When Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17), he was not dividing humanity into two eternal classes. He was describing two states of awareness.
The righteous are those who already trust in God’s love. They know deep in their being that they are secure in Him. They don’t lie awake tormented by the fear of rejection. Their salvation is already experienced.
The sinners are those who feel abandoned, condemned, unworthy. They live in guilt and despair, trapped in a self-made hell of shame and fear.And it is for them that Christ came — not to hand out a golden ticket for the afterlife, but to awaken them here and now to the love that has always been theirs.
As Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). And again, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).The truth is this: salvation is not a transaction but a revelation. It is not something to earn, but something to recognize.The “righteous” already rest in it.The “sinners” need only awaken to it.
In this light, hell is not a place God sends us after death, but the torment of living blind to His love in this life. And salvation is Christ opening our eyes to what has always been true: we are already loved, already forgiven, already held.
This is universalism in the simplest terms: if salvation is not a prize but a truth, then it must be true for all. And Christ’s mission is to help every soul awaken to it.
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