Is it 'fair' for a loving God to punish an innocent person because he or she has never heard about Jesus?

My commentary on Lifeway's Bible Studies For Life Sunday School lesson this week. This is also a follow up from last week's lesson and commentary as well. (A weekly email I send out to all of my teachers)

Romans 1:16-25

Ponder the question on pg 94 in the Personal Study Guide of Lifeway's Bible Studies For Life:

"Is it 'fair' for a loving God to punish an innocent person because he or she has never heard about Jesus?"

Another way this question might be asked: "What about the innocent guy who was born on a desert island and never reached with the Gospel? Can he be saved without ever hearing the good news of Jesus? Would it be fair for God to send him to hell?"

Really, these questions are deficient in three ways:

1. There is no such thing as an innocent person. Romans 1 and the entire Bible make this abundantly clear. I cringe when I hear people use the words “innocent” or “basically good” when describing others (even children). The biblical reality is that we are all guilty of sin (breaking God's law) and basically bad. It is important that we recover a biblical doctrine of sin in our teaching. WE CANNOT TALK ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF THE CROSS, WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF THE CROSS. We are shepherding the hearts of the people in our small groups to see their need for the Savior, not just to modify their behavior to be "Christian."
2. In our American society, we have a deficient understanding of fairness. We ask questions like the ones above with a sense of entitlement. The truth is God does not owe us anything. We have sinned before a God who is perfectly holy, perfectly righteous, and perfectly good. Our God cannot tolerate even a hint of the presence of evil because it is absolutely contrary to His nature. If He was able to tolerate sin, He would cease to be holy and good. Because we have sinned against this God, what we deserve is death. What we deserve is Hell. However, God gives us (even the lost) common grace in that He does not immediately destroy us and bar us from eternity with Him when we sin. In light of this, we should be ask, "Is it fair that God would allow a sinner into His presence?" Remember, the definition of grace is unmerited favor!
3. I personally believe God is not sending anyone to hell, because we're already going. Rather, what you see in the character of God is a grace and mercy, a loving Father intervening by sending His only Son and rescuing His lost people.

So what does this mean for us?

The reality is that people will never call on whom they have not heard about (JESUS…Rom 10:13-17). Since we know that God has chosen to use His people as His means to spread the good news of the Gospel throughout the world, we need to get busy and serious about this MISSION. Christ has not saved us to sideline us. He's saved us to send us out into the city, the state, the country, and around the world to proclaim the good news of the Gospel. Therefore, when someone perishes without hearing the gospel, it's not God's fault. It's our fault! It's our fault for being ingrown and consumer driven in our approach to Christianity. EVERYTHING we do as a church must be fueled by this reality. Let’s let these deep, thought provoking questions drive us to be more committed in our Great Commission efforts to get the message of Jesus to as many people as possible. Their eternity depends on it.

“The root cause of our lack of engagement in God’s mission is not a missions problem but a gospel problem. We demonstrate by our inaction that we no longer marvel at grace. We are unaffected by the beauty of what God has done for us in Christ.” - Trevin Wax in Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

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Commentary on Psalm 19 and the Jan 26th Lesson from Lifeway's Bible Studies for Life

Psalm 19

This passage and lesson reveals to us several things that are very important to understand about God and His Word. As we read in Psalm 19:1-6, we see that God is revealing Himself to the world through His creation (general revelation). We can look at the birds in the sky and the world around us and know there is a God. We marvel over the complexity of the human body and can conclude that there must be an intelligent Creator. This list could go on and on. However, David under the inspiration of God, reminds us in verses 7-14 that we need more than just general revelation to truly know God. General revelation is not enough to save someone, but it is enough to judge someone (Rom 1:20). We need His revealed Word (special revelation) so that we can truly know Him. His Word reveals to us who He really is. In His Word we see His character and attributes. We also see the depravity of man. His Word reminds us that because of that sin, we are on a path that leads to an eternal hell and complete separation from Him forever. Humanity is cursed and is in need of a Savior. We even see men like David come into God’s story. David was mighty and strong and “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). However, David following in the footsteps of Adam (the first man) ultimately dies because of sin in his life. As great as David was, he was merely a type of the One who was to come. The One that had been promised ever since Gen 3:15. John 1:1-5;14 reminds us that Jesus is the promised One and that He is also the Word (special revelation). Furthermore, Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes in Romans 10:5-17, that we need the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. In these verses we’re reminded that, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). The Bible tells us here that general revelation is not enough to save anyone. We desperately need special revelation, the Words of God. Paul’s life and theology reflected this truth. His life was dedicated to taking the Word into all of the world.  

God’s spoken word brings life.  This is true in the creation account and in our salvation. God’s Word also reveals to us His character. Man was created to be an image bearer of Him, and our ultimate purpose in life is to bring Him glory. His Word not only reconciles us back to Him, but also guides us in glorifying Him. Therefore, let’s revere the Word in our lives and in our faith family. Let’s not be ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation and the key to living a righteous life that’s pleasing to Him. Let these truths fuel you to be on mission for Christ.

“The Gospel is only good news if it gets there on time” – Carl F. Henry

Teaching Tip: We need to always remember that Christ is to be the central focus of our lessons. Therefore when teaching an Old Testament passage like this, ask yourself, “Is there anything about my treatment of this Old Testament text that a faithful Jew could not affirm?” If your answer is no, then you need to rethink your approach. Christ is the scarlet thread that runs throughout the entire Bible.1

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1 Teaching tip and question adapted from Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scriptures by Trevin Wax (p.79).

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10 Recommended Reads for 2014

     If you've ever wandered around in your local bookstore in the Christian Living or Christian Theology sections, you know that it can be pretty overwhelming. Some of the questions you might find yourself asking are: "Where do I begin?"; "What am I looking for?" or "What books are trustworthy?" And one of the things I find myself doing often for our faith family is pointing our folks to sound books and resources. Here are a few books that I will be recommending this year:

1. The ESV Gospel Transformation Bible


2. Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples by Francis Chan

3. Growing UP: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples by Robby Gallaty 

4. Ten Who Changed the World by Daniel Akin

5. The Gospel and Personal Evangelism (9Marks) by Mark Dever

6. What Is a Healthy Church? (IX Marks) (9 Marks of a Healthy Church) by Mark Dever

7. Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know by C.J. Mahaney
(For husbands)

8. Knowing God by J.I. Packer

9. What's the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible by John Piper

10. Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper

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