o l d a l | 1

Is The Entire World Saved, They Just Don’t Know

It Yet?

Published March 8, 2012 | By Cornel Marais (Charisma Ministries)

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said,

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

I have heard many people quote this verse recently. I love this verse. But

what some have been interpreting it to mean is what I am not so sure of.

So what does this verse mean? I believe it means exactly what it says.

Jesus took the sin of the entire world away. Every person who has ever

lived or will ever live, has had their sin taken away already. Forgiveness is

a choice, but it was God’s choice and He made it without your input. Now

some people are drawing the conclusion that because everybody’s sin has

been taken away already, that Jesus has thus already saved all people,

they just don’t know it yet. This is called trinitarian inclusion theology, or

historical reconciliation, and is one branch of the deceptive

universal/ultimate reconciliation theology.

They propose that since all people’s sin has been taken away, that there

is no longer anything separating people from God. Since sin caused the

problem, its removal must obviously solve the problem, right? Logical yes,

but true, I am not so sure for a number of reasons.

Reason 1: Righteousness

The historical inclusionist view proposes that since sin makes one

unrighteous, that its removal makes one righteous. And because Jesus

removed all the world’s sin, that all the world is righteous. That still makes

logical sense, but I believe there is huge difference between being

righteous due a lack of sin, and being the righteousness of God in Christ.

Mat 5:20 “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the

righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the

kingdom of heaven.

o l d a l | 2

What Jesus just said here is one of the reasons why I don’t believe

universal forgiveness = universal salvation. According to Jesus, to enter

the Kingdom of Heaven, you need righteousness, and not just a little, more

than that of the Pharisees actually. Now the Pharisees where a group of

people who made it their life’s purpose and their job to be as righteous as

possible. It was what they were known for. According to the people of the

day, the Pharisees were as righteous you can get.

Now let’s quickly get back to our no sin equation. Before the entire

world’s sin was taken away, they were fallen short, or in debt. Then Jesus

came and took it all their sin away. That cleared their debt (sin), but

cleared debt and credit (righteousness) are to different things. If you have

credit card debt and I clear it on your behalf, I have only brought your

balance to zero. You are no longer in debt, but you are also not in credit.

You are still at zero. For you to be in credit, you need to be on the positive

side of zero. You need to have loads of credit, more than that of the

Pharisees, according to Jesus. Read more on this here and also here.

So how does one go about getting more righteousness than that of the

Pharisees? Do you work as hard as you can, trying to keep all 613 laws?

Do read your Bible, pray, go to church, fast, worship, soak or evangelize

enough people? Nope. You receive the free gift of His righteousness BY

Grace THROUGH Faith. (Eph 2:8-9). Salvation comes by grace through

faith. If Jesus already included all people in salvation, then faith would be

totally useless.

Reason 2: Old vs New Creations.

When Jesus forgave the world’s sin, all the world merely became forgiven

old creations. Old creations aren’t saved, it is only new creations that are

part of the Divine family, included, adopted, and accepted. All old

creations are at zero on the credit line. They used to be on the negative

side, then the cross brought them to zero. The invitation is there for them

to freely go over into credit, into true righteousness, to become born-again

o l d a l | 3

as new creations. But as long as they don’t accept the invitation, they

don’t join in the inheritance of the saints.

Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision

avails anything, but a new creation.

Only the new creation avails anything, and that happens only IN Christ.

This is why Jesus spoke so often of being born-again. If all people have

already been saved, it means all people had to have been born-again

since birth. It would mean you were born with the Holy Spirit inside you

already. If this were true, what was the point of Pentecost? If every single

person were already saved after the cross, united with the Holy Spirit and

sealed with Him, why did the disciples only receive the Spirit 50 days after

the cross? Why is the book of Acts full of accounts of people being told to

believe in order to be saved, to become new creations? For example:

Act 16:30-25 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to

be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will

be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the

Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

2Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old

things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

New creations are only found IN Christ. The entire world has been

forgiven, but the entire world is not IN Christ. That happens by grace

through faith.

Reason 3: Faith

In my opinion, Trinitarian inclusion or historical reconciliation is merely

attempting to remove faith from the salvation invitation as mentioned

above. This means they are merely preaching the law in a very deep

undercover operation. (The law is not of faith and whatever is not of faith

is sin – Gal 3:12 & Rom 14:23).

o l d a l | 4

If faith is not necessary, then what is the point of Rom 10:17? What is

the point of even preaching? What is the point of the Great Commission? If

everybody was already saved, why didn’t Jesus just take all mankind with

Him when He ascended? What are we waiting for if all people are already

saved? Why does He want us to proclaim His good news?

