Leadership Blog: Out of Ur: Brian McLaren’s Inferno: the provocative church leader explains his view of hell:
Tony Campolo writes:
"I’m willing to be shown I’m wrong, but as I read Scripture, this is how I see things: You will never be condemned to hell because you didn’t have a chance, you will condemn yourself to hell because you reject Jesus."
Dear Tony,
You are wrong.
Romans 5:15-17 "But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ."
It's as clear as a bright summer morning. People are cast into hell because of the guilt of Adam's sin imputed to them. People are rescued from hell when Jesus' righteous life and works are imputed to them and their sin and guilt is imputed to Him... on that glorious day when they repent of sin and place full trust in Christ alone.
Sincerely,
Paul
Looking at that article and the comments which follow, it's discouraging to see how little Scripture is regarded as the source of truth about God.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all of the comments are of the form "I can't believe that..." or "I think God is..." or "It isn't reasonable that...".
What arrogance! Who are we to confine God to what we can believe, or what we think, or what we see as reasonable?
Back in 1996, David Wells wrote the remarkable little pamphlet The Bleeding of the Evangelical Church. He traces much of our current theological malaise to having the sense of the holiness of God. Surely our sense of his holiness must be very slight if we dare presume that God must conform to our preconceptions!
A terrific quote from that pamphlet:
Because of our therapeutic culture, we favor relational matters over those that are moral, the consequence of which is that God's holiness is pushed into the background and his love is brought into the foreground. Mysticism then flourishes and cognitive conviction retreats. Self-surrender is devalued and self-fulfillment is prized. Preoccupation with the character fades and fascination with personality and self-image advance. The God in whom love has replaced wrath produces a Christianity that is appealing for its civility, but one that has no serious Word for a world which is racked by evil. It is a form of belief that is sympathetic but not searching, that lends its ear but not its revelation of the Holy One. Without the holiness of God, sin is just failure -- but not failure before God! It is failure without the presumption of guilt, without retribution, indeed without any serious moral meaning at all. And without the holiness of God, grace is no longer grace. It is not grace from God, grace from the God who, against his own holy nature, has reconciled sinners to himself in Christ. And without justification there is no gospel and without the gospel, there is no Christianity.
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ReplyDeleteWhat about all those Missionaries who have been killed for preaching the Gospel. Was their preaching meaningless? It was if the Gospel doesn't need to be preached to those who don't hear it. There are some implications that come about when we say that those who don't hear the Gospel are some how saved.
ReplyDeleteAll those Missionaries who lost their lives would have been better off burning as much Christian literature as possible and ridding the world of Christianity because then no one would hear it and then everyone would be saved. If someone is on their way to Heaven and then I preach the Gospel to them and then they reject it and then go to Hell because of that rejection (and that rejection only) I probably should just keep my mouth shut and let them enjoy an eternity of Paradise. Yes that is very extreme but it is true if people don't need to hear the Gospel to get to Heaven.
Rob,
ReplyDeleteYes, that little Muslim girl is lost and on her way to hell. The solution to the problem is to get the Gospel to her. Maybe God is calling you to give the Gospel to little Muslim girls somehow. Add it to your prayer list. See Matthew 9:36-38.
As to how much we need to know in order to be saved - we need to know that we are sinners and are therefore condemned, can't fix the problem ourselves, that Jesus, as the sinless Messiah can and will if we ask Him to.
It seems that the thief on the cross had an understanding of his sin "we receive the due reward for our deeds" (Luke 23:41), that Jesus did not sin "this man has done nothing wrong" (23:41), that Jesus could save him from his eternal lostness "remember me when you come into your kingdom" (23:42, that Jesus was inheriting a Kingdom and was ruler of it (23:42). It is probable that the thief was a Jew who knew something of the OT promises and recognized Jesus as the Messiah. It is a certainty that the Spirit of God got a grip on him and brought him to repentance. See what Matthew says about him in Mt.27:44. The thief went from being one of the revilers of Jesus to asking for salvation. What a God!!
Rob,
ReplyDeleteJustice is getting what one deserves. Since the Bible says that Jesus is the only way to right relationship with God (Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12) how could a Muslim go to heaven? Graciously God grants some people salvation through Jesus. That doesn't impugne God's character. To the contrary it glorifies it.
rob,
ReplyDeleteThat is the whole point of Paul's passionate words in Romans 1014-17
"But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
No one is saved apart from calling on Christ.
No one calls on Christ apart from believing on Him.
No one believes on Christ apart from hearing about Him.
No one hears about Christ apart from preaching about Christ.
No one preaches about Christ unless they are sent!
Therefore - we need to send preachers! See I Am Batman's comments above!!!
Rob, how can it be "logically inconsistent" for those who haven't heard the gospel of Christ to suffer hell? Given the sinful nature and flagrant sinful practices of those who have heard and those who haven't how could it be unjust for God to send any of us to hell? Our sin attracts God's just punishment. For God to elect some to salvation and to elect the gospel as the means of salvation is sheer grace (nonjustice not injustice) on God's part, and the greatest source of encouragement towards evangelism because we know that some will be invincibly saved.
ReplyDeleteIsn't God great to elect those who hate the concept?
ReplyDeletePASTOR ADRIAN RODGERS SAID ON THE RADIO THAT THERE WILL BE PEOPLE STANDING BEFORE CHRIST AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD OF HIM NOR KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THE GOSPELS, BUT WILL BE IN HELL ANYWAY;I RESPECT HIM,BUT I STRONGLY DISAGREE.HELL WILL BE FOR THOSE WHO WILL FOREVER HAVE HIS NAME(JESUS) SEARED INTO THEIR CONSICOUS.
ReplyDelete