Universal Salvation: Hope or Heresy?

This meditation is based on John 3:1-17

¹Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” ³Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
 ¹¹“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
 ¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
 ¹⁷“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

What do we do when prayer remains unanswered? PUSH!

Please click on the link below for the sermon to find out what that means. If you would like to skip to the sermon (and not view the whole service) go to the time: 25:48

2nd edition

I released a 2nd edition of my book today which includes new insights, explanations, and references that delve deeper into the theology of the cross and its impact on our understanding of salvation, eternal life, death, and the importance of social justice.

Click on the link below to order your copy today!

This meditation is based on the reading 1st Corinthians 1:10-18

¹⁰Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. ¹¹For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. ¹²What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” ¹³Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

Click on the link below for the meditation.

Sociologists call current trends in the understanding and exercise of faith, “moralistic therapeutic deism”. That’s a mouthful. It basically means that people have come to understand the value (purpose) of faith to make one feel good and happy about oneself and one’s life. They understand God’s job to be to solve our problems and to help us feel better about ourselves. The stern Christ of the gospels has been replaced by a Jesus who has become “my personal savior”. A kind of personal trainer, focused on my individual well-being, culminating in a life that finally is devoid of anything that limits me.

From the very beginning, all monotheistic traditions have been dedicated to the ideal of social justice captured in this one mandate: “do unto others as you would have them do to you”.

If you are tired of religion that is used for personal achievement and confess with St. Augustine that “scripture teaches nothing but charity”, then I commend my book to you.

We must meditate on what we read until an interpretation can be found that tends to establish the reign of charity. –St. Augustine

by Jeffrey E. Koth

I have published a book “A Gxd for the Rest of Us”. It is available in both eBook and softcover formats.

The book presents the voice of the Cross which reaches out in unconditional love to the whole world. It speaks to “the rest of us” who have been excluded from the steadfast love of God because of who we are, what we have done, or our current disposition to God.

I hope you will check it out and share it with anyone you think might benefit from it.

Why pray?

This meditation based on Genesis 18:20–32, Colossians 2:6–15 -19, and Luke 11:1–13 seeks to answer that question. Can God’s mind be changed by the prayer of one person? Is it the content of prayer or the act of praying that matters most?

Please click on the link below for the meditation.

Based on John 16: 12-15

Has everything that God has to say been said? This text is from the farewell address of Jesus to his disciples and in this text Jesus emphasizes that “He has many more things to say to us.” So how does that happen? It happens, according to Jesus through the Spirit of Truth.

Click on the link below for the meditation.