Good news is not living out life in a fallen world telling people who are

already saved they are already saved, but the have to live out life on this

fallen world telling others they are already saved also. That is just dumb. If

all are already included and saved, what is the point of it all? For this exact

reason, faith was and still is an important part of the salvation invitation.

Hebr 4:2-3 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them;

but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with

faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest,

as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’

“although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”

Yes, Jesus said ‘It is finished’ and meant it. Yes, His works were done. Yes,

He forgave us all. But that good news does not profit you one single bit

when not mixed with faith. And don’t get worked up on faith either. The

smallest amount removes the largest of obstacles. It is not a work to

believe, it’s a joy!

To be continued… (But in the meantime, read my friend Paul Ellis’ post on

the same topic!)

o l d a l | 5

All Forgiven? All Saved?

(Paul Ellis) – Escape to Reality

I recently had a few discussions with people because I said I believe every

person, saved or unsaved has already had their sins forgiven. For some

reason this seems to be a tender nerve. So I want expound on my views a

little more. Imagine a scale going from -100 all the way to +100.

-100 <————————- 0 ————————-> +100

Before you got saved, where on the scale would you find yourself? Your

sins would place you in the negative part of the scale. Like with a credit

card. If you owe money, you are in the red. Then Jesus came and this was

His message:

Jer 33:8 ‘I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have

sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have

sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.

Now if Jesus came to pardon your debt, where on the scale would that put

you? At 0 or at +100? If I pay off my debt on my credit card, it means I

owe nothing but I also don’t have extra because my balance is 0.

Forgiveness also just places you at 0 on the scale. The debt of sin of the

entire world was forgiven in Christ. The entire world sits at 0. Does that

mean the entire world is saved? NO! Why not? Because 0 is not the

requirement to enter a relationship with the Father.

Mat 5:20 “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the

righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the

kingdom of heaven.

To enter into relationship with the Father you need to be at +100 on the

scale. You only get to +100 by grace through faith. All your debts have

been cleared, but without faith you don’t receive the gift of righteousness

that puts you at +100. See Rom 1:16-17. Sin was the thing that stopped

you from being able to have a relationship with the Father. Jesus came and

o l d a l | 6

dealt with sin, removing the obstacle to relationship. But just because

there is no hindrance left doesn’t mean you automatically have a

relationship now. That requires faith.

So what happens when an unbeliever dies with the forgiveness of their

sins totally provided for? Well, they die at 0. They die without relationship

with the Father.

Mat 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from

Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Eternal life is not found at 0 on the scale. If my bank balance says 0 I

cannot rest. I can only rest when my balance shows I have enough. Eternal

life is to know God! (John 17:3). That is found way over on the opposite

side of the scale in the positive end. Forgiveness, which was mercifully

provided for thousands of years before I even sinned once, brought me to

0. Now through faith the gift of righteousness has brought me to +100 and

a relationship with the Father. Is that not good news? Being on 0 is good

news, but 0 is not the entire gospel. It’s only the invitation to it! +100

however, is really good news!

Realize you are not just at 0 on the scale, you are at +100! You are the

righteousness of God in Christ! 0 doesn’t sit at the right-hand of God in

Christ (Eph 2:5-6). 0 doesn’t have every spiritual blessings in heavenly

places (Eph 1:3). 0 has not been provided with everything pertaining to

life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). 0 is not a heir of God and a joint-heir with

Christ (Rom 8:17). +100 on the other hand, HAS!

It’s time you realize where on the scale you really are…

Grace and peace be multiplied to you all!

Cornel

o l d a l | 7

Is Jesus the Savior of the World?

Paul Ellis

I know, it’s a dumb question. And yet among

Christians this question – Is Jesus the Savior of the

world? – leads to two radically different answers:

(1)    Yes – all can be saved

(2)    Yes – all are now saved

Between these two answers lies one of biggest debates raging on

Gracebook, sorry Facebook, today. It’s a debate between those who

believe in ultimate reconciliation, historical reconciliation, and, er, regular

reconciliation. (I’m not good with labels.)

I normally steer clear of Facebook debates – my heart is simply to preach

Jesus and Him crucified – but since many grace folk have been drawn in I

thought it might help to frame the issues so people can see what they are

getting into. In a series of short posts, I want to look at some of the

scriptures used to support these and similar claims (e.g., all are righteous,

all are in union with Christ). If you’re not interested, no problem. Normal

service will resume soon. But if you are interested and want to ask “What

about this scripture and that scripture?” then check out my detailed study

notes. I don’t normally publish my notes, but several people have been

asking for my views so there they are.

