Are You A Universalist? What Is A Universalist?

Did you happen to read the newspaper column by Cal Thomas last week? It referred to some comments made by President Bush in an interview with Al Arabiya television. In that interview, our president made the statement:

"I believe in Almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian or any other religion, prays to the same God." He went on to say, "I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality."

Thomas reacted by writing, "The central doctrine of the Christian faith is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for sinners and by repenting of sin and accepting Christ as Savior, one is 'saved' and is guaranteed a home in Heaven. Muslims do not believe God had a son and, therefore, no atonement for sin is necessary."

I would be interested in how you react to both the words of the president and Mr. Thomas.

The comments of both men take us back to the age-old question, "Can a man be saved and inherit eternal life through any other means than through faith in Jesus Christ?" The Muslims deny the divinity of Jesus Christ. Yet, "salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we may be saved" (Acts 4:12). The scripture is pretty plain.

If you are a universalist, then do we really pray to the same God? Does God have different requirements and expectations for different creeds? Or was our president attempting to be inclusive and say to the Muslims, we respect your beliefs even though we do not embrace them?

Mr. Thomas concluded his article with the following statement: "No Christian who believes the Bible believes in universalism. And no Muslim who believes the Koran does either."

I know we must be tolerant of other faiths — even though, when I was a kid, the only ones getting into Heaven had to believe like me — but I wonder how healthy it is for the church to become so inclusive and accepting that, in our preaching and teaching, we fail to draw a very important line in the sand that cannot and will not be compromised — namely, faith in Jesus Christ.

From our Sunday school days, we memorized a lovely verse. For God (whose God?) so loved the world (what world?) that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever (anyone?) believes (accepts) in Him (God's only Son) shall not perish (be lost), but have eternal (live in heaven with God) life (forever!). I wonder what President Bush was really saying?

If you have a minute, let me know your thinking. Just use the comment option below this post.

Be blessed and be a blessing.

Comments

[JonKershner]

I was appalled when I first heard the quote from President Bush. I could not believe what I had heard. I pray you are right that he was merely trying to be inclusive of the Muslim community, but I think he went too far. I am not a universalist. I am much more in agreement with Mr. Thomas' remarks.

I do not believe Muslims and Christians worship the same God. While it is true that "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God," and thus Arabic speaking Christians call God, "Allah," the god of Islam is another creature entirely. (And I do mean "creature" as opposed to the Creator.)

Thank you for this post, and for your ministry to pastors. We need you! God bless!

[Robert E. Malone]

Hello,

Thanks for the information you posted. I was not aware of the comments that our President had made and frankly I don't follow very much of what he says anymore. It does not surprise me to hear that he said those things...I pray that he is saved but I don't know that he knows a great deal about salvation and how one is saved.
I am a born-again, Bible believing, John 3:16 believing, teaching, and preaching child of the King pastor.
Pastor Bob

[Warren Lamb]

The President's statement shocked me. It also recalibrated my view of this man who has been leading our nation for the last 6-1/2 almost 7 years. If he is this deceived about something so essential to the faith he purports to have, where else has he been taken captive?

[Rev. Michael L. Rexroad]

It saddens me to hear the president say such things. I realize he is presiding during difficult times when religion is a world-war issue (as it was in WWI and WWII if we are honest about it). But saying the Muslim god and the Christian God are the same is blasphemy. World peace comes through Christ, not by being politically correct, even in dangerous times.

[Bruce Carl Aronson]

Yep. President Bush is no theologian. And probably, he does not ad lib well. But, holding him up for ridicule in a national forum –by his friends?

Few Christians, within the United States of America have paid a higher price for his faithfulness to God. Most of the pastors reading this blog, if they were subjected to a single lampooning in the press, talk radio, or on SNL would collapse immediately under “the pressure.” Yet, President Bush, leader of the free world, has endured wave upon wave of attacks in every media –including those supposedly “friendly” to him.

