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DROPPING HELL AND EMBRACING GRACE IS A CALL FOR A RECONSIDERATION OF THE SCOPE OF GOD’S RECOVERY PLAN FOR HIS FALLEN CREATION. DOES HE INTEND TO RECOVER ALL, OR WILL HE SETTLE FOR LESS THAN ALL? THAT IS THE QUESTION!

The author, Ivan A. Rogers, takes an affirmative position on the issues raised in this book. He makes a compelling and scripture-based case that, when finally embraced, will result in the greatest reformation of positive change yet experienced by the church Christ founded. Rogers brilliantly takes the reader on a spiritual journey that actually began even “before the world was made.” He convincingly demonstrates that God’s ultimate objective is the salvation of all humanity from Adam forward to a glorious future of promise. In his book the doctrine of eternal conscious torture in a so-called “hell” becomes a casualty of God’s all-encompassing grace. “Ivan A. Rogers’ book is essential reading for everyone who desires to understand God’s plan of salvation of all humanity. Boldly tackling the key issues regarding universal reconciliation, this book provides clear, succinct explanations. ‘Dropping Hell and Embracing Grace’ is solidly based upon Scripture and honors the Word of God above human opinion or religious tradition. Read it --and be challenged to think deeply about the world-changing grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” (endorsement by Steven Fuson, author of Temple Treasures, also, Kingdom and Dominion. * For other quotes see “Endorsements.”

Chapter I

GOD’S COVENANT OF ADOPTION

"For he chose us in [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us through the One he loves" – Ephesians 1:4-6.

Most of us have heard about God’s ‘Last Will and Testament’ – the Scriptures. But very few are aware of God’s ‘First Will and Testament’ – the one that preceded even his written Word. In the above text of scriptures, God pulls back the curtains of his inner sanctum and reveals to us certain acts of his determination taken even “before the creation of the world.” Here, too, God reveals that his motivation for these pre-creation acts was inspired by “love,” his means were “through Jesus Christ,” and, his method was by en masse “adoption” of the yet uncreated and unborn human family.

Speaking of adoption, I recently read an account of a nonprofit Christian organization whose purpose is to facilitate embryonic adoptions. Given the fact that an embryo is said to be “a complete pre-born human being with a full set of chromosomes and DNA,” this seems to be a commendable endeavor. Human lives are thereby saved and barren couples blessed with longed-for new babies; a gift of life from embryos that might have otherwise been lost or destroyed.

But our heavenly Father has done something even better than that! He adopted all of us even before our embryonic stage of development. Read again those amazing words: “For he chose us [in Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves" (Eph 1:4-6).

The above three verses of scripture must surely rank among the most revelatory and awe-inspiring to be found in the entire Bible. Consider again: “For he chose us [in Christ] … to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Notice especially that it doesn’t say we are holy and blameless because we made a decision. It doesn’t say we are holy and blameless because we quit some of our bad habits. It doesn’t say we are holy and blameless because we completed the ‘new believer classes’ at church. It doesn’t say we are holy and blameless because we chose him; but, rather, because “he chose us.”

It’s entirely possible that none of us may appear to be holy and blameless in the sight of others – or even in our own sight. However, our blamelessness is not dependent on the judgment of others, nor on anything we might personally say or do, but on divine fiat – or, in plain English: because God declared it to be so!

PREDESTINED!

The above text also employs the word “predestined” (vs. 5) to make the point that our adoption was always foremost in God’s thoughts. The heavenly Father’s ‘first-thought’ (not an afterthought) was to adopt the yet uncreated humanity that he intended to bring into the (as yet) uncreated world. In other words, you and I had already been adopted in the mind of God even before he created the universe with its light, space, time, matter, earth, vegetation, animals or the first man and woman.

Some struggle with the concept of predestination, saying, “How is it possible for God to adopt all of unborn humanity even before he created our first parents, Adam and Eve?” Or, they say, “How is it possible for God to declare something to be a done-deal before the existence of something else necessary to make it happen?” Well, for God it’s easy! He declared (“made”) Abraham “a father of many nations” even before Abraham had become the father of Isaac, the child of promise (Gen 17:5-6). Let us remember; he is the God who “calls things that are not as though they [already] were” (see Rom 4:17).

HERE’S THE DEAL

Going forward and for purposes of explanation, I will refer to God’s pre-creation activity (as it relates to humanity) as his Covenant of Adoption. The word “covenant” looms especially large in the concepts and vocabularies of Jewish and Christian faith traditions. In religious terms, covenant is usually thought of as some form of agreement between two or more parties. It involves a commitment of words – verbal or printed – and is usually accompanied by an exchange of symbolic tokens of good faith. Ancient covenants made in the biblical Middle East not only held out promise of great blessings, but sometimes also included written curses upon any of the parties that should ever violate the mutually agreed upon terms (for an example, see Deuteronomy Chapter 28).

NO HELP NEEDED, THANK YOU!

There are many examples of ancient covenants between people and nations still extant. But I propose to demonstrate that the very first covenant now revealed to humankind predates all others ever unearthed or discovered by archaeologists or historians. Due to its pre-creation antiquity, God’s Covenant of Adoption not only stands alone in its seniority, but also in its singularity. Therefore it cannot serve as a prototype of any subsequent human covenants for the following reasons:

•It is a unilateral covenant – God alone being a party to its inception.

•The terms of the covenant are based solely on the unconditional love of God.

•The objects of the covenant (all of humanity) had not yet been created or born when the adoption was finalized and, thus, could contribute nothing to it.

•The primary purpose of the covenant is the satisfaction of God’s pleasure and will.

•The sole guarantor of the covenant is God’s son, Jesus Christ.

Let me reiterate that this divine Covenant of Adoption was inaugurated before time commenced, before the world was created, before humanity was created, before the first human good deed was performed, before the first human sin was committed and before the first prayer of repentance was prayed. God’s pre-creation Covenant of Adoption included a commitment to choose as his own children the human family without exception, without condition, and is solely dependent on the word of his promise (see Ti 1:2-3).

Though all members of humanity are beneficiaries of God’s glorious covenant, yet we were totally absent as co-composers of its contents or as signatories to its terms. Prior to its inception, none of us was asked to preview it, approve it, agree with it, accept it, reject it, ignore it, defer it, or even be aware of it. This covenant was a done-deal before humankind ever had a chance to deal with it. And it cannot be overemphasized that God originated this covenant “before the beginning of time” (2 Ti 1:9-10). END OF SAMPLE TEXT