Universal Nature of Christianity

Universal Nature of Christianity UNIVERSAL NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY
By JOHN T. HINDS

It is conceded by all that the establishment of Chris­tianity in the world was for the purpose of saving men and women. What Christianity is, its adaptability to man’s needs and the necessity of all responsible beings accepting it are questions of vital concern, which no one can safely ignore. The absolute demand for its accep­tance is supported by the highest authority. Moses, the Avorld’s greatest lawgiver, said of Christ, the author of Christianity: “A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren like unto me; to him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. And it shall be that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet shall be utterly de­stroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:22-23). At his transfiguration the voice of God said: “This is my bloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” That Christianity is universal in its demands is seen in the fact that God does not propose to accept any half-hearted service. Jesus said ye must love God with “all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” No half way serving the Lord if we are to be accepted. In rebuking the congregation at Laodicea for being luke­warm John represents Christ as saying that he would spew them out of his mouth because they were neither cold nor hot. We must accept Christianity and render honest service to God or be lost. There is no other alternative. This rigid demand of Christianity must be understood, of course as being applicable only to those responsible. The infant and the mentally incompetent are not gospel subjects. As the gospel is not addressed to them, they are not included in the demands for obedience. Christianity applies only to those who have lived or will live since ics establishment and are capable of rendering in­telligent obedience to its requirements. To all such Christianity offers the only hope. This fact, I am sure, will be abundantly sutained by the Scriptures to be offered in this lecture. The universal nature of Christianity is forcefully pre­sented by the significant use of the word “all” both by Christ and his apostles. The following examples will be sufficient as proof:

I. “All authority.” This is the claim that Christ as the founder of Christianity made for himself when he sent his apostles as his accredited representatives. His words are these: “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.” The King James version says “powder,” but there is no question but that author­ity is the better word. The fact that it is found in the Revised Version is all the proof we need.

These words should make a profound impression on all honest hearts. It was Christ who said them. lie had been raised from the dead and was soon to return to his Father. He was issuing his final commission to the apostles and giving the law by which men should be saved. Under these solemn circumstances he said, “All authority ” is given to me. Are we willing to obey the command of God and “hear him”? To fully appreciate this authority we must remember that it applies to both heaven and earth. Not only so but to the full extent of both realms; for it is said that Christ has all authority in each realm. Paul said because Christ humbled himself in becoming obedient to the death of the cross, “God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name that is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Php_2:9-11). In referring to Christ’s present state Peter said: “Who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him” (1 Peter 3:2). Surely if all the angelic hosts of heaven must bow to the authority of Christ, there can be no reason why men should be excused.

Paul not only says in heaven and on earth but under the earth. In Revelation 1:18 it is said that Christ, since his resurrection has the “keys of death and of Hades.” Since Christ’s spirit went to Hades while his body was in the tomb, and since he now has the keys of that realm, we are safe in saying that Paul’s expression “under the earth” refers to Hades—the state between death and the resurrection. This makes his authority supreme in all realms except Satan’s domain where no one can or is expected to serve him. This authority may be rejected, of course, but only at the peril of the one who does it. A pertinent question in this connection is this: How long will Christ be permitted to hold this authority? Or, putting it in other words, when will he relinquish it? We are not only told that this authority will be exer­cised while at the right hand of God but we are also told exactly when he will give it up. In speaking of Christ’s coming Paul said: “Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all ene­mies under his feet. The last enemy that shall he abol­ished is death” (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). Christ reigns while at the right hand of the Father but will turn the rule and authority back to God when he comes.

II. “All nations,” “Every creature.”

After all the Scriptures have said about the authority of Christ it seems unnecessary to add more to prove the universal nature of Christianity. But men are often slow to accept the plainest facts sustained by the most unmistakable proof. The Holy Spirit through the apos­tles has made provision to meet this human weakness by giving elaborate evidence and by mentioning the smallest details. In the report of the commission as given by Matthew, Mark and Luke we find that all na­tions are to be taught, the gospel is to be preached to every creature or the whole creation, and that repent­ance and remission of sins in his name is to be preached among all nations. This shows that every nation, tribe and tongue in this world is required to hear and obey Christ—to become a Christian. None are exempt except the babes and those not responsible. These statements make the obligation individual. The commission also settles the missionary problem. If the gospel is for all and is the power of God to save people, then it must be preached to all, those near us Lnd those far from us. No difference where a human being lives he is entitled to hear the gospel. Christians, to the extent of their ability, should either send or take it to him. For this we have the unquestioned example of the apostles and early Christians. When a persecu­tion scattered the Jerusalem church abroad they “went about preaching the word.” Much of Paul’s life was devoted to carrying the gospel to other nations than his own. No individual or congregation should be satis­fied till some provision is made for some missionary work. The universal nature of Christianity requires it.