Every pastor reading this blog knows that what Bush was trying to say is that “there is only one God.” And surely a God Who knows all, also hears all, including the prayers of humans who have not entered into that unique relationship with Him, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The late Dr. Walter Martin, famous for pointing out the differences between historic orthodox Christianity, and everything else, was fond of calling rabid cultists with whom he was debating, “Brother.” When, challenged on the point that a cultist was certainly not a “brother in Christ,” he would instantly agree. Then, he would point out that, “we are all brothers in Adam, and that from this we derive the universal brotherhood of all mankind.”

No, Bush is no theologian. But, he is building bridges toward our historic enemies. His tent making job is not professor of systematic theology –it is President of the United States. Every plot against this country since 9/11 has been foiled by people and processes he put in place. Can any pastor or Christian commentator reading this blog point to similar success in their own ministry?

[Mick]

I love my president. I believe in scripture. Christ is the only way to heaven. I've been told that Joel Osteen takes the same position regarding who is going to heaven.

[Tommy Kennedy]

I think a lot of people get confused and think that the President is (or should be) a representative of the Christian faith. His experience and training is in business and leadership, not theology. George Bush making theological statements is like Billy Graham telling a doctor how to do brain surgery.
The role of our government is not to support Christianity, it is to provide an environment where Christianity has the opportunity to flourish.
People need to know that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven. The "god" of the Muslims is not the same as God Almighty who is worshipped by Christians. If we truly love other people then we will tell them the truth about God, not water down the truth by merging Christianity with other religions.

[Joel Adkins]

Acts 4:12 says of Jesus, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
It would be expected that universalism would be accepted by part of our society- what disturbs me more is that universalism is becoming more and more accepted by the modern church. The concept that you can believe whatever you want and I will believe whatever I want is not biblical.
Our rule in things Christian is the Bible, God's Word. It hasn't changed and won't, and God hasn't changed His mind either. There is no other name by which we are saved, and what a precious name it is. Jesus.

[Pastor Danny Bohler]

Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ,

I am extremely concerned about this statement made by our president. First of all I need to make it clear that I am NOT a Universalist. I like to say, in agreement with John Wesley, that I am a man of "one Book" and that Book is the Holy Scriptures, a.k.a. the Holy Bible. The Bible makes it very clear that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to God. No matter how I may try to twist, manipulate, and/or compromise the Word of God it in no way changes the TRUTH which is absolute in every way.
I must agree with the words stated by Mr. Thomas and strongly disagree with the words of president Bush. Mr. Bush is treading on dangerous ground if this is truly the way he feels about the Muslim religion or "any other religion." There are not many roads that lead to God, there is only one, and if that makes me narrow minded then so be it. I believe that salvation is available to anyone who will "repent" and put their trust in Jesus Christ. However, to say that all religions pray to the same God makes the death of Christ on Calvary's cross insignificant and unnecessary. Jesus not only died FOR me, He died INSTEAD of me. No other god of any other religion has ever, nor will ever, done anything that even compares to that kind of love.

P.S. I am a bivocational pastor in GA., and I write this with all sincerity and humility.

[dr.ivan]

i agree with you that jesus is the only way.one question though what bush must have meant was there is only one god and he expects people to be praying to him.dont forget there are instances where they pray to the heathen god and get results.this is due to gods mercy.i and my father are one.if you have seen me you have the father

[William Hinderliter]

Dear Pastor H.B.,
I have been working much of the last 27 years trying to take the gospel to Muslims. While I do not mean to criticize President Bush for his remarks, still a couple of things I would like to point out.
First, there probably would not be all too many orthodox Muslims who would agree with our president. That, in itself, is significant.
Secondly, the question of whether the God of the Bible and the God of the Koran are the same needs to be handled in historical perspective. Yes, Allah was most likely the premier God on the Arabian peninsula of the seventh century. But, (and this is where the problem arises), the holy Scriptures were not translated into Arabic until around 1000 A.D., thus, several centuries after Mohammed. In other words, there would have been little way for an Arabic speaker of that time to incorporate the true nature, holiness, etc. and character of God into his understanding of Allah.

Thirdly, if we have the same God then why mission to Muslims? Why not leave them alone, as many of the churches here in Germany are saying. This, point number three, is to me the sadest.

Blessings to you and keep up the good work.

William Hinderliter