Saturday, May 14, 2011

No Escape

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? (Hebrews 02:01-04, NKJV).
Christians are accused by popular culture of being wishful thinkers. Years ago the derogatory mantra applied was "pie in the sky by and by". I submit that all such characterizations are reverse projection. It is unbelievers who are the wishful thinkers. Real Christians understand that inescapable judgment is coming. Inescapable that is, except through the one means established by God - the Great Salvation available through Christ. Without that one provision there is no escape.

Note the graciousness of the highlighted passage above. In essence, human beings have to work to be condemned since clemency is readily available, and only by our negligence can it be avoided. Note that, please. There is no feat we have to perform, no worthiness we have to prove, no test we have to pass. Salvation is a gift that need only be received by faith. Period.

Note also how graciously the gift was and is offered. The Lord Himself became a Man to reveal the truth of our sinfulness and God's mercy through the sacrifice of Himself on our behalf. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. He showed us His glory and allowed mere humans to be, and become, witnesses to His immeasurable grace. And then through confirming signs and wonders, the truth of the proclamation was rendered all the more credible, after which Christ established His church, and the spiritual gifting within the church, to continue that irrefutable attestation through the centuries. 

What extravagant persistence on the part of God! How He must love us even in our fallen state!

Personal negligence is therefore the only explanation why some humans will trample the Son of God underfoot on their way to everlasting Hell. God has done all possible and necessary to shelter us from the coming judgment, save imposing His mercy against our will.

Now neglect is a willful act. It is active not passive. It is impossible to be neglectful of something of which you are honestly unaware. You can only be negligent of something that you know about but choose to ignore. 

This is crucial in understanding the culpability of those who will suffer eternal torment. They themselves are responsible; not God, not culture, not upbringing, not psychology, not mitigating circumstances, not anything other than the conscious exercise of the terrible and awesome gift of their own free will. This is also why I believe that the Bible teaches that those of us incapable of making an informed decision, either through disability or immaturity, are granted this great salvation by default.

For the rest of us, damnation is the direct result of negligence.

Those who rail at God, claiming He is an egotistical tyrant are simply indulging in childish self-justification. Unwilling to submit, they fabricate reasons not to, like a spoiled toddler. It would be merely annoying of it weren't so tragic.

But the real evil is that those who practice negligence, take perverted joy in preaching it as well, attempting to win converts to their losing side. Again, this would be merely annoying if it wasn't so despicable.

In the long war against God, declared unilaterally by the fallen human race, there can be no neutrality. As Jesus said, you are either for Him, or against Him. There is no middle ground.

Yet declaring allegiance to the inevitably victorious side is simply a matter of paying attention and being open to the truth. He could not have made it any easier to switch loyalties. We are born as enemies and can be reborn as allies if we simply choose not to neglect so great a salvation.

I am convinced that mankind knows all this like it knows how to breathe. We have an inherent sense of approaching doom, just as we have an inherent sense of justice. The two go hand in hand. Try as we might to ignore either one, these components of our conscience are writ large in our personhood. To be human is to be without excuse.

There is nothing noble about being negligent.