Post by alon on Jan 27, 2018 6:52:02 GMT -8
Universalism
universalism- 1. The doctrine, held especially by some Christian groups, that all people will eventually be saved. … 3. The belief that a particular theory or religion has universal application and is not limited in scope.
Rav S talked about this tonight. It is an old heresy that is showing up more and more in Christianity and even somewhat in Messianism. We’ve seen it here on the forum more than once, though universalists don’t tend to last long here. But it is something we need to be on our guard against.
Universalists also tend to believe in Religious Pluralism- the acceptance of all religious paths as equally valid, promoting coexistence. They are believers in the Gospel of Inclusionism, a theological concept related to universal reconciliation, all paths lead to salvation.
There is one movement today that is successfully promoting these beliefs worldwide, and that is the Emergent Church Movement. Even churches and synagogues which do not subscribe to their doctrines are more and more being influenced by them. They try to evoke a casual, very warm atmosphere. They eschew suits or dressing up, as well as “religious terminology.” These people are very politically correct, trying not to offend or anger anyone.
If you oppose them you are labeled obstructionist and are said to be standing in the way of progress. You’ll be called a hater. Having no leg to stand on scripturally these people will just keep repeating the same arguments regardless how many times you deal with them or how decisively. After all, they learned much of this as a mantra themselves; repeating their doctrines over and over until they became brainwashed.
They use catchy slogans like “we go off the map,” a euphemism for going away from the Bible. They see themselves embarking on an adventure never done before. Their goal is to blend all religions together until there is one world religion.The old church is seen as outdated, and a new church is emerging based on feelings. Everything is subjective, and based on your own feelings and experiences. The faith described in the Bible needs to be reexamined and reapplied without God’s laws. Another term for this is postmodernism.
postmodern- Of or relating to an intellectual stance often marked by eclecticism and irony and tending to reject the universal validity of such principles as hierarchy, binary opposition, categorization, and stable identity. It is when the mind tries to understand its’ own personal reality. So these people are always searching for the answers. The irony is they never want to find any answers. It’s all about the dialogue with them; they find virtue in uncertainty. They elevate themselves as if this is some noble reality, and should anyone find an answer he is thought to be narrow minded. Anyone claiming the truth is considered pompous. To them it is of the utmost importance that the search never ends. So there are no absolutes; nothing can stop the search.
Another tactical favorite is to wrap every doctrine up in a neat package and call it “love.” Who can argue with love, right? Except love is not the only thing we feel, nor is it all God feels. And Godly love tells us so, giving us the truth without any sugar coating. True love does warn someone when they are headed over a theological cliff. It tells us there is a God and He gave us His
, and He meant every word. True love tells the Buddhist as well as the Muslim that there is only One God, and He does not share His glory with any other gods:
Isaiah 42:8 (ESV) I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
Universalists tend to gnosticism, thinking they posses esoteric knowledge of spiritual matters. They ‘feel’ they are doing something new and ‘courageous,’ when in reality there is nothing new:
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (ESV) What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
So whatever esoteric knowledge they think they have discovered has been known by others. Theirs is a cheap theology, as ‘compromise’ is the easy path. But many are drawn to Universalism precisely because it is easy while giving the adherent the idea they are part of a special group who are in the know.In truth, it’s just another onramp to the highway to Hell, and countless thousands have taken it before them:
Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
We as Meshiachim know there are absolutes; things HaShem said both to do and not to do. We know He told us these things out of true love for us; the kind of love that tells us what is expected and how to relate to both Himself and our fellow believers. And while this knowledge is special, it is not secretive. We’ll share it with anyone. And while we respect everyone’s right to believe what they want, this should never be construed as our believing they are correct. We should stand ready to explain or defend what we believe to anyone, at any time. We should know what we believe, and in whom we believe; and why:
2 Timothy 2:14-15 (ESV) Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved [after being tested], a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
These doctrines of ‘love’ and always searching but never finding are seductive, and they will test us. Be on your guard, and test everything:
1 John 4:1-6 (ESV) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Those here have been drawn to the truth. It’s certainly the narrow path. It’s not the easy way, but it is the true way. And telling others this typically we garner not love but hatred:
John 15:18-21 (ESV) “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Universalists are of the world, and so they are accepted by the world. Remember the Romans would allow people to worship who they wanted in any manner they chose, as long as they bowed before Cesar and proclaimed him to be god. We can neither bow before any Cesar nor proclaim him to be even a petty god:
2 Kings 17:35 (ESV) The Lord made a covenant with them [Yisroel] and commanded them, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them,
Exodus 20: (ESV) You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
We eschew the doctrines of Universalism and declare the Emergent Church to be a particularly deceptive kind of heresy. And we are always on the lookout for these doctrines, excising them from our beliefs whenever and wherever we find them. They are a cancerous growth which must be removed before it spreads and effects other areas of our faith. The same goes for people who refuse the truth time and again, opting instead for a feel-good religion that panders to their need to be loved and accepted. Their faith is false, since this acceptance is dependent on their never ‘offending’ anyone with an absolute. Tell a universalist “You shall not commit murder” and he will accuse you of murdering him with your words.
Just how far will they take this? I once had a pastor that believed in Universalism tell me Hitler was not wrong and he committed no sin, because he believed he was right when he presided over the Shoa.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (ESV) For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Jeremiah 23:16 (ESV) Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
Luke 6:26 (ESV) “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Ezekiel 13:9 (ESV) My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God.
