The Fairness of Hearing the Gospel

Answering a question on Quora:

If only [by] believing in Jesus can someone go to heaven, what about people who died before Jesus's birth, who have not heard about Jesus at their time? If they can all go to heaven, is that not fair for us as we have to choose which god is the right one[?]

This question requires some untangling because it makes several assumptions and implies several questions. 

The question assumes that people have been accountable for fulfilling the same requirements at all times. That is, people living before Jesus’s birth could only go to heaven if they believed in Jesus.

Actually, accountability has always been proportional. That means that a child who has no ability to grasp the requirements has no accountability. It also means that people living in ancient times were not required to know something that had not happened yet.

The question asks, If [Since] only [by] believing in Jesus can someone go to heaven…. That is terribly over-simplified. “Believing in Jesus” is a mere title or summary. When you add the details, you find that five out of six (83%) of the requirements now and in ancient times overlap.

In ancient times, the required knowledge and belief were:

• God exists; and He is just and holy.
• My thoughts and actions have made me unholy, so I cannot defile the presence of a holy God.
• My actions require a just God to punish my unholy thoughts and actions.
• God is also merciful, gracious, and loving, so He will provide a way for me to enter His presence.
• I, therefore, trust God rather than myself.

In 33 AD, God added one more detail:

• The way is Jesus’s death and resurrection. (This is enough detail for this context, although another layer of details appears when you ask questions such as, Whom and What was Jesus? and What do you mean by resurrection?)

People living before 33 AD could not know how God would create the way to enter God’s presence, so they were not accountable for knowing the how. They knew — or at least they could know — through the Old Testament commands, that they were guilty before God. Then knew through the prescribed Old Testament sacrifices that it would require lifeblood and a substitution, and that it would be a price they could not pay without themselves being destroyed. So, instead of trusting themselves, they had to trust God.

Jesus lived, died, and rose again to create the way to enter God’s presence. The exact how was not something ancient people could know, but it is something we know. Since we know the how, we are accountable for following it.

Imagine being on a sinking ship in the middle of the ocean. Someone tells you that a helicopter is hovering overhead, rescuing passengers.

• If you do not believe the ship is sinking, you will drown.
• If you decide to swim 2,000 miles to the nearest shore, you will drown.
• If you look at the helicopter and then return to your room, you will drown.
• If you believe them intellectually but do not let them hoist you up into the helicopter, you will drown.
• If you believe in the helicopter but insist on getting to it your own way, you will drown.

The question focuses on the way of escape, which is trusting that God paid our penalty. In a sense, failing to use that way of escape can be blamed for going to hell. But that is simplistic. The sinking ship represents our unholy thoughts and actions. Drowning represents going to hell. Failing to put faith in Christ’s actions is just one more unholy failure. A sinner does not go to hell for any single moral crime (although one is enough), but for a lifetime of moral crimes.

God sends people to hell for their sins. People send themselves to hell by failing to follow the way of escape that God created.

As for having to choose the right God, all men, always,  have "had to choose the right God." Only one God deals honestly with the problem of sin and justice. For example, when Islam's god forgives, he does so at the expense of satisfying justice. Only the Judeo-Christian God satisfies both justice and love.

The question ends by asking about fairness. Fairness is a relative concept. It is a question that children ask when they don’t get what they greedily desire. “Johnny got a gift he didn’t earn, so it’s unfair if I don’t get a gift.” If there is unfairness, it is created by us. We are the ones making the choice to repent and trust Christ or to reject God’s way.

From God’s perspective, “fairness” would have been making Jesus the political ruler over all earth 2,000 years ago instead of letting the Innocent One take the wrath the guilty deserve. Fairness would be letting all humans go to hell.

Since Jesus created a way to be saved from hell, fairness is allowing us to choose our own fates. Fairness to ourselves would be responding according to our knowledge of the way, living accordingly, and passing that knowledge along.

Copyright 2020, Richard Wheeler. Assuming credit is given where credit is due, permission granted for non-remunerated use.

The Beatitudes

From a question on Quora:

What does Matthew 5:1-12 mean?

When I read the question and the passage, I thought, “This covers too much ground. Just leave a comment that the questioner should ask about a particular verse.” Besides, to my shallow understanding, they seemed to be on the squishy, non-masculine side of doctrine.

But then I realized that outlining the passage might help the reader, and it might help me to give a useful, high-level explanation. This study has helped me instead as I recognize a depth of challenge and doctrine that I have not seen before. I hope it helps you, too.

First, I’ll quote from the (currently) best word-for-word translation, the New American Standard Version (Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation).

It should go without saying that the passage comprises the Beatitudes, the opening portion of what’s called the Sermon on the Mount.

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Here’s how I would outline and explain it.

1. Introduction, verses 1-2.
   
   Jesus had begun his ministry. To authenticate his exceptional claims about his authority, message, and identity, he had healed “all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics.”
   
   Partly to see the miracles, and partly to hear or jeer his message, “large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.” That would be an area roughly 160 miles, north to south, by 50 miles wide, so the crowds numbered possibly in the tens of thousands.
   
   At this point, Jesus found a place on a hillside that formed a natural amphitheater with good acoustics and settled down to teach “the Sermon on the Mount.”
   
