Is Hell Unfair?

by Walter Martin





What happens to people who have never heard the name of Jesus? Is God unfair to send them to hell simply because they never had the opportunity to hear the gospel? The Bible doesn�t see it that way: �For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse . . .� (Romans 1:20-21).

God doesn�t send men to hell because they haven�t heard the name of Jesus. We have no way of knowing how God communicates with people. Surely, the gospel went out from Jerusalem and Judea to the uttermost parts of the earth. God obviously had to consider the fact that there were no jet airplanes, no modern means of transportation, and that people on the other side of the earth could hardly be charged in the same category with people who were right there in Jerusalem. So, he must have had a plan for dealing with them. The Judge of the whole earth will do what is right.

He sent us into the world to preach the gospel so that men might be saved; that does not mean God doesn�t take into consideration the fact that people�through no fault of their own�have not heard the gospel. I think that particular truth is very clearly taught in Romans 1, which goes on to say how God reveals Himself to them. (Don�t ask me exactly how, because I don�t know.)

Dr. Frank Gaebelin once told me about a missionary who had gone to a part of the world where the Gospel had never been preached. Dr. Gaebelin�s story was very well-documented, and he talked personally with this man:

A certain missionary felt a compulsion to go to a specific part of Africa. When he arrived in the village and started preaching Christ, he was amazed by the response. Instead of the indifference or even outright hostility he expected to encounter, people were clearly astonished by his words and very happy to see him. They started talking with each other, buzzing like a huge beehive, and he asked them, �What is the problem? Have I done something wrong?�

�No,� they answered. �But you�re talking about the Sin-bearer.�

�The Sin-bearer!� he repeated, amazed at this revelation. Yes, he agreed, Jesus was the Sin-bearer but how did they know that? One of the elders of the tribe smiled broadly at him, and told him there was someone he must meet. They led him to small house on the outskirts of the village, where an elderly man waited to speak with him. It was a conversation he would never forget. The man told him he knew the world was created by an eternal, good being, and that he had sought for Him. He�d actually prayed for God to reveal Himself to him, and the Lord had answered his prayer. He gave this man, this pagan back in darkest Africa, a vision of Christ on the Cross! And he didn�t understand anything except that there was a Sin-bearer, and that the message would come to them.

The missionary told Dr. Gaebelin, �It was the easiest preaching I�ve ever done. They were waiting for me. I preached and practically the whole tribe got saved! The old man�s face shone like the face of a saint.�

I believe that man had a vision of Christ. God communicated with him and the gospel came to them as a result of that. There are enough instances of this in China and in other parts of the world to tell me that God cares about these people.

I have to believe that the God of the Bible is just. If men go to hell, they go not because they haven�t heard the name of Jesus, but because they turn away from the knowledge that God makes available to them. They could turn towards Him instead of away, and if they do, He will send the gospel to them. I believe that is the truth.

God is not going to arbitrarily send people off to hell if they turn�even blink�in His direction. He does not want any to perish. (2 Peter 3:9)






Distributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com

Jerry Garcia Band - That's What Love Will Make You Do '93

[via FoxyTunes / Jerry Garcia Band]

some old Jesus Freak nastalgia

Whitecross- Because of Jesus

[via FoxyTunes / Whitecross]

BibleGateway.com

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]

Psalm 27
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
2 When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
6 Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music.

7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
9 Do not turn your back on me.
Do not reject your servant in anger.
You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
O God of my salvation!
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close.

11 Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.
12 Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.
13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.

14 Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.





BibleGateway.com is © Copyright 1995-2007 Gospel Communications International
BibleGateway.com navigation

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee
You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and
wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one
problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water
and placed each on a high fire Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she
placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground
coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them
in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her
daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an
egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter
smiled as she tasted its rich aroma The daughter then asked, "What does it mean,
mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong,
hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it
softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had
protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through boiling water, its
inside became hardened The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they
were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial
hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell
look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and
hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases
the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their
worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the
darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, enough, sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you
happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest
future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life
until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was
smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and
everyone around you is crying.

You might want to send this message to those people who mean something
to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another;
to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see
the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship
you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life
If you don't send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to
brighten someone's day with this message!

It's easier to build a child than repair an adult. This is so true.

May we all be COFFEE.

Tom Petty - Saving Grace

Mike Huckabee responds to evolution question

Phil Keaggy video on FoxyTunes Planet

[via FoxyTunes / Phil Keaggy]

Wake up and smell the Truth!

