Heresy: The Problem With The Truth

Do you know what the problem with the truth is? Sometimes it hurts! We Christians sometimes skirt the truth or just flat out lie about it so as not to offend anyone. This is just wrong. The prophets, apostles, martyrs, and Our Lord died for the truth. What makes us think that we should do any less if need be.

I want to believe that everyone is inherently good. The truth is that they're not. I want to believe that the world is a safe place to live. The truth is that it is not. I want to believe that my government has my best interest at heart. The truth is that it doesn't. I also want to believe that everyone will go to Heaven when they die. The truth is that they won't.

Heresy is defined as a system of thought which contradicts true doctrine. One of the most popular heresies during the course of Church history has been Universalism. Universalism is the false doctrine that teaches that everyone on the earth has been redeemed by Christ and will go to Heaven. This doctrine has reared its ugly head once again in evangelical circles. The popular evangelical minister from Michigan, Rob Bell, has just released a book entitled Love Wins. In this book Bell expouses Universalism.

Over the years I have studied Universalism and its claims. I will be the first to profess that the claims are attractive. I have looked at all of the Scriptures related to the topic and used as a defense by adherents of this heresy and I find them wanting. Taken in context the verses claimed to substantiate Universalism actually refute it.

The key argument of evangelical universalism is that Christ's love is so great for all of mankind that He would not send anyone to Hell. I agree with this statement, but I must place it in its proper context. Jesus' love is so great that He would never send anyone to Hell. And He doesn't. He became one of us to keep us from going to Hell. He preached about Hell so that we wouldn't want to go there. He suffered an agonizing death to keep us out of Hell. He rose from the grave and conquered death so that we wouldn't have to go to Hell. Jesus doesn't want anyone to go to Hell! But He won't stop us if that's where we choose to spend eternity.

We are creatures created in the imagio Dei, the image of God. Thus we are creatures with free will. God never, ever supercedes our free will. He has done everything He can to keep us from Hell. The choice is ours. The way out is there. All we have to do is make the right choice. Hell was not created for human beings. It was created for the demonic hoard who followed Satan in the rebellion against God. But when human beings choose Satan over God they also choose to dwell where Satan will abide for eternity.

Sometimes the truth hurts, but this is the truth. Some of you will get angry with me for telling you the truth, but so be it. My job as a priest is not to make you feel good. My job is to tell you the truth.

May God enlighten those blinded by heresy and bring them back to the truth. My God open the eyes of those led astray by false prophets and may they see them for what they really are. And may God help you to see the Truth, who is Jesus Christ, and follow Him to eternal bliss, rather than following Satan to eternal perdition. Amen.

Fr. Rick