Lets Talk About God's Universalism!

Among the ranks of Jesus followers is often heard the words: “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13)  And that is most certainly true!  However, that most certainly does not mean that only ones “who call on the name of the Lord” will have God’s blessing.  Now before you rise up and call me a heretic, check the passage below from Isaiah.  This is one, of I would guess many, places in the Bible where we are informed of God’s blessing, God’s guidance and protection are given to the “others” of our world.

Cyrus the Great, the King of Persia,  was one who didn’t truly know about God and certainly did not worship God.  And yet God, through the prophet Isaiah, spoke of Cyrus’ very real connection with God. From verse one, on through the rest of chapter 45, God proclaimed his presence with Cyrus:  “I will subdue nations before him. I will go before you and level the mountains,..I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name…I surname you, though you do not know me.” Here we witness God’s promise — that many think is just for “Christians” believers — for a foreign king leading the Persian army.  Clearing the way for their success!   

This is surely a shining example of God’s universalism!  A clear message that God is not to be limited by any human reasoning.  A God who most certainly “calls” His people, and other people, beyond their puny world view’s of logic, reason and intelligence.  And I will add, the narrow idealism of  lofty religious understanding of “what is say in the Bible.”

So let just step aside from all traditional thinking and ask:  Is it possible that God is active in any, and all things, we would call evil, destructive, political and all things otherwise?  Is it possible that God uses things and people that we don’t “approve of” to bring good — and/or better — within an awful situation?  Is it true, even today, that God takes those who don’t know Him, don’t worship Him, Don’t even care about Him, or maybe who are against all faith and religion and uses them to bring about something God wills to be right and good?  

If we can answer the above questions with a “yes He can!”  Then we all stand in agreement that all things are possible with God in the picture.  Even if we don’t realize it, or see it, at the Moment!  Even if makes no sense to us!

I’m just saying! 

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him— and the gates shall not be closed: 2 I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me, 6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.(Isaiah 45:1-7)