(Audio Version)
Introduction
Introduction
I don’t
want to exclude those of you who don’t have kids and my point probably applies
in other circumstances as well but it is particularly applicable when it comes
to children and especially adolescent children. As a parent, you’ve established
specific guidelines of behavior for your child to follow with clear
consequences if they fail to follow those guidelines. And when they purposely
divert from the prescribed behavior and you implement the clearly communicated
consequences, they’re incredulous that you would do something so inhumane as
suspend their driving privileges; take away their computer privileges; take
away their video game privileges; require a curfew; or some other similar
life-altering, earth-shattering, or soul-crushing drama. They knew the rules
and they knew the consequences for breaking the rules yet they willing chose to
break the rules—now they have the audacity to jump up and down and scream and
shout how unfair it is that you are doing what you said you would do and they
knew you would do. Some of you may not be able to relate but I know some of you
parents are nodding your heads as you remember exactly when this happened to
you. But this scenario should actually sound familiar to all of you who know
even a little about the Bible. If you turn in your Bibles to the very front,
you’ll find a similar story in Genesis. God told Adam and Eve that they weren’t
allowed to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden or else they would
die. And ever since they did exactly what God told them they were not permitted
to do, sin was introduced into the world, and we have blamed God for the
consequences resulting from the ravages of sin generally in the world and
specifically in our lives.
About a week ago there was a report
about a young deaf pastor who abandoned his Christian faith and embraced
atheism. Of course the announcement was celebrated wildly by unbelievers as a
victory. In an interview, the young pastor explained that through his time as a
pastor and diligently studying the Scriptures, he concluded that the miracles
of the Bible were simply made-up tales and Jesus was a fabricated, mythical
figure. The point of this lesson is not to delve into these two matters because
they lack academic merit. We can debate whether or not the miracles of the
Bible are true or not but there is no debate as to whether miracles occur
today. We may not have experienced any personally but countless miracles are
documented to occur around the world in Christian communities every day. So if
they occur today, is it really so hard to believe they occurred exactly the way
they are recorded in the Bible? Claiming that Jesus is a fabricated, mythical
figure is intellectually dishonest. You can deny many things about Jesus but no
objective theologian, scholar, or historian denies the fact that the person of
Jesus actually existed. This young pastor said something else in his interview
that I do want to spend time on because it’s something we hear quite often. He
said he couldn’t believe in a loving God who would send people to hell. Maybe
you’ve heard this argument; maybe you’ve even believed it yourself at one
point. We can make it complicated or we can make it easy but it’s probably
somewhere in-between. So this week, let’s take a look at the question: Would A Loving God Send People To Hell?
Subject Text
John 3:16-21
16“For God so loved
the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world
through him. 18Whoever believes in him is
not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned
already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light
because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates
the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be
exposed. 21But whoever lives by the
truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has
done has been done through God.”
Context
Our Subject Text is the end of a discourse that started at the beginning of
chapter 3 when a Pharisee named Nicodemus visits Jesus at night. Although
Nicodemus isn’t prepared, at this point, to admit that Jesus is divine, he
readily admits that based on the miracles performed by Jesus that God is
somehow working through Him. Herein we find the famous “born again” text where
Jesus explains to Nicodemus that we must go through a re-birth; a regeneration;
a spiritual re-birth brought about by the Holy Spirit in the lives of true
believers. Of course Nicodemus doesn’t have the slightest idea what Jesus is
talking about so Jesus tries to get Nicodemus to set aside his earthly
perspective and try to understand what He is saying from a kingdom perspective.
Jesus is trying to tell Nicodemus that He is the key that unlocks the door to
that spiritual re-birth and all that is required is belief. To help Nicodemus, Jesus
uses an illustration that Nicodemus would understand from Israel’s exodus from
Egypt. During their wandering in the desert and as a result of their repeated
disobedience and complaining, God sent poisonous snakes among the people. But
Moses was directed to lift up a bronze snake above the people and those who
looked up at the snake believing they would be spared were either not bitten or
were healed of their bites. Jesus explains that like the bronze snake in the
desert, He would have to be lifted up and that those who look up to him in
faith would be granted eternal life. The text doesn’t tell us whether or not
Nicodemus left understanding the illustration but the next time we see him he
is assisting a group of Jesus’ followers remove Jesus’ body from the cross. He
also brought 75 pounds of herbs to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Perhaps he
understood Jesus’ meaning after all. However, after Jesus explains all this,
even though you might understand what
Jesus was saying, we are left with why
was Jesus’ death necessary? And that’s when we get to our Subject Text.
