Rejecting A Christless “Universal-ISM”
The following is an excerpt from the book Divine Embrace by Francois du Toit regarding his thoughts on the question of hell and the misuse of the term “universalism” to mean a Christless salvation. (Emphasis ours)
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It is so sad that for many years the church had to reduce its message to a heaven or hell theme in order to persuade people into a decision for Christ. The Gospel persuades man what God believes and what God achieved on humanity’s behalf in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If the Gospel has the power to get people to fall head over heels in love with God and to love their neighbor as much as they love themselves, then this Gospel demands our total attention and emphasis. This automatically frees anyone anyway from the dread of hell or any sense of pending punishment. There is no law against the free expression of the fruit of the spirit. No one can exaggerate love, peace, joy, endurance, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self control. Legalism can neither match nor contradict this. There is no law against love! Galatians 2:22,23. The urgency to tell everyone the good news of their redeemed innocence because of the success of the cross and God’s act of kindness in Christ to rescue mankind from an inferior expression of life into the most attractive life possible can never be matched by a fear motive! Paul gives such context to the motivation of ministry when he declares that “the love of Christ constrains us, because we are convinced that one has died for all, therefore all have died!”
Our message is powerful enough to stop people in their tracks with the best news ever! Sin in its every disguise doesn’t have what it takes to even remotely match the attraction and total contentment and appeal of the Christ life!
The truth of our original identity revealed and redeemed in Christ, sets us totally free from every distortion in our minds about the life of our design. We declare the intimate resolve of God and his attraction to engage with the individual in the most personal tangible way possible. The biggest waste is to miss out on one day of fellowship with your Creator.
I am often overwhelmed with the thought of the ultimate extent of the great work of redemption and act of reconciliation that God undertook to rescue the human race. Underestimating this great salvation has always been the biggest sin of the church. The greatest safeguard we can ever give someone against a wasted life is in our message that reveals truth in such a way that every possible excuse we could have to experience distance from God or to continue in any form of sin, guilt, fear or an inferior lifestyle is done away with. In its stead there remains only the wide open arms of Father God longing to embrace the individual and the world into unrestricted friendship. There is enough content in the positive revelation of Christ in you to rid you of a sin consciousness and its dreadful consequence. Our message is not to persuade people that there is no hell, but rather to convince them that Christ suffered the horror of it to liberate us from its dread both in this life and the next. To influence people into making a decision for Christ based on hell is to distract from the truth. The focus and central theme of the Gospel is the revelation of the mystery of man’s inclusion in the death Jesus died and our co-resurrection and joint-position in the Father’s right hand. The liberating truth of the forgiveness of sins and an understanding of their innocence that leads to a tangible intimacy with the living God and spontaneous love for people. God pleads through us to bring people to realize their full inclusion in the Gospel. Let his love in you reveal him to your neighbors and the nations. His love is unthreatened and needs no defense! Col.4:4– This is my prayer request, that I may be able to present this message in the most effective way possible. 4:5– Do not spoil your chance to touch others with the word through a lack of wisdom. Redeem the time by making the most of every opportunity. (Time only finds its relevance in redemption-realities) 4:6–Season your conversation with the revelation of grace. This remains the most attractive and appropriate option to respond in every situation.
The object of New Testament ministry is not in the first place to get people to go to heaven one day! It is the unveiling of the most attractive life possible, the life of our design redeemed again. Now to be enjoyed in an immediate, intimate, daily, constant, conscious feedback encounter with the Living God in Spirit and in truth and undiluted friendship with our fellow man!
He overlooked the times of ignorance and now urges all men everywhere to discover his eternal thoughts about mankind, revealed in Christ, when we were judged in righteousness in one man’s death, and raised in his resurrection as the trophy of justice redeemed! Acts 17:30,31. Having made purification for sins he sat down! His throne authority is established upon our redeemed innocence
The more we declare the integrity of God’s persuasion concerning us demonstrated in his son’s obedience in our favor, the less we have to prompt people to believe, their believing will be most spontaneous! Even our faith is from him! Eph 2:8 Your salvation was a grace thing from start to finish, you had no hand in it; because it is all God’s gift to you… (Mirror Bible) Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God– (RSV)
Paul preached in such a way that many believed! Acts 14:1 Yet he never asked for a show of hands to indicate their ‘decision’ to believe! The more we make an issue of “Now do you believe this? Because if you don’t you’re going to hell!” the more we disguise the very message we’ve just proclaimed!
