This should put a cat amongst pigeons and get me a few minus marks.
The Gospels were written by newly converted Jews to whom nothing existed much beyond Judaism, the Gospel Message, and the immediate surrounds to their Mediterranean horizon.
In that context John wrote:
“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV)
Paul however, was appointed to preach the Gospel somewhat further a field and, considering those who might never even hear the Gospel Message, he wrote
“The righteousness of God is revealed in all forms of faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
However God’s wrath is against the unrighteousness of men who are shown truth, yet reject faith;
Because, in all instances, that which may be known of God is evident; for God has showed it to all men in the message of creation.
For the invisible things of him, even his eternal power and Godhead, are clearly seen from the creation of the world; so then all men are without excuse:
If, when they see God’s message of creation, men glorify him not as God, neither are thankful; but become vain in their imaginations; their foolish heart being darkened;
And professing themselves to be wise, they worship images made like to corruptible man, birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping things, instead of worshipping the incorruptible Creator, (plus worshipping things made by corruptible man such as Televisions, Cars, Houses, etc.) they become fools.” (Romans 1:17-23 MSV)
Assuming such teaching could be extrapolated to embrace those who never get the chance to respond to the gospel message by reasons other that geographical isolation e.g. premature death, mental incapacity etc., one could therefore justifiably expand John 3:16 to read:
“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in such as God reveals to them, and whosoever never gets the chance to reject any form of revelation, should not perish but have everlasting life”
Not that I am a Universal Reconciliationist, I hasten to add,
But I am a bit of an annihilationist in that I believe everlasting torture in the Lake of Fire is the sole fate of the Devil, the Beast, and the False Prophet, notwithstanding it also being the place where those who have not been given ‘everlasting life’ will ‘perish’ (John 3:16 again) and where those who have been guilty of degrees of evil may well suffer a period of ‘punishment’ as part of their process of ‘perishing’.
So, back to the thread title….. who believes in a God who has no time for the grunt only Amazon Forest Dweller, or others who die never having spoken any of the languages into which the Bible had been translated, and/or who die never having heard the message of the Gospel?
Mike.
The Gospels were written by newly converted Jews to whom nothing existed much beyond Judaism, the Gospel Message, and the immediate surrounds to their Mediterranean horizon.
In that context John wrote:
“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV)
Paul however, was appointed to preach the Gospel somewhat further a field and, considering those who might never even hear the Gospel Message, he wrote
“The righteousness of God is revealed in all forms of faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
However God’s wrath is against the unrighteousness of men who are shown truth, yet reject faith;
Because, in all instances, that which may be known of God is evident; for God has showed it to all men in the message of creation.
For the invisible things of him, even his eternal power and Godhead, are clearly seen from the creation of the world; so then all men are without excuse:
If, when they see God’s message of creation, men glorify him not as God, neither are thankful; but become vain in their imaginations; their foolish heart being darkened;
And professing themselves to be wise, they worship images made like to corruptible man, birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping things, instead of worshipping the incorruptible Creator, (plus worshipping things made by corruptible man such as Televisions, Cars, Houses, etc.) they become fools.” (Romans 1:17-23 MSV)
Assuming such teaching could be extrapolated to embrace those who never get the chance to respond to the gospel message by reasons other that geographical isolation e.g. premature death, mental incapacity etc., one could therefore justifiably expand John 3:16 to read:
“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in such as God reveals to them, and whosoever never gets the chance to reject any form of revelation, should not perish but have everlasting life”
Not that I am a Universal Reconciliationist, I hasten to add,
But I am a bit of an annihilationist in that I believe everlasting torture in the Lake of Fire is the sole fate of the Devil, the Beast, and the False Prophet, notwithstanding it also being the place where those who have not been given ‘everlasting life’ will ‘perish’ (John 3:16 again) and where those who have been guilty of degrees of evil may well suffer a period of ‘punishment’ as part of their process of ‘perishing’.
So, back to the thread title….. who believes in a God who has no time for the grunt only Amazon Forest Dweller, or others who die never having spoken any of the languages into which the Bible had been translated, and/or who die never having heard the message of the Gospel?
Mike.
