The popularity of Social Media is rapidly causing the world to become more-and-more interconnected. This is proving to be a challenge to Christians. Do those following other faith traditions deserve harsh judgment from God? How do we answer criticisms that are put to us? In this article, I plan to consider a number of these.
What about babies who die?
What about those who have never heard?
Do you believe that Jesus is the only way?
Do you believe that I am going to Hell?
These questions can easily put committed Christians on the spot. Responses vary. At one extreme, the come-back can be angry, rigid, and defensive. On the other extreme, one can give so much ground that the entire Christian faith appears to be watered down rubbish. So, before I engage, let’s set out a few prerequisites.
I take the Bible seriously. This means that I don’t ignore or downplay what it says. Every verse is important. I don’t dismiss or throw away any of them, especially those that I don’t like. Interpretation is another matter. It is fair game to consider the cultural contexts and genre as we develop our understandings. It is also acceptable to challenge majority positions regarding non-essential doctrine. Of course, we don’t go at this alone. The patristic fathers, biblical scholars, and church leaders all have their say. Everything should be considered. In the end though, we need to think for ourselves and come to our own conclusions.
Why do people pose questions like those listed above? Sometimes people really want to know. But often they are traps. The expected answer will be dismissed as “one of those.” Tepid responses to show ourselves to be reasonable and woke don’t work either. They can demonstrate that we have nothing of value to offer.
This plight reminds me of times where Jesus was similarly confronted. “Should we pay taxes or not?” I doubt the religious leaders cared to know what Jesus thought. It was a trap. If he said yes, many of his followers would walk away. If he said no, the Romans would get him. Either answer would fail. So, Jesus came at it from another angle. Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and give to God that which is God’s.
The Samaritans presented a similar dilemma. A woman married seven brothers one-by-one after the preceding one died. Who would be her husband in the next world? If Jesus said that there would be no resurrection, the Pharisees would be furious. But otherwise, which brother would he pick? Again, Jesus replied unexpectedly. Marriage is tied only to the present reality.
These examples provide us with a possible approach. Can we look at difficult interactions with fresh eyes? Can we come at them with truthful, but unexpected answers? Here is my attempt.
Let’s take the questions, one-by-one.
What about the babies who die?
What about those who have never heard?
Do you believe that Jesus is the only way?
There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Jesus life, death, and resurrection stand as the center of the Christian faith. To waver on this point makes Christianity irrelevant. Yet saying “Yes Jesus is the only way” inevitably leads to the next objection that we will discuss.
Do you believe that I am going to Hell?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
This presents Jesus as the gatekeeper. He is the one who will decide who is in and who is out. Our answer can simply be: “Jesus will make that decision. I trust that because he is Good, he will carry out the task perfectly.” This reply causes the objection to lose its sting. The questioner is not really asking if they are destined for judgment. They are evaluating us to determine whether we are. intolerant and narrow-minded. A good response takes this objection off the table. It opens the door to further dialog…
We are not quite done. There is a final question to consider. “Is there a second chance after death?” To this, many quote Hebrews 9:27.
It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.
This verse is not as clear cut as it first appears. Enoch and Elijah didn’t die at all. Lazarus died twice. Jesus rose people from the dead; so did Peter and Paul. Those also died twice. The verse in Hebrews, therefore, presents a general principle, not an absolute truth. It is teaching that we are all mortal and accountable for how we live our lives.
Let’s consider the final judgment. Do we stand before the creator and bam, sentence is pronounced? What is the nature of the judgment? Could it take a year, a thousand years, or even much longer? Aside from saying that we all will “pass through the fire,” we really do not know the details, do we?
In first Peter, Jesus preached to those who died in the flood.
For Christ also suffered once for sins … that he might bring us to God, … he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, … (1 Peter 3:18-20)
I feel confident to affirm the eternal hope for those who accept Jesus and dedicate their lives to him. What about those who don’t? My dad is an example. He was an atheist. As far as I know, he never made such a commitment. Is he due to suffer forever? I hope not. He was not perfect, but he was a good dad to me. I’ll leave this up to Jesus. I trust that he is Good and will do what is right.
Thanks for listening,secondlooknow.com
Very hard questions and some very solid responses. I have always been a fan of Craig, and that answer is satisfying. Here is another thought. To the person that asks me, “Am I going to Hell?,” I would follow up with the question “Are you saying no and rejecting the free gift of God through Jesus? Are you refusing to recognize him as Lord, and submit to God’s will?” The answer must be yes, no, or maybe. To the person that says yes, they reject God’s gift and refuse to submit to his will, I would then tell them they have answered their own question. FOr those who say no, and believe, I would say “You have passed from death to life.” For the fence sitters, I would again tell them the words of the savior and beseech them to seek the truth with an open heart. Those who ultimately chose God, by his grace, have revealed who they are.
I’ll have to read this again.
Think an old guy like me can learn these things?
I’d Probly just clam up and shut down if you asked me any of these.