Why preach “the whole world is saved”?

Those who say the whole world is already saved mainly stake their claim

on the fact that Jesus was called the “Savior of the world.” That was His

title and job description. Since Jesus would not have returned to heaven

leaving the job half-done, the whole world must have been saved 2000

years ago.

o l d a l | 8

The connection between the title – “Savior of the world” – and the

conclusion – “all are now saved” – is logical but flawed. When did Jesus

save the world? It could only have happened on the cross. Yet Jesus was

known as the Savior of the world long before He died. When He was born

He was heralded as good news for all people – not just Jewish people (Lk

2:10); when He was presented in the temple Simeon recognized that He

was holding the salvation of all people (Lk 2:30-31); and to a group of

stunned Samaritans at a well He was revealed as “the Savior of the world”

(Joh 4:42).

Before Jesus had saved anyone, He was known as the Savior of the world.

In other words, Jesus was not just the Jewish Messiah, He was also

the Gentile Messiah and your Messiah, just as Isaiah had prophesied:

It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of

Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a

light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the

earth. (Isa 49:6)

Good news of great joy for all people

If you’re non-Jewish that’s a cause for celebration right there! Thank God

that He considered it too small a thing to save only Israel. Thank God that

He sent His only begotten Son because He so loved the whole world. We

take this for granted now but 2000 years ago this was big news. Paul,

Peter, and John were all struck by it. Here’s John writing about it in his first

epistle:

o l d a l | 9

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the

Savior of the world. (1 Joh 4:14)

And what does it mean to be Savior of the world? This is how John explains

it:

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for

the sins of the whole world. (1 Joh 2:2)

According to the Bible, “Savior of the world” does not necessarily mean

“all are saved.” It means Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the

whole world. Of all those who physically laid eyes on Jesus, John the

Baptist was the first to recognize this:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb

of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Joh 1:29)

Again, this was big news. Jesus hadn’t come to die solely for the Jews but

for everyone. For Paul this revelation was a mystery revealed: “Through

the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel” (Eph 3:6). Does this

mean that all are saved? Paul never says this. Instead he said that grace

only comes through faith. Since not all have faith, not all are saved. This

was Peter’s understanding as well:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven

given to men by which we must be saved. (Act 4:12)

Jesus is the Savior of the world, as Peter declared to the Sanhedrin, but we

still must be saved.

“Jesus came to save the entire world. Did He fail?”

Not at all. Jesus has provided for the salvation of the entire world. There is

nothing more He can do. Since the Greek word for save (sozo) includes

healing, one might just as easily ask, “Jesus came to heal the entire world

– did He fail?” The answer to the second question is the same as the

o l d a l | 10

answer to the first. Jesus has provided for the complete healing of every

sick person, but not everyone is healed. Similarly, the Lamb of God who

took away the sin of the world has provided for the salvation of every

sinner, but not everyone is saved. Hence Peter’s exhortation, we must be

saved.

Is it a bad idea to tell a sinner that they are saved?

You may say, “Isn’t this all just semantics? Does it really matter if we tell

sinners they’re saved or unsaved? Isn’t the main thing that they turn to

Jesus and realize what He provided for them 2000 years ago?” I think it

does matter because when you tell an unsaved person that they are

already saved, you’re sending a very different message from the one they

will hear from Jesus:

The Son of Man must be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him

may have eternal life… whoever believes in him shall not perish but have

eternal life… Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever

does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed

in the name of God’s one and only Son. (Joh 3:14-18)

Those who preach historical reconciliation read these verses and say “I

agree – we must believe to experience eternal life.” But they will disagree

with what Jesus says in verse 18. “The unbeliever is not condemned

already but saved already.” Since you can’t be condemned and saved at

the same time, you’re going to have to choose who you would listen to. My

money’s on Jesus. If He’s right then unbelievers are definitely not saved;

they are condemned. Certainly Jesus is not the one condemning them;

they condemn themselves by spurning God’s grace. But in rejecting the

Savior of the world they are rejecting the only name under heaven given

to men by which we must be saved.

As we will see in the coming weeks, the gospel is really good news for lost

people. But if the lost don’t think they’re lost, perhaps because some well-

meaning believer told them that they are already saved, then the finished

o l d a l | 11

work of the cross isn’t going to seem quite so appealing. If you think

you’re not drowning you won’t see your need for a rescuer.

