God as the Savior of All People

Live from the Mecca of Mormonism, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, this is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology., where we try and get all people to walk toward the love of Jesus Christ. And I am Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion., your host.

Hear Me Out – Part III

HOTM REDUX Show 3
August 20th 2019
TITLE: Hear Me Out – Part III

DESCRIPTION of SHOW:
God is the Savior of ALL People.

KEY WORDS:
Salvation of all, Saved, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Salvation, Heaven, Hell, Denominationalism, Warfare, Hate, Love, Peace, Victory, Good News, Great News, Mormonism, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism

Biblical Insights on Salvation

Isaiah 25:6-8
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

Lamentations 3:31-33
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

John 1:29
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. of the world!

1 John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

John 3:17
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

John 12:47
“for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”

1st John 4:14
“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”

Romans 5:18
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, (that was a trespass from Adam) so one act of righteousness (from the second Adam, Jesus) leads to justification and life for all men.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Titus 2:11 says:
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people

1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Hebrews 9:27
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Ephesians 1:10
As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Philippians 2:10
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Romans 14:11
For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

1st Timothy 2:4
“desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Colossians 1:20
And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

1 John 2:2
He (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also . . . for the sins . . . of the whole world.

1st Timothy 4:10
“For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.”

We’re taking live calls. Remember, we are taking calls – 801 950-8413 – in about 40 minutes.

I want to thank all of you who tune in and consider our message. We know that some of you are enemies who frankly despise me however we have seen some of our stuff sink in and actually change the ways even you do things and for that we are grateful. And thank those of you who are so led to support us with prayers and hard earned finances.

Ours is a very, very small ministry but we are able to produce some qualitative AND quantitative stuff because of your support. So thank you.

This is Hear me out Part III of four. Last week we talked about how that even though the Bible makes it clear…

The Concept of Salvation in Christianity

that God, through the finished work of His Son, was going to establish His Kingdom among individuals, making the faith “subjectively known and received, that men and woman have tried to insert themselves and their views between God and the individual in the form of organized religion and their empires.

We illustrated the four main Jesus groups that are engaged in a constant tug-o-war for members and their control over them – Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxies, Protestant Denoms (of every flavor), and Restorationist movements writ large. We also mentioned that some 5 BILLION other folks which thrive outside of these four groups (who are all considered hell-bound by the way) by the four main Christian approaches just named.

Again – all of this stuff – this infighting and warfare, all of the division and name-calling would be done away with IF believers could see that God has reconciled the entire world to Himself by and through the finished work of His Son. See, conflict and warfare exist between people when they allow themselves to believe that Jesus has only saved some because the rest of the world fails to believe the way their respective religion says they must to be saved. And therein lies the power and the problem of religion – its very existence is anathematic to peace, love and understanding.

The Implication of a Universal Salvation

However, if God (through His SON) saved the whole world past, present and future (without exception or condition), then there remains no reason for denominationalism, judgment, criticism or attack on others. None. Of course, ANYONE can come up with a theory that sounds nice, right? The question here is: Does the Bible say that God, through His Son, has saved the whole world? If it does, then this is a major blow to proprietary religious establishments the world over and we can all stop feeding the machine.

Now, what makes answering this question difficult is people open up their Bibles and read Jesus and the Apostles talking to audiences in their day about “being saved.” What many people don’t realize is that a great percentage many of these references (about being saved) from the mouth of Jesus and His apostles are speaking of being saved from something other than “from hell and to heaven” – the way Christians today interpret the phrase.

For instance, when Paul was on a boat that was in peril he said:

3. Acts 27:3 Unless you abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

That passage obviously has nothing to do with being saved “from hell and to heaven” but saved there obviously means, “saved from drowning in the sea!” Right? So context, audience and speaker help determine the meaning of the term, “saved.”

Different Contexts of Being Saved

We also know that many times the word saved is used to describe someone who was healed from an ailment due to their faith, as Jesus said to a man healed in Luke 18:42

“Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.”

Saved thee from what? Blindness.

Now listen closely, what is really revelatory about this is that most of the references to “being saved” (as stated by Jesus and/or his apostles) are couched in conversations of them talking to those people (in that day and age) about being saved from the coming destruction which was promised to fall upon them soon. A destruction that actually did come and not only destroy Jerusalem and much of Israel in 70 AD but slaughtered well over a MILLION Jews.

The apostolic promise in that day was believe on Jesus and be SAVED from that certain coming death! That is what many of the remarks on saving are about in the New Testament! So, as an example, when we read Jesus say to his apostles in Matthew 10:22

22. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

He is talking to them about enduring the heinous trials that were coming upon them and those who did so “to the end” would be saved from the coming destruction. Again, in Matthew 24:22 when Jesus says

22. And unless those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Again, the saving he is speaking of here has nothing to do with being saved from hell and to heaven but has to do with them being saved from the promised physical destruction headed their way.

