Who cares?

by Steve Riggs

To find out more about Free Will Baptist Mission Work in France, visit the International Missions website www.fwbgo.com

Syneth, a young Cambodian student at the university in Nantes, France, is from a Buddhist family. She arrived in Nantes more than a year ago and met some Christian students who led her to faith in Christ. Although Syneth has made progress in her faith, she is still a young Christian.

She is hungry to know more about Christ and have a deeper understanding of Christian truths. The recent tsunami catastrophe in Asia resulting in the deaths of over 250,000 people has shaken her faith in Christ.

"How can a God of love allow that kind of thing to happen?” her friends ask.

"What about all those people who died and never heard about Jesus? Will God condemn them?" Syneth questions. "What about my family in Cambodia? I have had the opportunity to place my faith in Christ. But what about my parents who are still practicing Buddhists?"

It is easy to give quick, pat answers to such questions.  I believe there are legitimate answers to Syneth's questions. However, before responding to her, I stopped to try and feel the deep pain Syneth was experiencing.

What about her parents, brothers, sisters, and friends who have never heard of Christ? Are they really lost? What about the vast majority of the 250,000 individuals swept into eternity on that fateful day in Asia? Where are they now? Are they lost for eternity? Do we even care?

It is tragic when we hear of 250,000 people dying in such terrible circumstances. The fact is, each day thousands of men, women, boys, and girls die and enter eternity without Christ. Do we really believe people will spend eternity in a place of darkness and suffering if they die without having trusted Christ as Savior?

Sometimes I fear we, as Christians, find ourselves sucked into a false belief system—a thought process that leads us to believe that somehow it doesn't really matter if people don't hear of Christ. After all, God is love. Surely He will condemn no one. It is unbearable for us to imagine those we love lost forever, without God.  Yet, if it is true that Christ died to save us from sin and hell, it must also be true that sin and hell are realities. It makes no sense to say Christ came to save us if there is nothing for Him to save us from.

There are tough questions in life.  God's Word has the answers. I wonder, though, does it really matter to us?

What about the people you know who may soon go out into eternity without Christ? Do you care?

What about the more than 700,000 who live in my city of Nantes, France? Does it matter if they die not knowing Christ? Do I care?

Do we really care?

Steve Riggs has been a missionary in France since 1984.