Jesus and all the apostles exhorted sinners to put their faith in God and be

saved. Those who refused to come to Jesus to receive life were considered

condemned, wretched, and foolish. These are harsh words but some

people need to hear the bad news before they will appreciate the good

news. And what is the good news? That Jesus died for every condemned

and wretched fool! Everyone who believes in Jesus – whether Jew or

Gentile, foolish or wise – may have eternal life, for Jesus truly is the Savior

of the world.

It Is Finished, Or Is It?

Published March 16, 2012 | By Cornel

It Is Finished. 3 short words of which volumes can be written about

expounding on the finished work of cross. Yet, these 3 short words are not

beyond context, and as such, if taken out of context, volumes can be

written that no longer remain true.

Unfortunately, I find the latter case in point becoming more prevalent

recently. These 3 words form one of the starting blocks from which

proponents of historical reconciliation or trinitarianism teach that all

mankind was saved at the cross. Just recently I heard a video message

from one such proponent saying exactly this: ‘Are all people saved? Yes.

Some just don’t know it yet.’ Since I am usually accused of

misunderstanding what they are saying, I highly doubt I misunderstood

that line.

They argue that because Jesus proclaimed “It is finished”, that as a result,

salvation had already been accomplished completely, resulting in all

mankind being saved whether they know about it or not. That sounds very

nice, but is it true? I can’t help but ask the question, what was actually

finished?

o l d a l | 12

Was salvation a finished work at the time when Jesus said ‘It Is Finished’?

To answer that simply, I would have to say no, it wasn’t. Salvation involves

the unification of fallen man with Christ in his death, burial and

resurrection (Rom 6:4, Col 2:12) through faith, resulting in the rebirth

of a new creation, a redeemed man in right relationship with God. At the

time when Jesus cried out ‘It is finished’ he had not yet died, nor had He

been buried and He certainly had not yet been resurrected. Since none of

those essential provisions for salvation had been provided or

accomplished completely at that time, I do not believe Jesus was taking

about salvation when he made His declaration.

So what was finished? To bring context to the whole matter, Jesus’

declaration was signaling the end of the Old Covenant, the end of the old

way God related to people through laws and regulations. Jesus even

prophesied the fulfillment of the law in Matt 5:17, and Paul makes further

reference to the law being nailed to the cross in Col 2:14. That is also

why at the exact same time the curtain in the temple tore from top to

bottom (John 19:30 & Matt 27:50-51), making the holy of holies, the

presence of God Himself accessible to all people.

Had Jesus cried out ‘It Is Finished’ when He awoke in the tomb 3 days

later, I might have been inclined to agree with the assumption that

salvation was a finished work. Now I do believe 100% that salvation is a

complete package, that man’s effort can in no way improve upon it, add to

it, or qualify him for it, (Eph 2:8-9), but as I see it, from that point on

salvation started, not ended! When Jesus arose that glorious morning His

whole existence and being shouted ‘It has begun!’ The new way of life

(Rom 6:4), a better covenant based on better blessings (Heb 8:6),

adoption available to all who choose to be adopted into God’s own family

and household!

Then He went to His disciples and told them to go tell all people

everywhere that heaven has flung open its pearly gates and all who desire

to enter are welcome. Not as mere visitors, but as fully-fledged residents

o l d a l | 13

with all the same rights as Christ Himself (Rom 8:17). All they need to do

to enter is to believe in Jesus (John 6:40).

Ah, the faith-catch. Some love to say that this makes it sound like

salvation is dependant on human faith. If salvation was dependant on

human faith, nobody would ever be saved in my opinion, and I believe God

knew this too. For that reason He gave to each man the measure of faith

(Rom 12:3), His own faith, in order that each man would have the

necessary faith if they choose to use it. Now that is good news! Not only

has your application to heavenly residency been pre-approved, God has

supplied you with the application fee too! All that remains is you

answering the door (Rev 3:20) and to let heaven take up residency in

you! Jesus isn’t kicking doors down without our knowledge. He is knocking.

Why? Because of choice.

Choice, is also a greatly debated word. Choice to me is always better

news than no choice. The historical reconciliation crowd argues strongly

for no choice, which I don’t think is good news. There is no freedom in not

being able to choose. Democracy beats out communism simply because of

choice. No choice means no freedom. When Adam sinned, we had no

choice in the matter, we were automatically condemned because of his

actions. Now some are saying that because Jesus’ work is greater than

that of Adam’s that we are, as a result, also saved without choice and

therefore all men are saved already, whether they know it or not.

