On Their Minds...

After reading these upcoming questions at the end of last week one of the guys made me smile when he said, those are the type of questions that only God knows the answer and we just have to trust he is good.

I think there is going to be an interesting discussion this Thursday. What are your thoughts on their questions?

Why did God create humans if he knew they would sin?

Why do good people go to hell if they aren’t saved?

What happens to people who don’t have a chance to accept Christ like babies and mentally challenged people, do they go to heaven or hell?

Comments

Combs said…
I’ve thought a lot about the first question. I think it’s first creativity. God is a creative being, and like any artist eventually the need takes over and He starts creating. God wanted to create something that was good, and he did. On more of a academic/theological level though we only have the ability to know the present and the past, and only that to the degree that those before us have recorded it. God on the other hand knows what happened, what is happening, and everything that will and could possibly happen. To us creating man only to have him betray you is a mistake, but God saw something else. You could even say God was the creator of the phrase, “it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” It requires a lot of faith and the knowledge of knowing that the story isn’t done yet, but God does know the end of the story.

This question is all about God’s Sovereignty. God can’t be truly just and disregard the laws that he set up. This one becomes hard to deal with because we all of a sudden have to take responsibility for everything that we do in our lives. Once we realize that perfect means absolutely perfect, can’t be any better than I am right now, then we realize that we fall short. That’s a great verse to go back too, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 actually see all of Romans 3, Paul says it much better than I ever could.

as for the third...I've not thought a lot about it. I fall to tradition for most of it and say that those who fall under the "age of accountability" are exempt. The thing is that the gospel is such a simple message that only the most incoherent among humanity could not understand enough to utter some sort of response. And to those who can't I have to believe that a loving, just, yet merciful God has some provision in place for those individuals.
A.T.H.
June 14, 2007 at 2:06 AM
Steph said…
1. Because life is still worth it. Before I had Hana I dealt with the question of bringing a baby into a world where so much can go wrong. She'll be hurt, lied to, get sick, and so many other things that could happen. But it's worth it. Sharing my life with her, giving her the opportunity to grow and learn and explore, knowing that she can find peace and joy, all of that makes it worth it.

2. Good is a relative term...so is saved. Noah wasn't "saved" - but he was a righteous man who sought God. The problem is, the current definition of "good" (doing good things, serving people, being successful etc.) doesn't always allow a person to seek God. People get so caught up in their quest to be good that they think that's all they need and they don't chase after God. They're trying to find salvation through acts, saving themselves by what they do, and it just doesn't work that way.

3. I don't think it's so much "age of accountability" so much as we're accountable to the revelation we've received. The Bible talks about the law written on our hearts, so we're all accountable to that, and then from there, God doesn't hold us to rules we don't know to follow (Before the tabernacle people were still able to connect with God without the ritual sacrifices for example).
June 14, 2007 at 12:33 PM
matthew said…
I didn't read the previous replies, which i'm sure are excellent, but i'll throw in my 3 cents.

1. Just about for the same reason any human parent has kids despite knowing that they will sin and make them angry. Love and desire for relationship.

2. We can't underestimate the wickedness of rejecting one's creator. Nor would it be 'right' for God to force people into His presence if they don't want to be there. But I'm a liberal when it comes to 'hell', so i won't go there :)

3. I believe we are judged by how we've responded to what we do understand. The Bible doesn't seem to directly address the issue, but based on what the Bible says about God's nature, I'd be very surprised if such people weren't welcomed into His presence.
June 17, 2007 at 12:49 AM
The Stiffs said…
3. Personally I also lean towards being held accountable to the revelation you've received, but that's certainly not as popular a perspective for evangelicals as the "age of accountability." My problem with the "age of accountability" is that I find no trace of the concept (explicit or implicit) in the Bible.
June 17, 2007 at 10:58 PM
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