Good Unbelievers and Bad Unbelievers

Many Christians today teach that there are only two types of people in the world:

1: The saved (believers in Jesus) who go to heaven
2: The lost (unbelievers) who go to hell

I think this is based on a misunderstanding of several Bible passages. Lets look at a few Scriptures:

"For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus." (Romans 2:13-16 ESV)

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:5-8 ESV)

The Two Types of Unbelievers:

From what I've seen, most Christians today use Romans 8:5-8 as support for their idea that all unbelievers are going to hell because they cannot please God. However, by comparing that passage to the passage from Romans 2 above, we can see clearly that the Apostle Paul believed that there are two different types of unbelievers -- Those who obey their God-given conscience and those who set their minds on the evil fleshly desires.

The unbelievers who obey their God-given conscience, the inner moral law written on their hearts by God, may be excused from punishment on the Day of Judgment when Jesus judges their secret thoughts and desires. (Romans 2:13-16) Whereas, the unbelievers who set their minds on the evil flesh instead of the God-given conscience, will not escape punishment. (Romans 8:5-8)

Unbelievers are Condemned for Rejecting Jesus, NOT for Ignorance

The Bible actually teaches that unbelievers are condemned by God after they have received the knowledge of Jesus, but have chosen to reject this truth. Unbelievers are NOT condemned by God if they are truly ignorant and have never received the knowledge of Jesus (with the exception of the evildoers from Romans 8:5-8 who set their minds of evil desires instead of their consciences). Examine the Scriptures below:

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:17-21 ESV)

"Jesus said, 'For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.' Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, 'Are we also blind?' Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, "We see," your guilt remains.'" (John 9:39-41 ESV)

So we can see Jesus Himself taught that God would judge people based on how much "light" or truth they had received about God and Jesus, and that the basis for condemnation of unbelievers, is whether they had rejected the light that they had been given. If unbelievers have received no light about Jesus, they will not be condemned (unless they set their minds on evil, as Romans 8:5-8 says).

What about Ephesians 2?

Many Christians use Ephesians chapter 2 to show that God views all ignorant unbelievers as evil slaves of Satan, even those who have not heard about Jesus. Look at the relevant verses here:

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV)

"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God," (Ephesians 2:11-19 ESV)

If you look very carefully here, especially taking note of Ephesians 2:11, you can see that it is talking about how the Jews view the Gentiles, NOT how God views the Gentiles. Notice how it says that the Gentiles are called "the uncircumcision" by the Jews. Paul is showing how the Jewish believers viewed the Non-Jews. We know that God has always had a different view of Gentiles than this, because Acts chapter 10:

"At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, 'Cornelius.' And he stared at him in terror and said, 'What is it, Lord?' And he said to him, 'Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.'" (Acts 10:1-4 ESV)

"So Peter opened his mouth and said: 'Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.'" (Acts 10:34-35 ESV)

So, in summary, Ephesians chapter 2 is speaking about the way that Jews had viewed Gentiles -- as being hopeless sinners, outside of the bounds of God's love, doomed because they were not given God's Laws. God has always loved the Gentiles (John 3:16)

"And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us," (Acts 17:26-27 ESV)

What about Romans 3?

At first glance, Romans 3 appears to be a scathing condemnation of ALL unbelievers in all of history:

"What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.' 'Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.' 'The venom of asps is under their lips.' 'Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.' 'Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.' 'There is no fear of God before their eyes.' Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:9-20 ESV)

Paul was quoting from Psalms here, and in those Psalms, there was a distinction being made between righteous people and evil people. The Psalms were saying that not one person on earth was righteous except for those who were doing good things, which were few in number. Paul here also applies these Psalms to the Jews, because he says that they apply to those "under the Law." This would mean Paul's point is that there are many evil Jews out there, just as bad or worse than any of the Gentiles. This point agrees perfectly with Romans 3:9. Paul is NOT contradicting himself (from Romans 2:13-16 or Acts 17:26-27) by saying that ALL Gentiles are evil sinners, no, rather, Paul is pointing out that many Jews are evil sinners similar to how the Jews view the Gentiles.

Even if Paul was saying that all human beings on earth were evil sinners who deserved condemnation (which, from above, I don't think is accurate), look at what Paul says right below in Romans 3:

"whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins." (Romans 3:25 ESV)

The Predestined Firstfruits

This is crazy, I know! But I am going to agree with Calvinists -- God DID use predestination to select certain elect people to believe in Jesus!

The thing Calvinists (and many other Christians) don't understand, is that the Bible says that God only predestined the FIRST Jewish believers in Christ, not all believers for all time.

Look at what the Scriptures say on this:

Ephesians 1:4-5, 11-12 (ESV) "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory."

Notice -- and this is very important! -- the Bible here says that God predestined those who were the first to hope in Christ, that is, the first Jewish Christians, including the Apostles.

The very next verse (Ephesians 1:13) makes a clear distinction between the predestined first Jewish Christian believers, and the Gentiles who believed in Jesus later on. The Bible does NOT use the word "predestined" or the word "foreknew" in reference to the later generations of Gentile believers, but always for the Jews chosen by God, or perhaps also for the first generation of Gentile believers. (See Romans 11:1-2; Romans 8:23-30)

This by itself may not seem convincing enough for you, however, just take a look at the following verses:

2 Thessalonians 2:13 (ESV) "But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."

James 1:18 (ESV) "Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."

James was writing to the Jewish Christians, so James 1:18 declares that the Jews who believed in Jesus are the "firstfruits." 