God’s work of redemption is valid with immediate effect. “The hour all creation was waiting for has come. The son of man is glorified! The single grain of wheat did not abide alone; it fell into the earth and died and bore much fruit!” John 12:23,24. Mankind died in his death and was made alive together with him and raised together with him and is now seated together with him in heavenly places. Every human life is fully and equally represented and justified in one man’s act of righteousness. 2 Cor 5:14,16; Acts 10:28. “Jesus reveals that man pre-existed in God; he defines us. He justified us and also glorified us. He redeemed our innocence and restored the glory we lost in Adam. (Rom 3:23,24; prohoritso, pre defined, like when an architect draws up a detailed plan; kaleo, to surname, identify by name) What further ground can there possibly be to condemn man? In his death he faced our judgment; in his resurrection he declares our innocence; the implications cannot be undone! He now occupies the highest seat of authority as the executive of our redemption in the throne room of God. (See verse 1, also Rom 4:25) Rom 8:30,34 Mirror Translation Jesus is what God believes. If every human life is equally included in God’s economy of grace then man deserves to hear this Gospel more than what any man deserves to be judged.
Our influence in society, regardless of our profession, is determined by our faith and not our job-description; our faith is sourced in Christ, in his perfect work of reconciling a hostile world to himself. While we proclaim the sinful state of humanity we are not proclaiming the gospel, and life changing faith cannot come to the people! This conviction is critical, if we are serious about impacting our world with the proclamation of the Gospel.
It is so sad that we allow the deception of a Christless “universalism” to hijack words like ‘inclusion’ and ‘universal,’ These words powerfully and significantly describe the masterful genius of God when Jesus died humanity’s death! This is the mystery that none of the rulers of this world understood, otherwise they would never have crucified the Lord of glory!
The point is that the gospel is good news for all people because the gospel reveals how fully included they are in Christ by God’s doing; truth is already true before anyone believes it; a diamond doesn’t become a diamond when you discover it, obviously God hid the diamonds and treasures in the earth for man and not from man! That is why we preach with passion, urgency and persuasion in order to awaken every mans mind and instruct every man and present every man perfect in Christ Col 1:28, because the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations is now revealed
We have underestimated the Gospel of Jesus Christ for centuries, because we have adopted an interpretation that robbed us of the true impact of salvation in its relation to life in the here & now on planet earth. We have felt more comfortable with a faith that refers us to a place in heaven one day rather than to see faith as the now & relevant substance of things we always longed for & the evidence of unseen realities around us & within our grasp; the life of our design is redeemed!
Jesus didn’t die 99% or for 99% He died humanity’s death one hundred percent! If Paul had to compromise the last part of verse 14 of 2 Cor 5 , to read: “one died for all therefore only those who follow the prescriptions to qualify, have also died,” then he would have had to change the first half of the verse as well! Only the love of Christ can make a calculation of such enormous proportion! The same all who died in his death were raised together with him! According to the only scripture in the entire OT that refers to the 3rd day resurrection, we are included! “After 2 days God will revive us, on the 3rd day he will raise us up!!” Hos 6:2 When Paul ponders this scripture (he also quotes it in 1 Cor 15:4) he makes one of his most radical discoveries in his gospel; he writes “While we were dead in our sins (before we knew or believed the gospel) God made us alive together with Christ, and raised us (mankind) together with Christ and seated us together with Christ in heavenly places! That is the point of the gospel; what happened to Christ happened to us before anyone but God believed it! We’re not window-shopping here we are gazing into the mirror! For so many years we’ve read 2 Cor 5 verse 17 out of its context! Verse 14 and 16 gives context to verse 17 Therefore the IF cannot be a condition it must be a conclusion otherwise verse 14 also becomes ‘iffy’!!
The gates of hades will not prevail against the testimony of truth; the weapons of our already won warfare tears down every argument and resistance to the knowledge of God; love wins, I can see even the ‘other brother’ awakening to the festive sound!
I suppose I would still have questions if I think about all the contradictions and issues that theology presents us with; but for years now I have determined to go with what I know by revelation concerning his perfect work of redeeming his image in us: to live daily in the full benefit of that and to unveil him in every person I have the privilege to meet; that keeps one pretty busy enjoying him and sharing him! I am addicted to the Philemon 1:6 kind of koinonia! The koinonia (communication) of our faith is ignited by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in us in Christ!
