APRIL-MAY 2012
Rethinking
Outreach
Digital Edition
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History Resources
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I Mean, Really...
by Neil Gilliland
“I mean, really…” Rebecca stated indignantly over the pie and coffee she and her husband Jim shared with their friends Andrew, Jennifer, Bob, and Lisa. It was tradition—Sunday night after church, pie and coffee. Usually, it was a time to laugh and chat, but tonight was different. The services of the day required more serious conversation.
“I mean, really, do you think God would send people to Hell if they never had a chance to hear the gospel? I don’t think that’s what the missionary really meant in his sermon tonight,” Rebecca continued, glancing at the others over the top of her mug as steam drifted around her face.
Andrew, generally quiet, was the first to respond. “So, Rebecca, since you think God won’t assign those who have never heard to Hell, what does He do with them?”
“I don’t know. I just think God is good and, in the end, all of us will make it. I mean…God loves the whole world. And, because He is so good, He won’t send people to Hell, will He? I mean, really…” Rebecca trailed off, her voice reflecting a deeper question.
“So, because God is good, He won’t punish anyone? Will we all go to Heaven?” Andrew responded quizzically. “Then why did God send His Son to die? I mean, if none of us will spend eternity in Hell, then why send Christ to die? It wasn’t necessary.”
Lisa spoke up quickly, “Why would there even be a Hell? But the Bible talks a lot about Hell. And what about all the passages that talk about eternal separation from God or stress that after death, there will be a division of those who believe and those who don’t?”
“Okay,” Jennifer jumped in. “I think I’ve got it. Hell does exist. It is for the devil and all his angels. And the reason Christ died was so we could all be saved. He died for all of us, so He provided a way for all of us. So, in the end, we will all be saved. He died for everyone; so, His death was necessary. And, because of His death, everyone will go to Heaven. I mean, the Scripture does say that He died for all, doesn’t it?”
“If that’s true, Jen,” Bob’s frustration showed clearly as he set his fork down, “then why do we need preaching? Why would the pastor give an altar call? Tonight, the missionary said we need to go and make disciples. Why would we need to do that if we were all going to be saved in the end? If He had already paid the price? Luke 16 says there is a great gulf between the saved and the lost. And doesn’t the Bible talk about a wide road that leads to destruction?”
“Bob, you don’t have to be so snippy!” Jennifer’s thinking was being shaken. “That wide road thing is from Pilgrim’s Progress, not the Bible!”
“No, it really is from the Bible,” Lisa interjected softly, “I just read it this morning during my quiet time.” She pulled a pocket testament from her purse. “Look, here it is—Matthew 7:13-14: ‘Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few be there that find it.’”
“Okay, okay…since you guys are so smart, then you tell me what is going to happen to those who have never heard. I will concede some people will not go to Heaven; some people are really mean and wicked. You know, I can’t imagine God letting Hitler or mass murders in Heaven. But I am still not convinced that those who have never heard about Christ will spend eternity in Hell.” Jennifer had lost interest in her pie, fully engaged in the dialogue.
Rebecca, quiet since her first comment, spoke up, “Wow! You know, I never really thought about this. It just never seemed logical to me that people who never heard of Jesus would be condemned. Let me throw another idea out, and you guys tell me if it’s wrong. Let’s say someone has never heard about Jesus, but they really do want to know truth and really look for it. I don’t know…let’s say a Hindu. What if he has never heard of Christ but spends his life seeking the truth. And because he has never heard of Jesus, he sincerely follows what he knows as god. I mean…the Hindu guys on TV are pretty serious about their faith.”
“That’s a popular notion these days, Rebecca,” Andrew inserted. “It’s the old adage ‘All roads eventually lead to the same place.’ You know, the idea that as long as you are sincere, it doesn’t really matter if you believe in Jesus, Krishna, or another god. The important thing is that you are sincere in your belief and are seeking truth.”
“Exactly!” Rebecca exclaimed. “That’s exactly what I meant.”
“I don’t want to sound like Mr. Spiritual,” Bob chimed in, “but the Bible talks about that. While you were talking, I was looking up some passages. Listen to what Acts 4 says, ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ And, to me, the clincher is in Romans 10: ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent?’ I guess those passages just really make it clear to me.”
“Wow,” Jennifer said, “this is really messing with my mind. If all this is really true, no wonder missionaries talk with so much passion. To think that all those people are really lost, and….” Jennifer stopped speaking and looked down, staring hard at the tabletop. Her mind was swirling, and she felt sad.
“Well, I heard a missionary say once that God would judge us by the truth that had been revealed to us,” Lisa added. “I mean…you don’t have to look very far to see God’s handiwork. Just look at nature.”
“Oh, that’s great!” Rebecca spoke a little sarcastically, “I have heard the gospel all my life, and I seldom look at nature and say, ‘Oh look at what God did,’ let alone want to follow Him based on that.”
Andrew spoke slowly, “You know, really the only chance people have is for someone to tell them about the Lord. And that verse Bob read said God’s plan is for someone to tell them.”
“Man, I have taken this whole thing so lightly. I never thought about it like I am now,” Bob spoke somberly.
Rebecca said, “It’s so much easier to believe they’ll all be okay, especially if they haven’t heard about Jesus. But it’s really not true, is it?”
“Here I go sounding spiritual again,” Bob said, “but maybe we should meet again soon to talk about what all of this means to us…personally. Maybe we could get the pastor to meet with us, or maybe a missionary. The truth is, if we really believe that people are lost, and the only way they can be saved is to hear the gospel and make a decision, then we have a serious responsibility.”
“I knew all of this really, but I didn’t want to believe it,” Lisa softly whispered. “It’s like Bob said. It means I have a lot of responsibility. You see we have heard. When I was younger, I thought about being a missionary. I thought maybe the Lord was calling me. But I got sidetracked with college, career, kids…and now I have to answer some hard questions. The truth is, I think we all do.”
The friends were unusually quiet. After a few moments, they all rose. Leaving a generous tip for half-eaten pie and cold coffee, they departed with hearts beginning to warm with truth.
About the Writer: Neil Gilliland is member care consultant for Free Will Baptist International Missions. Learn more about your part in reaching the world for Christ at www.fwbgo.com.
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