Same in Luke where we read

71. That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate

Understanding Salvation in the Scriptures

I suggest that even at Pentecost, when Peter stood before the 3000 Jews and said:

Acts 2:21
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That he was speaking of them being saved from the coming destruction and not from an eternity in hell. In Acts 2:47 we read Luke’s description of the nascent church when he wrote that the believers were “Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” That again, “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved from the coming destruction as His Church-Bride whom he would come and take.”

We all assume that when we read passages like Acts 16:31 where Paul says

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

. . . that he is speaking of saved from hell and to heaven but he could easily and also be speaking of saved from the coming destruction Jesus promised. Even when Paul writes in Romans

Romans 5:9-10
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Or when he writes in Romans 10

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

OR Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

OR Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That Paul could have easily have been referring to being saved from the coming wrath that would fall upon the Nation who rejected faith in Christ.

Contextual Analysis of Salvation in the Bible

Contextually, 2nd Thessalonians 2:10, which says:

“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

It is talking about those who would perish in the coming destruction which they could have been saved from if they had a love of the truth. The point being, we need to be really careful when we define “being saved” as meaning being saved from “eternal hell of fire and to heaven” when many of the scriptures that speak of being saved are, again, speaking of people actually being saved from the promised physical destruction headed their way then – something that FAITH in Jesus would help them avoid because he was coming to take the faithful from the earth.

This is SOOOO hard for the denoms to accept.

Clarifying the Concept of Salvation

So back to the question that remains outstanding: Does the Bible say that God through His Son has saved the whole world from hell and to heaven irrespective of their faith or their faithlessness. Because if it does, it’s a MAJOR blow to the existence of “proprietary religious establishments that make it their business” to “save souls.”

As a means to free ANY and ALL from the bondage of religious rhetoric and to prove to you all by using the Bible that God has saved the world (with or without our individual permissions), I want to read to you what the Bible says. Ready?

Starting back to the Old Testament a couple passages:
Isaiah 25:6-8 describes God’s heart, saying:
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

Lamentations 3:31-33 says
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. (That’s a very different picture from the torture monster God some denominations describe, isn’t it?)

Let’s jump out to the New Testament when John the Baptist first saw the Lord, John 1:29 says:
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1 John 4:14 says:
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the

Exploring Universal Salvation

Then in John 3:17 we read:

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Jesus himself said in John 12:47 for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

It's why we read in 1st John 4:14:

“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”

Now, sure, perhaps the world doesn’t mean the world here (as it says) – that is what people would say. So let’s consider some other passages:

Paul wrote in Romans 5:18:

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, (that was a trespass from Adam) so one act of righteousness (from the second Adam, Jesus) leads to justification and life for all men.

That’s a really different story than the old, “you better receive Jesus (accept our way, be a member, etc, etc., or you're gonna be firewood after this life,” innit)? I mean through one man, Adam, we all were made sinners, right? Without our permission, we were all made sinners by one man? So then why do we have to have our complicity or permission for one man (Jesus) to make us all righteous? We DON’T. That is what God did on our behalf!!

God's Promise for Humanity

The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9:

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Titus 2:11 says:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.

1 Corinthians 15:22:

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

By the way, did you know that according to scripture human beings only die once—and that is because of Adam—“for as in Adam all die.” But then listen to Hebrews 9:27:

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Remember, Jesus himself said in John 12:32:

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Assurance of Salvation

Are you worried about your wayward son, your unbelieving sister, your pagan friends? God is not a failure and His son doesn’t do shoddy work. His work is sufficient for all. This is the good news. God is faithful when His creations are not. And I’m saving the best stuff for last!

Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:10:

As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

He also wrote in Philippians 2:10:

So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Which he repeated in Romans 14:11:

For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

It's why he wrote in 1st Timothy 2:4 about God that:

“He . . . desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Listen to Colossians 1:20:

And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And listen to these last two – they really seal the deal, folks:

1 John 2:2:

He (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also . . . for the sins . . . of the whole world.

What more do you want? If He was the propitiation of sin for the whole world the whole world has been reconciled to God for it was our sin that alienated us from Him!!

And how about 1st Timothy 4:10 where Paul says:

“For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.”

(Repeat this)

“because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.”

The Catholics, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Protestants, and the Restorationist types are all clamoring over each other, claiming to have ”the special insights, doctrines, rituals and practices” on how to get saved and stay saved but the scripture plainly says that “God is the savior of all men already – and then adds a really important line – “especially those who believe” – which we will cover next week.

