I may seem to critical in my observations, but something sparked my mind to anger while listening to the radio. Although his intentions were good, what he said wasn't. It is imperative that we realize exactly what God the Father did for us! This man remarked that there are plenty of things in the Bible that are unpleasant...of course...the Truth hurts right? No problem, there. Yet he went on to say that if he was God that he might've done things differently, like save everybody, but that's in God's plan so we must accept the fact. Okay, I'll allow him his own opinion, but if he considered the implications of that statement that he certainly wouldn't have made it!
Let us think of His loss! What exactly did God the Father do? If I may have your time for a minute I would like to prove to you that, if you had been God (NOT POSSIBLE-ONLY HYPOTHETICAL, let me say THAT...), you certainly wouldn't save everybody, and probably not ANY-one! So, what was the Father's loss? What did He do? Why should we not downplay the course of history and just look at the present...we CANNOT. We MUST look at mankind and what we've done to Him!
First of all, we deserve Hell for MANY reasons. Look at all that we've done. For starters, God created...notice that: CREATED! If it weren't for Him, our existence wouldn't exist! He breathed into us the very Breath of Life! What did we do though? Eve, being deceived, and Adam both partook of one of the things God told them not to! They vehemently disobeyed God the Father's own Words! Right then, that would be enough for me! If I were to create a race of peoples and they decided to rebel, I would wipe them off the face of the Earth!
What happened next? Let's move to the Flood shall we? It has been questioned as to the extent of the Flood's damage. I see no problem in considering it world-wide lest somebody should prove otherwise using the Bible. That aside, it stated that 8 people saved the flood...just 8! Why did God do this to them? Take a look at Matthew 24:37, 38. "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark" (NKJV). That's amazing that the Lord gave them so much time! He is full of Mercy! What a mighty God we serve!
Another event pops into my mind right about now...the wanderings! Let me get one thing out of the way...I am not an Old Testament scholar by no means, so I'll quote Bible verses right now. The Bible does give us the "why?" though about the cause for their punishment. I take it that the answer is found in Exodus 32. The people decided to build a golden calf from melted jewelry. They didn't know what happened to Moses and the God of Moses, so they made their own god, and to beat it all they all said "this is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt" (Ex. 32:4[b]--NKJV)! They took Glory away from God! That is a No-No of all No-No's! Imagine the work that God, although being omnipotent, chose to do for the Israelites. Sure, He can do anything, but He took the time to help a disobedient people! Think about what you would do had you created a race...imagine if you helped them and took the time to allow them to prosper. Consider what you would do if they made a golden calf and started claiming that it had done all the hard work that you had done! I would have destroyed them with fire and brimstone to be honest! How gracious is He!
There are PLENTY other times of disobedience and transgressions on the human side that is mentioned in the Bible-especially of God's people Israel, yet the disobedience of Christians just in this century outweighs the magnitude of idolatry. We are far more idolatrous and sinful than the Israelites, yet He is still Merciful! What is the greatest harm performed by mankind to a Loving God...how about the death of His Son. This is the main point. THIS is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Having the position of God, I think we all can agree that we would have NO desire to save some humans! God sent His ONLY Son! You might say "Sure I would have been patient with all the people's transgressions-the Fall of Man, the attitude of the Antedelluvian Age (sp.? it means pre-flood), and the blasphemous disobedience of my Chosen Nation-but you couldn't say it and mean it, I am sure! God sent His Son into this World...His only Son. He chose to let Christ endure the pain and suffering of Calvary! He did so for all the ones that would eventually accept Him as Lord and Savior in due time! As the song says, "He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels!"
I'm sorry, but NO ONE in their right, most honest mind, could agree that they would have shown more Mercy than our MOST Gracious, Loving, Heavenly Father. Many times we get mad just when somebody does something that we THINK was intended as harm against us! Imagine what the revolt of His CHOSEN People felt like to the Father! I'm sure it tore Him up inside! The emotional pain was more than anyone could bear. NO ONE deserves Salvation. In listening to R.C. Sproul's tapes Chosen by God, he points out that no one deserves to be elected by God unto Salvation...we just don't deserve to be saved, in other words. He points out that when people say that it's unfair for God not to save everyone, they lose sight of the Father's loss and the true extent of the depravity of man. Mr. Sproul said that we Christians, aren't being treated fairly! We deserve DEATH. The lost sinners are actually being treated fairly because they get what they deserve. The lost get Justice, the saved get Mercy! I've heard it described elsewhere that when a warden pardons one criminal, that doesn't mean he should pardon every criminal. God has the right, and He is fair in choosing just certain people for Salvation. Let us think of His loss, and never argue that He should have saved everybody!
July 18, 1998