New Church Life Sept/Oct 2013 | Page 53

         To be sure, it’s sad when people choose to deny God and to be ruled by selfish love. But a god who would create a system where that choice was not a possibility, would not be a god who prized mutuality and the reciprocal nature of genuine love. He would not truly be a lover of freedom. To my mind, this is the effect of the doctrine of universal salvation. Conclusion The Lord created us to be “others outside of Himself,” so that He could be joined with us in a relationship in which there is reciprocity. Only then can He bless us with the fullness of His life. (True Christian Religion 43) It is ind