Throughout
life, we have to make choices. Some choices are relatively
straightforward. Others are very much more difficult. Some choices don’t
affect the rest of our life very much. There are, however, choices
which affect the whole of our life. There is one choice which is more
important than any other - Choosing the Lord Jesus Christ as your
Saviour. Those who refuse to choose are ‘double-minded’(Psalm 119:113).
They can’t make up their mind. They know that they should be following
Christ - but they are still ‘in love with the world’. They are ‘lovers
of pleasure rather than lovers of God’ (I John 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:4).
Make your choice. Say to the world, ‘Away from me, you evildoers, that I
may keep the commands of my God’. Say to God, ‘I have decided to obey
Your laws until the day I die’ (Psalm 119:115,112).
The question of universalism in Barth’s theology has been raised directly by J D Bettis in his article, “Is Karl Barth a Universalist?” (Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 20, No. 4, December 1967, pp. 423-436). This article requires to be carefully discussed not only for its significance as an interpretation of Barth’s thought but also because it presents a serious misrepresentation of Berkouwer’s criticism of Barth. Bettis writes, “Modern protestant theology has defined three basic answers to the question of the particularity of election: double predestination, Arminianism and universalism” (p. 423). By attempting to fit Berkouwer into “this structure of alternatives” (p. 423), he misrepresents completely Berkouwer’s criticism of Barth. According to Bettis, Brunner and Berkouwrer hold that “because Barth fails to accept either Brunner’s Arminianism or Berkouwer's double decree, he must be a universalist” (p. 426). There are two misrepresentations of Berkouwer here. (...
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