"Love Wins" ch. 6

"Love Wins"...unless you are Rob Bell. Ever since the release of his new book, Rob Bell has seen praise from the New York Times and backlash from the evangelical church. It seems there has been no end to the opinions expressed by those that have not even read the book. So, in an effort to find out if "Love Wins" for me, I have bought a copy and will be blogging my reflections through it as I read. My hope is that I will be affirmed, edified and enlightened in the truth of the Gospel message, but if not, then the $24 I spent on the brand new hard cover edition can just be my early birthday present for Rob...

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Chapter 6


My predictions about this chapter were way off! When I saw the title: There are Rocks Everywhere, I immediately went to Luke 19:40 where all of Jerusalem marches into the streets to celebrate the arrival of Jesus! The Pharisees rebuke Jesus and urge him to order his disciples to calm down. Jesus replies, If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. I thought Bell would talk about the victorious Jesus, deserving of our worship and praise, and he does...just not how I thought...

Instead he quotes Paul in 1 Cor 10, who talks about a different rock--this one from the Exodus out of Egypt in (ch. 17). Here the people are complaining to Moses because they have been traveling through the desert without water. Moses cries out to the Lord, frazzled because he has no idea what to do. The Lord orders him to strike a rock with his staff.

Moses strikes the rock and water gushes out. Wild stuff, right? But here's what's even wilder...Paul, in discussing this event, says that the rock was Jesus.

Jesus. Rock.

Jesus?

Rock???

Now I'm interested.

Paul was teaching that Jesus is everywhere...and everywhen--if you'll excuse my liberties with the English language. Jesus is the great mystery (Ephesians 3) that joins Israel and the Gentiles (everybody else) and allows us all to access God. This is the heart of the Christian message.

Bell also asks people not to corner the market on Jesus. He says:

[Jesus] didn't come to start a new religion, and he continually disrupted whatever conventions or systems or establishments that existed in his day. He will always transcend whatever cages and labels are created to contain and name him, especially the one called "Christianity".

Here's something to consider. When the church was in its infancy, the author Luke referred to it as The Way (cf. Acts 9). A little later in Acts, we see the Gentiles have begun referring to the followers of The Way as Christians (Acts 11:26). Scholars debate whether this name was adopted by the church or branded by those not in the church. The real issue here is once something has a name, it becomes exclusive; people either wear that name, or they don't, but that doesn't mean they accurately represent it.

Few would argue that there are people who wear the tag Christian, but do not follow the life or even believe all of the teachings of Jesus. Where it gets hairy (like thick hair growing out of a mole hairy!) is when we ask: Are there "Christians" outside the church? Can there be "Christians" who haven't received Jesus as their personal savior and made him Lord of their lives? This is an argument Bell raises with this chapter. If Jesus says that all people will be drawn to him (John 12:32), how does that look? If God does the saving, where do we fit?

Can God save people without using the Bible, or even a Christian? I am reminded of Romans 1 where Paul teaches that God's invisible attributes have clearly been seen by all, so no one has an excuse. Can that revelation lead someone to salvation? What about Romans 10:9-10 where Paul states that we have to confess and believe that Jesus is Lord to be saved? Why is he saying that to the church in Rome? Don't believers know this? Bell shares several experiential examples of God speaking to people in unlikely situations and them recognizing Jesus as Lord, how does that factor in?

How do we boil all this down into a doctrinal statement?

Maybe we don't. Maybe we continue to operate how we believe it needs to be done, but we don't limit everyone else to our understanding. Maybe we can be okay if someone of a different set of believes has a convincing proof that contradicts what we think.

Maybe we don't have to know it all.

Bell argues: Jesus is bigger than any one religion.

It's these type of statements that cause people to label Bell a Universalist. I would say to these people, you are reading, but you are not listening. In Colossians 1, we learn that the Gospel was preached to every creature under heaven.

How? (white noise)

Why? Because Jesus is bigger than any one religion.

Bell's answer to the Universalist claim is this: Exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity.

Exclusivity states that Jesus is the only way. No one goes to heaven without being saved by him.

Inclusivity says good people go to heaven and there are many roads that lead to heaven.

Exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity says:

Jesus is the way, but...the all-embracing, saving love of...Jesus...will...include all sorts of unexpected people from across the cultural spectrum.

In short, you will be surprised who you see in heaven. Some people you were banking on being there, won't be; Some people you never expected, will...(Gandhi???) But Jesus is the way, the door, the redeemer.

This argument is compelling. It places Jesus into the driver seat. It means his grace is bigger than our doctrine. It means salvation can come to every creature through Christ (John 14:6).