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accessibilism?

Posted by tom | Nov 28, 2006

Here's Terry Tiessen's clarifying post 86 on Scot McKnight's blog from conversation regarding accessiblism as described in Who Can Be Saved? (another IVP piece). Something on my mind with Urbana just 29 days away.

You said: "In your idea of accessibilism, though, you are saying that without proclamation, some will find faith that is acceptable to God."

Apparently, I have not been clear. Everyone has revelation which has the potential to bring salvation by grace through faith. But not everyone has the supreme revelation concerning Jesus the Christ. Hence we proclaim the gospel, not because people can not be saved without it but because, without the knowledge that the gospel brings, their experience of salvation is so much less than it could be.

This is where I must say a hearty amen to Mary's comment (# 85) about the great benefits of knowing Christ here and now and of participating in a vibrant community of Christians growing together in Christ by the Spirit. So, yes, salvation is possible without knowledge of Christ, but it is a much less glorious experience of salvation now then we have personally experienced and we want others to enter into the full joy of new covenant life.

Scot may and may not mention further down the road that I believe that "no one comes to the Father except through the Son," not only in an objective sense (through Christ's atoning work), but also in a subjective sense, in that everyone meets Christ at the moment of death. This is very different from the common proposal of post-mortem salvation and it is not a doctrine of "second chance." But, those who have been saved by grace through faith in God through a less complete form of revelation will then meet Christ and recognize in him the one whom for they have been longing. In light of your missionary experience, for instance, I think of this as a wonderful time for those godfearing Muslims who believe God to the extent that he has made himself known to them, but to whom the divine identity of Jesus has not yet been inwardly revealed. Having a pre-Christian faith, they are moving toward Christ and will call him Lord and God when they meet him. I think of such people when I read Jesus' enigmatic words: "Abraham rejoiced to see my day." Though I doubt that Jesus meant exactly what I am speaking of here, I suspect that we are in the same ball park.

Also see, The Emerging Question 1 and The Emerging Question 3.

Reflections on drawing closer to Christ, Reviews and Cliff Notes | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

2 Comments & 0 Trackbacks of "accessibilism?"

    tom, have you seen bart compolo's stirring article...is God in control of the suffering of this world? does hell make God a loser? bart is making an attempt to reconcile God with the awful things in this world...but is he biblical? is he more compassionate than God? miller

    http://praisingfool.blogspot.com/2006/11/limits-to-gods-grace.html

    Posted by Miller Peck, Nov 29 2006, 14:14

    I remember you mentioning this article and see that it has been reposted w/comments several times on-line and can be found in 'pure' form at http://www.thejournalofstudentministries.com/articles/CampoloYS.pdf FYI: Youth Specialties' rationale for pulling the article can be found at http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/theology/limits_gods_grace.pdf

    I would just briefly comment that cross-centered discipleship leads to living in and alongside the groaning of creation and of the creatures of creation, including human beings as those with the responsibility of stewardship, each and every day. I find the conversation at Scott McNight's blog and with pieces such as N.T. Wright's "Evil and the Justice of God," see http://groshlink.net/archives/2006/11/29/evil_and_the_justice_of_god, more helpful than the avenue Bart has taken.

    By the power of the Spirit, I live today offering my life and gifts to the glory of God by the grace of the work through the incarnation . . . which to confront (and be confronted by) the world, the devil, and flesh led puposefully to the cross. Yes, no doubt 'the God who we worship' is important and we cannot fully explain God. But there is nothing more important than worshipping and responding in humility to 'the God who is really there' instead of the god of our own choosing, i.e., a figment of our own imagination.

    Worshipping the 'God who is really there' is guided by the lens of the Word of God as expressed in Scripture, creation, prayer, Christian community over time, unfolding life situations. As we enter the Advent season, 'let God be God' by declaring and living in accordance with 'Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing' and 'Good Christian, fear: for sinners here The silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The Cross he borne for me, for you; Hail, hail, the Word made flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary . . . So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh, Come peasant, king, to own him. The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone him.'

    Posted by Tom Grosh, Nov 29 2006, 15:21
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