Truer comprehension of the Gospel frees the mind from ignorance of the reality of you’re redemption which was always yours and ever present.
Knowing the truth of the Gospel frees your heart, the seat of your feelings, hopes, and dreams and personality from false assumptions about God, spiritual dynamics, yourself and the world.
The Gospel reveals how God sees us.
God sees us as a righteous new creation, a perfect son / daughter of God, holy, immaculate, irrefutable, born of His Spirit, a partaker of His nature, as Jesus’ inheritance, His valuable possession, his glorious family. (John 3: 3, Ephesians 1: 4, James 1: 5, 2 Peter 1: 4)
This is the present spiritual reality. Not a physical reality. In the spirit you were made perfect in Christ. It is obvious that you are not perfect in the physical sense. Our natural world is good and fascinating and sometimes very beautiful in many ways, but this material world is not perfect. However, when the power of Christ and His Kingdom is expressed through our spirit and soul in this physical realm, the results can be perceived and witnessed.
Gospel means Good News. The Gospel is just – good news. Certainly not a message of damnation.
There is no bad news for us in the Gospel right now. Sadly, the Good News of the Gospel may not be a welcome pleasant truth for many. The truth of the Gospel will expose every foundation of any human effort of self-righteousness. The Gospel is the revelation that through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ the whole world was eternally redeemed without any human contribution. And if eternally redeemed without our efforts, then our actions could also not disqualify us from this redemption secured by God’s effort.
That is why the Gospel is the power of God, because He has done everything through His power, not our ability.
To tell people that Christ has redeemed all of humanity even when Christ was not accepted as their personal Lord and Savior has the religious community, and I mean many Christians, somewhat upset.
Many may be quick to crinch, and mutter “Universalism” or “Ultimate reconciliation”.
And? How is that a problem?
I don’t teach Universalism or Ultimate reconciliation. At least not the way those messages are presented. Yes, I have crossed a few bridges. Some would say “maybe a bridge to far”. But just imagine; shouldn’t it be the desire of every Christian? I mean that everyone would be redeemed? If it is not, it should be, or something is wrong. I teach that redemption will never happen, because it has already happened. Redemption is a done deal. An accomplished fact. A mission that was completed over 2000 years ago.
In other articles I explain that the Bible indicates that there can be a distinct difference between eternal redemption and salvation. Here I just want to say that eternal redemption has to do with Christ paying the eternal price to redeem mankind from slavery to sin and death and secure our place in him according to the everlasting New Covenant. Because of redemption, after physical death we will go straight to heaven. As we live on earth, we can benefit immensely from knowing our redeemed position in Christ. So it’s not about receiving salvation, it’s about realizing that you have been redeemed. The revealed knowledge of our redemption is what sets the mind and heart and soul free from beliefs contrary to this truth. That’s partly the experience of salvation in this life here on earth.
Some theologians may argue that this message is rooted in Gnosticism. I know what Gnosticism is, and the uncompromising message of the cross, the resurrection and the kingdom of God is certainly not that. How has Mainstream Christianity often minimized, and in some cases completely reduced, the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
If we were to split the 41,000 registered different Christian denominations in the world into three groups, we would find that there are the Orthodox, Catholic, and then the Protestant groups.
The many modern day Protestant movements such as Evangelicals, Baptists, Methodists, Charismatics, Pentecostals, Word of Faith and Grace movements would be more likely to join a Roman Catholic group in a convention and help them organize than support a group of people who believe in the message of universal reconciliation. Double standards if you ask me.
Maybe I am a universalist of sorts, but not as might be assumed, (also known as universalism, ultimate reconciliation, universal salvation, the greater hope, greater faith, apocatastasis, Biblical universalism, Christian universalism) and I agree that some of these groups have definitely deviated from elements of the truth of the Gospel. However, I appreciate their effort to try and find a way to at least integrate everyone into Christ’s plan of redemption, even if I don’t agree with their futuristist disposition to the prophetic fulfilment of the last things. I believe that everyone was redeemed (past tense – 2000 years ago at the finishing of the complete work of Christ), and included in God’s plan of redemption, which He predetermined before the world began.
Recently, several groups of believers have began sharing a similar message around the world. The conviction of this message is growing strong and is now quickly reaching the tipping point. Call it the gospel of Realized Redemption, or the Gospel of the redemption of humanity through ONE, if you will. I’d rather stick to what the Bible calls it: the Gospel of the Kingdom and of grace.
