WCG Losing More Knowledge of Salvation
In its weekly announcement last night, WCG’s J. Tkach wrote the following:
Universalism
Some people argue that repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ are really not necessary for salvation…
What a person believes, what a person does, or how a person lives, makes no difference – salvation for everyone is already determined and certain. Such a belief is called universalism.
Certainly, the grace of God is very wide. We’re told in 1 John 2:2, speaking of Jesus: “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (NIV)
And Colossian 1:19-20 says, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (NIV)
That tells us that everyone, without exception, is included in Christ’s atoning work and is reconciled to God through Christ’s blood.
And yet, Paul also wrote in Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:…”
…Contrary to universalism, the Bible teaches that there is salvation only in Jesus Christ…all who remain hostile to God remain unsaved by their own choice.
… Those who refuse God’s love and fellowship are refusing salvation. And he will not allow hostile, destructive people, to whom his love means nothing, spoil his kingdom for everyone else.
Although there is a line above that I will comment about (and I edited out several statements that were in biblical error), WCG generally speaking (based upon previous writings), has not completely abandoned the notion that God will ultimately offer salvation to all, though the above does not state that. It appears that J. Tkach put that letter out to distance WCG from the accusation that it teaches “universalism”.
Now while he is correct that all need to accept Christ, he neglected to mention that many are blinded now and will not have their real opportunity for salvation until after the resurrection.
When he stated, “all who remain hostile to God remain unsaved by their own choice”, he neglected to state that there have been untold numbers of people throughout history in islands, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, Australia, and even Europe and North America, who have never even heard of Jesus Christ, and billions more who did not learn enough about Christ to truly accept salvation.
At this point, I wish to clearly remind everyone that God does have a plan of salvation, that His plan of salvation is all emcompassing, that God will offer salvation to all that ever lived, and that nearly everyone who ever lived will apparently accept His offer.
WCG used to teach that this opportunity for salvation came on the last of the biblical holy days called the Last Great Day. But since it no longer endorses the biblical holy days, but instead now endorses those with non-Christian traditions like Easter, it has trouble understanding God’s universal offer of salvation.
Basically, those of us in the Living Church of God believe that God has revealed His plan of salvation in the Bible, and that when we observe the biblical holy days, that they lay out God’s plan of salvation in a clear way. A way that those who prefer non-biblical substitutes (like Christmas and Easter) generally do not understand.
The first of the annual holy days is Passover. It pictures that Jesus was sacrificed for the sins of humanity. It is followed by the Days of Unleavened Bread which picture that forgiven Christians still should be diligent about trying to keep sin out of their lives. It is later followed by Pentecost which pictures that God is only calling a relative few in this age, months later it is followed by the Feast of Trumpets which shows that Jesus will return, which is followed by The Day of Atonement which shows that Satan will be bound, which is followed by the The Feast of Tabernacles which pictures Christ’s 1000 year reign on the earth, and that is followed by the Last Great Day which pictures that God will then plead with all humanity and offer salvation to all that were not called in this age.
Thus, while J. Tkach is correct that the Bible does not teach “universalism” (salvation for all no matter what), he failed to teach that God will offer salvation to all. And I found his letter misleading as it implies (perhaps unintentionally) that everyone can be saved now, and that simply is not the case. But all who do not have their real opportunity now, will be granted a clear opportunity for salvation later.
And if this is a new concept to you, you really need to prove this from your Bible. Please study it along with the article Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis). While many claim to understand salvation, many simply do not realize what the Bible really teaches.
Some articles of related interest could include:
Hope of Salvation: How the Living Church of God differ from most Protestants How the Living Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background.
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account?
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.
Passover and the Early Church Did the early Christians observe Passover? What did Jesus and Paul teach? Why did Jesus die for our sins?
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