NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” – Review Chapter 3

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Rob’s Hell
Chapter 3

In Chapter 3 of Love Wins Rob attacks conventional ideas about hell and that gets him a lot of flack. Hell is one area of theology which is clearly stamped “no discussion allowed” at the top of the page.

But not to worry, Rob doesn’t deny hell or suggest it is less intense than people say and he speaks of it as a reality no further away than heaven.

There is hell now, there is hell later and Jesus teaches us to take both seriously, p.79

Where Rob differs with convention is he says a person’s time in hell may only last for a temporary period during which they are trimmed and pruned, making them more ready for heaven. In other words, hell may exist forever but it isn’t final. The option to get saved after death, even from hell is possible, according to Rob’s interpretation of Scripture.

Again, he doesn’t lighten hell’s intensity or the sin that puts anyone there. Hell, he says, is the outcome of your choices in this life and it starts in this life. If you want it, you get it now and later. Which means, the roots of the hell you get in the next life are laid down in this one.

To make his argument Rob begins by pointing out that our ideas about hell may not be as well founded as we think. He says… [Read more…] about Rob Bell’s “Love Wins” – Review Chapter 3

Sovereign Choice: Jacob And Esau

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God's choices are ratified by human response.

Calvinism Implies God
Is Partial

Unfortunately, God’s dealings with Jacob and Esau are often used to bolster the claims of Calvinism, the idea that God elects certain people for salvation and sends everyone else to hell. Admittedly, God made three very interesting statements relative to these two men that on the surface seem to support a Calvinistic view.

This post, however, is written in an effort to rethink Jacob and Esau and offer a different perspective. It isn’t a final answer on God’s sovereignty but is a different interpretation on these two fellows and God’s relationship to them.

It is my contention that the names “Jacob” and “Esau” were used, in most cases, as references to nations not individuals. In other words, the name of the person, Jacob, is used to represent his posterity, Israel.

And this isn’t just my opinion. Interchanging related words in this manner is a well accepted rhetorical device – otherwise known as metonymy – which is often used in the Bible. Most references to “Jacob” and “Esau” are references to their descendants and that is particularly true in Romans 9.

Figures of speech aside, however, you don’t have to be grammatically astute to recognize that any direct statement to or about “Jacob,” after the death of the man, in every case is a reference to his descendants.

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Most references fall into that category. The conversation with/about Jacob and Esau lasted almost two millennia. Obviously, most of what God had to say was said after they were dead.

What that means is God’s choice of and discussions about Jacob or Esau was national. It was focused on the larger picture. He was choosing a community, a nation to work with. He was selecting Jacob’s posterity not just Jacob and this choice had nothing to do with personal, individual salvation.

Now, with that understanding in mind let’s note some facts and make some general observations about the Romans 9 passage.

God made the following critical statements:

  • The elder (Esau) will serve the younger (Jacob). Genesis 25:23 and Romans 9:12
  • I have loved Jacob but Esau have I hated. Malachi 1:2-3 and Romans 9:13
  • I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Exodus 33:19 and Romans 9:15

Although all three statements were repeated in Romans 9 they were originally recorded in the Old Testament and were separated by hundreds of years.

  • The conception of Jacob and Esau, 1800 BC (+/-). Genesis 25
  • The Exodus, 1400 BC (+/-). Exodus 33
  • The Book of Malachi, 400 BC (+/-). Malachi 1.

Paul added some explanatory remarks to these statements which seem to further endorse Calvinistic ideas:

  • Paul said God’s choice of Jacob over Esau was based on His elective purpose.
  • He pointed out that this choice was made before the boys were born and, therefore, before they had done anything good or evil.
  • He said the choice was based on mercy and not human desire or effort – not of him that willeth or runneth.

Everyone admits these statements were made in the context of Romans 9. Not everyone accepts the Calvinistic interpretation imposed on them. I offer the following arguments as the basis for a different opinion. [Read more…] about Sovereign Choice: Jacob And Esau

Jesus Death: Ugly And Beautiful At Once

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Everything God Does Says
I Love You

Some portions of Scripture are very pleasant to read and very popular.

Who doesn’t like Psalm 23. Even nonreligious people enjoy reading this passage and many can repeat it from memory.

We love to talk about God’s grace and the song “Amazing Grace” is still one of the most popular songs in the world.

We love to talk about the nativity. Pictures have been painted, scenes have been constructed and theatrical productions have been organized all of which depict the beautiful story of Jesus’ birth.

But there are other portions of Scripture we don’t enjoy so much. The last few chapters of each Gospel tell us about the death of Jesus and the reports don’t make very pleasant reading.

When Jesus died it was visually very ugly. His accusers were unfair, unreasonable and manipulative. His executioners were aggressive, violent, abusive and cruel and the Gospel writers recorded all of it in great detail.

The amount of time covered from His arrest to His death was at least fifteen hours, possibly longer, and the humiliation Jesus endured during that time was unspeakable. He was lied about, spit on, whipped, mocked with a crown of thorns and beaten so badly He couldn’t be recognized (Isaiah 52:14). Even His disciples forsook Him.

And because He knew what was coming, just before His arrest He agonized in prayer.

Most people, preferring romance or mystery to gore, shy away from this type of reading. But when it comes to the death of Jesus we should take another look. [Read more…] about Jesus Death: Ugly And Beautiful At Once

Jonathan Edwards Talked Hell, Promised No Heaven

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If people are condemned to hell without recourse, why torment them before they go.

When Edwards Described Hell
You Felt The Flames

I’m not sure what you would call it but the congregation’s response to Jonathan Edward’s famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, was not a revival.

He wasn’t speaking to heretics, hecklers or blasphemers. In fact, his hearers weren’t even skeptical. They were regular congregants and they were anything but slack. They endured long, dry, complicated, and often irrelevant or condemning discussions on Bible topics every week.

Deadening, yes, but showing up every week was a sign of determined commitment. They weren’t indifferent.

The services were probably lifeless – the effect had to be numbing – but we can’t blame the attenders for that and there is no reason to accuse them of being spiritually casual.

Mr. Edwards was clearly a very intelligent man with a remarkable ability to articulate his thoughts. But in spite of these abilities those who heard him found his theology difficult to assimilate. [Read more…] about Jonathan Edwards Talked Hell, Promised No Heaven

Heaven Closed To Sow’s Ears!

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Jesus to Nicodemus
“You Must Be Born Again”

When Jesus made that statement, Nicodemus didn’t understand what He meant. I offer the following as an illustration of what it means and why it is so.

Sow’s Ears and Silk Purses

My mother said it, your mother said it and anyone with common sense knows the following statement is true…

You cannot turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse.

This maxim is recognized universally and is usually interpreted to mean:

  • Inferior materials can’t be used to make superior products.

But it also implies that…

  • The nature of two vastly different materials can never be the same.

One thing cannot become another: water can’t become oil, salt can’t become sugar, tree trunks don’t become steel, fat doesn’t convert to protein and so on.

And in the case of a sow’s ear there are no conditions under which that principle doesn’t apply: [Read more…] about Heaven Closed To Sow’s Ears!