Christian ministries have deeply criticized and declared those teaching this message as heretics. Take, for example, a Carlton Pearson who pastored the Higher Dynamics Evangelistic Center from the 1990s to 2005. (a large charismatic Pentecostal Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA). He was a popular black preacher, known for his annual Azusa revival conferences in Tulsa, where up to 70,000 people would attend. Until that crucial Sunday, he preached that everyone was included in the redemptive work of Christ and that there is no hell. Not long after that, he began to lose everything in a relatively short period of time. During that time there was a lot of media coverage and the large Christian community of that part of the United States exposed their capacity to reject a brother for preaching something they feared. In 2018 Pearson assisted in the publishing of a Netflix movie about his story of that whole experience, called “Come Sunday” directed by Joshua Marston.
I am not on the same page with everything Carlton Pearson teaches or his style, but I thank God for voices like this man and the many others who are now ready to stand for the truth, even when facing their most notorious adversary, the religious Christian leadership.
Remember, if those who contradict this message fail to devalue this Theological Truth with their take on theology, the next attempt will be to discredit the character of the messenger. What I am saying is that the truth remains true no matter who is telling it.
Of course, not every Christian will oppose this message. Many will gladly receive this message as an answer to their prayers. However, when a Ministry is built based on obedience to commandments and rules to achieve righteousness with God (Righteousness: the position of full acceptance and oneness with God) is extremely fragile in the face of the Gospel of inclusion, which can also be called the Gospel of realised universal redemption. Any foundation built on conditional grace (which does not exist) is then exposed.
So it’s not a comfortable message. Why does this message really make religious preachers angry?
It totally sets followers dependant on a preacher or spiritual leader free. It makes them whole and powerful individuals, no longer dependent on their pastor, preacher, priest or minister. To date, the leadership style in most Church organizations is a top-down hierarchy. The leader is presumed to have most of the spiritual power or grace, and the followers are conditioned to be dependent on them to some degree. Jesus specifically said it should be the other way around. So it should be with everyone in the fivefold ministry to be someone who serves the people with the Word of God and not to manipulate or control them. Matthew 20:25-28
For those who have used their traditions and religious observances as a crutch to feel righteous before God, the Gospel can take all of that away from them and leave them bare and afraid unless they accept the Gospel.
This news destroys the idea that there are two groups in the world. Those who are members of the organized churches/congregations who are the saved and the rest who are outside of the church/congregations and are therefore the lost.
Christians in the first two centuries overwhelmingly believed that eternal redemption was inclusive. It was the simplicity of this truth that was accepted as the norm. Through his death and resurrection, Christ redeemed all mankind for eternity. Where we do see a condition placed on that first-century generation to believe in Christ, it was solely imposed for the purpose of securing their physical rescue (salvation) from the imminent destruction that would come upon Jerusalem in AD 70.
It was not by accident that we stumbled upon this powerful truth of the redemption of all people through the work of Christ. An honest and earnest search and study of Scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit will lead all truth seekers to the same conclusion. This message is not new. It’s always been here, maybe we’re just rediscovering the same old truths. Eternal redemption for all was the undisputed presupposition of first-century Christians. The whole concept of accepting Christ as Lord by faith and hell as the eternal punishment for the unbeliever has its roots in pagan mythology adopted and developed by Catholicism several hundred years later.
Between 1996 and 2003 I taught in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands what I understood to be the Gospel of Grace. It was a wonderful time. That message really helped many people establish themselves in a strong foundation of the concept of grace. I began to teach the material on God’s grace and unconditional love shorlty after 1995, after graduating from Rhema Bible Training College in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It was just after graduation that the Lord said to me “now I’m going to teach you something”. He began to open the scriptures of the book of Romans and Galatians and all of the Apostle Paul’s writings to me.
Before that I was a devotee of the “Word of Faith” teaching until I spent a lot of time in the books of Romans and Galatians and the message of God’s grace and love began to affect me greatly. Through my studies and hunger for truth, I slowly came to see how the theme of God’s grace and love fits in everywhere.
But what took me a while to realize was; – As long as I believed that people would go to hell if they didn’t accept Christ, and that by accepting Christ to could obtain redemption, I was still preaching a message of conditional love. Conditional love does not exist. It is rejection until the required condition is met. This basically means that you have to earn your acceptance right. A very common argument is, “God loves us so much that he doesn’t violate our free by forcing us to love him back. We must still choose to accept Him as Lord in order to be saved”. In essence, they also affirm that God will love even those who reject him and are supposedly on their way to hell to spend and eternity there.
No matter how much grace I taught, I had yet to discover one more truth – A truth so fundamental that without it the house of theology would still be built on sand.
Points to consider;
1) No one living on earth has the spiritual capacity to understand the true meaning of eternal existence apart from God. You can’t choose to have anything you have no realistic concept of what it entails.