Text Analysis
If there is
a verse in all the Bible that you might say is known by pretty much everyone it’s
probably v. 16. I think for good reason though as this one verse is probably
the simplest explanation of God’s purpose and Jesus’ mission in relation to God’s
created order. Above all things, God is motivated by love for humanity. God is
many things: Holy; righteous; just; merciful; gracious; all-powerful;
all-knowing, etc. However, above all these God is love (1 Jn 4:8). When you
read v. 16, you should be able to establish two certainties: 1) Those who
believe in Jesus will receive eternal life, and 2) Those who do not believe in
Jesus will perish. Although some people have tried, it’s really hard to interpret
this verse any other way. But what’s the other thing that you see when you read
this verse? Choice! And like everything in life, our choices have consequences
and this choice is no different. However, we tend to focus primarily on the
dichotomy contained in the verse between perishing for unbelief and salvation
through belief that we miss the most important element of the verse; the
driving force behind God’s actions—Love! In the Greek, love is translated as
either agape or eros. Agape love is the
term used in the New Testament while eros
is not found in the New Testament only in Greek philosophy and Hellenistic thought.
There is a significant difference between the two. “Agape love…is unmotivated
in the sense that it is not contingent on any value or worth in the object of
love. It is spontaneous and heedless, for it does not determine beforehand
whether love will be effective or appropriate in any particular case. It is a
lost love, a love that ‘squanders itself’… Eros is the desire to possess and to
enjoy; agape is the willingness to serve without reservations. Eros is an
ascending love the proceeds from the earthly to the heavenly. Agape is a
descending love the proceeds from the heavenly to the sinful. Eros is attracted
to that which has greatest value; agape goes out to the least worthy. Eros
discovers value whereas agape creates value. Agape is a gift love whereas eros
is a need love…The supreme revelation of agape is God’s self-condescension in
Jesus Christ, for there he willingly took upon himself the pain and guilt of
the human race for the sake of their salvation. This act of unmerited grace was
at the same time the overflowing of his illimiting love, which humans cannot
achieve or create but through grace can receive and celebrate.”[1]
Scripture
is clear that there will indeed be a day of judgment when God will hold all
humanity accountable for the actions and attitudes during their lives. But that
was not the purpose for God’s incarnation in the person of Jesus Christ as vv. 17-18
explains. Jesus was on a mission of salvation not condemnation. At no time
during his ministry did Jesus condemn a single person. In fact, in the case of
the woman caught in adultery, Jesus specifically tells her that he does not
condemn her even as he commands her to leave behind her life of sin (Jn 8:1-11).
You might also note that Jesus does not even condemn the demons he exorcises. Although
the demons recognize that they will eventually be condemned, they also
recognize that the time for that had not yet arrived (Mt 8:28-34). However, v.
18 hints at the purpose for Jesus’ coming when He says that those who don’t
believe are already condemned; He came to do something about that. This is
where our theology is so very important: Why are we already condemned? Why does
anything have to be done about our condemnation? What can be done about the looming
condemnation?
Why are we already
condemned?
The short answer is that we are
condemned because of sin. At the beginning of Genesis we see that God created
all things including humanity. Originally, sin was not a part of creation and
as a result there was no destruction, decay or death. All of creation existed
in perfect harmony and in perfect relation to the Creator. However, humanity,
Adam and Eve specifically, unlike the rest of creation was created in the image
of God. In Latin it is known as the Imago
Dei. As such, they were created with
a special attribute—the ability to choose; a free will. God gave specific
parameters for Adam and Eve’s behavior; what they were allowed to do and what
they were not allowed to do. In order to maintain the perfect harmony of
creation and the unobstructed relationship with the Creator, Adam and Eve
simply needed to refrain from pursuing that which God forbade. Nevertheless,
God was interested in true relationship with humanity not forced servitude. Consequently,
humanity retained the right to choose whether or not they would obey God. Unfortunately,
Adam and Eve chose to do the one thing God told them they were not allowed to
do. This free will act of disobedience is what is known as the “original sin.” It
was through this original sin that all sin was introduced into all of creation
and it was this original sin that created the divide between humanity and God. And
it is this original sin that has marred humanity’s Imago Dei down through
the ages. “The originally created conditions were perfect, and a perfect God
can make nothing less than a perfect world. Eventually, however, by a misuse of
free will, sin entered the world and vitiated God’s perfect creation. There
followed a state of human sinfulness—in which we now find ourselves—that is
humanly irreparable. Our imperfection is best understood in light of the
ultimate Standard of perfection which is God Himself. The vivid contrast reveals
a deplorable picture of human depravity.”[2]
Why does anything have
to be done about our condemnation?
