Am I a Universalist?

My understanding of universalism is the belief that everyone will eventually be reconciled back to God, and that is without any exception.  My claim in a previous post (which was guest posted by Matt in Menlo and you can read the comment conversation there) was that everyone who falls out of a river raft and is headed towards a likely death deserves rescue.   And the next paragraph started like this:

“Everyone facing a certain death deserves rescue. This is grace. While we do not deserve it from God…”

Where I admit my mistake is separating this statement from the previous paragraph.   “This is grace” should be the beginning of a new section.  This problem has led people to believe something interesting about me.  But please know I don’t wish to mislead anyone or support a bunch of entitled Christians.

Nonetheless, the claim is out there, so let’s talk.

A person who is separated from God needs rescue.  God has shown that we are worthy of saving and that his grace is sufficient.  But to take this one step further I would say that God’s grace is universal.  It is without exception and shows no favoritism.  God does not withhold his grace from anyone.  God desires reconciliation with everyone, and a willing heart is a willing heart.  Our job is to unconditionally ‘save’ anyone around us who is heading towards death. Does that mean that everyone will eventually be reconciled to God?  I sure hope so.

Does that make me a Universalist?  You decide.

PS. Thank you Matt for posting my River Rafting thoughts on your blog, you would pick the most outdoorsy post I’ve ever written.

No I don’t, but I find myself playing that game often…

This being the week of Thanksgiving, we are talking about how entitlement can ruin our sense of joy and thankfulness. When we believe we deserve something, we give up our opportunity for gratitude.

I am convinced that most of our pain comes from unmet expectations. Of course there are circumstances out of our control, but think about a time you have built up an idea only to be let down. It could be a movie, restaurant, our spouse, our ministry; unnecessary pain because we created an expectation that was unmet.

So how do we combat entitlement?

1. Recognize all you have; material and spiritual.
2. Understand that the more we work doesn’t mean the more we deserve.
3. Listen to Paul: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

You are blessed, you are loved. My hope for junior high this weekend is that we can paint a picture of a gracious God who continues to bless us even when we don’t deserve it.

What are you thankful for?

River guides might be the most fascinating people on the planet. A couple years ago I had the opportunity to go river rafting in Montana. The river was glacier run-off from Glacier National Park and was a chilly 45 degrees. Thoughts of capsizing occupied my mind as our guide explained that the river is dangerous if you are submerged for too long or face rapids without a raft.

Not long into our voyage did we encounter a rapid large enough to flip the raft, scattering my fellow sailors into the raging river. The force of the impact caused me to flip and plunge into the water without warning. Almost as swiftly as I entered, I was plucked from the water and placed back on the raft. The river guide instantly removed me from the turmoil that would have surely swallowed me.

His instructions to me were simple: grab everyone and get them in the raft NOW.

The gathering of doom-impended people was a simple task that required no conditions. If someone was in the river, they needed to get out. I did not reach for only those I love, or those that are nice to me, or those that I thought deserved it.

Everyone facing a certain death deserves rescue. This is grace. While we do not deserve it from God, we ought to be grateful everyday that we were rescued, and we are rescued, and we will always be rescued from the river without hesitation. Because we have fallen out of the boat, we receive God’s grace.

River guides teach grace every trip down the river. If someone falls out of the boat, the rest of the raft does everything possible to get them back in.

Read Matthew 20:1-16 with this in mind…