Saturday, July 5, 2008

Who Will Be Saved? (Continuing our discussion of Will Willimon's book)

Chapter 4 -- Christ Triumphant

Will Willimon wants to believe that everyone, believer and unbeliever, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, agnostic and all those in between will be saved. I join him in that hope.

We don't know the fate of those who reject Jesus. I'm aware it doesn't take even a modicum of humility to write that sentence, so I don't offer it looking for admiration. Only those who claim to know what God knows may profess also to know who will be "in" and who will be "out" in the end. But the sentence above says more than just that. It's not that we don't know the fate of this or that individual. Of course that's true. Rather, we do not know if any human beings who decide not to follow Jesus will be damned. Yes, the Bible teaches there is a place or state of eternal punishment, but we do not know if it will be populated by any human
beings. We do know it wasn't made for humanity. We do know that "with God all things are possible," and that we serve a God who is, it appears, less than impressed with our failures and utterly determined to be triumphant in his effort to redeem all of creation -- human beings included.
To reject the salvation that is offered in Jesus Christ would be a tragic decision, a slap in God's face. Yet it is hard to know just what such a human decision means, in the final scheme of things. Scripture is clear that our human decisions are relative to all the decisions God is making for us (55).
God's "yes" may, in the end, trump our every, "no." Over and again the God of the Bible demonstrates his determination to have his way with us, not because of us, but because of His nature, His love, His prodigal nature. Ultimately, Willimon concludes "something like 'universal salvation' is a fair implication of what we know of Jesus as well as what he taught" (66).

Will God save everyone? There is an awful lot in the Christian scripture and tradition which indicates otherwise even if the good Bishop chooses not to dwell on it in his book. As much as Willimon hopes
(as do I) that in the end God welcomes everyone, receives and saves everyone, I'm not so sure that is the most complete reading of the Bible. I admit, however, it is the most appealing.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

C. S. Lewis, The Problem Of Pain: "And it has been admitted throughout that man has free will and that all gifts to him are therefore two-edged. From these premises it follows directly that Divine labour to redeem the world cannot be certain of succeeding as regards every individual soul. Some will not be redeemed." I would like to believe that all can be saved, but I suspect that some won't be because they will refuse to face and acknowledge their sinful nature. C. S. Lewis, again: "But forgiveness needs to be accepted as well as offered if it is to be complete: and a man who admits no guilt can accept no forgiveness."

Randy Barnhart said...

Rob, which seems more likely to you: that the "divine labor to redeem the world [will succeed] ... as regards every individual soul," or that the "divine labor to redeem ... every individual soul" will fail?

Will Christ be triumphant or will he settle for a partial victory?

Is it truly the case, as Lewis asserts, that forgiveness must be accepted if it is to be complete? Suppose I wrong you (a likely scenario, but let's not dwell there) and you decide to forgive me, and you actually do forgive me. Am I forgiven? Suppose I don't want to be forgiven or do not believe I've done anything wrong. Am I not still forgiven simply because you forgive me?

If God forgives, what is left for human beings to "complete" (Lewis' word)?

Unknown said...

My understanding of God's purpose in "forgiving" any one of us is to restore the potential of relationship between Himself and each person to its full, original glory. But what if that person turns his face from God and refuses to enter into a relationship with Him? Is that not the very nature of free will? God may extend the hand, but we can still refuse to grasp it.

Anonymous said...

i find it interesting that only those who are in (the redeemed) believe that those who are out (the nonbelievers) are forever damned in the name of free will. there is something very old boy clubish about this that makes me feel very uncomfortable. with God, can anything be utterly forever lost? if so, that would make me want to find a bigger God.

Unknown said...

I don't see any "old boy clubish" aspect to the idea of free will. Clubishness is keeping those "out" that want to be "in". I see this as about "out" and "in" only to the degree that one is in or out of a relationship. If God's purpose was to compel us into a relationship with Him, Adam and Eve would still be in the garden.

don said...

I think "free will" is over rated, especially if one thinks man's free will can over rule the will of God.

"No one comes to me unless the Father draws him." --- Jesus

"You did not choose me, but I chose you." --- Jesus

Phi 1:29 "For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him,"---Paul

Prov 16:9 A man's mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.

Prov 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established.

Isa 64:8 Yet, O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou art our potter; we are all the work of thy hand.

Jer 18:6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? says the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

Rom 9:19b-21a “For who can resist his will?" But who are you, a man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me thus?" Has the potter no right over the clay,…”

Job 31:4 Does not he see my ways, and number all my steps?

Pro 16:9 A man's mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.

Pro 20:24 A man's steps are ordered by the LORD; how then can man understand his way?

Jer 10:23 I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

How can we read these words and believe that we have anything more than very limited free will if any at all?

So, my answer to the question at hand, "Who Will be Saved?", is all created beings. That's just like an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all-loving, just, gracious, merciful Father to do something like that.

All will proclaim "Jesus is Lord" to the glory of God. Nothing forced here since it would not be to the glory of God and Paul somewhere in Corinthian writings said that no one can say that Jesus is Lord without the Holy Spirit.

In search of truth, your brother Don.