God's Love and Salvation for All

has saved EVERYONE from sin and death by His Son, whether they believe or not, everyone (whether they repent or not) a good percentage of the interfaith infighting and division will disappear from the earth, a tremendous amount of hate for non-Christians will evaporate, and love from Christians for the LGBTQ, and Muslims, and Eastern Religions will appear, and we can take a deep collective breath of relief and praise God for His Goodness and love delivered to the world because of His Son.

We won’t care if others believe the message – we will simply rejoice in it – in God’s goodness through His Son – and love along the way! See, where God has saved, there is no reason to judge! Or malign! Or do any other evil in His name. Instead those who understand this about Him will spend their time loving and serving all in His name because God loves all!

Theological Foundations

What is the theological basis of this stance? I want to answer this by mentioning the other main theological foundations that have undergirded Christianity for some 1000 to 500 years.

The first is the Reformed Idea that says: God created human beings full well knowing who He would elect to be saved and who he would not elect to be saved and who would therefore all burn forever in hell as a result. To them God COULD, because he is sovereign, chose to save all, but he doesn’t. This is the first theological foundation popularized by Calvin and to me it creates both a mean and indifferent God and in many cases a mean and indifferent Christian.

The Second main theological stance depicts a God who is a really good and kind and while WANTING to save everyone, He can’t do anything about the free will of people and Satan and his angels getting involved, but this God creates everyone anyway full well knowing that Satan (and human will) are going to mess up the works and he is unable to do anything about it. So most people, because He is inept, will go to hell. And he created us knowing this. Classic Arminianism

But the biblical message – as I just proved to you tonight – is that the first Man (Adam) would mess things up for this world (by introducing sin and death), but God, not willing that any would suffer such a demise and eternal separation, sent the Second Adam, His Son, who would overcome sin and death for all, thereby saving the world inhabitants and placing us all back in an Edenic state where we are all free to live as we choose.

Free Will and God's Love

Go back to the garden of Eden with me and ask yourself: “What was the point of God creating a garden, animals, and Adam and Eve?”

The point, in part, appears to be that God creates and gives life, and God (because He is Good) creates and gives choice, and God allows the creations (made in His image) to decide how they will live – to choose to love Him of their own free will and choice . . . or not. He does NOT punish those who refuse a relationship with Him – He loves them and calls to them and blesses them like He blesses the rest. But he does reward those who want a relationship with Him which cannot be obtained in any other way as those who believe have:

Peace that is not of this world.
Comfort from Him
Knowledge of Him and His Son
An eternal view of things
Hope in trials and difficulties
And a living relationship with Him.

We share this message with the world because it is entirely good, because it is a message of life, and light, and because it is a message that promotes genuine Christian love around the world. We share it because it is biblical. We share it because it is true. And as truth serves to LIBERATE people not only from religious bondage but it frees them to love all people all the time.

It’s a message that brings light into the hearts and lives of those who live in darkness.

A message that comforts and encourages people to want to know and such a loving God.

And it is a message that triumphs over the messages of Man that say God has only saved a few, or that God cannot save all, or that those who don’t play by God’s rules will suffer in a literal burning hell forever and ever.

Exploring the Nature of Salvation

is so much better than all of that clap. So much bigger and better that it caused Paul to write

“For we therefore both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.”

Next week, I will wrap our four part series up by talking about that last line – that God is the Savior of ALL men, especially of those that believe. Because while God has certainly saved the whole world from sin and death, there is an enormous difference, an incalculable difference, between being someone saved to heaven and being someone who actually chooses to believe. We will talk about that then.

Upcoming Guests on Heart of the Matter

Let’s open up the phone lines:

801 590-8413

PLEASE turn your computers down!

Remember, September 3rd a Tuesday here in HOTM – Ethan Krok, Angela Kelly, and Denver Snuffer – all people coming on HOTM in the next several months. Ethan Krok is the writer director of a film coming out called, Anti-Mormon and he has a LOT to say and share. Angela Kelly really knows her stuff relative to Utah and the political power of the LDS church here in this state, and then in October, Denver Snuffer and his outreach to former LDS people who are trying to see Joseph Smith in another light will be with us to share and explain his story and purpose. All here on HOTM.

See you next week.

A Personal Journey

Chris DeMartino chrisdemartino999@hotmail.com

Aug 14, 2019, 7:45 PM (15 hours ago)

to me

Shawn –

Hello! My name is Chris. I'm from Latham, New York (just north of Albany). I wanted to share my story, because I feel like my experiences have the ability to help others who have been in my shoes. Furthermore, I think it relates a lot to your new theme on Heart of the Matter Redux. I was born into a non-observant Catholic family. My father struggled with alcoholism; my mother struggled significantly with her mental health at various points. My parents sent me to a Catholic School, starting in Pre-K. While they weren't particularly religious, they thought the structure would be beneficial to me. Throughout my childhood, I never felt "right" there; I felt different from the other kids. At mass, I never understood the ritual or even what it was supposed to signify.

