1. The Christian religion, to the largest extent, has held to eternal and conscious existence for every person in one of two places after physical death--heaven or hell.
2. The Church has traditionally taught that as a result of original sin all human beings are under a death sentence (physical and spiritual). Hell is the default position for everyone unless one learns of Jesus' atonement, recognizes their need of him, and consciously accepts him as Saviour.
3. In recent times, some otherwise orthodox Christians have suggested that the Hell of eternal torment may be metaphorical, in which case those who die without Christ are annihilated; i.e., they cease to exist. Such proponents include John Stott, Clark Pinnock, Michael Green, perhaps also John Wesley and C.S. Lewis. Billy Graham does not necessarily espouse annihilationism, but he dismisses eternal torment.
4. There are also some conservative individuals and churches that accept the possibility of entry into God's kingdom without knowledge or understanding of the work of Christ. These exceptions take two forms:
a. The age of accountability - A child (or a mentally handicapped person) cannot make a conscious moral choice. Thus they are safe from eternity in Hell until they reach the age of accountability (such age not defined in Scripture), at which point they now assume the default position and must accept Christ.
b. Judged by whatever light they have - Those who have never heard the Christian message cannot be held accountable for it. Therefore they are judged on the basis of the extent to which they have attempted to follow their consciences and live a life of godliness. Billy Graham and Robert Schuller appear to hold to this view, and it can be found as well in the Roman Catholic catechism.
These two beliefs appear to be built on the doctrine of God's justice. The just God could not hold someone accountable for information they do not have, or for not making a decision beyond their moral ability so to do.
This may or may not be so, but one other idea comes out of the positions above: one can be a member of the Kingdom of God without being a Christian.
5. Since the Reformation the doctrine of predestination has become a dominant one in many Protestant circles; i.e., that not only is Hell the default position, but that only those whom God has chosen in advance will be saved from Hell, and that all others are lost before they start.
6. Counter to this is the universal reconciliation view that no one goes to Hell, and that ultimately every human being will be reconciled to God and to each other.
7. I rejected both of these positions as failing to take seriously the doctrine of human choice, or free will. I also found the doctrine that one cannot be saved without certain knowledge of the work of Christ to be wanting, on the basis of biblical teaching that says that God is not willing that any should perish.
So where are we left?
Could you help me with a few passages which outline the doctrine of free will?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I regret that I don't have time to do research for you. Blogging is a hobby I squeeze into my spare time. But you can certainly do your own research easily enough. There are a multitude of studies on it that can be tracked down on the 'net or in a library. Sorry if I seem to be putting you off.
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