We're digging deeper than just a glossing over of ideas, and well worn concepts. It was a small group this morning, but that lent itself to an intimate discussion of one of the basic issues of Christianity, innocence.
Throughout my years in college, and even in High School to some degree, the idea of faith in Christ being the only means of salvation has rankled people. The idea that a kind, and loving God would send people to hell just because they didn't believe in His Son, seems to grate upon our human sensibilities. Every college Philosophy instructor I've come across has a field day with absolutism of any kind, and especially Christianity. The questions always arise about infants, children, and people who've never heard the Gospel.
'Will God banish billions upon billions of people to an everlasting hell?'
The question demands an answer, and not the vague fluffy type that eventually devolves into inclusion. There are answers, they are hard to swallow, but they are based upon a real assessment of who we are, who God is, and what we believe.
Sunday morning, we asked the questions. Believe me there were no answers. Which proved to me, that taking our time with this subject is important. The fate of billions of people are in the balance. We have to know what we believe, believe it fully, and act upon that belief. I truly believe once we become aware of the truth, we'll be a changed group of people.
In order to propel the discussion in the right direction, I will define what I know by scripture.
1. God didn't create death.
2. Sin is separation from God, separation from God is death. (Separation being defined as refusal to acknowledge him as Lord)
3. Every person sins. (We are not born sinful, but born into a sinful world)
4. God is madly, deeply, passionately in love with his creation.
5. Sin has separated us.
6. God is a pro-active initiator of restoring the relationship between man and Himself.
We've allowed the discussion of God's role in our lives to be dictated by the skeptics, nay-sayers, and non-believers for too long. Our watered down vision of a passionate Creator is built upon the sand of philosophy, reason, and to some sad extent Christian apologetics. I will not express my opinions on the issue until our men have agreed upon the answer themselves. Needless to say, it has been an interesting study so far.
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