Why preach the gospel?

[ClementofA]

Christians have told me that if they thought universalism is true, then they would no longer see any need to evangelize. Here is the proper response in my view. Sin still separates us from God and there is still a Hell to flee and a Heaven to gain. So the Gospel retains its urgency because an indefinite period of postmortem separation from God in some sort of Hell is horrible to contemplate and should be avoided at all costs, even if ultimate release is possible or inevitable.

(ECT = refers to someone who opines that the bible teaches Eternal Conscious Torments)

In 5 point ECT Calvinism what is the urgency to preach the gospel? If all of the elect will be saved no matter what & all of the nonelect will be lost no matter what, then there is no urgency to preach the gospel.

In ECT Arminianism what is the urgency to preach the gospel? Will Love Omnipotent damn to ECT anyone who never heard?

Do you think those who never heard the Gospel will go to this "Hell" you speak of? If so, for how long? Will those who never heard be better off than those who heard & rejected the Gospel?

Does much evangelizing cause more harm than good? Yes. How many millions reject the Gospel because it is associated with a being who tortures billions forever or annihilates them into endless nonexistence? Hundreds of millions?

Are those who profess Christ only out of fear & for fire insurance really saved?

What are the statistics on those who profess Christ & later renounce Christianity?

As to evangelizing, IMO that's a good idea if you are led to do so or are called to be an evangelist. Are all evangelists? No.

So why evangelize? Because Christ commanded it. Which is the same answer a Calvinist gave me.

In Catholicism & Eastern Orthodoxy is there an urgency to preach the Gospel or send missionaries to the jungles of Africa? Or is it more a case of evangelizing the world without preaching & by one's life?

Universalist Jason Pratt shares the Gospel message:

https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/unique_proof_for_universalism.html

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Too bad the universalists named so far , in this thread and others, don't know Jesus nor preach the truth. They don't live, know nor share the Gospel GOOD NEWS of JESUS so others might be saved from their sin - instead, encouraging to go on living in sin, contrary to all Scripture.

 

[Chinchilla]

Too bad the universalists named so far , in this thread and others, don't know Jesus nor preach the truth. They don't live, know nor share the Gospel GOOD NEWS of JESUS so others might be saved from their sin - instead, encouraging to go on living in sin, contrary to all Scripture.

What are the good news of Jesus?

 

[Not David]

(ECT = refers to someone who opines that the bible teaches Eternal Conscious Torments)

In 5 point ECT Calvinism what is the urgency to preach the gospel? If all of the elect will be saved no matter what & all of the nonelect will be lost no matter what, then there is no urgency to preach the gospel.

In ECT Arminianism what is the urgency to preach the gospel? Will Love Omnipotent damn to ECT anyone who never heard?

Do you think those who never heard the Gospel will go to this "Hell" you speak of? If so, for how long? Will those who never heard be better off than those who heard & rejected the Gospel?

Does much evangelizing cause more harm than good? Yes. How many millions reject the Gospel because it is associated with a being who tortures billions forever or annihilates them into endless nonexistence? Hundreds of millions?

Are those who profess Christ only out of fear & for fire insurance really saved?

What are the statistics on those who profess Christ & later renounce Christianity?

As to evangelizing, IMO that's a good idea if you are led to do so or are called to be an evangelist. Are all evangelists? No.

So why evangelize? Because Christ commanded it. Which is the same answer a Calvinist gave me.

In Catholicism & Eastern Orthodoxy is there an urgency to preach the Gospel or send missionaries to the jungles of Africa? Or is it more a case of evangelizing the world without preaching & by one's life?

Universalist Jason Pratt shares the Gospel message:

https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/unique_proof_for_universalism.html

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

 

[ViaCrucis]

The Gospel is the power of God to salvation, as the Apostle says:

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God to save all who believe, the Jew first and also the Gentile." - Romans 1:16

-CryptoLutheran

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Revelation 1:1-7 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
1 This is the revelation which God gave

to Yeshua the Messiah,

so that he could show his servants what must happen very soon.

He communicated it by sending his angel to his servant Yochanan, 2 who bore witness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah, as much as he saw.

3 Blessed are the reader and hearers of the words of this prophecy,

provided they obey the things written in it! For the time is near!

4 From: Yochanan

To: The seven Messianic communities in the province of Asia:

Grace and shalom to you from the One who is, who was and who is coming; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Yeshua the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the earth’s kings.

To him, the one who loves us, who has freed us from our sins at the cost of his blood, 6 who has caused us to be a kingdom, that is, cohanim for God, his Father — to him be the glory and the rulership forever and ever. Amen.

7 Look! He is coming with the clouds!a]">[a]
Every eye will see him,
including those who pierced him;
and all the tribes of the Land will mourn him.b]">[b]

Yes! Amen!

Footnotes:

1. Revelation 1:7 Daniel 7:13
2. Revelation 1:7 Zechariah 12:10–14

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.

What are the good news of Jesus?

 

[bcbsr]

(ECT = refers to someone who opines that the bible teaches Eternal Conscious Torments)

In 5 point ECT Calvinism what is the urgency to preach the gospel? If all of the elect will be saved no matter what & all of the nonelect will be lost no matter what, then there is no urgency to preach the gospel.

In ECT Arminianism what is the urgency to preach the gospel? Will Love Omnipotent damn to ECT anyone who never heard?

Do you think those who never heard the Gospel will go to this "Hell" you speak of? If so, for how long? Will those who never heard be better off than those who heard & rejected the Gospel?

Does much evangelizing cause more harm than good? Yes. How many millions reject the Gospel because it is associated with a being who tortures billions forever or annihilates them into endless nonexistence? Hundreds of millions?