To some that might sound like good news, but it really isn’t. Salvation is

not merely an event in time. Salvation is a living relationship with the

Father through Jesus. Relationship is a 2 way street. If eternal life is

knowing God (John 17:3), then not knowing Him is not eternal life. So if

you’re apparently saved but you don’t know it, you really aren’t saved

because salvation involves experientially knowing God. God gave all

mankind the option of choosing to get to know Him (Tit 2:11). His grace

appeared to all, but it has not been received by all.

o l d a l | 14

To me, choice is actually what makes Jesus’ work even better than first

Adam’s. In first Adam we had no choice. Jesus, second Adam, is the one

who brought us choice, the option to choose to end our former state of

having no choice. To a man without choice, the option to choose is a game

changer! Choice is always great news!

Grace and Peace!

Cornel

o l d a l | 15

Forgiven, Reconciled, and Saved?

Paul

The world sure is a strange place. Just when

you think you’ve seen everything, something

new hits you on the side of the head. When I

was growing up, the number one theological

question was this one: “Once saved, always

saved?” People who asked this question

wanted to know whether it is possible for a Christian to lose their

salvation. Well if bullfrogs and butterflies can turn back into tad-poles and

caterpillars, then I guess it’s possible. 

But now there’s a whole new question being asked, which is this: Is

everybody saved? Many are saying yes: “Jesus is the Savior of the world.

Therefore everyone is already saved, they just don’t know it.” Now before

you write this off as universalist heresy, let me add that those who preach

this brand of historical reconciliation do not believe everyone is going to

heaven. It’s just that everyone is in until unbelief kicks them out.

Since this is a popular teaching today, I think it would be good for us to

take a closer look. Let’s start with an oft-heard statement:

“All are forgiven, reconciled, and saved.”

To these three points I respond: (1) it’s true (we are forgiven), (2) it’s sort

of true (God has reconciled the world but you still need to be reconciled),

and (3) it’s not true (not all are saved).

o l d a l | 16

You are forgiven

The reason why forgiveness is a done deal and salvation is not, is because

forgiveness is a game that requires only one player. God doesn’t need

your permission to forgive you. In our puny human minds we find this hard

to grasp because we are not natural forgivers. We keep long records of

wrong done to us. But God is not like us. He loves us with an unconditional

love. He forgives us without any regard for our behavior and in accordance

with the riches of His grace (Eph 1:7). Agape-love keeps no record of

wrongs which is why God can choose to remember our sins no more. This

is wonderful news! When you know His forgiveness, you are empowered to

forgive yourself and others.

I have written more about forgiveness than just about any other aspect of

God’s grace, so if you need further convincing that you are eternally

forgiven, start with this post.

You are reconciled; be reconciled

Reconciliation, unlike forgiveness, is a two-player game. Both sides need

to play. Consider the husband who wishes to be reconciled with his

estranged wife. He loves her with an unconditional love that keeps no

o l d a l | 17

record of wrongs. In his mind there is no hurt or offense that has not been

forgiven and forgotten. So in his love he has come to the table of

reconciliation declaring that all is well from his side. Would you say they

have been reconciled? Well that depends on the wife. Unless she chooses

to be reconciled, there is no reconciliation.

Now let’s imagine that the wife is so damaged by an unhappy childhood

that she unfairly projects her brokenness onto him. Even though he is a

perfect gentleman and beyond reproach, in her mind her husband is an

angry and violent man. This is how fallen humanity relates to our loving

Father in heaven. Even though God has been unfailingly good to us, in our

fallen state we think the worst of Him. We imagine Him to be angry and

violent.

For as long as we are separated from the life and love of God by our

imagined offenses, are we reconciled? Of course not. If the man in our

story went around telling others that he and his wife were reconciled –

even as she continued living with another man – they would think he was

nuts. Yet this is exactly the message that many are preaching.

Has the world been reconciled to God? Paul’s answer was “Yes and no.”

From God’s side, reconciliation is an historical event. “All this is from God,

who reconciled us to Himself through Christ…” (2 Cor 5:18). God has

come to us with open arms. He holds nothing against us – not our sins, not

our past, not anything. “While we were still sinners Christ died for us (Rom

5:8). Glory to God!

