Rob Bell's Book Love Wins.......

It is always amazing to me when someone in our lifetime markets what everyone believes to be a new thought or a new way of looking at something.  People suddenly jumps on the bandwagon and away they go.....There is a new book that hit the shelves not too long ago written by Rob Bell.  The title of the book is "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person who Ever Lived."  The premise of the book is very simple, yet not new, there is really no hell, "every person who ever lived" could have a place in heaven.  Once again the group of people named "Universalists", are setting out to re-write Scripture, God's Word.  Let us remember what the Bible says about new things Ecclesiastes 1:9 "...there is nothing new under the sun."  Many times we dismiss this verse to believe that we are so unique, that our issues in life are so more pressure filled, that our intellect so beyond past humanity that everything is new when it happens to us.  However, the truth is, it is new when we first experience something new, but that newness does not make it new to mankind, only new to us.  Since the beginning of time, there have been individuals and groups attempting to "hijack" the Bible and twist the message of God to meet their standards, what they think and what they believe is the "truth" in the universe.  Some called Sadducees, believed that after life, nothing existed (that is why they were sad, don't you see).   Anoher belief is one that Mr. Bell is espousing.  The belief that an all loving God would never sentence or send anyone to an eternal punishment.  This theory or false doctrine can be traced back to an early church bishop named Origen (185-254).  Origen taught the goodness of God with such fervor that it led him to believe that all creatures would eventually enter heaven.  Some 300 years later, after his death in 553, the Fifth Ecumenical Council declared him to be a heretic, based on this doctrine.  The other aspect of this belief is that "Christian Universalists, believe that Christ's death had a universal effect, thereby resulting in salvation for all mankind, everyone who has ever lived.  The Universalist take Scripture such as Matt. 22:44 and interpret that when Jesus is in heaven and His enemies are under His feet, then all His enemies are in heaven, under the feet of  Jesus.  Yet, that passage makes more sense when comparing other Scripture(Psalm 110:1), that the passage is referring to David's enemies not prevailing over David (a literal, common sense, historical view of interpretation).  Actually, the Universalist believes that the "sense" of separation from God is to achieve a type of purification, eventually having everyone coming to heaven after the purification process. The one aspect that has always intrigued me about a Universalist, is how do they honestly believe God would send His Son to die for them and then simply ask us to have faith in the death, burial and resurecttion of Jeusus Christ and then still accept those who rejected the gift and rejected the shed blood on their behalf.  Why have Jesus die at all?  Why have Jesus go through what he did?  Yes, God is love but love is never coerced nor is God mocked.  What is perhaps the most interesting is the fact that Universalists espouse the fact that they possess religious tolerance.  However, based on the Rob Bell's book, they do not seem tolerant.  Universalism rejects any religions claims of salvation and thereby, ultimately raising Universalism above all other religions including Christianity, Catholicism and Islam which teach Salvation.  The bottom line which I reject Rob Bell's assumptions and theology/doctrine lies in the complete absence of a complete God.  Yes, God is love and loved the world that He sacrificed His Son so that through faith in Jesus, we are justified (Romans 5:1), but Mr. Bell totally forgets the Holiness and Justice of God.  Romans 14:12 clearly states we all are accountable to God under God's standards and God's laws as outlined in His Word.  Just remember one passage of Scripture as we close this blog today...Galatians 1:6-10 "I am astonished that all of you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- which is really no gospel at all.  Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.....if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned." Let us remember that Jesus himself taught of a literal hell Matt 5:29-30, 10:28, 13:40-41, 13:49-50, 22:13, 23:15,33, 25:41, 9:43-48, Luke 12:5, 16:19-31.......Let us not be deceived by a false prophet which will tickle the ears of those who are trying to pervert or do not like the way God's plan of Salvation takes us.  Christ is the only way and the penalty for rejecting God's plan is an eternity separated from God.  Let me know you thoughts......