The Doom of Man?
Had about 10 days of holidays before my new job starts tomorrow! And for that span of time, I have been going to Mac Ritchie for walks..really a brilliant place! Shimmering lake, luxuriant foliage, beautiful sky, warm sunshine and lots of white puffy clouds. I just spend whole mornings there, doing some reading and enjoying God’s creation.
My treo was with me all the time, and the best thing is that I get to do some bible reading without people giving me weird looks…hehe. One thing which I am grappling with at the moment, is this:
The bible has clearly stated that apart from Jesus Christ, the rest of mankind who do not put their faith in Him is doomed to destruction. This is a severe and corner stone truth in the bible and we ought to pay heed!
Is this not arrogant absolutionism? Is this not man’s theories? Is this not just another religion?
If hell is so real and God’s judgment so imminent, why does he not reveal the terrifying realities to all man in the world?! Isn’t it unfair to execute judgment without first warning man of the dire consequences? Yes, we’ve been warned by all those Christians, but how can we be sure that they are not another case of religious narrow-mindedness?
Why not reveal certain signs and wonders that can be empirically verified, and consistently proven? Why don’t he stay here on earth to prove to us that He is for real?! I want to SEE!! Prove it to me!!! Show yourself to me and I will believe.
If then I can’t see you or grasp the horror of my destiny (hell), then won’t it be unjust of you to throw me into hell?
My current and imperfect understanding of the issue is that God always warns the world before He judges. Mass media made it possible to witness world events (tragedies) from the comforts of our home.
There’s a Cantonese saying that caricatures a response to such warnings “讲耶稣”. Ironic, huh?
Comment by Michelle — July 5, 2005 @ 12:51 pm
Think we’ve been sufficiently forewarned already. Natural disasters, history of mankind and the truth as told by God thru His ppl all serve to warn others of the impending judgement. It’s just up to them to believe and us to pray.
Comment by Eunice — July 6, 2005 @ 1:04 am
Hey Joe, I tried to address your question in the blog. click URL
Comment by Click Here — July 6, 2005 @ 10:41 am
yo joe! so how’s the new job?
Comment by Angela — July 8, 2005 @ 8:54 am
Hi guys,
I shall attempt to comment on a future post with regards to this! Thanks for all your feedback
Comment by firefly — July 10, 2005 @ 10:46 pm
I think that God, for His purposes, has arranged for everything concerning our relationship with him to hinge on faith and belief. It is easy to have faith in your commander if you serve in a huge, powerful, fast army. It is much harder to march into battle with a small, seemingly weak army. You must really have confidence in your leader. Further, faith is the pride killer. If we rely on our intelligence to verify our faith in God, we would be believing not because of what He has done, but because of what we have done. It becomes about us being “smart enough” to know God. I am not saying that, as Christians we should be unthinking. Far from it. I am saying there is more strength in a quiet faith in the face of questions than in a reliance on facts and knowlege. Why? Because the one relies on God while the other relies on man. Just my opinion
Comment by Ali — October 30, 2005 @ 10:59 am
At this point in time, Christians of various denominations are divided over the exclusivity of salvation. Catholics also have evolving views on this issue:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/rcc_salv.htm
I feel that it’s not so important for us to debate about whether others would be saved - judgement is solely God’s prerogative. What is more important is that Christians should focus on living good and holy lives so as to lead people to Christ or to inspire people to lead good lives.
Comment by David — December 28, 2005 @ 6:39 pm
I am not sure if your questions are resolved by now. Let me just share my understanding.
‘Is this not arrogant absolutionism? Is this not man’s theories? Is this not just another religion?….Why not reveal certain signs and wonders that can be empirically verified, and consistently proven? Why don’t he stay here on earth to prove to us that He is for real?! I want to SEE!! Prove it to me!!! Show yourself to me and I will believe. ‘
It is true that there is only one God, but God’s initiative to love us and reach out to us does not demand our absolute response-we have a choice. This relationship is a two-way traffic, for He does not delight in blind faith nor a luke-warm response.
As for the wonders of God, the bible has already recorded so many. How was Abraham justified? It was by his faith because when he died, what was promised to him by God in Gen 12 has not been fulfilled.
In a post-modern society, we may have tried to explain spirituality in a scientific manner and write-off many of the miracles that took place in the bible. Many of the theological book that we read today are from the West and often we are influenced by these writings. For eg some ‘evangelical’ writers have explained that Jesus had pre-arranged the donkey for his entry into Jerusalem and the meal (last supper) at Passover. What do you think?
Remember when Jesus was asked to show a sign from heaven in Matt 16? He did not perform any because signs are not done for the sake of it. The signs he performs are out of compassion, out of his mercy for the people. We do not seek Jesus for signs. Instead, when we follow Jesus, signs and wonders will surely follow. I have heard of miracles in the name of Jesus today in the various mission stations, real testimonies from Sg doctors. Yes I am impressed. But to me, going to Church on Sunday and being able to fellowship with God is already a sign.
Remember Daniel’s 3 friends in Dan 3? in verse 18 they say that even if the God they worship does not rescue them from the fiery furnace they will still continue to worship God. This is true worship.
Hope you’re not bored with my nagging.
Comment by Gina — July 28, 2006 @ 1:29 am