Do you ever feel like you are on a long journey and the path you are on leads you down into the pits in a deep valley, and at other times it leads you to the exhillerating highs at the top of a mountainpeak? Ever have one of those inspiring moments when reading something that inspires you and stirs your soul? Well, I have just had such a moment while enjoying my favorite morning brew at one of my favorite places. What and where else? Starbucks, of course! Easy, Easy! Calm Down! If big coffee corporations make you uneasy and you prefer to support small business, I have no quarrel with you! I just like the coffee and atmosphere here.
But back to my question, I was reading my daily study in Our Daily Bread, and the scripture that went along with it, (Nehemiah 4:1-14). This takes place at a time when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon. Nehemiah was sent to Jerusalem to lead the people there to rebuild and fortify the city and it's fortress walls. When all their enemies in the surrounding areas heard about it, they were very angry and banded together in an attempt to stop the rebuilding! However, Nehemiah was wise to their schemes, and he organized the people not only for the work, but armed them and set them on guard to stop the enemy. Then, they have their own people coming against them from within! Whining and complaining in fear and only seeing all the negatives! But that didn't stop Nehemiah, he bathed the whole situation in prayers, submitting it to God, then trusting Him for protection, dealt with the situations as they arose and completed the work. But the closer the work was to completion, the angrier the enemy got, and the more they came against them!
If you are a Christian, you know that there are real enemies to our soul attacking from a spiritual dimension! If you are not a Christian, you may not be aware of it, but alot of the things in life that are just vexing and downright evil are coming from a real enemy, Satan, and his demons! And I'm not talking about a little guy with a pointed tail and a pitchfork! The Bible tells us all about these spiritual entities. I believe we need to help each other, like Nehemiah, to keep our guard up and commit to help each other stand strong in the face of an enemy that we cannot see, but just as sure as we can feel the wind in our face, we can feel the effects of his attacks on our emotions and our physical being! Let us not bow down to the nay sayers and people who want to drag us down! We need to pray for them and ask God to encourage them to see things more positively, keeping ourselves on course to finish our journey and bring as many along as we possibly can!
I think as we read through this scripture section, we can see parallels to Sanballat and the devil with all his schemes to tear down any spiritual growth and building of strength in our walk and lives, but he is no match for God and His might on our behalf! I think we all have times when we are so weak in our own humanity that we just want to give up! So much easier to grab an innertube and float on down the lazy river with the rest of the world around us. Sound arrogant! I don't mean it to be. Jesus himself said wide is the road that leads to destruction and there are many on that road, and narrow is the gate that leads to life and there are few that will enter through the gate! Please join us on the road to Eternal life with God if you haven't already! You won't be sorry!

I'd better post this before I give in to one of those weak moments and decide against it!
As always,
in Christ,
cdcwilly, aka, Bill

Hillsong United One Way

[via FoxyTunes / Hillsong United]

hillsong-united All I Need Is You

[via FoxyTunes / Hillsong United]

The Weekly Walk from James MacDonald
Eliminate the Drain

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:1-2

If you had a hole in your gas tank, it wouldn’t be long until you investigated why your tank is always empty. I just filled up, you think. Why am I on empty again? The same thing happens in the Christian life. We get filled up with great Bible studies and sermons, and we think we’re good for the long haul. But not far into the trip, we’re out of gas. Completely drained. What happened?

I believe one reason our spiritual strength drains quickly from our lives is because we hoard it. Sounds like the opposite would be true, but it’s not. If we keep everything we gain in the Christian life to ourselves, we end up running out of gas. Paul tells Timothy: “What you have heard from me . . . entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

The way to grow spiritually is not to pack every study, every sermon, every lesson you can into your skull. You might think you are a great Bible scholar but really you’re just a big Bible fathead. Some of the most spiritually weak people I know have more Bible information in their cranium than anyone around. But they can’t face temptations or weather even the smallest storm because they haven’t been growing in what they’ve learned. You’ve got to transfer truth to others in order for it to make a difference in your own life.

Do you take sermon notes when your pastor preaches each week? What do you do with them afterward-stuff them in a drawer? Carry them around in your Bible until you purge them all? Find someone this week to share something new you learned from the sermon or from a message you’ve read in a book or heard on the radio. In Paul’s words, entrust to others what you have learned. You will experience a fresh infusion of the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Merely reading the words will do nothing for you. But if you do what they say, you will fill up on God’s strength.

How about it?