2/10/20 Jack (to see video, click HERE)
Does the Gospel ever have you “cogitatin’”? That’s southern slang for “ponder”. It’s what Jack, a retired librarian from
Alabama and a member of the Methodist church, told me he was going to do after
our conversation on a fishing pier on the Gulf Shore.
The Bible doesn’t contradict itself, but it does contain so
many paradoxes that it should have us cogitatin’ once in a while.
What got Jack pondering his faith anew was the paradox of
salvation for the uninformed: If people are saved through faith in Jesus, then
what about those who have never heard of Him?
Jack had always just assumed God is logical, and would never condemn
those who never had the chance to believe.
Carrying the question a step further, should we then
withdraw our support of missions because people who hear of Jesus might reject
Him and therefore be condemned?
Shouldn’t we just leave them alone in ignorant bliss?
But this apparent paradox is a little easier to explain
than, say, the Trinity or free will or the incarnation. The assumption is made that people who have
never heard of Jesus are somehow “innocent” and not held accountable for what
they don’t know.
But the Bible tells us that no one is innocent, not even
one. Everyone has the requirements of
the law are “written on their hearts” as Paul describes in Romans 2:15,
everyone has a moral conscience and no one is innocent. Like a man falling from an airplane must face
death because of the law of gravity, so must we all face the consequences of
the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2) It’s simple: If we sin, we face death,
whether we have heard of Jesus or not.
Unless there’s a parachute.
Should we bring the Gospel to people who have never heard of
Jesus? Yes, by all means! They share the same fate as anyone going into
eternity without Jesus.
There are plenty of parachutes to go around; Jesus can save
all who will trust Him so why don’t we share Him more than we do? Now there’s something to cogitate on.
Thanks, Jack, for allowing me to record our
conversation! It can be seen on my
YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/UwyddPDybPI
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