Exploring the extent of his love initiative and where it leads us truly exceeds any limitation or dimension! And we are all in it together! Wow what eternal bliss and glory we participate in! The hubble telescope surely increases our horizon daily, only to realize again and again that we are dealing with measureless dimensions in outer space that reflect in us! That we may be filled with all the fulness of God is a thought that breaks all boundaries, we are fearfully and wonderfully made and equally fearfully and wonderfully redeemed! The whole earth is full of his glory, “and as truly as I live”, says the Lord, “all the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of my glory, even as the waters cover the sea!”
Jesus said: if you believe that I am what the scriptures are all about, then you will discover that you are what I am all about and rivers of living waters will gush out of your innermost being!
The good news unveils the love of God spectacularly! The dimensions of his love exceed any concept we could possibly have of height, length, breadth or depth! The gospel can be underestimated, but never exaggerated! The half could not be told of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth and in Luke 11 Jesus says, “A greater than Solomon is here”! Rev 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
While we argue that all would be OK regardless, we still miss the point! The urgency to communicate this gospel is not compromised thru speculations about the future, but constrained by the revelation of how God’s faith included hostile indifferent mankind in the sacrificial death of Christ, and his triumphant resurrection, when he represented the entire human race; multitudes are living in torment right now because they have never heard the truth of their redemption; what a waste to postpone redemption to life hereafter if it can happen now! How all will eventually discover what they have missed and how they will be ‘judged’ is none of our business anyway; it is our business to live the living epistle to be known and read by all men! And to give everyone within earshot on this planet the opportunity to hear truth that ignites life-changing faith!
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, how I love every truth put forth here! Jesus is our everything and he finished his work, and we had no part in it and cannot make it without effect! We are redeemed whether we know it or not. Bless you dear brother.
Thank you for your encouraging comment Judy. We agree that when the Gospel is allowed to shine and is not limited by man’s traditions it resonates with its most breathtaking glory! Both a religious and irreligious mindset have always limited or denied Christ’s redemption in one way or another. But now we are seeing the facets of the Story of God being brought together by the very Body of Christ itself in a most powerful and astonishing way!
Streams of tears fill my eyes.
Hi brother in CHRIST,
Yes what you say in the most part is true to scripture but you only cover God showing the initiative to all of mankind.you fail to mention that scripture also say’s many are called but few are chosen. 2Peter1:10 Make your calling and your election sure.By cultivating the qualities listed in vv.5 -7 they and others can be assured that God has chosen them and and called them. When God elects and calls, it is to obedience and holiness.
Scripture also explains in detail the consequences for not repenting . Scripture states that the wages of sin is death, not only a physical death but also a spiritual death if you continue to respond to Gods call.
Hi there Francois,
going back on the comment i made March 27, looking at the last sentence it should have read,Scripture states that the wages of sin is death, not only a physical death but also a spiritual death if you continue to respond to Gods call in a negative way or be in a state of denial of Gods existence you will die.Sadly today most Churches not only teach a compromising gospel but also false doctrine and scripture.I still believe that there are Churches in the world that still teach the true scriptures of the bible. Now having said that, i believe that we were given a complete bible 66 books. If your going to teach the gospel then teach it in it’s entirety and let the holy spirit do the rest.
Dearly Beloved: Our standard, in Christ, is Christ. In Him we live, breath, and have our being. In Him, His seed in us, by the power of an endless life, grow, matures us, individually and corporately, into the fullness of the stature of Christ. God’s love and grace,His economy, plants the seed, we mature into Christ, into the mirrow-image of God. We reflect Him, His Love, grace, character, Him, in the earth. When one sees Christ in us, he sees our Father. Christ is the pattern Son and we are too.
Francois, I love your writing and teaching, it is wonderfully liberating, but if all are saved what happens to the 5 foolish virgins in Matthew 25, when they even though they knew the bridegroom and had prepared for Him were told: I do not know you. The same with those in Matthew 7;23 who after doing His works were told I never knew you, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness. Also The lukewarm in Rev. 3;16 who are vomited out. Does this not mean that only through an intimate relationship, not religious observation one is saved?
Really appreciate your response, Thank you!
Sorry, Thought I was addressing Francois du Toit and his article and views. My apologies!