We are warned, in these and many other scriptures.
Dan C
universalism- 1. The doctrine, held especially by some Christian groups, that all people will eventually be saved. … 3. The belief that a particular theory or religion has universal application and is not limited in scope.
Rav S talked about this tonight. It is an old heresy that is showing up more and more in Christianity and even somewhat in Messianism. We’ve seen it here on the forum more than once, though universalists don’t tend to last long here. But it is something we need to be on our guard against.
Universalists also tend to believe in Religious Pluralism- the acceptance of all religious paths as equally valid, promoting coexistence. They are believers in the Gospel of Inclusionism, a theological concept related to universal reconciliation, all paths lead to salvation.
There is one movement today that is successfully promoting these beliefs worldwide, and that is the Emergent Church Movement. Even churches and synagogues which do not subscribe to their doctrines are more and more being influenced by them. They try to evoke a casual, very warm atmosphere. They eschew suits or dressing up, as well as “religious terminology.” These people are very politically correct, trying not to offend or anger anyone.
If you oppose them you are labeled obstructionist and are said to be standing in the way of progress. You’ll be called a hater. Having no leg to stand on scripturally these people will just keep repeating the same arguments regardless how many times you deal with them or how decisively. After all, they learned much of this as a mantra themselves; repeating their doctrines over and over until they became brainwashed.
They use catchy slogans like “we go off the map,” a euphemism for going away from the Bible. They see themselves embarking on an adventure never done before. Their goal is to blend all religions together until there is one world religion.The old church is seen as outdated, and a new church is emerging based on feelings. Everything is subjective, and based on your own feelings and experiences. The faith described in the Bible needs to be reexamined and reapplied without God’s laws. Another term for this is postmodernism.
postmodern- Of or relating to an intellectual stance often marked by eclecticism and irony and tending to reject the universal validity of such principles as hierarchy, binary opposition, categorization, and stable identity. It is when the mind tries to understand its’ own personal reality. So these people are always searching for the answers. The irony is they never want to find any answers. It’s all about the dialogue with them; they find virtue in uncertainty. They elevate themselves as if this is some noble reality, and should anyone find an answer he is thought to be narrow minded. Anyone claiming the truth is considered pompous. To them it is of the utmost importance that the search never ends. So there are no absolutes; nothing can stop the search.
Another tactical favorite is to wrap every doctrine up in a neat package and call it “love.” Who can argue with love, right? Except love is not the only thing we feel, nor is it all God feels. And Godly love tells us so, giving us the truth without any sugar coating. True love does warn someone when they are headed over a theological cliff. It tells us there is a God and He gave us His
, and He meant every word. True love tells the Buddhist as well as the Muslim that there is only One God, and He does not share His glory with any other gods:Isaiah 42:8 (ESV) I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
Universalists tend to gnosticism, thinking they posses esoteric knowledge of spiritual matters. They ‘feel’ they are doing something new and ‘courageous,’ when in reality there is nothing new:
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (ESV) What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
So whatever esoteric knowledge they think they have discovered has been known by others. Theirs is a cheap theology, as ‘compromise’ is the easy path. But many are drawn to Universalism precisely because it is easy while giving the adherent the idea they are part of a special group who are in the know.In truth, it’s just another onramp to the highway to Hell, and countless thousands have taken it before them:
Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
We as Meshiachim know there are absolutes; things HaShem said both to do and not to do. We know He told us these things out of true love for us; the kind of love that tells us what is expected and how to relate to both Himself and our fellow believers. And while this knowledge is special, it is not secretive. We’ll share it with anyone. And while we respect everyone’s right to believe what they want, this should never be construed as our believing they are correct. We should stand ready to explain or defend what we believe to anyone, at any time. We should know what we believe, and in whom we believe; and why:
2 Timothy 2:14-15 (ESV) Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved [after being tested], a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
These doctrines of ‘love’ and always searching but never finding are seductive, and they will test us. Be on your guard, and test everything:
1 John 4:1-6 (ESV) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Those here have been drawn to the truth. It’s certainly the narrow path. It’s not the easy way, but it is the true way. And telling others this typically we garner not love but hatred:
John 15:18-21 (ESV) “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Universalists are of the world, and so they are accepted by the world. Remember the Romans would allow people to worship who they wanted in any manner they chose, as long as they bowed before Cesar and proclaimed him to be god. We can neither bow before any Cesar nor proclaim him to be even a petty god:
2 Kings 17:35 (ESV) The Lord made a covenant with them [Yisroel] and commanded them, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them,
Exodus 20: (ESV) You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
We eschew the doctrines of Universalism and declare the Emergent Church to be a particularly deceptive kind of heresy. And we are always on the lookout for these doctrines, excising them from our beliefs whenever and wherever we find them. They are a cancerous growth which must be removed before it spreads and effects other areas of our faith. The same goes for people who refuse the truth time and again, opting instead for a feel-good religion that panders to their need to be loved and accepted. Their faith is false, since this acceptance is dependent on their never ‘offending’ anyone with an absolute. Tell a universalist “You shall not commit murder” and he will accuse you of murdering him with your words.
Just how far will they take this? I once had a pastor that believed in Universalism tell me Hitler was not wrong and he committed no sin, because he believed he was right when he presided over the Shoa.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (ESV) For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Jeremiah 23:16 (ESV) Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
Luke 6:26 (ESV) “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Ezekiel 13:9 (ESV) My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God.
We are warned, in these and many other scriptures.
Dan C
