Jesus Wants to save Christians: The New Exodus Theology- What this means to us today

I predicted this well, even though I have not reached it in the book yet, I was directed to the Narrative Theology at the Mars Hill site by a good friend. Their New Exodus Theology, which former lead pastor Don Golden brought to them, is based upon his research and study of the Exodus Narrative and the OT prophetic voices of a forthcoming new exodus, which is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth… The church, in Golden’s view is called to live out the gospel in missional and communal ways, particularly promoting the care of the poor and oppressed of our world. This approach is very much a holistic view of God’s mission for the world.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US TODAY
Today, Egypt can be seen as a picture of what we’re all born into. We’re all born into oppression by sin. We’re born with a sinful nature that pulls us, distorts things and takes us in directions that are destructive to us. Every single human being is born into bondage to sin. God wants to liberate us from sin, and he has a plan to do this. In the same way that the Jewish people were called by God to use their wealth and influence to bless those who need it most, so God has called the Church to do the same, to be his flesh and blood – his body – in the world, so the Church is called the Body of Christ. When we begin to use our resources, energy and power to preserve our own comfort and empire, we are sinning. Eventually, our sin will cause us to lose our power, wealth and influence. And God’s plan for blessing the world will be lost for a time.

The reason we study the Exodus is because we want to understand who Jesus is and what he’s doing. He wants to liberate the world from physical, spiritual and cultural bondage. Most of us have been given great wealth, talent and energy. And God wants us to share it with others who don’t have enough. What if the Church began to understand that God wants to fix this entire planet

HT Mars Hill Narrative Theology

Folks, this is really missing the mark in my opinion. It almost gets there, but, as Bell is in the habit of doing, he inserts his Oprafied/Claibourned/Wallised/Coplolish theology at the end. Let us examine this:

We’re all born into oppression by sin. True. All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23) In Adam, all have sinned.
Every single human being is born into bondage to sin
True!

Romans 3:9-18 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are m under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. (Sorry, Rick Warren)12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good,not even one.”13 “Their throat is an open grave;they use their tongues to deceive.”“The venom of asps is under their lips.”14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;16 in their paths are ruin and misery,17 and the way of peace they have not known.”18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

God wants to liberate us from sin, and he has a plan to do this. True! But what is it, Rob????

In the same way that the Jewish people were called by God to use their wealth and influence to bless those who need it most, so God has called the Church to do the same, to be his flesh and blood – his body – in the world, so the Church is called the Body of Christ.

Yes, and who is the Church? How does one become a part of the church?
(cricket sounds) We must go to the Narrative Theology:

We believe these longings found their fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, mysteriously God having become flesh. Jesus came to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted and set captives free, proclaiming a new arrival of the Kingdom of God, bringing about a New Exodus, and restoring our fractured world. He and his message were rejected by many as he confronted the oppressive nature of the religious elite and the empire of Rome. Yet his path of suffering, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection has brought hope to all creation. Jesus is our only hope for bringing peace and reconciliation between God and humans. Through Jesus we have been forgiven and brought into right relationship with God. God is now reconciling us to each other, ourselves, and creation. The Spirit of God affirms as children of God all those who trust Jesus. The Spirit empowers us with gifts, convicts, guides, comforts, counsels, and leads us into truth through a communal life of worship and a missional expression of our faith.
The church is rooted and grounded in Christ, practicing spiritual disciplines and celebrating baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church
is a global and local expression of living out the way of Jesus through love, peace, sacrifice, and healing as we embody the resurrected
Christ, who lives in and through us, to a broken and hurting world.

HT Mars Hill Narrative Theology
Lets look at that again….who?

Jesus is our only hope for bringing peace and reconciliation between God and humans. True- I believe this! Through Jesus we have been forgiven and brought into right relationship with God. God is now reconciling us to each other, ourselves, and creation.

Huh? This is pretty general. It sounds as the whole of the universe is being reconciled to God. This, my friends is Christian Universalism. It is the belief that God is reconciling all people (actually all creation) To Himself, He did this through the cross. Notice the words us, humans, we.
This is what the Bible says:

15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

What is the theology of the end? Is there a Hell, a judgment for sin?. Nope.

We believe the day is coming when Jesus will return to judge the world, bringing an end to injustice and restoring all things to God’s original intent. God will reclaim this world and rule forever. The earth’s groaning will cease and God will dwell with us here in a restored
creation. On that day we will beat swords into tools for cultivating the earth, the wolf will lie down with the lamb, there will be no more
death and God will wipe away all our tears. Our relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation will be whole. All will flourish as God intends. This is what we long for. This is what we hope for. And we are giving our lives to living out that future reality now.

HT Mars Hill’s Narrative Theology

This is what the Bible says:

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not a see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Our material blessings are to help the poor and the needy and the helpless and the oppressed so that we can build the kingdom of God on this earth according to Bell. While we are called to do this, our primary call on this earth is to make disciples, by going into all the world and preaching the Gospel to every creature. In Bell’s narrative theology, this is irrelevant. Nope, the Church, which is everyone who knows about Jesus apparently- there is no call for repentance or faith- is this:

The church
is a global and local expression of living out the way of Jesus through love, peace, sacrifice, and healing as we embody the resurrected
Christ, who lives in and through us, to a broken and hurting world.

and this

Most of us have been given great wealth, talent and energy. And God wants us to share it with others who don’t have enough. What if the Church began to understand that God wants to fix this entire planet

My friends, Jesus Christ has saved Christians. Christians are those who recognize their position before God as those who have sinned, Repent of that sin by seeing it as God sees it, agrees with God that it is sin, and changes their direction so that they are in agreement with God. They then put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation. I believe this process can be faith/repentance or repentance faith, or simoutaneous. But there is a time that one must be born again to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The result of being Born Again is a concern for those who are lost; oppressed by sin. The only liberation from sin is through Christ Jesus our Lord.

From the reading of this book, and the reading of the narrative theology along with other books and videos and recordings, it is clear that Bell is teaching the Christian Universalist Heresy and wrapping it in the poetic language of the New Exodus. Humankind is oppressed, Jesus was sent to liberate all humankind, those who know him work as liberators to bring peace to the world and help to the poor and oppressed, and in that way act as liberators, bringing the kingdom to the earth so that when Jesus returns all will be restored and set right with everybody…regardless.

It sounds very beautiful, but it is from the pit of Hell.

Please remember to pray for Rob Bell, the members of Mars Hill church, and Dan Golden. Pray that through their study of scripture, God would reveal Himself in truth to them. Pray that through their ministry that many would come to a knowledge of the truth, and that God would draw them unto salvation.