[Note: I started writing this blog in August and finally got around to finishing it.]
The August 14 issue of Newsweek contained an exclusive cover story on one of the great evangelists of our day, Rev. Billy Graham. One day as I was reading through the article, the following paragraph jumped out at me:
"A unifying theme of Graham’s new thinking is humility. He is sure and certain of his faith in Jesus as the way to salvation. When asked whether he believes heaven will be closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or secular people, though, Graham says: 'Those are decisions only the Lord will make. It would be foolish for me to speculate on who will be there and who won’t … I don’t want to speculate about all that. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have.'" (Jon Meacham, “Pilgrim’s Progress”, Newsweek, 14 August 2006, p. 43 – emphasis added)
I’m not sure what Rev. Graham truly meant by these words, but I can’t imagine that a man who has labored so extensively in preaching the Gospel of Christ to millions suddenly has become a universalist (if so, why would he have preached at recent evangelistic crusades in New York and New Orleans, despite his old age and poor health?). That aside, what stood out to me was how the writer, Jon Meacham, linked humility with one’s hesitation to speculate about whether “good” people of other religions will enter heaven. So, to be a humble Christian in the eyes of Mr. Meacham (and in the eyes of the world in general), I must refrain from proclaiming that salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. How arrogant of me to do otherwise, even if I present my conviction in a loving and gentle manner! Sounds nice in this age of tolerance, right? Easy for everyone to swallow. A stance that won’t offend many and will probably spare me from most persecution and ill repute.
Yet the Bible speaks of a radically different reality. Take these words from the Apostle John:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).
The word I want to focus on here is “remains.” God’s wrath remains on those who do not obey the Son. This is frightening! John indicates that God’s anger has been looming over humanity. Why? The Bible gives us the answer: sin. The prophet Isaiah illustrated sin like this: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6a). King David wrote, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). Sin is declaring before God, “We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:12). The Apostle Paul described sin as exchanging the truth about God for a lie and worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). What a miserable condition to find myself in! And yet in my natural state this is exactly what I wanted.
Therefore, by asking if heaven will be closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, secular people, etc., a monumental consideration is being left out of the picture: the wrath of God.
The issue is not whether “good” people of other faiths will make it into heaven. The reality is that no one is good! No one seeks for the true God (Romans 3:11). In fact, no one is good except God alone (Mark 10:18).
I have belittled the infinite worth of God by preferring other things above Him.
I have dishonored God in my words, my thoughts, my attitudes, and my actions.
I have attempted time and again to find joy and satisfaction outside of God Himself.
Thus, should God not respond in anger toward me, His rebellious creature? Does He not have the right to demand supreme allegiance from those whom He made in His image and for His glory? It is crucial to understand that God’s wrath flows from His absolute holiness. The Almighty would contradict His very nature if He were to sweep sin under the rug and set aside His holy wrath. He would not be perfectly righteous and therefore would not be worthy of our total devotion and submission. God would not be God if He did not hate sin. Friends, let us not minimize the reality of God’s righteous wrath, lest we create an idol of our own liking.
This leaves us with a question of utmost importance and urgency: how can we, as guilty sinners, stand before God with His wrath removed from us if He must punish all sin by virtue of His character? The natural man, espousing his own ideas about the nature of God, hopes that after death his assortment of “good” works or religious pieties carried out during his life on earth will earn him favor from the Creator. But Scripture gives us no basis for such thinking.
Because God’s wrath is real, is there any hope for us as sinful human beings? This is where the Good News of Jesus Christ shines so brilliantly. More on that in my next post!
The August 14 issue of Newsweek contained an exclusive cover story on one of the great evangelists of our day, Rev. Billy Graham. One day as I was reading through the article, the following paragraph jumped out at me:
"A unifying theme of Graham’s new thinking is humility. He is sure and certain of his faith in Jesus as the way to salvation. When asked whether he believes heaven will be closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or secular people, though, Graham says: 'Those are decisions only the Lord will make. It would be foolish for me to speculate on who will be there and who won’t … I don’t want to speculate about all that. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the whole world, and I think he loves everybody regardless of what label they have.'" (Jon Meacham, “Pilgrim’s Progress”, Newsweek, 14 August 2006, p. 43 – emphasis added)
I’m not sure what Rev. Graham truly meant by these words, but I can’t imagine that a man who has labored so extensively in preaching the Gospel of Christ to millions suddenly has become a universalist (if so, why would he have preached at recent evangelistic crusades in New York and New Orleans, despite his old age and poor health?). That aside, what stood out to me was how the writer, Jon Meacham, linked humility with one’s hesitation to speculate about whether “good” people of other religions will enter heaven. So, to be a humble Christian in the eyes of Mr. Meacham (and in the eyes of the world in general), I must refrain from proclaiming that salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. How arrogant of me to do otherwise, even if I present my conviction in a loving and gentle manner! Sounds nice in this age of tolerance, right? Easy for everyone to swallow. A stance that won’t offend many and will probably spare me from most persecution and ill repute.
Yet the Bible speaks of a radically different reality. Take these words from the Apostle John:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).
The word I want to focus on here is “remains.” God’s wrath remains on those who do not obey the Son. This is frightening! John indicates that God’s anger has been looming over humanity. Why? The Bible gives us the answer: sin. The prophet Isaiah illustrated sin like this: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6a). King David wrote, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). Sin is declaring before God, “We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:12). The Apostle Paul described sin as exchanging the truth about God for a lie and worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). What a miserable condition to find myself in! And yet in my natural state this is exactly what I wanted.
Therefore, by asking if heaven will be closed to good Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, secular people, etc., a monumental consideration is being left out of the picture: the wrath of God.
The issue is not whether “good” people of other faiths will make it into heaven. The reality is that no one is good! No one seeks for the true God (Romans 3:11). In fact, no one is good except God alone (Mark 10:18).
I have belittled the infinite worth of God by preferring other things above Him.
I have dishonored God in my words, my thoughts, my attitudes, and my actions.
I have attempted time and again to find joy and satisfaction outside of God Himself.
Thus, should God not respond in anger toward me, His rebellious creature? Does He not have the right to demand supreme allegiance from those whom He made in His image and for His glory? It is crucial to understand that God’s wrath flows from His absolute holiness. The Almighty would contradict His very nature if He were to sweep sin under the rug and set aside His holy wrath. He would not be perfectly righteous and therefore would not be worthy of our total devotion and submission. God would not be God if He did not hate sin. Friends, let us not minimize the reality of God’s righteous wrath, lest we create an idol of our own liking.
This leaves us with a question of utmost importance and urgency: how can we, as guilty sinners, stand before God with His wrath removed from us if He must punish all sin by virtue of His character? The natural man, espousing his own ideas about the nature of God, hopes that after death his assortment of “good” works or religious pieties carried out during his life on earth will earn him favor from the Creator. But Scripture gives us no basis for such thinking.
Because God’s wrath is real, is there any hope for us as sinful human beings? This is where the Good News of Jesus Christ shines so brilliantly. More on that in my next post!
