It has been said that words are like eyeglasses for the soul. By means of words we place people into loosely defined groups. We speak of friends, relatives, Muslims, homeless persons, Christians, convicts, etc. The list is nearly endless. These “eyeglasses" affect our attitude toward and how we relate to the people we place in these groups.
In addition to these narrow categories, the Bible speaks of a final division of mankind—those who will be saved and those who will be lost. The traditional Christian perspective (Premise A, below) teaches us to place the entire human race among those who will be lost unless we have reason to think differently about some people.
How should we view and relate to the people we meet every day and to the masses of humanity? We must ask ourselves which of the following two statements reflects the teaching of the Scriptures:
A. All persons will be finally lost except those who the Bible declares will be saved
B. All persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares will be finally lost.
To change from A to B is difficult because this turns many of our thought patterns upside down. However, the question is which of these two premises (A or B) is the biblical prescription, and are we willing to use the “eyeglasses” provided in the Scriptures?
This book presents the biblical evidence for adopting Premise B. This book’s extensive textual and topical index can help the reader quickly locate the answer to nearly every question that may arise when considering Premise B.
The chapters of this book are like a buffet waiting to be tasted at your leisure. They are a smorgasbord of thoughts, each waiting to respond to your particular and oftentimes very urgent questions.
Another name for Premise B is Evangelical Inclusivism. EVANGELICAL INCLUSIVISM is the teaching that all persons are elect in Christ except those who the Bible expressly declares will be finally lost, namely, those who ultimately reject or remain indifferent to whatever revelation God has given of himself to them, whether in nature/conscience (Rom. 1 & 2) or in gospel presentation. Premise B is the plan of salvation as it is made known in the Bible. It is a generous view and has many practical applications.
Evangelical Inclusivism is based upon these four biblical facts:
1. The so-called "universalistic" texts speak of a certain-to-be-realized salvation as Calvinists have consistently maintained, and they do so in terms of all persons as Arminians have always affirmed (see Chapter 1).
2. All persons, except Jesus Christ, are liable for and polluted by the imputed sin of Adam (inherited sin). However, the Scriptures neither teach nor imply that anyone is consigned to eternal damnation solely on the basis of their sin in Adam apart from actual, willful, and persistent sin on the part of the person so consigned (see Chapter 2).
3. We must accept the so-called “universalistic” texts as written. We may allow only those exceptions that are necessarily imposed upon these passages from the broader context of the Scriptures as a whole (see Chapter 3).
4. Jesus “saved” sinners, once for all, by making the supreme sacrifice 2,000 years ago. We speak of this as “objective” salvation. The Bible means something altogether different when it says that Paul set out to “save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). The Holy Spirit “saves” sinners by using human agents to bring the gospel to them. We refer to this as “subjective” salvation. A great amount of confusion results when this distinction is lost sight of (see Chapter 4).
The late J. Robert Spangler, editor of Ministry Magazine, said this about my previous book: "I carefully read your book, What's Good About the Good News? I must confess it has done something for my heart and my attitude toward the whole human race." He was moved by the scriptural principles found in that book. These same principles form the basis of this study. May those who study this volume undergo a si
In addition to these narrow categories, the Bible speaks of a final division of mankind—those who will be saved and those who will be lost. The traditional Christian perspective (Premise A, below) teaches us to place the entire human race among those who will be lost unless we have reason to think differently about some people.
How should we view and relate to the people we meet every day and to the masses of humanity? We must ask ourselves which of the following two statements reflects the teaching of the Scriptures:
A. All persons will be finally lost except those who the Bible declares will be saved
B. All persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares will be finally lost.
To change from A to B is difficult because this turns many of our thought patterns upside down. However, the question is which of these two premises (A or B) is the biblical prescription, and are we willing to use the “eyeglasses” provided in the Scriptures?
This book presents the biblical evidence for adopting Premise B. This book’s extensive textual and topical index can help the reader quickly locate the answer to nearly every question that may arise when considering Premise B.
The chapters of this book are like a buffet waiting to be tasted at your leisure. They are a smorgasbord of thoughts, each waiting to respond to your particular and oftentimes very urgent questions.
Another name for Premise B is Evangelical Inclusivism. EVANGELICAL INCLUSIVISM is the teaching that all persons are elect in Christ except those who the Bible expressly declares will be finally lost, namely, those who ultimately reject or remain indifferent to whatever revelation God has given of himself to them, whether in nature/conscience (Rom. 1 & 2) or in gospel presentation. Premise B is the plan of salvation as it is made known in the Bible. It is a generous view and has many practical applications.
Evangelical Inclusivism is based upon these four biblical facts:
1. The so-called "universalistic" texts speak of a certain-to-be-realized salvation as Calvinists have consistently maintained, and they do so in terms of all persons as Arminians have always affirmed (see Chapter 1).
2. All persons, except Jesus Christ, are liable for and polluted by the imputed sin of Adam (inherited sin). However, the Scriptures neither teach nor imply that anyone is consigned to eternal damnation solely on the basis of their sin in Adam apart from actual, willful, and persistent sin on the part of the person so consigned (see Chapter 2).
3. We must accept the so-called “universalistic” texts as written. We may allow only those exceptions that are necessarily imposed upon these passages from the broader context of the Scriptures as a whole (see Chapter 3).
4. Jesus “saved” sinners, once for all, by making the supreme sacrifice 2,000 years ago. We speak of this as “objective” salvation. The Bible means something altogether different when it says that Paul set out to “save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). The Holy Spirit “saves” sinners by using human agents to bring the gospel to them. We refer to this as “subjective” salvation. A great amount of confusion results when this distinction is lost sight of (see Chapter 4).
The late J. Robert Spangler, editor of Ministry Magazine, said this about my previous book: "I carefully read your book, What's Good About the Good News? I must confess it has done something for my heart and my attitude toward the whole human race." He was moved by the scriptural principles found in that book. These same principles form the basis of this study. May those who study this volume undergo a si
