I really like this guy that told me this, and I really appreciated him opening up to me with his objections to Jesus' claims of exclusivity. I consider it a great priviledge to have had him share his thoughts, and it has helped me to think through the issue again. I will try to give the most honest assessment of the objection that I can. Note that when I say Jesus claimed exclusivity, I mean that he claimed to be "the way, the truth, and the life" that all men must come to in order to be saved from the condemnation of God and allowed into eternal fellowship with the God who is Love.
So the objection has at least four parts, and I'll restate them:
1) The Bible says that "without faith it is impossible to please God." Since non-Christians have faith (though in something different), they should not be excluded from heaven even according to the statements the Bible makes.
2) If God is Love as the Bible claims, how can he condemn anybody that did not have a snowball's chance in Hell to believe in Jesus?
3) If we're ever going to move toward world peace, we have to quit this "my view is better than your view" stuff and realize we're all moving toward the same goal. In other words, exclusivity is out, and inclusivism is what we really need.
4) [Not stated, but related to my friend's objections] Could the people of God during the times recorded in the Old Testament (B.C) have even believed in Jesus? They could not even be saved if Jesus is the only way, but the New Testament itself says they are in heaven.
It will require quite a bit of space to respond well to these four parts of my friend's comment, so I will do it in subsequent posts. In the meantime, how would you address the issue? Do you struggle with some of the same things my friend dislikes about the claims of Christ? I for one have struggled with these things in the past, and the struggling has been fruitful.
2 comments:
Hey Greg - I am not a greatest apologist but here are some really quick thoughts:
1) Non-Christian faith in their God is sufficient, as the Bible says (Heb 11:6) without faith it is impossible to please God:
The context is faith, faith in THE God of the OT. Heb 11 flows beautifully into Heb 12 which says 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
The center of RIGHT faith is now Jesus.
I may have all the faith possible that catching a large boulder thrown to me as I am drowning in deep water will save me - but it won't - the same is true of faith in anyone or anything other than Jesus!
2)God is not exclusively love - He is also perfectly just. His justice requires that the penalty for sin be carried out.
3)World peace is impossible while the sin nature is present.
Truth is not based on "better views" - it is simply truth.
4)No - they could NOT have the same faith in Jesus that we can. They did not have the details that we have. Our faith should be easier.
and YES - they could have faith in what God promised (Heb 11:39). Though they did not fully understand who Jesus would be, they believed in God's provision of a coming Messiah.
(Psalms and Isaiah are filled with Messianic prophecies)
Keith - very good thoughts.
My approach to answering my friend will be VERY similar.
On #2, I would go even further to say that love without justice is no love at all. Jonathan Edwards has some good stuff to say along similar lines. The essence is that if God did not first love himself and seek His own glory, then He could never have existed (and hence we would never have been loved). Part of His glory being displayed is evil in the world, thus pride & lies, and thus the need for justice and judgment.
I think similar reason is probably why some say that God could not have created a better world - one which would have displayed His glory more fully.
Post a Comment