2) Our freedom of choice is also limited here on earth. Where did the idea that our choices could affect our eternal state come from?
3) God who created us also fulfilled the responsibility to save us because we didn’t have the ability to save ourselves. Wouldn’t you save someone unable to save themselves from danger if you are able to?
4) A relationship based on love requires our willingness to participate. It’s correct. But, God redeemed us because he loves us and because he is responsible. We had no choice. Because He redeemed us, we now have a choice of loving God back. We love him because he first loved us.
I’m so thankful for the wonderful things I’ve learned across the different camps of the Christian Faith. I didn’t leave without appreciating the truths I learned there.
Someone might boast that they are still preaching the same message that they preached decades ago. I would rather be glad that I have experienced many paradigm shifts and changed my mind as my comprehension of the Gospel advanced.
Someone yells NO! Redemption is a gift, but it must be accepted by faith. Ok, let’s follow this thesis. So, it’s a gift, not based on anything I do. But I have to do something (an action) to get it. Yes, I have to believe it. Now I don’t know where you’ve been, but that’s a condition.
In order to receive the blessing of the Law of Moses, one had to obey the requirements of the Law. It was the work of the law. The blessings were given on condition that the people do the work of the law. In this case, the decision to believe has become the necessary condition. Ok, that’s an act, an action to fulfill a condition to get something. Redemption is a gift that can only be received on condition of believing it, but if I don’t do the work of believing, would I still go to hell? This is a serious threat. Well, there seems to be no way out then. I think I better believe it.
Because God loves me, does he give me this opportunity?
God loves you, but you must accept His gift of Redemption in Christ or burn is an oxymoron.
John 6
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Even Jesus states that faith in Him whom God sent is a work. Belief in God was implied under the Old Sinaitic Law Covenant. Turning that faith now to Jesus as their promised Messiah was a prerequisite for first-century Jewish believers to be saved from the wrath that would come upon them in AD 70. However, through the faith of Jesus Himself, the whole world, Jew and Gentile, was redeemed for eternity.
Why couldn’t God love me so much that He just redeemed me without my decision or involvement? No threats, no ifs and buts or maybes. Isn’t that the precise meaning of the word unconditional?
I can then learn of his amazing love on my life journey. Why couldn’t He love me so much, He left me completely free to respond to His amazing love… or not? Isn’t that the meaning of unconditional love, even if it won’t be returned? It absolutely is.
Does unconditional love mean a father abandons his own child to let him sabotage and destroy himself? No! Not if he can help it. I am a father and I understand the principle of letting go and allowing your children to develop or to make their mistakes and learn from them. But when it comes to protecting life, this is a whole other level of responsibility and I am called to do what I can to prevent harm or loss of life.
That is why He gave us the Gospel and the Holy Spirit so that we might know what He has done for us and know the truth about Him and who we are in Him. This truth will guide us through life.
We can conclude then that:
God redeemed us. As we live our lives here on earth, we can now choose whether we want to love Him or not.
How could anyone who has a true revelation of what God has done for us not love Him back? We must therefore do what we can to bring the true Gospel to the world. You see, learning the truth that all were accepted into God’s plan of redemption and that it was accomplished in Christ 2100 years ago was the final bridge for me. Now I know what I teach is really the full-Gospel.
Romans 11
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Here’s the deep, simple truth. Each individual has already received eternal redemption. It is deposited in her heart. You are all the redeemed. Is it because we believe it? Is gravity true because we believe it? But it will be a huge benefit to everyone if they do believe it.
I can not understand this. Surely every Christian would want everyone to be saved (redeemed), I’m sure. They will argue that God loves everyone. Yet many, with all their argumentative ability, resist by proving from the Bible that those who will not accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior will spend eternity in Hell.
This is an interesting concept. Someone came up with the brilliant idea that in order to save the lost and join the Christian Church or Congregation, they must go through this rite of accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
First of all, we don’t have to accept the Lord. He accepted us.
Second, Jesus is already Lord of everyone, whether people believe in Him or not. Maybe you don’t agree with your country’s government. You may have some anarchism in your blood and refuse to recognize your local authorities and judicial system. (governments and authorities which have gone rogue and tyranical abusing the people must also be held accountable) If you break the law of the country, you are still subject to their authority whether you like it or not. You do not have to personally accept the authority of your local police force, but they will still personally deal with you. .
You can acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus. But He is not your personal Lord. He is everyone’s Lord. He is the Lord of the drunks, the prostitutes, the drug addicts, the governor, the president of the US, the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the atheists, yes, even the Christians.
