Your reasoning is backwards!

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I have written a defense of the victorious gospel at http://www.dgjc.org/optimism.
I have answered objections here http://www.dgjc.org/optimism/appendix.
Here is a reprint of one of my answers for further feedback.

After sharing the good news with someone they complained...

"You are not thinking right. Your reasoning is backwards!"

I responded...

Actually it is your reasoning that is backwards. Let me explain why.

Both the Calvinist and the Arminian are guilty of reasoning from their end backward to their conclusions about salvation. They both begin by saying that it is clear that unbelieving humans are sentenced to eternal damnation. They rightly see that many passages do speak about punishment for men after death as I also agree. Yet because of misguidance, ignorance, fear, or worse they are quick to conclude that the after death punishment is eternal. (It is certainly a challenge because the English New Testament has mistranslated the word 'aion'. Yet not even this mistranslation will stop a believer in his pursuit of the truth!) They then reason backwards into their respective corners. The Calvinist foolishly claims that Christ did not die for all mankind, reasoning that otherwise people would not be in eternal Hell. The Arminian similarly boasts that their 'free will' made the difference in their salvation, reasoning that this must be the condition to God's unconditional love. I fully understand this way of thinking because sadly I thought it myself! Even more curious is that these two guys get along with each other well enough from their different corners with their different salvation recipes, as long as someone else is going to eternal damnation other than them! This backwards reasoning is foolish and has left us in morally bankrupt corners filled with fear and hypocrisy, devoid of grace! Lord willing this fight will brought to the center of the ring, so that truth will be proven.

If we would be willing to reason forward from the cross with the knowledge we have of Jesus, then we would see with open eyes and be willing to break with graceless tradition! Reasoning forward from the cross, we know that our sins were paid WHILE we were yet enemies of God. 'Free will', even if there is such a thing, has nothing to do whatsoever with our forgiveness! How could it if we were loved and forgiven WHILE we were yet enemies? Why is 'free will' praised when it is dead in the casket and six feet under? Because religion hates grace. Reasoning forward from the cross, if we claim to believe that our sins are forgiven, then we already know that the sins of all mankind are forgiven by the SAME blood of Jesus! Reasoning forward from the cross, we know that Jesus became a man, and died in the flesh for the sins of all mankind! He did not become part of a man or even half of a man to die for part of mankind! He became a whole and perfect man to atone for the sins of all mankind! Why is the supposed 'limited atonement' still ruling men with fear when it plainly contradicts Scripture? Because hypocrisy hates grace. Reasoning forward from the cross we have great reason to question the translation of 'eternal' and learn from solid study that 'aion' means 'eon' or 'age' or even 'entirity' or 'whole life'!

So it is true that we are warned that those who reject grace are NOT saved from spending an age in Hades, unless they repent. Yet the grace of God WILL nonetheless be victorious even for those punished in Hades. Want more Biblical proof? Read 1 Corinthians 15:55 (properly translated by the NKJV), "Oh death, where is your victory? Oh Hades, where is your sting?" The victorious grace of Jesus Christ has defeated both death AND Hades! Let's reason forward from the good news to the glorious future that awaits the redeemed people of God!

"'Come now, and let us reason together', says the Lord, 'Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.'" Isaiah 1:18 (NASB).

In Christ,

Jeff

[Holy-Fool-P-Zombie]

Hi, Jeff. I'll have to read the blog posts you referenced. I like the title Your reasoning is backwards!. It is a good headline that captures attention.

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I just purchased 'The Calvinist Universalist' advertised on the homepage of this forum. I notice that Terry Schwartz, a retired Wheaton Professor, makes a similar comment in the forward of the book saying, 'Calvinism and Arminianism developed their theologies upside down....'

It is an important point to make in this fight for the truth.

[Geoffrey]

Both the Calvinist and the Arminian are guilty of reasoning from their end backward to their conclusions about salvation. They both begin by saying that it is clear that unbelieving humans are sentenced to eternal damnation.

I agree. I think the scriptures themselves obviously teach universalism. What obscures this is primarily two-fold:

1. preposterous translations (such as translating the Greek for "Valley of Hinnom" as "Hell"--a pet peeve of mine)

2. being so culturally used to the "fact" of the Bible teaching eternal damnation, one literally can't read and process the clear proclamations of scripture