Let me see
if I can answer that question with another question. Do you think criminals
should be punished? Maybe “criminals” isn’t specific enough for you. Let’s try
this: Do you think murderers should be punished? How about rapists? How about
child molesters? If you or a family member were victims of one of these crimes,
do you think the criminal should be punished? It’s absurd I know but my point
is that we would never allow such crimes to go unpunished. Well this same
principle applies to God except that every injustice is an injustice first
committed against God. You see, we are called to care for creation and love one
another and when we fail to do that either through sins of commission or sins of omission,
it is true that we sin against some aspect of God’s created order but first and
foremost we sin against the Creator. Because God desires to be in relationship
with his creation generally and with humanity specifically, God must deal with
the injustice created by sin. God must deal with injustice because God is
perfectly good and just. Sin is unholiness and unholiness cannot be in
relationship with a God who is perfectly holy. “God transcends his creatures,
not only metaphysically and epistemologically, but also morally. The Most High
is morally spotless in character and action. In essence God is upright, pure
and untainted with evil desires, motives, thoughts, words, or acts. God is
eternally and unchangeably holy…Free
from all evil, God loves only the good and right. He values inner authenticity
and takes no pleasure in hypocrisy—religious or nonreligious. God takes no
pleasure in evil (Ps. 5:4) and cannot tolerate evil (Hab. 1:13). He cannot even
encourage sin in any way (James 1:13-14)…Good is good because it is consistent
with God’s very nature. God’s self-determinations always express who he is. He
cannot deny himself. God wills the good and holiness because he is good and
holy. God is always displeased with evil and unholiness because in his very
essence he is awesomely separate from all the evil and unholy. In addition to
being morally holy, God is morally just
and righteous. God’s character is
expressed in his moral law and in judgment according to it without respect to
persons. Conformity to a standard implies more than a social obligation; it
involves conformity to divine authority expressed in Scripture. Divine judgment
is never arbitrary or capricious, but principled and fair. As absolutely honest
and just, God declares people to be what they are, sinners. Justice, in matters
of merit, judges that morally responsible people should receive exactly what
they deserve.”[3]
What can be done
about the looming condemnation?
Having described
the cause or our condemnation—sin; and having explained why sin cannot be left
unaddressed—God’s holiness. That leaves us with trying to find a solution that
deals with our sin while satisfying God’s holiness at the same time. There’s
just one problem, how does imperfect and unholy humanity create a perfect and
holy solution? It doesn’t! How can finite humanity atone for sins committed
against an eternal God? It can’t! So it’s hopeless, right? Wrong! There is
someone who can provide the perfect, holy solution—God! And that’s exactly what
happened. God Himself became the means to deal with humanity’s sins. In case
you haven’t noticed, we’ve come full circle to v. 17 of our Subject Text. God Himself became incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ
not to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. Jesus’ death on the
cross did for us what we could not do for ourselves—He atoned for humanity’s
sins. “Atonement is the revelation of the uprighting justice of God—God’s own
surprising and radical way of making things right—through the cross…The cross
is a peacemaking event in the divine-human relationship. In the cross, the sin
of penitent humanity no longer remains an obstacle in the divine-human
relationship…To say that the atonement is a finished work means that in the
cross the saving act has decisively occurred (John 19:30). It is a work that is
objectively done and complete, a once-for-all accomplished redemption. It does
not require some further sacrificial wok on the part of the crucified Lord. The
work consists in his obedience unto death, regarded as sacrifice for the sins
of others. Reconciliation is not merely an attitudinal change on the part of
individuals so as to welcome God back into congenial human company. Rather the
cross is the central event of salvation history that has once for all changed
the divine-human relationship. In it an unmerited divine gift is actually
offered, with the intent of being received…Atonement includes both the
reconciling means and actual reconciliation as an end. It is both the means by
which the sin/guilt/punishment syndrome is broken and the end result of its
being broken. The means by which the sin/death syndrome is broken is Christ’s
atoning death and resurrection. The end result and purpose of its having been
broken is reconciliation with God…The resulting reconciliation occurs by the
distinctive and surprising means chosen by God’s holy love—the cross.”[4]
Jesus
assesses the condition of those who reject God’s offer of salvation in vv. 19-20.
Like the young pastor I referenced at the beginning of our lesson, unbelievers invariable
try to hide their sinful lives behind three basic arguments and this young
pastor used two of the three. The three arguments are: 1) God is a mythical or
fictional character humanity has created as a coping mechanism; 2) Unbelievers
claim that they could not believe in a God who allows evil; and 3) Unbelievers
claim they could not believe in a God who would send people to hell. However,
all these arguments are a ruse; a façade to hide the truth. And the truth is
that unbelievers aren’t interested in the truth, they are interested in
protecting their evil and sinful practices and lifestyles. Pretending there is
no God or attributing some sort of deficient or evil character trait to God
gives them a false sense of security that they are justified in their unbelief.