At 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul was either referring to the Jewish believers in Thessalonica as "the firstfruits," or he was using that term to describe the first generation of all believers in the city of Thessalonica.

In addition, Romans 8:23-30 and 11:1-2 appears to be saying that Jewish people are the ones whom God "foreknew" and "predestined," and 8:23 shows that these believers who were predestined are the "firstfruits" because they have the "firstfruits of the Holy Spirit" inside of them.

Revelation 14:4 also says "the firstfruits" are Jews who believe in Jesus.

One last thing-- examine the Gospel of John below, and you will see Jesus making these same distinctions between the first Jewish believers being predestined, and the later Gentile believers not being predestined.

John 10:16 (ESV) "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." John 6:44-45 (ESV) "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—" John 17:20 (ESV) "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word," John 12:32 (ESV) "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

What is Fusion Theism?

This is My Declaration of Fusion Theism

These are the primary principles of the Fusion Theism movement I am trying to start:

1: Truth is more important than any tradition or creed.

2: Truth is on an equal level with kindness, and the two should be balanced together in harmony.

3: Logic should always be used when reasoning or studying in the Scriptures or anything else. If it is illogical, reject it.

4: The Holy Scriptures are inspired of God, but not necessarily inerrant, and not all Scripture is of equal importance for us today.

5: The teachings and words of Jesus Himself take priority over and above any other teachings found in the Bible. (Hebrews 2:1-5)

6: Modern Bible Translations are good and can be considered "inspired" of God, but they are not infallible or inerrant.

7: God the Father is the Supreme Unbegotten Deity, and His Divine Only-Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is a 2nd God worthy of our worship.

8: God is never the author of evil thoughts. (James 1:13) Therefore, most forms of Calvinism should be rejected.

9: Christians should not divide or stop fellowship over non-essential doctrines. (Romans 14)

10: God can and does change His mind, and views Himself as free to do so unless  He has sworn an oath or made a promise.

11: God has the ability to see anything He desires to know about the future, but He selectively chooses to use this ability to only know certain things related to His purposes.

12: The Bible does not teach a literal eternal torment.

13: Jesus had sinful desires just like we do, yet He never gave into them to commit sin.

14: All essential beliefs should be based on the holy books and not on the later creeds or councils.

15: Science, including evolution, should be accepted. God made the universe and told us to observe it. No one observes it better than scientists. Our beliefs should harmonize with modern scientific facts.

16: The Law of Moses expired when Jesus came to earth as the Messiah.

17: Jesus came down from above as a real human, fulfilled the Law, suffered and died for our sins, was buried, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is returning one day.

18: Jesus is Lord, Mighty God, Savior, Messiah, King, Mediator, High Priest, the Divine Son of God, and the Son of Man sitting at God's right hand.

Matthew 5:17-19 -- Is the Law of Moses Still in Effect for Christians?

The most-often misinterpreted Scripture I see on Twitter, is Matthew 5:17-19, where atheists twist this passage out of context in order to have a pretext to claim the Bible contradicts itself, and provide a reason for atheists to focus 95% of their attacks on the Old Testament instead of the New.
But it's not just atheists misinterpreting this passage, it's also Christians who use this as support for keeping the Old Law of Moses.

Here is Matthew 5:17-19 in the NET Bible:

"do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them.

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.

So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

The Correct Interpretation of Matthew 5:17-19, In Context:

We can find the correct interpretation by comparing Luke's account of the words Jesus spoke at Matthew 5:17-19:

LUKE 16:16-17 (NET): “The law and the prophets were in force until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a letter in the law to become void."

Jesus' words are clearer and easier to understand in Luke's Gospel than in Matthew's, on this particular topic. When compared together, we can see Jesus teaching us that (in God's eyes) the Law of Moses was only in force until John the Baptist (compare Matthew 3:15), and since the time of John, Jesus the Author of the New Covenant, is able to change, edit, remove, or keep any parts of the Law He chooses. That is why we see Jesus editing, updating, and removing the Laws of Moses in Matthew 5:21-41, 19:7-9, and Mark 7:19.

Jesus did NOT say "heaven and earth would be destroyed before the Law is abolished," no, rather, what He actually said is that it is easier for heaven and earth to be destroyed than for the Old Law to be abolished WITHOUT being fulfilled. Reading comprehension is very important when studying the Bible; equally important is reading in-context.

Jesus is promising to preserve the written words of the Old Testament until every prophecy and allegorical foreshadowing is fulfilled (brought to completion). He came to earth to fulfill the written words and bring them to completion. In Matthew 5, Jesus nullifies some of the Laws of Moses, edits others, and keeps some in force, while giving the true, original, deeper meaning of them.

Jesus did keep many of the Laws of Moses in force (albeit, in somewhat different forms) up until His death and Resurrection, at which time the entire written Law of Moses was "nailed to the Cross," "taken out of the way," and "made obsolete." (Colossians 2:14; Ephesians 2:14-16; Hebrews 8:13)

The Law of Moses was never intended to be permanent, but was always just a temporary stopgap until the Messiah arrived (Galatians 3:23-26; Jeremiah 31:31-33), and it contained things which were NOT God's ideal standards (Matthew 19:7-9; Hebrews 8:7-8).

The Apostle Paul forcefully and repeatedly drove home the point that Christians are NOT obligated to obey the Law of Moses (Romans 4:13-14; Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:1-14; Galatians 4:8-12). 

I'll wrap this up by quoting Paul's words from Galatians 5:1-6 (NET):

"For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery. Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all! And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace! For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight—the only thing that matters is faith working through love."