However, there is no reconciliation in fact unless we respond to His

overtures. Hence Paul’s exhortation, “We implore you on Christ’s behalf:

Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). God loves the world so much that He

came and died for us. His heart yearns for the lost and broken. He does

not want an historical reconciliation that is not presently true. He wants

His kids!

o l d a l | 18

Those who preach historical reconciliation argue that fallen man’s

estrangement is based on a lie. Men fear God needlessly and I agree. God

is not angry with us. He really does love us. And it is certainly not wrong to

preach that God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ since this is

what Paul preached. But with equal passion we must also preach the other

side, as Paul also did: We implore you – be reconciled to God.

Are you saved?

I’ve heard some claim that the whole world is saved as if this declaration

would somehow cause the unsaved to come to their senses and start

acting saved. So far I haven’t seen that happen. The Father loved the

prodigal at all points in the story, but he never chased his son into the city

telling him “You’re mine! Come home.” If he had, his cries would have

fallen on deaf ears. Now the son was the son for the entire story, but

separated from his dad he was very much a lost son. He wasn’t “saved”

until he turned back and found himself in his father’s embrace.

So is the whole world saved or isn’t it? Well if the answer is yes, then why

are there so many scriptures indicating that God wants us to be saved (1

Tim 2:4) and that He now commands people everywhere to repent (Acts

17:30) and believe in the name of His Son (1 Joh 3:23) in order

to be saved (Mk 16:16), etc. By my count there more than two dozen

scriptures specifically exhorting people to be saved and literally hundreds

more exhorting them to repent, believe, receive, have faith, trust in God,

etc.

As far as I can tell, there is not one verse in the Bible that categorically

says all humanity was saved at the cross. Certainly, Jesus has provided for

our salvation – His is a finished work. Certainly it is the Father’s will that all

should be saved and that none should perish. But His is not the only will in

the equation. It takes two people to make a relationship and this is why

the New Testament writers repeatedly say that all are not saved. I don’t

have time to delve deeper here, but if you’re interested or are wondering

o l d a l | 19

about a particular scripture, I encourage you to check out my easy-to-read

study notes.

So what?

Does it really matter if we tell unbelievers that they were reconciled and

saved 2000 years ago? It surely does! I have heard those who preach

historical reconciliation say, “Jesus has established a relationship with all

of us.” This is simply not true. Although He surely desires it, Jesus has no

relationship with those who are “darkened in their understanding and

separated from the life of God” (Eph 4:18). The light of men has come

into the world but some men prefer the darkness.

If Jesus had a relationship with everyone, why would Paul exhort us to

preach the message of reconciliation? Why would John proclaim “what we

have seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us and the

Father and the Son”? What kind of husband are we portraying when we

tell sinners that Jesus married them without their knowledge or

permission?

Tell a sinner that they are saved and already in a relationship with Jesus

and they will look at you sideways. As far as they are concerned, Jesus is

not a part of their life. So don’t tell them that

He is. Instead tell them that the Lover of their

Souls is standing outside their door holding a

big bunch of flowers, knocking, and waiting to

be invited it. They may hesitate in the belief

that God is angry with them or wants them to

get their lives sorted out before they come

home, but it’s not true! Their heavenly Father

longs for them with unconditional love and

eternal forgiveness in His heart. He has already

shown us His love through the cross and countless other ways. Now He

waits to see how we will respond. Will we stay in the pig pen? Will we

o l d a l | 20

come to Him looking for a job? Or will we lose ourselves only to find our

true selves in His wonderful embrace?

o l d a l | 21

Did All Die with Christ? (And what does it   matter?) Paul Ellis

One of the most profound revelations of the

gospel is that “I have been crucified with Christ

and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal

2:20). Watchman Nee called it the Gospel for

Christians: “The self you loathe is there on the

Cross in Christ.”

If the average believer could grasp hold of this

truth – I died – half of our church programs would end immediately. We

would stop trying to reform the old man because the old man is dead. He

no longer lives! Instead of coming together to work on our flesh or improve

our lives, we would be free to go tell our neighbors about the One who

offers usHis life. Instead of praying for revival, we would be revival.

And if all of us did that, who knows what might happen.

Sadly, though, since most Christians don’t know they have died, they

waste their lives trying to nail themselves to crosses. Jesus died once for

all but they die daily. Instead of reckoning themselves dead to sin, they

are trying to throttle the sin in them and it’s a flesh trip. Whether you

indulge the flesh or whip the flesh you are walking in the flesh. It profits

nothing.

Screwtape writes again

If you wanted to keep Christians ineffective in their witness, there are two

lies you could preach: (1) Make them believe that they haven’t died with

Christ, or (2) make them believe that everyone has died – believer and

unbeliever alike. Fifty years ago, in the time of Watchman Nee, the first lie

was prominent. But look at the discussions lighting up Facebook today and

you will see plenty of evidence of the second: Humanity died with Christ.

o l d a l | 22

Humanity has been raised with Christ. Not everyone knows it, but

humanity is now in union with Christ.