   
2. The Hearts of the Blessed, verses 3–6.
   
   As in many cultures in all ages, the people thought that those who were rich, proud, happy, strong, and forceful were favored by God. Jesus began His message with a shocking, counter intuitive message: Those favored by God are not the people blessed with success, wealth, and power, but those with broken spirits, humility, grief, restraint, and unfulfilled desire to be holy — not just outside, but inside, as well. They would see heaven, be comforted and satisfied, and in the resurrection, inherit the earth and its wealth. (Compare 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.)
   
   
3. Relationships of the Blessed, verses 7–9.
   
   Jesus describes three relational attributes of people whom God favors. It can be said that, whereas grace is giving good that is undeserved, mercy is withholding evil that is deserved. The merciful person withholds cross words, resentments, and revenge. Later, Jesus clarifies this in his teachings on forgiveness and leaving vengeance to God.
   
   Many outwardly good people think their actions make them good, but God does not merely observe the material world. He observes the spiritual dimensions of the world, too, which means that to Him, our thoughts and attitudes are just as “real” as our actions. “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
   
   Are you pure in heart? Jesus taught that hating without just cause is murder, and looking at someone (other than your spouse) with lust is adultery. You can expand each of the Ten Commandments in similar fashion. Withholding the truth is false witness. Wanting to take something that’s not yours is stealing. Pouting because you "deserve" a thing you cannot have is coveting. Giving higher priority to anything than you give to God is idolatry. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” condemns more than it comforts!
   
   The ultimate peacemaker is the one who seeks reconciliation with God and then, after finding redemption, seeks to reconcile others to God. Does this describe you? It doesn’t describe me. Not often, anyway. Through the Cross, God offers mercy and grace, so we can be redeemed from lack of perfection, but this takes us back to the beginning: Blessed are the poor in spirit who mourn their faults and hunger for the righteousness that only God can give. Finding that peace, they shall be called the sons and daughters of God.
   
   
4. Suffering of the Blessed, vs. 10–11.
   
   Faith in God may have a price. Faith involves commitment to delayed gratification. Faithfulness and holiness do not always lead to material blessings in this world. They often lead to friction, slander, insults, and even to physical suffering. Throughout history, and even today, declaring faith in Jesus can bring death at the end of horrible torture. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just read the headlines at Persecution.org  or Open Doors USA.
   
   Jesus himself suffered. He knew his torture and death would achieve a higher purpose of redeeming us from sins. Being God in human form, He lived a perfect life. Having lived a perfect life, He did not come under judgment and could therefore take our place in judgment. Taking our place in judgment, God freed Himself to love without violating justice. Thus, He redeems us so we can be reborn as God’s children and as brothers and sisters of Christ himself. And God authenticated and rewarded Christ's achievement by raising Him from the dead.
   
   If we become Christ’s servants and family, we should not be surprised if the world treats us the same way it treated him. It can serve many higher purposes. The following examples can all be demonstrated from history. 

• It can test and build our character. 
• Our suffering shows the sincerity of our faith to the world and draws people to the One so great that we would die for Him.  
• It demonstrates the adequacy of God’s love and grace even in the worst earthly circumstances. 
• It demonstrates our love to the One who remolds us from within. 

The Beatitudes turned ancient thinking upside down then, and they turn worldly wisdom upside down today. On the surface, they are beautiful and reassure the humble. Dig a little deeper and they set high goals for us. But dig deep, and you will find impossible challenges that ought to utterly humble us and drive us to surrender to God’s provision of redemption. 

Since I also posted this as an anser on Quora.com, I cannot copyright it. However, I hope you will not plagiarize it and, if quoting it, will give credit where credit is due.

Can you let go of bad evidence?

I often think of some verse to support a point I want to make, and when I look it up, think, "Oh, shrubbery! That wasn't what it was talking about!" And then I have to look further to see whether what I want to say is really supported. I sometimes have to abandon things I was going to say. 

Nobody expects an ironic exposition!  

In a Facebook discussion, a lady wanted to show an example of a Christian apologizing to others. She gave as an example, (2 Corinthians 12:13)

"For what is it in which you were inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong!"

Nobody expects irony in the Bible. Read it again. During his mission at Corinth, supported himself, working (according to tradition) as a tent maker. In the context, Paul supports his apostolic authority and his sincerity by reminding the Corinthians that he worked with his own hands so he would not have to ask them to "send in your tithes and offerings." Paul was not apologizing. Rather, he was using irony -- more specifically, sarcasm, a form of irony. To support his sincerity (and to break the pride of his audience), he was using mild sarcasm. Yes, sarcasm has its place.
To further show the need for forgiveness, the lady also cited Matthew 6:14-15.

"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

The Jews thought they could earn salvation through self-righteous works: the Ten Commandments, plus another 600-plus commandments in the Old Testament.

Jesus often used irony to bring religious Jews to repentance. 

• "Forgive, or you won't be forgiven;" but nobody is perfect in forgiveness. 
• "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect;" but nobody can be perfect. 
• "If your eye offends you (causes you to sin), pluck it out;" but is it really God's will that we should destroy every offending member of our bodies? 

Very quickly, we would run out of hands with which to cut off our other members.

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart...." But "we love God because He first loved us." We should forgive, but God first forgave us.

See the pattern?

The Law says forgive to be forgiven, but God's mercy says receive forgiveness and then forgive because you have been forgiven.

So the message here is, watch out for irony, especially in teachings that took place prior to the cross. You don't want valid points attacked just because you used the wrong verses to support them.