III. ‘‘All things commanded.”
Jesus not only told the apostles to teach the nations or preach the gospel to every creature, but to teach them “to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you.” Of course, in requiring them to preach the gospel to every creature it is implied that they must preach all things he demands of sinners as conditions of salvation. This would necessarily include the commands to believe, repent and be baptized. The story of the conversions under their labors proves that they did preach these commands; for, the converts all obeyed them. This is final proof that the commands of the gospel are also uni­versal. But the expression “all things whatsoever I command­ed you” (Matthew 28:20), refers to the things he required them to teach Christians respecting their duties. Since Christians must be faithful until death to receive the crown of life, it is just as necessary to be taught Chris­tian duties as what to do to become Christians. This in­volves not only the duties of faithful Christians but backsliders as well. If all things should be taught to one Christian, then to all Christians. So, even Christian du­ties are as universal as the membership of the body of Christ. I shall not stop here to mention all these duties but will say that meeting for worship on the first day of the week and “laying by in store as the Lord has pros­pered” us are just as universal and individual as other Christian duties. We do not worship the Lord by proxy;, we must do it ourselves if it is done.

IV. “Always”—that is till Jesus comes again.
When Jesus sent his apostles to preach the gospel and tach all nations, he said to them: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” This language does not mean that he would remain with them person­ally, for he has long since gone back to the Father. Neither did he mean that they would stay on earth till the end of the world, for they have long since passed to the beyond. He must have meant that his ap­proval would rest upon them till they completed the work he gave them to do, and that what they did because inspired by the Holy Spirit would be binding till the end of the world. This harmonizes per­fectly with what he had told them before his death when he said, “Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.” This again proves that the gospel requirements are not only universal for every responsible creature but it is to remain that way until the end of the world.

Customs and fashions often change and this is all well enough, but this does not change the nature of man nor the conditions of the gospel. When man heeded to be saved in the first days of Christianity he needs now. Christ provided for the needs of man’s future. Hence, the universal nature of his law.

Preachers may go to their appointments in the automo­bile, the limited train or even the aeroplane, but the truth that saves men is just the same as when the apos­tles walked about the hills of Galilee. Science in the fields of electricity, medicine and surgery has accom­plished wonders and has done much to relieve life of many burdens, but man’s nature remains the same and his spiritual needs are unchanged.

Men often cry for a change in the church and the plan of salvation in order to keep up with the times. They want the same liberties in divine things that God allows in temporal things. But this would not he best. An un­changeable covenant with unchangeable conditions is man’s only guarantee against tho devices of Satan. If variable and left to the whims of men, soon there would be no certainty or safety anywhere. The history of denominationalism with its human creeds is ample evi­dence of this truth.

Just here, it will be well to ask again for emphasis, How universal is Christianity? The sum total of what the Scriptures say on the question is that it is for every creature in every nation until the end of the world. Hence the law of pardon expressed in the commission, the law by which people become Christians, will be binding till the end of the world. If there were any other law that would save, people in some other world would have to be found to be saved by it; for, the law in the commission is for every responsible subject in this world as long as it stands. This may seem an exacting position, but man has no right to judge the Lord and say his ways are not just. If he be able to save, he surely knows how to save. His law can neither be wrong nor unjust.

V. All are invited to come.
While the law demands that all obey or else have no promise of salvation, the Lord makes the invitation just as universal as the law. Tenderly he pleads, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ” Almost the last thing said in the divine record is an invitation from the spirit and the bride saying, “Come.” Then the statement is made that “he that is athirst, let him come; he that will, let him take the water of life freely.” Tlie only thing that will hinder people from coming is a lack of willingness to come. Since all may come, the law that demands obedience of all is just.

VI. All Must Face the Judgment.
Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:10 says: “For we must all be made manifest before the judgement seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” The universal nature of Christianity is here seen m the fact that all the race must face at the judgment the Christ whose authority covers the whole realm of intelligent responsibility. Whether good or bad no one is to be excused from this great universal meeting. Since we are all to be present at the judgment, all should be ready by obeying the only law that prepares for that day.

All the Wicked Will Be Lost and All the Righteous Saved.
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus has given a vivid picture of the judgment. He says that all the nations shall be gath­ered before him and he will separate them as a shepherd divides between the sheep and the goats. Those placed on the left are the wicked who will be told to depart; those upon the right are the good who will go into eternal life. The two classes constitute the sum total of the race. The judgment then is just as universal as the race. Well may we ask with the apostle Paul, mow shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?” How can we afford to meet the Lord when we have refused to obey his law or have “counted the blood of the covenant wherewith we were sanctified an unholy thing?” Why be lost when a law has been provided that will save every willing re­sponsible soul.” Why waste the few years allotted us here when eternity with all its wealth of heavenly bless­ings is open to all who desire to enjoy them? Let us obey and thank the Lord for a law that is broad enough to save every one that really wants to be saved; a law as universal as the needs of the human race.