This is a faith-killing message that does nothing to draw the unbeliever

into a relationship with the Author of Life. It extinguishes fires that God

has lit in the souls of the restless by preaching false peace and it mocks

repentance as a dirty work. This seductive message is turning young

firebrands and dear friends into candy-floss sellers and I hate that.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about and you’re thinking, My old man

is dead? Really? He no longer lives? then go read this post from last year.

It’ll bless your socks off. But if, like me, you are questioning the idea that

humanity is now in union with Christ, I encourage you to examine the

scriptures. To assist you, I have just uploaded Part 2 of my study series on

the Doctrine of Inclusion, entitled “Was Humanity Raised with Christ?” You

may not agree with my conclusions, but in my notes you will find most of

the scriptures that figure in this debate. In today’s post, I want to look at

just one:

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died

for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no

longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. (2

Cor 5:14-15, NKJV)

Who died?

Some interpret Paul’s words – all died – as universally true, meaning the

entire Adamic race died on the cross in Christ. They note that the word

“all” is used three times in this passage and on two of those occasions it

literally means “all people.” So it makes sense to interpret the third “all” in

the same way. All means all.

Or does it?

Paul’s point is that Jesus died as our representative, the righteous for the

unrighteous.  Three times in two verses he highlights the vicarious nature

of Christ’s death: “One died for all… He died for all…. Him who died for

o l d a l | 23

them.” So who died? Jesus died – just one person. Paul says so three

times. But the redemptive benefits of this one death are for all:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now

crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the

grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Heb 2:9)

Jesus tasted death for everyone. He died so that all of us might be set free

from sin and death and raised to new life.

So why does Paul say all died?

The benefits of Christ’s representative death are freely available to all but

not everyone experiences those benefits. What are the benefits?

…anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with

Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since

Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has

mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the

life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to

sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Rom 6:7-11)

The benefits of Christ’s representative death are not experienced in the

lives of unbelievers. Unbelievers are not free from sin and living with Jesus.

Neither are they dead to sin and alive to God. Paul is saying that Christ’s

representative death applies to those who have faith in His representation,

meaning all believers. All of you died. I died, you died, we died. None of us

need wrestle with the old man any longer. This interpretation is the only

one that is consistent with Paul’s other letters:

All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.

(Rom 6:3)

Water baptism is a burial service. When we go under we’re not drowning

the old man – he already died with Christ – we are expressing our faith in

the finished work of the cross. We are saying, “I trust Jesus. He died for

me. His death is my death too.” These are not the sorts of things you will

o l d a l | 24

hear an unbeliever say. And that’s the one limitation of a representative

death: it only applies to those who wish to be represented.

The wisdom of idol-worshippers

I lived in Asia for 15 years. In many Asian countries, if you give your life to

Jesus and start attending church, it’s no big deal. Your superstitious, idol-

worshipping parents probably won’t have a problem with it. But the

moment you start making plans to get water baptized, watch out! Now

you’re crossing a line.

In the East, faith without deeds is considered dead. So by all means

preach universal salvation and write on Facebook that all died and are now

in union with Christ. There’s plenty of room for passive ideology in the

Buddhist/Taoist pantheon. But the moment you start to act on your faith,

say, by getting water baptized, you will run hard into opposition. Many of

the Chinese believers that I baptized went into the water against their

family’s wishes.

Do you see the point? As far as the idol-worshippers are concerned,

something that happened 2000 years ago is of no consequence unless you

identify with it today. They seem to understand better than we do that

grace unmixed with faith is worthless (Heb 4:2).

Preachin’ for a verdict

If Jesus had not challenged people to repent and believe the gospel, He

would not have been tortured and killed. If He had preached, “It’s all cool,

God loves you, hang loose – wait for Paul, He’ll explain it better than I

can,” then the Pharisees would not have opposed Him with such violence.

But Jesus preached for a verdict. “Who do you say I am?”

Jesus wanted people to trust Him because those who don’t are condemned

(Joh 3:18). Unbelievers have not crossed over from death to life (Joh 5:24).

