here<\/a> we read:<\/p>\n\u201cIn contrast, whenever the New Testament speaks of the universality of God\u2019s salvation in Christ (47 times by Hart\u2019s count) it does so in bald theological assertions (as in 1 Corinthians 15:22: \u201cFor just as in Adam all die, so also in the Anointed all will be given life\u201d) which can be taken in no other way but literally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything about modern, Western, enlightened, mathematical, and mapped out Christianity is linear. We have timelines. We start at a beginning and move to an end. How many times have we heard in a detective-oriented television show or movie the phrase, \u201cLet\u2019s start from the beginning\u2026\u201d?\u00a0 We are entirely oriented this way. Think of tracks in the snow or sand. Where do they start? Where do they end? Those are the only questions. If answered correctly, we will find our missing person.<\/p>\n
And yet, such isn\u2019t really the best or most sound way to read or understand the Christian narrative. From the same site, we read:<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018In the end of all things is their beginning,\u2019 Hart argues, \u2018and only from the perspective of the end can one know what they are, why they have been made, and who the God is who has called them forth.\u2019 What Christians mean by the imago Dei is not immediate, Hart claims, borrowing from Gregory. Creation is, in fact, inseparable from what we call sanctification. God\u2019s \u2018Let us . . .\u2019 does not refer to the events of day six of creation but names the plot of the entire salvation story. As Gregory saw it, we can only truly say that God created when all of creation finally has reached its consummation in the union of all things with the First Good. Belief in an eternal hell, in which some portion or multitude of humanity is forever lost, forsaken, or annihilated, contradicts belief in creation from nothing, for if God\u2019s promised aim is that in the fullness of time all of humanity will bear his image, the promise can never be consummated without all of humanity included in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a lot bound up in that understanding but perhaps it might apply, in some small way, to how we think about Adam and Jesus.\u00a0 We normally start from Adam because Adam is in Genesis\u2014the beginning. However, we should probably start with Jesus. We don\u2019t read Jesus (who came later in the timeline) through Adam (who came first), but Adam through Jesus. We have to read backwards. Christianity has to be understood backwards, starting from the ending.<\/p>\n
I can almost see the raised eyebrows and the mental surmising\u2026 \u201cOh, it\u2019s backwards alright\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam doesn\u2019t get the last word simply because he is first. If Adam gets the last word, here it is: \u201c\u2026in Adam all die.\u201d Who is \u201cin\u201d Adam? Everyone. All. It includes every person who has ever been born, exists now, or will be born until Christ comes again.<\/p>\n
The Christian biblical narrative is that Christ gets the last word, even though he comes later in the timeline. Of course, there is no timeline. Christ was before Adam. However, there is a material\/spatial\/physical- historical timeline as to the Incarnation, as to the appearance of the human called Jesus of Nazareth in Palestine in the period we know as zero, before (BC and A.D. or Common Era) and after, Christ. The appearance of this human actually changed the calendar\u2014the measuring of time. We date his appearance as two thousand, twenty-one, years ago or 2021. Yes, every time we date something, write a check, send a letter or email, we recognize this measuring, this life. For Christians, that life measures all things. It is<\/em> the measure.<\/p>\nWhat is the last word Christ gets: \u201c\u2026so also in the Anointed [Christ] all will be given life\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
If we are going to make \u201call\u201d humanity as lost and dead in Adam, born into such, with no choice of their own, then don\u2019t we have to make \u201call\u201d the same as to Christ and his life?<\/p>\n
I realize there are other interpretations of this verse and passage. However, I find most of them wanting, especially those bending over backwards to make sure it can\u2019t mean a universal salvation. Maybe it doesn\u2019t mean such. Perhaps it means only a universal resurrection, wherein one\u2019s \u201ceternal\u201d fate is still to be decided.<\/p>\n
Of note, looking at the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul begins by speaking of the gospel (so kind of important). And a key aspect to that gospel is the resurrection of Christ. Significantly, though, is what that resurrection means for humanity.\u00a0 Here is the key passage for our purposes:<\/p>\n
\u201cFor as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.\u201d 1Cor 15:20-23<\/p>\n
Christ is the first of those that will come later. Thus, \u201cat his coming,\u201d which we assume means the Second Coming, \u201cthose\u201d who belong to Christ will also be raised. The question then is who are \u201cthose\u201d people? Who belongs to Christ?<\/p>\n
Now, many will say those who belong to Christ are those who have been baptized, or those who have publicly, \u201cconfessed\u201d Christ as savior or been \u201cborn again.\u201d Well, one of the problems with those conclusions is\u2026Adam<\/em> (Adam is always the problem, right?).<\/p>\nIf we are going to follow logically the analogy drawn between Adam and Christ, then we must ask: Who are those who belong to Adam?\u00a0 Are any left out? Are there any who do not belong to Adam as the representative of fallen humanity?\u00a0 Most Christians, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox would answer: No<\/p>\n
