Go and Learn What This Means

When I became a Christian in or around 1998, I lived in Nashville. I was involved in two churches there....The Cumberland Presbyterian Church (mainly a southern denomination) and the PCA (Presbyterian Church of America). Both had different theological beliefs. The PCA was strictly Calvinistic. They took those five points (TULIP) to heart. The Cumberland's latched onto the "P" point because they believed in eternal security but also believed in free will and that Christ died to give the whole world an opportunity to be saved....not just an elect few. It was not too long after that, however, that I stumbled upon Tentmaker and a whole new theology opened up to me.

I am not sure what exactly to call it...since any term would have to be a very loose descriptive title which encompasses a wide range of beliefs. One of the main identifying beliefs of the teachers I was exposed to in this new theology is that God will reconcile all his creation....eventually. No one will be lost....and hell, if it exists, is not an eternal place of residence. Nobody goes to hell for eternity. Universalists, I suppose...and many flavors of them. There are those who think it is all finished now and that all it will require to manifest the sons of God (and thus set creation free) is the realization that it is finished. There are others who believe the journey to manifestation is a long, ardorous trip with the flesh (carnal man/adam) being destroyed/disposed of bit by bit. There are the concordant guys who are very literal in their interpretation of scripture. There are the total determinism guys who think every single breath and blink has been predetermined by God to achieve his purpose....and there are the more free will types like Tom Talbott who think that God uses our free choices to teach us and refine us. I have been torn between the last two (realizing from early on that scripture is more allegorical than literal for the most part) and whether we have free will (and to what degree) or whether every single action has been predetermined since before the foundation of the world.


All this Girardian stuff has given me pause to think some more and integrate a few more thoughts into an already confused thought process. The fact that my husband sees things very differently than I do does not help in clarifying my beliefs. He was my mentor in the beginning of this UR journey....but then the "mentored" began to see things differently than the "mentor" and I find now that we are the liberal and the conservative living under the same roof. It has made for some very, very lively conversations.


But anyway...I digress from the original intent of this post. Matthew 9:13 in two of the more modern translations:



Holy Bible, The New Living Translation Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.' For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough."



THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language Go figure out what this Scripture means: "I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."


In some of the varied theology I mentioned above, one of the theories about Adam and Eve and the Fall is that God purposed the whole thing. It was a done deal before he ever plopped them in the Garden, pointed out the two trees and told them which one not to eat from. (this idea works whereever one might believe the Garden is....a literal place...the patch of "space" between the ears....a spiritual allegory) When they ate from the tree of the knowlege of good and evil it only began the process of "making man in our image and likeness". When they ate of the tree of knowlege, was it the first step in what Jesus is refering to in Matthew 9:13? Go and learn what this means? I desire mercy (the fruit of the tree of life) not sacrifice (the fruit of the tree of the knowlege of good and evil).


I don't know....just musing here this morning. It occurs to me that I just may be obeying Jesus' command,"Go and learn what this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice" since that has been the focus of my Christian walk for a long time now. Sometimes it is a lonely walk. So few have even heard this slant on things. Many of those who have dismiss it outright since it goes against the standard Christian party line. I am so grateful for the other kindred souls I fellowship with on Emerging Universalist who are on this journey with me....learning what it means....mercy and not sacrifice.