Response to Not_Crunchy

Below is a humble, much-too-short response to Not_Crunchy's questions.

Hey N_C. First, I've got to let you know that each of your questions is worthy of a book-length answer, so anything you get in the comments is very much a Readers' Digest version, ok? And I can guarantee you'll get some differing answers to these questions. :) By the way, I am from the South too.

1. Do you believe that I am going to hell because I do not accept the divinity of Christ?
Well, yeah. Here's the thing, though--Christians aren't telling you that because you're some kind of jerk that they can't stand. (Forgive me; I know you've heard at least some of the following stuff before.) We have ALL sinned against God. That means we've broken His commandments. He gets to make the rules because He made everything, including you. That gives Him authority to do whatever He wants. He is completely holy, though: set apart, perfect, without any wrong or evil in Him. That's a problem for us, now, since we've rebelled against Him (it's happened since Adam. You've done it when you lied, cheated, or were rebellious to your parents, etc.). We deserve, because of our rebellion, to be without God for eternity (we were created with souls that are eternal, so obliteration isn't happening).

Hell actually was created for the devil and his angels, according to the Bible. Not for people. Jesus made it clear in his teachings, though, that rebellious people will be placed with the rebellious angels in the lake of fire at the resurrection. I'm not going to lie to you. If you respect Jesus' teachings, why not believe what He said about Himself, and about the end of our lives? What did He say to do? 'Repent,' (which means to turn and change), 'for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.' The fact is that the Son of God, the Messiah, tells you in His teachings what's going to happen. You will face God someday at judgment, and Jesus has indeed paid the price that none of us could (see my previous post). You have the choice to reject that or to believe that. Sounds to me like He's calling to you.

2. Do you believe that every word of the Bible is true? What about the parts that contradict one another?
Yes, I believe the Bible is true and infallible in the original Greek and Hebrew (and a lil Aramaic). However, people seem to fall into some traps when considering this issue: Hebrew and Greek, like any other language, employ idioms, poetic devices, parables, laments, songs, and proverbs. Each type of communication should be understood as it was meant to be, not forced into a box of literalism where it's clearly absurd. Jesus says that unless I hate my mother and father, I cannot be His disciple (Lk 14:26). Ack!! He's contradicting the command to honor my parents!! No, that's an erroneous assumption about what He means. Compared to our love for and devotion to Him, all other 'loves' in our life are like hate...they pale that much in comparison. Also, Jesus is talking about the cost of discipleship (following Him and learning from Him). If you accept and follow Jesus, you suffer rejection, often from those closest to you. Your love for Christ has to be greater than for your family or whoever would try to get you to leave Jesus.

Jesus very often spoke in parables, or in ways that make you dig for understanding. Also, understanding is given by the Holy Spirit.

So, the short answer is yes. And I don't think there are any parts that truly contradict each other. There are, however, lots of people who don't interpret correctly.

3. What is your ultimate authority on the fact that the Bible is divinely inspired?
My absolute conviction of its truth (simply knowing it), my own testimony (changed life, empowerment through the Holy Spirit in often miraculous ways), and the historical accuracy of the text and the events depicted in it.

Part of the way the saints in the end times overcome the devil is 'by the word of their testimony.' That and the sacrifice of Jesus. Going back to your first question, can you see why it's really important to believe Jesus is the Son of God? There is power in what He did. Denying who He is recognizes nothing about what He did for you. He wasn't just a teacher.

Rev 12:10-12
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death."

4. Does God offer only one path to salvation? If so, what about all those people in the non-Christian world? Did God allow their creation so that they can go to hell?

a) Yes, knowing and following Jesus is the only way to salvation. The Bible makes that clear. Check it out:

1 Tim 2:4-6a
[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.

Because of our standing before God, we needed a sacrifice for sin. The temple and sacrifices in Jerusalem--and the office of the High Priest--were symbols and signs of the fact that blood is required to pay for sins. Animal blood doesn't do it, though. We needed something more, a replica of us, perfect and sinless, to agree to take the punishment. That's what Jesus did.

Hebrews 9:6-7
the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.

Instead of a high priest, we have the fulfillment of that system: Jesus. His blood is what was required to pay the sin debt.

b) What about those who have not heard? First, it's important to understand that everyone is without excuse before God for their deeds:

Romans 1:18-20
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

God made everyone, and He inscribed in all of us some basic understandings. For example, when I look at the complexity of life on earth, I see a Creator, a Designer. That is evident from just looking at what's here. Across almost all cultures, there's a sense of what justice, perversion, and righteousness are. Sure, all cultures are screwed up, because the world is fallen. But the things people are doing wrong are done against their consciences, the knowledge of God placed in their hearts.

My friend Robert has an excellent response to this at This Gospel.

c) No, the above scripture (1 Tim 2:4) shows that God did NOT create some people just for hell; He desires all people to know Him, and the blood of Jesus was spilled for the sins of all men (1 John 2:2--"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world"). You'll get different answers on that one, but if you read the Bible without prejudice, you'll see what it says. Like I said, hell was created originally for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41). We choose either to follow God or to reject Him in this life, and we choose our eternal destiny in the process. That's the short answer.

N_C, you'll probably receive better answers than mine from others. And I encourage you to ask God. Seriously. His answers are the best. :) Thanks for asking the questions and for being interested.