When I was in seventh grade, still in Catholic School, I told my parents that I was having doubts about Catholicism. Looking back, I'm sure my ostracizing didn't help. They totally understood and allowed me free-range to experiment with other religious faiths. My studying led me to Mormonism – I could understand the story they told about Joseph Smith being confused, and I could truly picture myself in his shoes. I even experienced the "burning in the bosom" as they called it. My parents were more than fine with me looking at the faith, and my mom often accompanied me to Church services. The missionaries rushed me into the faith, and I was soon tossed into the Baptismal Font on July 14th, 2012, ordained a deacon, did baptisms for the dead, and was made secretary of the deacon's quorum, paid my tithing, and everything began to fall into place – but something was amiss. I was always treated like an outcast, again. My mother noticed. She'd cry because she thought one member of my ward who worked in one particular mental hospital in which she was a patient was telling everyone about her past difficulties. This treatment started to force me to do a little more depth research.

By now, I was in Eighth Grade, and I began to realize why I had been such an outcast my whole life – I was gay. Your show actually helped empower me to leave the Church, but certainly, a gay person like myself couldn't be a Christian (I thought) so I abandoned all organized religion. Essentially, did my own thing for years religiously, which is basically what I continue to do now. But over the years, I do believe that God has written upon my heart, and I feel the urge grow every single day to love others, even God himself, more and more. God is my Salvation, not ANY human being. It's so interesting that I happened to see a HOTM Redux video in my suggested videos on YouTube, and it was amazing how much what you were saying resonated with me and how my conclusions ended up so similar to those. I've always believed that religious institutions will fail us, and it's about God.

Understanding Acceptance in Faith

speaking to our hearts that really makes us acceptable. To me, if a gay person/transgender person/Catholic/Mormon/Hindu/whatever they may be, feels God calling to them, and they follow His promptings to love, then why would God send them to hell just for not adhering to the correct academic doctrines.

Thank you for opening my eyes 6 years ago and thank you for affirming again what I've felt for so long. I actually work most Tuesdays (or I'm in School during the Semesters), but if I ever find myself free, you might just get a call from me. My mom is doing much better these days. My dad has been sober for 4 years, thanks only to Almighty God.

Thank you so much for reading this!

Reflections on Fulfilled Eschatology

Hi Shawn, It's been awhile since I've been in touch with you, but just had to write and let you know that my husband, Arcenio and I just watched your lesson on Luke 6:25-45. We enjoyed it very much. Since I left the LDS church over six years ago, we have been seeking the truth of God's Word and have studied the "fulfilled eschatology" concept (PreterismThe belief that all biblical prophecy—especially “end times”—was fulfilled by 70 A.D. More). We are convinced that this is the logical and reasonable teaching that Jesus was talking about all along, and we are convinced it is the true way of looking at and understanding what Jesus was teaching. We try to live by that now and are convinced that we are now living the "age to come" that Jesus talked about. The way you teach the Word is excellent and we will be tuning in as often as we can to follow your ministry. We live in Pasco, Washington, but have family in SLC, so when we get a chance to visit there, we will stop in to see you. Would love to meet you and visit someday. We are sending a donation to you and hope you will continue to teach the truth to all those who are true seekers of our Father's Word. God bless you, and thanks for your dedication. Your Sister and Brother in Christ Jesus….. Sandie and Arcenio Estrella

The Usage of the Term "Christian"

Hi brother, I have a deep curiosity since I put my faith in Christ Jesus 5 years ago. The curiosity is: why the word “Christian” is used so much today to describe our faith in Christ Jesus since only appears only three times in the Bible (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16) and I see that none of the apostles called themselves “Christians” even Peter or Paul? I see in the Bible that the apostles called themselves believers or followers of the Lord Jesus Christ instead. That seems odd to me since the word “Christian” is one or the most used word in the Faith today instead of “Agape or Agapeo” love (which appears in the Bible close the a 100 times). I might be wrong but I think we have made the word “Christian” a religious word or title.

If people ask me about if I am a “Christian”, in my heart I tend to say the following: “I am not a “christian” – I just have put my faith in the finished and complete work of Christ Jesús where I look up to Him to learn how to live by the Spirit to authentically and unconditionally love (agapeo) everyone; to be joint heir with Him and become a son to God our Father one day. Based on my fruits, you decide who I am.” Again, I might be crazy on this.

So, I am very confused about it. If you can help me out, I will greatly appreciate it!

Thank you my brother,

Ramón