Day 166
Romans 8-16
The rest of the reply…I didn’t change anything and literally just copied
and pasted so hope it makes sense :)
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Pastor
Brandon:
I
like C Michael Patton because he doesn't just teach theology, he wrestles
with it. Here he gives several common but bad answers to your question and
then his conclusion.
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From Evernote: |
Questions I Hope No One Asks: Why Doesn’t God Save Everyone? |
by C Michael PattonJanuary
21st, 2011
74 Comments
The first in my new “Questions I Hope No One Asks”
Series 74 Comments As an evangelical Christian, I seek to share Christ with others. Often, in doing so, people have a lot of questions. Many times these are “soft-ball” questions about which I am more confident in my response. However, there are many questions concerning the Christian faith that that are much more difficult to answer and about which I am less confident in what I have to say. Most of the time it is not simply that I don’t have the answer, but that they are questions that I myself would love to present before the throne of God.
Questions I hope no one asks #1:
Why doesn’t God save everyone?
Insufficient Answers:
“Because he does not interfere with free will.”
This is the answer that would be given by some of my friends who don’t hold to the same particular theological persuasions that I have. I think it is the best of all the insufficient answers out there and does contain a certain element of truth. The idea is that God provides the means for salvation for everyone, but it is up to the individuals to choose God. As the old saying goes, “God casts a vote for you. Satan casts a vote against you. You hold the tie-breaking vote.” The emphasis is on the “you.” God has done his part, you are now the master of your faith and the captain of your soul.
However, this is problematic for me for some substantial reasons. Most importantly, I don’t think Scripture teaches this. I believe that we all have cast our vote against God. Hence, we have already exercised our “free will,” submitted our ballot, and checked the box next to “I stand with Adam; I hate God.” Satan has no vote for anyone. He only casts a ballot for himself. Therefore, we are in a very precarious situation. Humanity took a stand with Adam in Eden and exercised its freedom collectively and voted against God. In this sense, we are “in Adam.” Our choice was made “in and with” him (Rom. 5:12-21). If anyone is to be saved, our will and choice already made “in Adam” must be changed from the outside. In the end, God’s “vote” or election is all that matters. If we are to be saved, we must have our vote vetoed.
“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy [or vetoes]” (Rom 9:16).
Yes, man’s choice does matter. But mankind was condemned long ago with Adam. Our wills are in bondage to our sin. We have no ability to turn to God or choose him (Rom. 3). If anyone is to be saved, God must sovereignly do the saving.
But, unfortunately, the question remains: Why doesn’t he save everyone?
“God does not love everyone.”
I also know many people who take this “out.” For them, God’s only saves those whom he loves. For them, there are many who are hated by God. Therefore, God does not save them because they are objects of his hatred.
Although I have a knee-jerk reaction to such emotionally rapping explanations, my emotional disposition toward anything has no vote in truth. I could not say, “This cannot be. I would not serve a God who is so vindictive, trivial, and evil.” If God is this way, then so be it. He is still God and I am not. However, this option does not find any valid biblical support. The Bible says that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). As well, Titus 3:4 says that his love is for all mankind. According to 2 Pet 3:9 he does not desire any to perish. While I believe that God has a particular type of “elective love” for those who are being saved, I don’t believe the others are hated in an unqualified sense. God loves all his creation.
But, again, this begs the question: Why doesn’t he save everyone?
“He is going to save everyone.”
This is my favorite answer. This is the answer I want to be true. Give me enough reason to find a loophole to get out of the doctrine of hell, and I will take it. Help me to find a way to get everyone a reservation in the kingdom of God, and I will bite. However, I have searched and searched for such a loophole and cannot find it. There is an ever terrifying truth that escalates in the Scriptures concerning the reality of ultimate destruction for so many of God’s creation. “Enter by the narrow gate,” Christ warns, ” for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it” (Mat 7:13-14). And Christ even makes it more clear when someone asks him the question of the hour:
“And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He [Christ] said to them, ‘Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out (Luk 13:23-28).
Though I would like to opt for some sort of universal salvation (universalism), I find no warrant other than wishful thinking. Therefore, I yield to a source greater and higher than my opinion and remain confused by the question, Why doesn’t God save everyone?
My Answer:
The best answer I have is “I don’t know.” God has not seen fit to tell us why all are not saved. We know these basic facts: 1) All people are part of a race that chose against God. 2) God did not have to save anyone and he would still be just. 3) God loves all people. 4) God has the power to save all people. 5) God is only saving certain people.