Are those who profess Christ only out of fear & for fire insurance really saved?

What are the statistics on those who profess Christ & later renounce Christianity?

As to evangelizing, IMO that's a good idea if you are led to do so or are called to be an evangelist. Are all evangelists? No.

So why evangelize? Because Christ commanded it. Which is the same answer a Calvinist gave me.

In Catholicism & Eastern Orthodoxy is there an urgency to preach the Gospel or send missionaries to the jungles of Africa? Or is it more a case of evangelizing the world without preaching & by one's life?

Universalist Jason Pratt shares the Gospel message:

https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/unique_proof_for_universalism.html

First of all Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone else. (Read Luke 16 for example)

Secondly you don't seem to understand why people go to hell. People go to hell not as innocent victims but rather it's a matter of God's judicial nature being satisfied in light of their sin.

Now as for the eternal nature of sin, even if you couldn't bring yourself to embrace the idea that any sin has consequences which are eternal, consider this. I'm watching a Netflix video of a guy who went to prison for robbery to support his drug habit. But while he was in prison he continued to commit more crimes, and so his sentence was increased all the way up to the death penalty. What's to prevent those in hell from continuing to commit sin and thus ever increasing their sentence? People are not good.

The gospel is the only escape from the eternal consequences of sin. But it's of grace an not of obligation on God's part. If people hadn't had an opportunity to hear, that doesn't free them from the consequences of their sin.

 

[Doulos 7]

We preach the gospel simply because are commanded to (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16)! And Jesus told us the consequences of not doing so, "but he who does not obey the son, the wrath of God abides in him."
Friends, I see no point in debating on this topic, it is what could be called a waste of time! In reality people are making so many excuses as to why they feel like they are pardoned from saving souls! But all of our excuses are truly fruitless in the end!

 

[Anto9us]

In ECT Arminianism what is the urgency to preach the gospel? Will Love Omnipotent damn to ECT anyone who never heard?

I don't know that ECT is part of Arminianism. Among Arminians you may find ECTers, you may find Annihilationists, you may find Universalists, soul sleepers, etc.

Love Omnipotent would not damn someone who never heard -- their judgement would be just, but based on what I do not know.

The only commentators/theologians that I have read who are Universalists are William Barclay and Jan Bonda.

 

[Anto9us]

https://www.amazon.com/One-Purpose-God-Doctrine-Punishment/dp/0802841864

https://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/barclay1.html

 

[Anto9us]

Whose quote is the leadoff block in the OP -- is it yours, Clement, or someone else's?

 

[ClementofA]

We preach the gospel simply because are commanded to (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16)! And Jesus told us the consequences of not doing so, "but he who does not obey the son, the wrath of God abides in him."
Friends, I see no point in debating on this topic, it is what could be called a waste of time! In reality people are making so many excuses as to why they feel like they are pardoned from saving souls! But all of our excuses are truly fruitless in the end!

Those words in those verses were not spoken to you. So what gives you the idea that - you - should be preaching the gospel? Are you an evangelist? Are all evangelists? No.

If you are preaching when Christ does not want you to preach, you are not obeying Him, but disobeying Him.

 

[Doulos 7]

Those words in those verses were not spoken to you. So what gives you the idea that - you - should be preaching the gospel? Are you an evangelist? Are all evangelists? No.

If you are preaching when Christ does not want you to preach, you are not obeying Him, but disobeying Him.

Attention to all! We should'nt spread the good news of Jesus' death! We need to stay silent and not evangelize all because one man (@ClementofA) decides that we should not! Does that sound like a soul winning, Christ like spirit? Those words were spoken to the apostles who told others to do the same! Philip in Acts 8 was not an apostle and yet he was evangelizing!
I am preaching Christ, and believe me, He wants me to because He told me to!

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

Dang you got us! We've never thought about that before.

We were wrong...

 

[Doulos 7]

Dang you got us! We've never thought about that before.

We were wrong...

Who are you talking to?

 

[Doulos 7]

Dang you got us! We've never thought about that before.

We were wrong...

Who are you talking to?

 

[ClementofA]

The gospel is the only escape from the eternal consequences of sin. But it's of grace an not of obligation on God's part. If people hadn't had an opportunity to hear, that doesn't free them from the consequences of their sin.

There are those who make similar arguments, e.g. Calvin, for the eternal damnation to endless torments of infants.

If it's all of grace, then all of the elect will be saved no matter what & all of the nonelect will be lost no matter what, then there is no urgency to preach the gospel.

God is obligated by His nature, which is love, & by the death of Christ for the sins of the world, & His justice which is in opposition to being one who tortures anyone forever against their will for finite momentary sins.

https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/unique_proof_for_universalism.html

 

[ClementofA]

Whose quote is the leadoff block in the OP -- is it yours, Clement, or someone else's?

Someone else's:

https://forum.evangelicaluniversalist.com/t/practical-barriers-to-universalism/13249/5

 

[Anto9us]

I have never been to that board, but the thread there mentioned the Patheos site - I do read blogs from there, especially by the Arminian author Roger Olson - never seen Universalist stuff there, there may be some, I dunno

 

[Anto9us]

Some are called to be evangelists, all are instructed to "be ready to give a reason of the hope that lies in us" to anybody. How long hell lasts, and whether you can ever get out of it ,doesn't trump the idea that you don't want people to go there.

I am not sold on the "perpetuity" aspect of ECT because "unto ages of ages" is the Greek clause that has been translated into English - "forever and ever", and I want to be as literal as possible to

εἰς αἰών αἰών

and other phrases