they believe."
Does Heb. 4:2 say that some benefited (or entered “his rest,” as in vs. 1) "because they believed"? Or does it say the message “was of no value to” some because they refused to believe? Heb. 4:6 makes it abundantly clear that it is the latter; some “did not go in, because of their disobedience” (emphasis added).
The conclusion to be drawn from Heb. 4:1–7 is that “the promise of entering his rest still stands” (vs. 1) for those who “have the gospel preached to” them (vs 2) and “we who have believed enter that rest” (vs. 3). It does not say they “we enter that rest” because we believed. The only exceptions are those who “because of their disobedience” (vs. 6) or because they “harden their hearts” (vs. 7) do not “enter that rest.” This is consistent with the theme of premise B, that “Salvation is a gift of unconditional sovereign grace; condemnation is earned by disobedience.”
PRACTICAL BENEFITS
A thoughtful correspondent reminded me that there are many persons who might be more willing to consider the biblical and theological basis for accepting premise B if they thought that there were some real practical benefits in doing so. To encourage the reader to seriously consider the principles discussed in the first four Postings of this book, I will now randomly list some of the practical benefits that we can expect if we, and the entire Christian community with us, would accept premise B.
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS OTHERS
Accepting premise B would positively affect our attitude towards the person who “aggravates” us at work; our uncle who is an alcoholic; the person who packs our groceries; our boss; our husband or wife; our children; the stranger we meet on the street; the Muslim who lives next door, etc. With the perspective of premise B, we would have a compelling motivation to "love our enemies" and to "pray for those who despitefully use us" (Matt 5:44, KJV).
This perspective would be costly. It would mean that every person you see in need, to whom you could reasonably extend practical help, would be your “brother” (Matt. 25:40).
NO NEED TO BE JUDGMENTAL
“There is so much evil in the best of us and there is so much good in the worst of us, that even the most skilled technician cannot, with certainty, distinguish the children of light from the children of darkness” ( L. Verduin, Somewhat Less Than God, Eerdmans, 1970, p. 81). We can only judge their deeds. We cannot and may not judge any person’s “heart” in relationship to “the true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (John 1:9) The weeds will not be separated from the wheat until the time of harvest (Matt. 13:24–30). There will be many surprises on that day.
Listen to Jesus’ words, “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day” (John 12:47, 48). Even if a person would openly reject Jesus and not accept his words, we may not assume that he or she is among those “who will be lost.” We know Paul’s previous way of life. Even while he was persecuting “followers of this Way to their death” (Acts 22:4) he was one of God’s elect.
NO ONE CONSIDERED AN ‘OUTSIDER’ IN CHURCH
Evangelical Inclusivism provides the only basis we need for viewing every “stranger” who enters church doors as one of us. There are no hoops for visitors to pass through before we accept people we have not seen before as being among those for whom Christ died. Many times the message, the songs, the prayers, and the casual conversations we hear in church reflect the fact that we have been nurtured on premise A, that “All persons are outside of Christ” except those for whom we have some indication they are God’s children.
An unwitting snobbishness easily poisons the atmosphere of our fellowship. A ministry of affirmation and acceptance, structured on the biblically warranted assumption of Evangelical Inclusivism, engenders a positive sense of oneness among the members of the church and among those who might happen to visit. This is something far deeper and more meaningful than just a friendly church.
ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
To base our assurance of salvation on anything other than, or in addition to, Christ’s completed work subjects us to perpetual uncertainty. Perhaps you are among the many sincere Christians who are neither indifferent toward nor do you reject the promises and claims of Christ in the gospel. Yet you are plagued with doubts because you have always felt that your acceptance with God is in some way conditional: “Do I love him enough?” “Is my faith strong enough?” “Will I remain faithful to the end?” “If others only knew how sinful I am, they wouldn’t consider me to be a Christian.”
Conditional salvation also leads to pride on the part of those who think they have fulfilled the required conditions. On the other end of the spectrum are those who correctly sense they do not have the power within themselves to meet such conditions and often feel as though there is no "good news" for them.
Although unintended, it is cruel to say to those who have difficulty coming to assurance of salvation, “Well, you believe don’t you?” It is precisely their faith or the strength of their faith that they are questioning. It is no comfort whatsoever to tell such a person that his or her salvation depends on nothing but their faith!
The response of Evangelical Inclusivism to all who inquire about their lack of assurance of salvation is: "The Gospel is meant for you unless you are indifferent toward it or willfully reject it." They may be assured that no sin or weakness (including the weakness of their faith) that remains in them against their will can hinder them from being received of God in grace and being worthy partakers of the cup of salvation.
A POSITIVE MESSAGE FOR UNBELIEVERS
If the Bible does not permit us to tell the unbelievers we meet that Jesus Christ died for them, why should they believe that he died for them? Where does the good news for a particular person come from if it does not come from the Bible?