Hello Jan, Yes, I wish Francois could give you his own personal answer! I agree with you that only knowing the Father is eternal life. But Eternal life is a condition and not a location. It is indeed a relationship with Him as revealed in Christ Jesus (John 17:3).
We are told that “every knee with bow and tongue confess in adoration to the glory of God the Father” so the story obviously does not end with “endless conscious torment” for those who were turned away. There is hope for the elder brother who did not know the father’s heart just as much as the younger brother who misjudged and mistrusted his father to the extent of leaving him for a season. Remember that the Bible is one Story reflecting a conversation between God and mankind, not a string of verses we can take out of context.
If you read something that doesn’t sound hopeful…keep reading! “With man this is impossible but with God ALL things are possible.”
Love all I’ve read by you!! Bought the Mirror Bible and will soon receive Divine Embrace… Deep calls unto deep. Your God-heart of Truth so resonates in mine!!!! Thank you for making it all known through your publications. I’m sharing with everyone. ❤️ Jodie Manning
This teaching together with such like others, have overhauled my life, theology and overturned “my” ministry. Thank you for removing the veil that has covered my sight and understanding concerning the love of the Father and the mission of our Lord Jesus. The veil is truly torn and removed. Monty Mabale
Hello Monty…the Truth is indeed a powerful flame to ignite one’s passion for the gospel of GOOD NEWS and propel us across the globe and to the ends of the earth! You can’t keep really GOOD news a secret!! So grateful to hear your testimony!
Grace and peace to you brother!
Phillip
Im not hearing Francios say “all are saved”, but rather all are reconciled, all have been crucified, buried, and raised together with him before anyone but God believed it. Obviously multitudes will choose not to believe this fact just as many Jews in the time of Christ and sfterwards chose not to believe he was there long awaited for Messiah. All of these if they continue in there unbelief will go into perdition.
Hello Joel, you are correct in your understanding of Francois’ interpretation. Yes, indeed, unbelief is to be in hades (“not to see”). It is a blindness that causes an untold magnitude of suffering. There are plenty of people in this hell. What you must grapple with is whether you care about the hells that people are in right now because it is always the present that Jesus was/is most concerned about. You also must ask yourself, based on Christ’s life and death, whether God gets justice (“perdition” – retributive justice). or does justice. He has shown thee O man what is good and what the Lord requires of hmi: to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8).
“Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.” But in the meantime, what are we doing to rescue the perishing from their hell’s right now? Threatening people with perdition has never worked. Would it work for your children to threaten them with torturing them in the basement if they do not comply or figure out what to believe or have a rebellious streak?
I invite you to read this post on justice.
Dear Philip,
thankyou for the inspiring words about the Word, very refreshing.
I often wonder, what is there to be said/believed about true believers who suffer terrible things: disease, early tragic death etc., with which I am aquainted in my family and own life. Thankyou. Blessings.
My brothers and sister. It is not just unbelief that is our problem it is sin, pride and not wants to face the truth. I know because I didn’t want to face the truth about my own sinful ways, but I had to. And by the way Hell is real, where we are now is not hell, not even close. the word of God is not threatening He sent His to seek and to save that which was lost. God gives us a free will to accept Him or reject Him we have a choice. with that choice comes consequences good and bad. So if you fail to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior that is exactly where you will find yourself with the final consequences. because we don’t want to hear the truth. Yes God is loving and caring, but he is also holy and righteous. If we are rebellious what do you think our children will do watching us rebel again God and if He were just we would be dead.
Hi Christine, I apologize…the website had been hacked and I was not able to get in to answer comments.
Your wondering is the question of the ages and the reason why there are so many theories out there from people trying to make sense of it all. Your question is very real and visceral and one near to my own experiences with suffering. The following are just a few thoughts on the way I personally see it and what gives me hope.
As a tapestry seen from beneath is nothing but a tangled mess, so is this life from our perspective. But a lifting of our consciousness by the Holy Spirit can take us to visions from above if “we set our minds on things above” and on “the things that are unseen” – that is the eternal, the quantum reality of infinite potential and possibilities. Here we see the world made new, transformed, and as a new creation. God can make a masterpiece out of our collective tangled mess. With our human vision we can only “see through a glass dimly” but through faith in Christ we can see face to face the truth of “all things new.” This is the “on earth as it is in heaven” – the coming Kingdom that exists right now (in the Spirit realm/Quantum reality) and the one that we get to participate in bringing about. Participating with God in His reality of redemptive love and restoration is the exciting power of the gospel. In Christ “it is finished” – in the earth and in you. Now we get to join by faith in co-creating this beautiful new heavens and new earth into manifestation. It starts with believing what God believes about you and others and the earth and walking in/living out that new mindset!
