| | "If I don't believe that Jesus Christ is God, will I go to hell?"
A common question that we as Christians get in this day and age. The answer to that question is clear. Yes, if you do not believe that Christ is God and trust in Him for your salvation, you will go to hell. But it's certainly not a popular answer today in the United States. If we were to respond that way, we'd get a lot of people looking at us really funny and condemning us for our "intolerance" and "narrow-mindedness". We'd be grouped in that category of religious fundamentalists who want to make everyone in the world see the way they do and aren't hesitant to kill anyone who gets in their way.
But there's more to the question and the answer than that, and in this document, I hope to explain that in a logical and rational way, both for non-Christians to understand and for Christians, so that we might be better equipped to answer that question when challenged. Indeed, a simple response of "yes" to that question often does much more harm than good, and we Christians should recognize that.
The root of the Christian claim of exclusivity lies with a fundamental problem with humanity, according to the Christian world view. And that is the assertion that all humanity is sinful and deserves God's judgment. All humans have sinned and transgressed God's law (Psalm 14:3, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:23). When Romans 3:23 says that we have "fallen short of the glory of God", it means that we are imperfect. We have impure thoughts and do evil deeds, and in doing so, fall short of perfection. Because of that imperfection, we cannot stand before a perfect and holy (which literally means "set apart", i.e. from sin) God. As Romans 6:23 so eloquently puts it, the wages of that sin we carry is death. Sin naturally leads to death (James 1:14-15).
And it gets worse. Christians assert that no matter how hard we try or what we might do, our own effort is insufficient to purify ourselves and cover those sins. This idea even shows up in the Jewish faith, in the Old Testament (Proverbs 20:9). But as Galatians 2:16 explains, "works of the Law", or our own efforts, cannot save us alone.
But even in this hopeless state, God decided to offer man a way out. Christians believe that the purpose of Christ's death on the cross was to pay for those sins. Colossians 2:13-14 shows how Christ was our sacrifice; that He took the penalty that should have fallen on us. Over and over again, the Bible says that it is this single event that takes away sin (John 1:29, Ephesians 1:7 and 2:13, Hebrews 10:10 and 1 Peter 3:18 among others). But even though this happened in the past, we must recognize and believe that it is true in order for it to apply to us (John 3:16). Someone can tell you that you have won a million dollars in some contest, but if you steadfastly refuse to believe it is true and accept the prize, then it won't benefit you.
And this is the reason why Jesus is the only way to heaven. Christianity claims that there is a fundamental problem with you and me: that we have sin and it needs to be dealt with. Only Jesus Christ claims to remove that sin. Moses, Mohammed, Buddha, and every other founder of a faith did not claim to take away their followers sins. Some other religions simply don't agree that sin exists (atheism, agnosticism). At best, they claim that sin can be dealt with through a person's effort, or good works (Judaism, Islam). The Bible lays out its declaration that this is insufficient (Galatians 2:21). So in the eyes of Christianity, while these religions may have good things about them, none of them address the problem that must be resolved.
That is why Christianity may seem "narrow minded" to people, though it is really not. If you have cancer, is it narrow minded to say that morphine just won't do? It may make things a little nicer, but it doesn't go after the tumor, which, if left untreated, will kill you. If a professor asks for a proof of a theorem on an exam, it doesn't matter if you resolve the Riemann hypothesis (a very important unsolved mathematical problem) instead. If you don't address the problem at hand, you'll get the question wrong.
For non-Christians reading this, I hope that you will come to a better understanding of why Christians think the way that they do. We don't hate you or want to kill you, we are simply concerned that your plan to deal with sin isn't up to spec. If you disagree with us, let's talk about the validity of the underlying problem or your solution to it. For Christians, I hope that you will gain encouragement and confidence in responding to those who may ask you about this question. People need to understand why we believe what we do, and that is just as important as the answer itself.
Christ alone.
-Durandal
REFERENCED VERSES
Psalm 14:3: They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Ecclesiastes 7: 20: Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.
Romans 3: 23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 6: 23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
James 1: 14-15: But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Proverbs 20: 9: Who can say, "I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin"?
Galatians 2: 16: Nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified
Colossians 2: 13-14: When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
John 1: 29: The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Ephesians 1: 7: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Ephesians 2: 13: But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Hebrews 10: 10: By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 Peter 3: 18: For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
John 3: 16: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Galatians 2: 21: I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly
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| | Posted 1/4/2009 8:31 PM - 69 Views - 6 eProps - 5 comments
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