Mark P. Toohey
PO Box
4364
Alamogordo, NM 88311-4364
THE GRACE OF RECONCILIATION
Part One
The concept that God "wills all men to be saved and to come
to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4), is met with much resistance by
mainstream Christianity. It is decried as heresy by a church system which must
tenaciously cling to the doctrine of eternal damnation as a fundamental "truth"
by which God is vindicated in forever banishing the lost from sharing in the
abundance of His unmerited grace.
Various schools of thought exist concerning the ultimate destiny of man, which span the spectrum of viable resolutions in an attempt to satisfy that which remains a mystery to the natural mind. Each view may be steadfastly supported by any number of scriptural references, as well as disproved by an equal number of valid biblical citations, depending on one's choice of belief. For the fundamentalist, the simple black and white finality of eternal damnation works well. The saved go to heaven, the lost go to hell. End of story. On the other end of the spectrum is ultimate reconciliation, embraced by many who dare to believe that God not only intends that no man be lost, but that He will bring all to the grace of His salvation. Somewhere in the middle lies the doctrine of extermination, teaching that the saved will be saved, and the wicked will be disposed of permanently. In the end, of course, God will bring His plan for mankind to pass in precisely the way He has foreordained it from the beginning, despite what men may think or believe.
Certainly we do not like to have our doctrinal "safe zone" challenged. We prefer to feel secure in what we believe, and we are prone to defend it for the sake of retaining our perceived in the faith. The alternative leaves us quite vulnerable, as if the ground beneath our feet has suddenly been ripped from under us. To lose a grip on our doctrinal position is to face a whole new arena of uncharted uncertainties. There are so many questions to which we have no ready answers. Nothing is cut and dried anymore. Even the diehard verses upon which we have come to rely with great conviction no longer work. The prospect that our doctrine and our belief may be wrong is a most fearful one to face. But our Father will at times bring us to just such a crisis in our walk. He will bring us to a place where we have no choice but to throw ourselves wholly and trustingly upon Himself for the direction we seek. When we arrive at such a crossroads, our apprehension is tempered by the assurance that He is broadening our vision, deepening our understanding, and ultimately forming His nature in us in a measure of greater fulness. To refuse His beckoning onward is to decline a further unveiling of His life. We must, at times, trust Him to lead us into Truth, even at the expense of our doctrinal security.
As a young believer, I was schooled in the belief that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was no longer a valid experience for the modern church. Armed with an impressive array of chapter and verse, I could prove to the most adamant opponent that the Baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit had incontrovertibly passed away with the first century church. God was no longer in the gift giving business. So firmly entrenched was I in my conviction, no man could have ever persuaded me otherwise. I was right where God wanted me. It wasn't long before He placed me among a fellowship of saints who moved in the gifts and spoke in tongues! I was forced to consider the possibility that I might be wrong in my belief; and I didn't need to read another book on the issue or listen to another taped sermon. I needed to seek the Truth Himself. After a week of fasting and prayer, lo and behold, the Lord changed my persuasion dramatically. The Bible became an entirely new book, and it was just loaded with evidence of the validity of the Pentecostal experience. Needless to say, I became a glad recipient, not only of His blessed TRUTH in the matter, but also of His blessed Spirit, and of the gifts which He so freely bestows upon those who believe!
I share my experience to illustrate a point. We may know our doctrine well. Our beliefs may be written in stone, and we may have a phylactery of biblical evidence to our credit. But unless, and until, we have heard the Voice of the Spirit of Truth, we are walking in a dead word.
Inasmuch as sound doctrine is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, (and) for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16), unsound doctrine inevitably gives rise to confusion, division, strife, and debate. Religion has been the breeding ground for numerous such doctrines. Denominations, sects, and cults proliferate on their account. But it is not the correctness of our doctrine which brings us into the reality of Christ Jesus. Knowledge and understanding are vital, but knowledge without LIFE is useless. The Jews knew the scriptures with impeccable accuracy; yet they knew nothing of God. They had their doctrines down pat, yet Jesus admonished them, saying, "And you do not have His WORD abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have LIFE" (Jn. 5:38 40). The message is, LIFE is not inherently contained in the written scriptures that we hold so sacred. LIFE is contained in the person of Jesus Christ, and that life becomes reality as HE is progressively unveiled within us in Spirit and Truth. One may know the "word" with unerring precision; yet without the reality of the Living WORD abiding within, all the scriptural knowledge one may possess is nothing more than a dead letter.
