Matt Chandler's the Explicit Gospel

[nimblewill]

Matt Chandler:

“If the gospel on the ground is the gospel at the micro level, the gospel in the air is the story at the macro level. Here we find a tour de force story of creation, fall, reconciliation, consummation —a grand display of God’s glory in his overarching purposes of subjecting all things to the supremacy of Christ. As we examine the gospel in the air, we’ll see from the scriptural testimony of Jesus’s atoning work that the gospel is not just personal, but cosmic. When we consider the gospel from the air, the atoning work of Christ culminates and reveals to us the big picture of God’s plan of restoration from the beginning of time to the end of time and the redemption of his creation. We may see the gospel extended this way in Jesus’s declaration in Revelation 21:5, that he is “making all things new.”

(The Explicit Gospel)

Is this UR?

[SLJ]

It sounds like it, but it’s hard to tell for sure just from that bit. Sometimes people make sweeping universal statements like that and still manage to include annihilation or ECT in there somehow.

Sonia

[phillip_macdonald]

Hi Nimblewell,
I read Chandler’s The Explicit Gospel and did an Amazon review noting its UR message within the context of his contradictory Calvinism. (That brought a bit of attention and we had a significant discussion in the comments). We did a few posts on Chandler on the sites as well if you are interested in checking them out. Here are few quotes from the post at GodsLoveWins.com: (headings are mine)

THE GLORY OF GOD:
“Because a God who is ultimately most focused on his own glory will be about the business of restoring us, who are all broken images of Him. His glory demands it.” (pg 32)
“At the end of the biblical story, the gospel’s star figure says, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’ (Rev 21:5). If His word is true, we must take His references to ‘all things’ seriously. As Lloyd-Jones says, ‘the whole universe is involved.’” (90)
“The designation ‘KINGDOM’ itself tells us that the gospel is God’s plan not just to restore mankind, but to restore ‘all things’ for mankind’s enjoyment, Christ’s lordship, and His triune self’s glory.” (107)
“We need to realize that God will not be satisfied until the entire universe has been purged of all the results of man’s fall.” (quoting Hoekema, pg 159)
“The good news is that God’s plan for redemption is scaled to His glory, encompassing all creation. What is corrupt will be declared ‘very good’ again. (35)

“The miracles of Jesus are signs of the right order of things. Jesus was not so much turning things upside down as turning them rightside up or, at least, giving his followers glimpses of the rightside up. The miracles of healing, deliverance, provision, and resurrection all reveal that God, through Jesus, is making all things new, that he is restoring what once was unbroken.” (107)

THE SCOPE OF CHRIST’S LORDSHIP:

“Therefore, there should be no square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which we don’t say, ‘His!’ …This is the missional mindset: believing and living as if God’s reconciling work is true in every space we find ourselves in.” (In the spirit of Abraham Kuyper)

“…the Gospel is about His lordship over the chaos of fallen creation…His conquest of sin and death.” (138)
“All we see in Romans 8 that’s gone wrong is assailed by God’s gospel offensive. God’s plan is to renew and remake, and God does not lose. The gates of hell will not prevail. The missional offensive is the winning offensive. It’s the only winning offensive.” (pg 153)

Here are a few more from the other post:

THE PURPOSE OF ELECTION:
“In essence, we are reconciled to reconcile.” (144)
“…Israel was meant to be a light to the nations. The prophets would talk, often at great length, about all nations being drawn into God’s kingdom so that it would encompass the whole earth.” (161)
GOD’S PURPOSE OF FIRE AS REDEMPTIVE:
“We should not see the fire and dissolution Peter speaks of as annihilating creation but refining and remaking it. Think of how a blacksmith heats up a piece of metal to soften it before hammering it into shape.” (165)

christianuniversalism.com/2012/04/matt-chandlers-explicit-gospel-of-hope/

That last quote about the fire being restorative …??? wow!

[nimblewill]

Thanks. I’ll check it out.