JESUS SPEAKING
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both me and my father” (John 15: 22 – 24.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Jesus Christ preached throughout Israel for nearly three years before being crucified. He preached in the cities; in the wilderness; in the temple; in homes and on street corners; passing the message along to every capable Israelite. He became so well known that he had to travel from place to place by boat; to avoid being thronged by the crowds. Yet, despite seeing the miracles and hearing God’s message of repentance and forgiveness, many rejected him. Others chose to avoid hearing him all together; willfully embracing ignorance. Still, voluntary ignorance is the same as complete rejection; and therefore, not an acceptable excuse. On the contrary, those who were never made aware of the message, for whatever reason, are not under condemnation.
During my many years of evangelism, I have interacted with numerous skeptics, agnostics, and atheists, who have used a common question to challenge God’s perfect justice: “If you can’t get to heaven without accepting Jesus Christ; what about the child in Africa who dies without ever having heard the gospel? Are they going to go to hell?” The answer is no. God does not condemn the naive. Those who are ignorant are innocent. Yet those who have heard, “have no excuse for their sin.” Many today refuse to open a bible or even enter a church; believing that by not accepting or rejecting Jesus they will avoid condemnation. They are wrong; voluntary ignorance is the same as complete rejection.
To this very day, the Followers of Jesus Christ continue to preach the gospel. Some accept him; some deny him; still others simply refuse to investigate. God forgives those who are genuinely naïve but condemns the willfully ignorant. There are very few places on Earth where Christ’s message has yet to be heard. Perhaps some remote tribe in the Amazon hasn’t encountered the gospel yet; or maybe a young child living in India remains ignorant?
Our God is righteous and Holy; He commits no evil or injustice. We can therefore discern from this scripture that the genuinely ignorant are not eternally condemned. Once again, His word has provided the answer to a difficult question. Dive into the bible and you will find every answer you seek. Meditate upon His precepts and He will use you to preach the gospel; to illuminate the uninformed, and to bring hope to the hopeless. Through you, many will come to know His goodness, His mercy, and His love.
“Lord Heavenly Father, we recognize Your perfect justice and acknowledge Your goodness and righteousness. May we, as believers, be equipped to answer every question we are asked. Empower us through Your Holy Spirit; may we be bold; may we illuminate darkened minds and preach the gospel to the ignorant. May we be Your messengers in this place. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.” God bless all of you!
Jesus Speaks 