At issue is not whether our doctrine is correct, but rather that we have come into a fuller measure of His LIFE. It is the HEARING of His Living Word, the Voice of His Spirit which quickens an impartation of Truth, that brings us into the Reality of Himself. When He is unveiled, our sacred doctrines turn to dust. Having heard His voice of Life, it becomes a futile exercise to debate the rightness of our doctrine, for our doctrine becomes so much straw in the wind.
What Good News would we, as ambassadors of Christ, proclaim to a world sold under the bondage of corruption? Religion has employed a vast array of tactics and persuasions in its efforts to coerce the wayward one into the kingdom, often with more motive of adding his name to the denominational roll and his tithe to the coffers. Some preach threats of a loving God who would just as soon damn the poor wretch to eternal hell fire for failing to make the proper decision. Good news? Others, using the escapist approach, hold the prospect of rapture for the fortunate few, and paint a doomsday scenario of tribulation and satanic dictatorship for the ill fated masses left behind. A gospel of false pretense? Others offer the sugar-coated gospel of prosperity and blessing for those counted among the "King's kids," transforming the straight and narrow path to the cross into the yellow brick road to Emerald City where the wizard awaits to grant their every desire. Abundant life? There is, of course, the mush god gospel of love and unity which envisions the worldwide embracement of all religious persuasions into one, great ecumenical system. Religious communism? We must not omit the social gospel with its humanitarian appeal, provoking debate on issues as diverse as human rights, abortion, nuclear disarmament, church and state separation, equal rights, creation science, and whatever else may be politically palatable at the moment. Which majority? And ranking high on the list of great religious deceptions is the gospel of bondage by which the captive faithful are made baptized subjects of Rome, unwitting participants in Babylon's ancient idolatries. Holy Mother Church, or Mother of Harlots? Little wonder that the world remains lost.
Through this maze of religious gallimaufry shines the Light of Truth as a beacon piercing the darkness; "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). The salvation of man is in no way conditional upon any of man's concoctions or devises. We need none of his pious ceremonies, well-executed programs, or majestic edifices to realize the redemption of God. We may dispense with them all and loose nothing of the abundant riches of grace lavished upon us through the Faith of Jesus Christ.
The Good News which we would proclaim is the Gospel of the Grace of Reconciliation. It is the Gospel concerning THE SON through whom we have received grace (Rom. 1:1-5). Unlike the doctrines of religion, this gospel is not what you must do to gain salvation, but rather what GOD HAS DONE in order that you may apprehend His life. Now that's GOOD NEWS!
The apostle Paul wrote the telling words, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). GRACE so very much more than God's "unmerited favor." It is the power that sustains us, the force that motivates us, the substance of our foreordination in the Father. It is the catalyst of our salvation, and the assurance of redemption. It is the provision of the Father in making good His promise that all men shall be drawn unto the Son. By grace does a man utter, "Lord, Jesus," in response to the finished work of Calvary. By grace do we hunger and thirst for an increase in Him. By grace do we pant after the depths of God. And by grace do we apprehend the high calling of God in Christ. From its inception to its final completion, the work that God has purposed for His creation is totally of grace, apart from which we are absolutely destitute, without hope, and entirely incapable of receiving even the slightest portion of the life of God. If that sounds to you like God Himself is fully in charge of the matter, you're absolutely correct! He alone is the unmitigated Sovereign of all creation. He is at once the creator of all, the sustainer of all, and the object of all. All things heavenly, all things earthly, all things seen, all things unseen, all thrones, all dominions, all rulers and authorities ALL THINGS out from Him, ALL THINGS are sustained by Him and proceed through Him, and ALL THINGS have their final consummation into Him (Rom. 11:36).
He is the beginning, He is the ending, and He is all the in-between. This is not the faltering, failing God of your Sunday school texts, whose plans were thwarted in Eden, whose will is undermined by the devil at every opportunity, and who will ultimately loose the greatest portion of His precious creation to the eternal clutches of Satan in an everlasting hell. This is a sovereign God who purposes all things in Himself, performs out of the source of Himself all that He purposes to do, and in His responsibility to His creation loses nothing of the ALL THINGS over which He is Lord.