Remember how God spoke His Word over the chaos and created the world and mankind, saying that it was “very good?” This word has never been changed or revoked. It was then reestablished through Christ, the Living Word, who said through the language of the ultimate sacrifice of love to the death: “It is finished, complete, perfect.”
Most of our pain and suffering has been from the rejection of God’s first word and then His Final Word, Christ. We have lived in an illusion of lack and scarcity instead of the truth of His abundance of love and provision. This mindset has led to competition, fear, shame, blame, scapegoating and war. Most of the evil and suffering we see around us has come out of an inferior mindset of ourselves, others and God/Creator/Source.
I realize this all sounds theoretical but it actually reveals how much evil comes from our own sense of lack that we project on others and God. This means that Jesus’ command to “repent [change your mindset] and believe the good news/word” is still the answer. God has reestablished His Word in Christ and we get to participate in establishing this word through our faith in an abundant, loving God who has never changed His mind about His creation: God created us very good, in His image and likeness, and Christ gave up His very life to prove it so. God has never changed His mind about us. We changed our minds about Him and His creation and believe a lie. This has led directly to the majority of the suffering in this world.
We are told creation itself awaits for this revealing of the sons of God to be made known and lived out so that all creation can be transformed by its truth!(See Romans 8) The good news is that we can participate with God in changing our corner of the world that we find ourselves in through His transforming love and grace!
That was a flyby and all very much an understatement of how much potential (infinite actually) there is for us to participate in God’s reconciliation and restoration of this world!
Dear anonymous, I can hear your sincerity and earnestness in your words because I have said them many times in my life. If anyone wants to discover a gospel that is both good and news, continue to explore this website. For now I will say the clincher is in your line: “Yes God is loving and caring, but he is also holy and righteous.” God is revealed as one and not two. Please see our post on the problem of making God two!
D. A. Carson: Making God Two
Dear Philip
It is a dangerous and unbiblical thing to suggest and write that ‘God is not two’ because Anonymous wrote down two to four attributes of the character of God, that are contradictory in your mind and belief system. God has many attributes and titles. Many sides to His One personality. Do you want to keep just one facet of His character, the one that suits your theology?!
Do you believe, Philip that God is three persons in One? Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Or is that also not part of your beliefs?
With wishes and prayers to accompany you and your leader.
Brigitte.
I found more of your belief system, listening on YouTube to the apologist Mike Winger who studied carefully the Mirror Bible ‘translation” written by Francois Dutoit?
Hello Brigitte, Thank you for taking the time to ask these very important questions! The trajectory of my point begins with the Scripture Deut 6:4: “Hear o Israel, the Lord thy God is one God…”
We indeed believe that God has many attributes and yes, He is profoundly in relationship as Father, Son and Spirit – three in one! The “one” is the point. God is not “in two minds” as James says we humans sinfully often are. God is not both love and not love. God does not have faith in His salvation and then not have faith in it. That is being “in two minds.”
Yes, God’s character is many faceted, as you mentioned, but He is not contradictory nor is He a man that he should change.
Did you read the post “God Is Not Two”? By your comment it appears you did not read it but assumed some things you thought I must be saying. I encourage you to read it.
Grace and Peace,
Phillip
Is this a question? Or are you referring people to take a listen to Mike Winger? I agree that the Mirror Word is not a translation but rather one person’s paraphrase. What is does have uniquely in its favor is that Christ is the lens through which it is presented and this gives it a cohesiveness in most of its renderings. I find it a wonderful reference but not as a translation per se. It is the incarnation of Christ – that is the lens through which all is translated. Francois says, ” The incarnation is the most accurate and articulate translation.”
We of course must use discernment as with any paraphrase or even translations. This has been historically true. It is astonishing how many changes the KJV has gone through. I’d much rather see the Scriptures handled in the Hebraic way which was to search the Scriptures in community which they called “midrash.” You would be shocked at how the Jews and the early church approached and handled the Scriptures. It was so unlike today’s independent attitude. I believe God designed and wanted us to come together around His word!
Blessings on your journey, Phillip