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Every Knee Shall Bow: Was Paul a Universalist?

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Here’s a verse to fire the imagination: It is written: “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.” (Rom. 14:11) What picture comes to your mind when you read these words? Some see this verse as pointing to universal salvation. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:13), and this verse says everyone will acknowledge God.” Could it be true that the Apostle Paul was a universalist? Before you answer that, here are three things to consider. First, calling on the name of the Lord is not the same as acknowledging God. One is an appeal – “God have mercy on me! Jesus save me!” The other is merely an acknowledgement. Even the demons acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God (Matt. 8:29). Are demons saved? Of course not. Paul is saying that when the Lord returns, everyone will acknowledge and bow before God. Like turning one’s eyes away from the midday sun, it will be impossible not to. When God shows up in glory, BAM! Our knees will buckle. The second problem is the context: In Romans 14 Paul is not discussing [...]

The Myth of Exclusionism

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I know what you’re thinking. “Clear my diary because I’ve been waiting for someone to write about exclusionism. Finally!” No, you’re probably not thinking that at all. You’re thinking, “What’s exclusionism?” Exclusionism, in the context of grace, is a myth, a yeti. It’s a fake gospel. And apparently, I have been preaching it for years. Since I have been in the habit of warning people about the dangers of inclusionism, some have taken to calling me an exclusionist. At first, I had no idea what they were talking about. “Paul, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What are inclusionism and exclusionism?” They’re a pair of yetis. One is a counterfeit gospel; the other is a strawman. Inclusionism teaches that humanity was included in Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension. In other words, every one of us was “in Christ” when he went to the cross. Humanity, whether we believe it or not, is now seated in heavenly places in Christ. I find this hard to swallow, especially since the Apostle Paul spoke of people being in Christ before him (Romans 16:7). Inclusionism: Jesus carried all of humanity on the cross Exclusionism: Jesus carried some of humanity on the cross The [...]

Understanding Revelation 20: Satan and the lake of fire.

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Did you know that when Jesus was referring to the worms that do not die and fires that do not end were referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and not hell? Mark 9:48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ Now look at this. Isaiah 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Jesus was quoting the massacre of the Jews during the Babylonian attacks. He was saying it will happen again when the Romans attack Jerusalem.

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