Nevertheless, Jesus says that unbelievers shun the Light that is the revelation
of God in Jesus because their real motivation is to keep their evil lives and
deeds in the dark. “Jesus has not come to condemn the world but to reveal and
save to provide a way of escape for those shuttered in the darkness…Yet it is
not so simple. The affections of people in the world are corrupt; their desires
are fallen; they are not eager to be redeemed. They ‘love darkness instead of
light’; in fact, they ‘hate’ the light. This is strong language, which uncovers
something of the seriousness of the moral struggle between God and the world. Evil
and darkness do not ignore the light; they wage war against it, trying to bring
it down. But despite these efforts, the darkness cannot vanquish the light. The
darkness launches a battle that brings about its own defeat.”[5]
In
comparison to those who love the darkness are those who, according to v. 21, have
the courage to embrace the truth of the Light and do what is right. They allow
the Light to shine into the darkness that once shrouded their lives. The
courageous are not those who defy God’s offer of salvation; they are cowards
who think they can hide from God in the dark. The courageous are those who step
out of the dark and into the Light and allow the Light to expose and vanquish
the darkness in their lives. “Believers live in the light while unbelievers
live in darkness…Those who practice the truth, who continuously live in the
light of God’s spirit, demonstrate that their righteousness has been brought
about by God…Salvation is the work of God internally through the Holy Spirit,
but it demonstrates itself outwardly in godly living.”[6]
Application
Have you ever wondered why
unbelievers hate Christians so much? Think about it for a moment—if God doesn’t
exist then what does it matter if anyone believes in God? If God doesn’t exist
then the ultimate fate of believers and unbelievers is the same—whatever that
might be. So what motivates the anger and hate of unbelievers towards believers?
Why does it matter to them that believers believe in God? Why should they care
if someone else believes in an absolute Good; an absolute Right; an absolute
Truth? Is it possible that they are afraid the evil of their lives might be
exposed? Are they afraid of getting too close to the light? Consider the
attitude and motivational differences between unbelievers and believers
respectively—one is marked by lies, selfishness, and hate while the other is
marked by truth, service and love; a stark difference don’t you think? Almost
as stark as the difference between darkness and light. Let’s look at it a different
way. What motivates a believer to reach out to an unbelieving world? It’s easy,
believers are obedient to the One who is Lord over their lives and they are motivated
by the same thing that motivates their Lord—Love! Remember our Subject Text: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Now,
what motivates an unbeliever to confront and oppose believers? Also easy,
unbelievers are obedient, whether they are aware of it or not, to the one who
is lord over their lives and they are motivated by the same thing that
motivates their lord—hate! Remember again our Subject Text refers to
unbelievers as lovers of darkness. This is the clue that exposes the identity
of the lord that rules the lives of an unbelieving world. Martin Luther called
him the prince of darkness; Paul refers to him as one who masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14); John refers to him
as the one who was “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth,
for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for
he is a liar and the father of lies (Jn 8:44).” Unbelievers follow their lord,
Satan, with the same fervor and enthusiasm as believers follow their Lord,
Jesus Christ. The young pastor I introduced at the beginning said he couldn’t
believe in a God that would send people to hell. I think I’ve demonstrated that
the young man was being intellectually dishonest while he was hiding in the
dark. But let’s not be afraid to ask the question. We should never be afraid of
the truth. Would a loving God send
people to hell? The short answer is no, God does not send people to hell. However, a loving God allows people the choice
between accepting His offer of salvation found in Jesus Christ and spending eternity
with Him or rejecting Him and spending eternity separated from Him in hell. As
I’ve demonstrated above, we already stand condemned because of our sin. God is
not sending us anywhere; God is inviting us to join Him or not. The choice is
ours. What will you choose?
[1] Donald
G. Bloesch, God The Almighty: Power,
Wisdom, Holiness, Love, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995), pp. 145-146.
[2] Dr.
Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology,
Vol. 3, (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2004), p. 100.
[3] Gordon
R. Lewis & Bruce A. Demarest, Integrative
Theology, Vol. 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 233-234.
[4] Thomas
C. Oden, The Word of Life: Systematic
Theology, Vol. 2, (New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1989), pp. 354-355.
[5] Gary
M. Burge, John—The NIV Application
Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), pp. 118-119.
[6] Kenneth
O. Gangel, John—Holman New Testament
Commentary, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2000), pp. 56-57.
No comments:
Post a Comment