Here’s the showstopper. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a person must accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. No, absolutely nowhere. Not even in:
Romans 10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
and
Because, 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
These verses in Romans 10: 9-13 are about deliverance and rescue. The kind of deliverance it referred to was the saving from tribulation that generation was to suffer in Judea and Jerusalem, which led to the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in AD 70. The nature of the deliverance was the supernatural rescue of (Christian) believers, made up of Jews and Gentiles. This event was simultaneous with the resurrection of the dead. And at Jesus’ coming, the living were transformed and raptured and taken to heaven to be with the Lord forever.
These verses in Romans 10: 9-13 are not a spiritually legal rite requiring us to recite a formula in order to receive redemption today. The flip side of this is that when we believe the truth of the Gospel and confess and speak that truth, the powerful dynamic of that spiritual reality becomes an experiential manifestation in the natural. This isn’t a reception of something you haven’t had before. It’s an activation in the mind and feelings (soul) of something you spiritually already possess.
This is a BIG problem since most Christian ministries around the world consider the idea that people are without eternal redemption until they confess Jesus as Lord and only then receive what they did not have before, as one of the tenets of faith.
It’s regrettable that whole Ministries are built on this idea that isn’t even found in the Bible.
We should really want to share the Good News with the world, not telling them they don’t have eternal redemption, but urging them to know that they have eternal redemption. Tell them, teach them in the power of the Holy Spirit. He will testify to the truth. miracles will happen. God will move and people will confess their faith and give thanks and praise to God.
I personally know some wonderful Evangelists. They are passionate about what they do. They sacrifice heavily and travel to remote countries around the world with the main goal of getting as many people as possible to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. (They won’t like me for that, but Jesus already is their Lord and Savior)
I am convinced that the results of any Evangelist will multiply a thousand times to what they are doing now, if they would just bring the Good News to the people. Imagine; announce the meeting. Explain that everyone is welcome. When the meeting begins, tell them their sin was forgiven. Tell them they have been perfectly accepted and made righteous before God. God is not angry with them. God is not pointing out any guilt towards Him in them. Tell them, God believes in you and your heart’s (wholesome) desires. Tell them that God loves them unconditionally. There is nothing they could ever do to make God love them more, and there is nothing they have ever done to make God love them less.
They have become one with God and God is their Father.
Tell them, God is well pleased with you. God does not expect them to adhere to any religious system or set of rules. He gave us only one instruction: to love one another as He loved us. And remember, if you fail, there is no punishment, only love and grace to enable you to receive and give His love.
Then the people who have been listening to you will ask you the question; “How do I know all this?” At that point you begin to preach the message of the cross, the finished work of Jesus. Tell them that God’s Holy Spirit is speaking to their hearts and bears witness to the truth. As you preach, pay attention because when you preach the true message of the cross, people are touched by God in ways you may not have experienced before. Watch people heal, get set free, cry, laugh, sit and be totally amazed. Watch the wonderful Lord touch people. Also, you didn’t even ask people to come to the platform to pray the sinner’s prayer! For God’s sake, why would you do that now? When you throw into the mix the condition of accepting Christ by saying the sinner’s prayer to then be able to receive all that God has already given us, you have just killed the beautiful atmosphere of the Holy Spirit in the assembly. Paradoxically, you will experience a powerful dynamic there as you help people express their faith in Christ but as an affirmation of the truth that they were already redeemed.
If we’re going to ask people to put up their hands and come forward, it must not be because we’ve convinced them they’re a sinner and that they need our version of the Gospel in order to be saved (redeemed). It should be because they believe they were redeemed when Christ died and rose again. It should be because they believe they have been forgiven and are God’s new creation in Christ. They didn’t know that before, but now they believe because you told them and the Lord touched their hearts.
You can help them pray something like… (not as a formula or rite of entrance)
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you so much for what you have done for me. Thank you for redeeming me. thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for making me a brand new creation within you. Thank you for revealing your love and the Father’s love for me. Thank you for empowering me to live from this new identity within you. I praise you, I adore you!
The Gospel is powerful enough without our adding the requirement to believe it. If a person believes it, it will greatly enrich their life. The effect and result of believing the gospel can have a massive impact. However, there is no condemnation from God if one does not believe it. They are still redeemed.
Someone may say: But what about people who still commit crimes? Won’t God punish them?
It is clear that there are consequences for wrong decisions and actions in this physical world. They are mainly the result of cause and effect, but God is not the one punishing them. You are responsible for your own decisions and actions.
This is true freedom.
True freedom always comes with responsibility.
Are you also ready to cross this last bridge with me?