Well then, why doesn\u2019t the same answer apply to Christ, the Second Man who represents humanity, but without sin?\u00a0 If the penalty (or consequences) of dying in Adam are both physical and spiritual, then why aren\u2019t the consequences of being raised with Christ both physical and spiritual<\/em>?\u00a0 If \u201call have sinned and fall short of the glory of God\u2026\u201d applies to every person in Adam, then why doesn\u2019t the remedy (Christ, his life, death, and resurrection) apply to everyone? If we don\u2019t limit the reach and results of the fall, why do we limit its cure?<\/p>\nI have a Patreon<\/a>\u00a0\u2014please consider supporting my writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From here we read: \u201cIn contrast, whenever the New Testament speaks of the universality of God\u2019s salvation in Christ (47 times by Hart\u2019s count) it does so in bald theological assertions (as in 1 Corinthians 15:22: \u201cFor just as in Adam all die, so also in the Anointed all will be given life\u201d) which can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3524,"featured_media":2092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[952,868,762,949,473,936],"class_list":["post-2086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-adam","tag-christ","tag-david-b-hart","tag-i-corinthians","tag-theology","tag-universalism"],"yoast_head":"\n
The End is the Beginning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From here we read: \u201cIn contrast, whenever the New Testament speaks of the universality of God\u2019s salvation in Christ (47 times by Hart\u2019s count) it does so\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The End is the Beginning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From here we read: \u201cIn contrast, whenever the New Testament speaks of the universality of God\u2019s salvation in Christ (47 times by Hart\u2019s count) it does so\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Divergence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-16T03:13:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1004\/2021\/03\/road-238458_640.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"426\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Darrell Lackey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@darrelllackey1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Darrell Lackey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/\",\"name\":\"The End is the Beginning\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-16T03:13:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-16T03:13:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#\/schema\/person\/d88a32b8d4b5f40fbd6ccbfce4e0f813\"},\"description\":\"From here we read: \u201cIn contrast, whenever the New Testament speaks of the universality of God\u2019s salvation in Christ (47 times by Hart\u2019s count) it does so\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The End is the Beginning\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/\",\"name\":\"Divergence\",\"description\":\"Commentary Regarding Fundamentalism - Evangelicalism\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#\/schema\/person\/d88a32b8d4b5f40fbd6ccbfce4e0f813\",\"name\":\"Darrell Lackey\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/333bbffd8a9f931197abc00b19242031?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/333bbffd8a9f931197abc00b19242031?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Darrell Lackey\"},\"description\":\"Darrell Lackey has served as a lead pastor and currently works in the private sector. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (Now Gateway). He and his wife reside in Northern California.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/darrelllackey1\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/author\/dlackey\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The End is the Beginning","description":"From here we read: \u201cIn contrast, whenever the New Testament speaks of the universality of God\u2019s salvation in Christ (47 times by Hart\u2019s count) it does so","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The End is the Beginning","og_description":"From here we read: \u201cIn contrast, whenever the New Testament speaks of the universality of God\u2019s salvation in Christ (47 times by Hart\u2019s count) it does so","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/","og_site_name":"Divergence","article_published_time":"2021-03-16T03:13:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":426,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1004\/2021\/03\/road-238458_640.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Darrell Lackey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@darrelllackey1","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Darrell Lackey","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/","name":"The End is the Beginning","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-03-16T03:13:42+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-16T03:13:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#\/schema\/person\/d88a32b8d4b5f40fbd6ccbfce4e0f813"},"description":"From here we read: \u201cIn contrast, whenever the New Testament speaks of the universality of God\u2019s salvation in Christ (47 times by Hart\u2019s count) it does so","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/2021\/03\/15\/the-end-is-the-beginning\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The End is the Beginning"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/","name":"Divergence","description":"Commentary Regarding Fundamentalism - Evangelicalism","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#\/schema\/person\/d88a32b8d4b5f40fbd6ccbfce4e0f813","name":"Darrell Lackey","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/333bbffd8a9f931197abc00b19242031?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/333bbffd8a9f931197abc00b19242031?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Darrell Lackey"},"description":"Darrell Lackey has served as a lead pastor and currently works in the private sector. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (Now Gateway). He and his wife reside in Northern California.","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/darrelllackey1"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/author\/dlackey\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3524"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2086"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2098,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions\/2098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/divergence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}