Let us now turn our thoughts to two men Adam and Jesus. Each performed an act which was to have universal ramifications affecting all men. Both men partook of a tree, the one to universal condemnation, the other to universal redemption. The text of Romans 5:12-21 is of such significance that we would be well served by a verse by verse investigation of its contents. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned." There is little argument among those who profess the title of "Christian" to the foregoing statement. Sin made its entrance into the world through the disobedience of ONE MAN Adam. By partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that is, by permitting the carnal nature of the soul to reign in God's stead, Adam had sealed the condemnation of death for ALL MEN. Death was passed through the lineage of Adam's race from generation to generation, millenium after millenium, exempting none from its inevitable judgement. The act of ONE MAN concluded the sentence upon ALL. "For until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come." Even though sin was not imputed to the multitudes who lived from Adam until the Law was given through Moses, death reigned nonetheless. The consequence of death could not be circumvented. Its dark veil laid claim to even the most God-fearing of men. When God spoke the sentence of death to Adam, He spoke it to all who would follow after his seed to ALL MANKIND. His judgment of death reverberated down the corridors of time to embrace every man of every age. The sentence was all-inclusive. Not one would escape.
"But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many." Ah, the free gift is not like the transgression! How, then, does it differ? We see clearly that the transgression was the power of death to every man. By the transgression of the one THE MANY DIED. But now cometh the grace of God; MUCH MORE GRACE! The grace of God was MUCH MORE than the transgression in its power, for by it did the free gift through Jesus Christ ABOUND TOWARD THE MANY. The word abound is far too timid to express the sense of the Greek perisseuo, which means to superabound, to be in excess, overflowing, and beyond the fullest measure. In light of this passage we may compare verse 20: "And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, GRACE ABOUNDED all the more." Here the Greek is even more emphatic; huperperisseuo HYPER-SUPERABUNDANCE! EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE the ability to be fully received and absorbed. SUPERABOUNDING IN EXCESS FAR BEYOND THE FULLEST MEASURE. A PROFUSION ABOVE AND BEYOND ALL THAT COULD EVER BE SUFFICIENT. Think of it as asking for a drink of water and receiving a TIDAL WAVE! That is how the free gift of grace differs from the transgression. If by the transgression THE MANY died, how much more the grace of God is able to hyper-superabound to THE MANY in the ministration of the Life of God!
"And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification." Again, we see a distinct difference between the transgression and the free gift. The judgment of condemnation arose from ONE transgression. ONE. UNO! One transgression was all it took to conclude all men under the judgment of death. But the free gift resulting in justification arose from MANY transgressions so many that only God Himself could count their number. If then, by one transgression ALL were condemned to death, what will be the outcome of the grace which arose from MANY transgressions?
"For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." The hyper-superabundance of grace which arose due to many transgressions OVERCOMES the penalty of death which arose from the one transgression. Life through the One, Jesus Christ, conquers forever the death which has reigned all these millennia through the one transgressor, Adam. Where sin has increased, grace has hyper-superabounded. Where death has reigned, Life has triumphantly conquered. Who, we may inquire, are the glad recipients of this wondrous, excessive, hyper-superabounding profusion of God's grace unto Life? Why, the condemned, of course!
"So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so, through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men." HEAR IT! Through one transgression condemnation of death to ALL MEN. Through one act of righteousness justification of life to ALL MEN. What we have is a scriptural equation, equal on both sides, absolute and incontrovertible. On the one side, transgression, condemnation, and death to ALL; EVEN SO, on the other side, righteousness, justification, and life to ALL. There can be no mistake that the second half of the equation carries as much strength, authority, and validity as the first half. EVEN SO denotes that what is to follow is just as much the unequivocal truth as that which was stated before it. Both sides of the equation are equal. EVEN as on the one hand condemnation and death has been imputed to all men, SO on the other hand, justification and life is the free gift to all men. ALL MEN condemned; ALL MEN justified. ALL MEN dead in Adam; ALL MEN made alive in Christ. Lest we still be dull of hearing, the Holy Spirit graciously states it again:
"For as through the one man's disobedience THE MANY were made sinners, even so, through the obedience of the One THE MANY will be made righteous". A statement so black and white surely cannot be gainsayed. We will, however, allow the Spirit of Truth one further confirmation: "For God has shut up ALL in disobedience that He might show mercy to ALL" (Rom. 11:32).
And let us see God's immutable purpose of the ages in the ministration of such unbounding grace. "That as sin has reigned in death, even so, grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." How sin has reigned! Its mastery over the human race has been complete. Death had been the unchallenged dictator of Adam's progeny until grace appeared. And even as the reign of sin and death has had its day, so now shall grace reign through righteousness resulting in life unto all until even death itself shall be forever abolished.
Grace is able, despite the objections of men, to fully overwhelm and eradicate every vestige of sin and death imputed to men for all time. If it is not, then your Bible is untrue, for it declares, "For as in Adam ALL DIE, so also in Christ ALL SHALL BE MADE ALIVE" (1 Cor. 15:22).