The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Matthew 19:23-26 (a Mystery)

Evangelical Universalism Arguments for Evangelical Universalism
#1

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ (From the NIV Bible, Matthew 19:23-26)”

also

“To those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, no opening will there be of the gates of heaven, nor will they enter the garden, until the camel can pass through the eye of the needle: Such is Our reward for those in sin. (The Quran, 7:40)”

This is the answer for this big question:
What about those who have never heard of him? :laughing:

#2

I can call the 2nd Resurrection, the Great Harvest :mrgreen:

#3

even on Matthew 5:26, it’s obvious:

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

Most certainly I tell you, you shall
by no means get out of there, until
you have paid the last penny.
#4

The reason the rich young ruler went away sad is because he had great riches that he didn’t want to give up, even if that meant that there would be great treasures in heaven in store for him. His sin is coveteousness. He held on to that which God has blessed him with. He might have obeyed all the above commandments that Jesus listed, but there was **one that wasn’t listed **that he couldn’t truthfully say he obeyed from his youth: “Thou shall not covet.”

As long as he held on to his riches, his sin held him back from experiencing the Kingdom of God in his life. Had he trusted God with his life and his riches, who knows, God might have blessed his life double as he did Job. Peter, Andrew, James, and John left there nets because they knew Jesus would take care of them, having witness the great catch from Jesus’ instructions, even though they had no luck the whole night. They knew that by following Jesus, their needs would be met, even after forsaking their occupation.

Want to see the impossible? Look to Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Here was a man who upon seeing Jesus (and probably heard the word of Jesus passed along before His visit to Jericho, perhaps even hearing of the incident with the rich young ruler), and decided to give half his living to the poor and restore four-fold those he wronged (which probably took care of the other half of his living). Those actions are what prompted Jesus to say, “This day salvation is come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”

Want to see another impossible? Look to Luke 21:1-4, where the poor widow cast all her living as well.

#5

What is impossible with man is nothing for God.

Frankly, being a “rich” American, I’m amazed that God saved me and am thankful that salvation is by grace.