No “news” can be presented conditionally. To bring “news” to anyone is to tell them about something that has already happened. If what you are talking about has not already happened, whatever it is, it is not “news.” The Bible does not hesitate to call what Jesus has done for sinners the “good news.” To bring the good news of salvation to any particular person or group of persons, we must have a biblical basis for telling them that by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection from the dead they were reconciled to God.
How strange to think we must communicate this good news conditionally by telling sinners that Jesus Christ will save them “if they believe.” When will Jesus save these individuals? Either those to whom we witness have been reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:21) or not. How much more genuine our embrace of sinners would be if we looked upon these particular persons as being among those for whom Christ died. Premise B gives us biblical warrant for making this assumption. Because God in Christ has reconciled himself to them, therefore they must repent, believe, and joyfully obey. God will judge those who finally remain indifferent to or reject this message.
DEALING WITH CONFLICTING PASSAGES
There are so many biblical passages that, when simply understood as written, seem to say that all persons will be saved. The more familiar ones are that the Lamb of God “takes away the sin of the world”; that Jesus “gave himself a ransom for all men”; that in Christ “all will be made alive”; that Jesus “tasted death for everyone”; and that Jesus’ sacrifice was for our sins and “for the sins of the whole world” (see Posting 1).
In many Bible studies these truths are explained away. “All” does not mean all; “world” does not mean the world of people. “All men” refers to a limited number of elect; “everyone” means some; “the whole world” is seldom explained. If they are not explained away, we are told that all these passages speak only of a “possible” or “potential” salvation that God in Christ has wrought for all persons.
The ruses mentioned in the preceding paragraph stem from the fact that for many centuries evangelical theology has been structured on premise A, namely: “All persons will be finally lost except those who the Bible declares will be saved.” With premise B: “All persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares will be finally lost,” we can accept as written, delight and find comfort in the so-called “universalistic” passages of the Scriptures, even though the Bible tells us that there are some exceptions to these world-embracing claims.
A PROPER SELF-ESTEEM
The biblical witness to proper self-esteem is crystal clear: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). God wants his followers to respect themselves as equal children of God and to treat all other human beings with the same respect.
Corrupted self-esteem is sinful pride. Few sins are more sternly denounced than pride. Such pride is based upon our own accomplishments. Proper self-esteem is a biblically defined view of oneself as a child of God—fully that and never anything more than that. Such a self-image is essential to everyone's spiritual and psychological wellbeing. Both within the church and in outreach ministries the gospel must be communicated so as to engender a positive self-image in those who hear it.
A ministry of affirmation and acceptance, structured on the biblically warranted assumption of premise B, builds a self-esteem that is structured entirely on God’s grace.
PRAISING GOD FOR HIS MIGHTY WORK
It must be noted that the prevailing premise A, that “All persons will be finally lost except those the Bible declares will be saved,” has distorted the universal accents of the Scriptures so that they are not accepted as an essential and joyous characteristic of the "Good News." This unexamined assumption has deprived many sincere Christians of the assurance of their salvation and has often placed believers in doubt as to whether they should press the claims of Christ's kingship upon everyone everywhere. It has detracted from the positive, world-embracing, thrilling good news of what God in Christ has done for mankind.
Evangelical Inclusivism emphasizes the universal accents of the Scriptures, which are essential and joyous characteristics of the “Good News.” It declares the positive, world-embracing, thrilling good news of what God in Christ has done for mankind. Consequently, God is praised more fully and joyfully as he desires and deserves to be in this present age.
‘YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD’
Imagine for a moment that everyone in your church would view and affirm themselves and everyone they meet as an elect child of God for whom Christ died. What a glorious light and warmth would radiate from that church!
We have biblical warrant for viewing all persons as children of God, those for whom Christ died, until and unless we have knowledge to the contrary. By "biblical warrant" I mean that the Bible permits, authorizes, and even requires us to view all persons, even unbelievers, as children of God. We are to love, respect, and relate to each of them "as if" he or she is a person for whom Christ died.
This biblical warrant is not a judgment about the nature of the person addressed. The person may, in fact, not be a person for whom Christ died. This warrant indicates the approach we should take as we seek to impress upon them what God in Christ has done for them. As Paul says, "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view" (2 Cor. 5:16–21).
There are two considerations to keep in mind as we think about the practical benefits of Evangelical Inclusivism:
1. If premise B has biblical validity (see Postings 1 through 4), we must seek to live our lives in conformity with it whether or not we recognize its practical benefits. To do otherwise would be valuing our thoughts above the teaching of God’s Word.
2. If premise B has biblical validity, it will take the Christian community many years to fill in and work out all of its practical applications.