But we also know that God could have told us why he is not saving everyone, but he has chosen not to. There are many things that God has kept in the secret council of his will (Deut. 29:29). He is not saying, “This is for me to know and you to find out, nah, nah, na boo boo.” He is saying, “Listen. There are some things that are good questions, but I have seen fit to withhold the answer. I am good. Trust me when I say I love everyone. Trust me when I say I know what I am doing. Trust me that I know best. Can you trust me?” Many of us take the moral high-ground on God and say “No. You are condemned by my hand.” Others adjust what the Scriptures say to make things more palatable. In the end, I just encourage all of us to trust him. This is what faith is all about friend. He does know what he is doing, even when we don’t have the answers.
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Pastor
Brandon:
End
with this one so that you like God again ; ) God is working even when we
haven't showed up yet.
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From Evernote: |
What about people who have never heard about Jesus? |
God works to reveal
himself and leaves a testimony everywhere.
Clarence Duncan's Ministry to the Yao
In 1985 Clarence Duncan
arrived in Africa as missionary to the solidly Muslim people called the Yao who
live mainly in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Malawi. When he settled in his
village, he called for a meeting with the elders. After the pleasantries the
chief asked him his name. Clarence replied, "Mr. Clarence."
The council looked at each
other for a moment and then the chief asked, "Why are you here?"
Again Clarence simply
said, "I want to tell your people about Isa Al Mahsi (Jesus the
Messiah)."
A couple months later,
when the chief decided he could trust Clarence, he said, "Do you know why
we allowed you to stay?"
Clarence said, "I
never thought about it."
"Twenty-one years ago
a very old Yao man came to our village and called for a meeting as you did.
When we asked him his name, this Yao man said, 'Mr. Clarence'—which isn't an
African name at all! When we asked him why he came, he said, 'I want to tell
your people about Isa Al Mahsi.' These were your very words. Twenty-one years
ago Mr. Clarence led four of our villagers to follow Jesus. So we ran them out
of the village. And we killed Mr. Clarence. The reason we allowed you to stay
was we were afraid."
That was 1985. Two years
ago on a January morning 24 Muslim elders approached Clarence Duncan's house.
After a meal the leader sat in the middle of the room and said that they had
come to ask questions about Christianity. Clarence said fine but that he would
only answer them by reading from the Bible so they would know he did not invent
the answers. So he gave each of them a Bible in the trade language. The first
question was, "Why do you Christians say that there are three gods?"
Clarence said the answer was found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and gave them the page: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is
our God. The Lord is one!" And he mentioned that Isa (Jesus) said this
very thing in Mark 12:29.
The questioning went on
till five in the afternoon. When all had left, the leader, Sheik Abu Bakr,
stayed and asked if he could see Clarence in a week.
When they met Abu asked if
Clarence knew why they came to see him last week. Clarence said he assumed it
was to ask questions. But Abu said, "No, it was because the Christian
church is growing so fast we knew we had to kill you. We had consulted for
three days and prepared our magic. You were to be struck dumb when we asked
questions, then fall on the ground paralyzed and then die. But when you kept
talking, and even stood up and moved around, we knew you had a stronger Spirit
and gave up."
Then Abu said, "I
want to become a Christian." And he told an amazing story.
"When I was a
teenager, in our village we were not Muslim people and we were not Christian.
We were Achewa people with our own religion. Behind our village was a hill
where I would often go to pray.
"One day I was on
that hill praying. Suddenly all around me was a blinding light. Out of this
light I saw a big hand coming toward me holding an open book. I looked at the
book and saw writing on the page. A Voice told me to read. I protested that I
could not read, never having been to school. The Voice again told me to read.
So I did. And suddenly the book and the hand disappeared.
"I ran back to my
village and all the people were looking for me, thinking I had died on that
hill! They asked about a fire they had seen up there. When I told them the
story, they laughed at me saying, You can't read!
"Someone got a book
and I began to read! Then people came from all around to find out more about
what happened and asked questions. The Muslim authorities found out about me
and I was trained in the ways of Islam. Soon all or our village became Muslim.
For 15 years I was the greatest debater against the Christians."
He paused and then said,
"You remember when I asked you the first question about why Christians
believe in three gods? Your answer was Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4."
"That's right,"
Clarence said.
Sheik Abu Bakr looked
Clarence Duncan in the eye and said, "That was the same passage that this
Voice on the mountain showed me. At that moment I knew that the God you were
talking about was the True God!"
"Then why did you
keep asking me all those questions the whole day?"
"Because," he
smiled, "I wanted all these Muslim leaders to know what the Christians
believe and I wanted them to hear it from you. The whole day I pretended
unbelief so that I could ask more questions. Now I want to become a
Christian."
I hope this helped one or two of you with a question you might have had…for me it was priceless ;)
Next reading: 1 Corinthians 1-12
Read the blog here: 180 days
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