In 2 Corinthians, Paul compared two kinds

of people: (1) those who have died and

now live and (2) those who are perishing.

o l d a l | 25

We who have died and now live with Christ have a wonderful message for

those who are perishing: Now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day

of salvation – not yesterday, not 2000 years ago, but today.

o l d a l | 26

What was Last Adam’s Greater   Work? Paul Ellis @ 8:57 am 

The history of the world, as told by some people, runs

like this: Adam disobeyed God and as a result brought

death to all mankind, but Jesus came and put

everything back the way it was. This sort of thinking

puts Adam and his everyday sin on the same level of

Christ and His incomparable gift.

What was Jesus’ greater work? In my last post I argued that the common

answer to this question – Jesus made everyone alive – is dead wrong. I

provided a few reasons as to why this is so but if you need more, I

encourage you to look at my study notes on Romans 5:12-21. I don’t

normally publish my notes, but since this passage of scripture is such an

important and misread set of verses, I have made an exception. Much of

what follows comes straight from these notes.

Jesus did not come from heaven to earth simply to resurrect the corpse of

humanity and repair Adam’s sin. Certainly, Jesus did right Adam’s wrong,

but if that was all He did, then His wouldn’t be a greater work and Jesus

wouldn’t be the Great Redeemer. He would just be a cosmic Mr. Fix-It.

So in what sense did Jesus do a greater work than Adam? For the sake of

convenience, I shall reduce the splendor and majesty of His finished work

to three words beginning with R. I appreciate that much wonder will be

lost in doing so but I trust you will see past my clumsiness, be inspired,

and then ask the Holy Spirit to fill in the rest of the picture.

What did Jesus accomplish on our behalf?

1. Redemption: The guilty verdict has been over-turned. In Adam we

were branded sinners but in Christ we are declared righteous. We are no

longer counted with the condemned but are numbered with the justified.

Satan has nothing to accuse us of and God remembers our sins no more.

Happy is the man whose sin the Lord never counts against him (Ps 32:2). If

o l d a l | 27

you would know how much better the gift is than the trespass, then go ask

someone on death row whether they would prefer freedom to captivity.

How did He do it? When you put your trust in Christ, He gave you a

glorious new past – His past. You were included in His death on the cross

severing all ties with your old man (Rom 6:6). The person you used to be is

dead and gone along with your sin and any relationship you had with the

law (Ps 103:12, Rom 7:6). The world as you knew it is no more (Gal 6:14).

Your old sources of identity and security have been replaced with

something infinitely better and your past has never looked so good!

2. Resurrection: You have been raised to new life. This is not more of the

same; it is brand new zoe-life. Now Christ is your life (Col 3:4).

How did He do it? If we died with Him we shall live with Him. He has given

us His life which includes His acceptance (Eph 1:6), His faith (Gal 2:20), His

Spirit (Rom 8:11), His righteousness (Rms 1:17), His holiness (1 Cor 1:3),

indeed, His eternal perfection (Heb 10:4). As He is so are you in this world

(1 Jn 4:17), so obviously you do not have a sinful nature. You are not one

person on Sunday and another on Monday. Sure, you can still walk after

the flesh and reap what you sow, but you are not defined by what you do.

And when you do sin, you have a mighty Advocate who speaks to the

Father on your behalf (1 Jn 2:1).

3. Reigning: The grace cure is greater than the disease. One sin cell

infected the human race with the fatal condition of sinfulness; grace not

only cures us it inoculates us against re-infection. We have been made

new. We have been rewired to resist sin and please the Father. Grace

doesn’t just remove all traces of past sins, it empowers us to sin no more!

Grace is both favor and divine influence through the Holy Spirit. We are

not just freed captives; we are kings and priests called to reign with Him.

This is not some reference to the hereafter for Paul says we will “reign in

life” (Rom 5:17) meaning here and now. Through the power of the Spirit

we can reign over forms of death such as sickness and all the things that

lead to sickness (e.g., bitterness, unforgiveness). We are no longer

victims; we are more than conquerors through Him who called us.

o l d a l | 28

How did He do it? Jesus has not returned us to the Garden, He has taken

us to Heaven (Eph 2:6)! From the position of rest we rule and reign with

Him here on Earth.

Happy Easter!

Jesus did a complete number on us. His act of obedience dealt with our

past (redemption), our present (resurrection life) and our future (reigning

with Him). If anyone is in Christ, he is a completely new creature. The old

Adamic way of life has gone. Since redemption always leaves you better

than you started, the brand new zoe-life we now have in Christ is infinitely

superior to the lonely and unaided life experienced by unfallen Adam. This

is the greater work Jesus has done. Unfallen Adam tried to rule alone and

failed. We get to reign with Christ forever and ever.