All those that did not get the chance to accept Christ as there Saviour
will get there chance in the millennium.
God bless

All those that did not get the chance to accept Christ as there Saviour
will get there chance in the millennium.

All those that did not get the chance to accept Christ as there Saviour
will get there chance in the millennium.
God bless

"Carl" <saints@nettally.com> wrote in message
news:f4uvh5$plo$1@news.utelfla.com...

In surfing the 'net I come across some interesting Christian sites. One
I've recently come across is called "Come Reason Ministries" run by a
Lenny Esposito. His articles are a Q&A sort covering a wide range of
topics. This is one of them. I offer it "as is" for you to ponder. Feel
free to email Lenny to discuss this with him.

May God bless,
Carl
website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/ blog --
http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/

---

What About Those Who Don't Know About Christ? by Lenny Esposito
http://www.comereason.org/

Dear Lenny,

Hi, my name is Dan. I have a question about God's plan and laws
regarding people who have never heard of God or God's word. By that I
am referring to all from Pre-Colombian societies to folks who live in
the backwoods of China. I have read verses (forgetting the references)
such as individuals are held accountable solely for what light they are
shown, and how nobody who has not heard the law is capable of honoring
it. What do you think?

By the way, I love your site. It is quite excellent.

Best regards,

Dan H.

--

Hi Dan,

Thank you for the encouraging words. They really help me in this
ministry. The question you ask has been put forth many times before in
many different ways. A lot of times it is asked by the skeptic who does
not want to believe that the God of the whole world would require
everyone to believe in the same Jewish man who lived in the first
century A.D. It seems preposterous that God would hold all the isolated
and tribal peoples, many of whom have been secluded for thousands of
years, accountable for their trust in Christ. I think if we examine the
issue in light of the Bible it will become clearer, though.

Before any judgements are made, we must understand the predicament in
which mankind finds itself. All men are plagued with a condition from
birth known as sin. No person is capable of living a life perfectly.
God has given us in His law a standard which we should seek to obtain.
He has set down the ideal. It is the measuring stick for all human
thought and behavior and it is how we can determine what is "good" from
what is "bad". Each of us, if judged by the standard of righteousness,
is found falling short. We are guilty of violating that standard. We
are considered sinful creatures in three distinct ways: we have
inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin that condemn us.

Mankind has inherited a sin nature from Adam. We are offspring of a
sinful forefather, and his proclivity to sin has been passed through
the generations down to us. The Bible is very consistent. When God
created the creatures of the earth, He created "each after their kind",
and so Adam's progeny are born are of the same kind as their father,
corrupted by sin. Though we may do good works and we may not commit
unspeakable acts, our natural inclination is to be self-serving and
immoral. We struggle to teach our children not to lie, not to steal,
not to cheat and not to be sexually loose. We must reinforce these
concepts because humanity realizes that doing those things are
responses to the natural desires people feel. This is the sin nature
that resides at the core of every person. Therefore, humanity is
naturally depraved and considered a wicked race. This may seem
difficult to accept, but when one compares God's righteousness to the
natural inclinations of a person, it shows itself to be a true
statement.

Further, we are all imputed with the sin of Adam. Romans 5:12 states
that "Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through
sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned." Because Adam
is the eldest of all humanity, he is the representative of the human
race. When he violated God's law, the consequences of his actions are
also imputed, or attributed to us, just as if we were the ones who
sinned in Eden. Let me try to explain this more clearly.

Adam was the first man, and because all people come from Adam, they are
viewed Biblically as being a part of Adam when he fell. They shared in
the sin of Adam by residing "in his loins" as it were (ref. Hebrews
7:9-10 for further illustration of this concept.) Because we were a
part of Adam's body, we directly took part in his sin. We are condemned
by the sin he committed because that curse covered all of Adam. This
imputation of sin links us to Adam not through our fathers and their
fathers, but immediately. The Bible looks at each of us as residing
independently in some small part of Adam. You may look at it as our
entire DNA code was residing in Adam at the moment he sinned. If all of
Adam sinned, then his fingers sinned, his hair had sinned and each of
us had a direct part in that sin in the exact same way.

The first two ways humanity is considered sinful are theologically
derived, but the last way we are considered sinful is self-evident.
Each of us is personally sinful, meaning each of us transgresses God's
laws repeatedly. We do it willfully as well as unknowingly.
Nevertheless, we are individually guilty of transgressing the
righteousness God requires. Remember, I said that we can only know good
from evil by God's standard. If we do something even unknowingly that
violates His laws, we are guilty of falling short.

A common objection that may be raised here is "How can people be held
accountable for breaking laws which they're unaware of?" The answer is
simply that God requires perfection and holiness, and even if we don't
know we're violating His will, the fact that we've transgressed
remains. In "Answering an Atheist", I used the analogy of water to
demonstrate the necessity of God's purity. In order for Him to be
considered holy (something which is His nature, and cannot be
abrogated), He must separate Himself from all that has been corrupted
by sin. Even a glass of distilled water with one drop of sewage is
still contaminated, and therefore unfit. God cannot violate His nature
and ignore the sin that contaminates us. He must punish iniquity, for
that is what constitutes righteousness.

So, we see that man is condemned by sin in at least three ways. Because
of this, all of humanity, regardless of their age or life experience,
stands guilty before God. At this point it all seems pretty bleak- and
so it should. I don't think people realize the dire position mankind
finds itself if left to its own merits. Paul tries to emphasize this
point in Romans 3 when quoting the Psalms he writes,

"There is none righteous, no not one; There is none who understands.
There is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way;
They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good,
no, not one."

In other words, since the fall in the Garden, all of mankind has need
of a Savior, because no man is capable of saving himself. No one is
capable of even keeping themselves from sin, because it is as much a
human trait as is our desire for survival. If all of mankind is in need
of a savior, and God has provided but one Savior for mankind, then all
of mankind will be judged by their response to that Savior's mission.

Now, most of the discussion until this point has been academic. The
reasoning above is based on the premise that the person who asks your
question believes in the Bible for his theology. What is usually
required, though, is a strong answer to the skeptic who does not see
man's condition as so desperate.
Let's look at how mankind looks upon sin in the "real world". All of
mankind, whether they are aware of Christianity or not, must concede
that evil is the biggest problem of humanity. Every culture in every
time has lamented the never ceasing examples of man's evil deeds. Even
in a primitive society where a man is expected to have many wives, it
is never accepted that a man may take another's wife. All of humanity
recognizes this, and also that there is a Law outside of themselves to
which we all must adhere. People may differ as to the finer points of
that law, but all people understand there is a "good" and an "evil" in
the world. It just seems to make sense. It is self-evident. (For more
on this idea, please see my page entitled "The Problem of Evil" )

So, we realize that we don't measure up to perfection. This is
universal. I know of no culture where people feel they have never
erred. We even use the expression "You're only human" to show that
perfection cannot be attained by the human race. What makes this so
condemning is that all of mankind has the means necessary to know there
is a God and that they fall short of His plan. Romans 1 states this
when it says "that which is known about God is evident within them; for
God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His
invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been
clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so they are
without excuse." Paul argues here that every person of the human race
has the testimony of the creation and the testimony of their own
shortcomings to inform them that they do not meet God's requirements
for them. Further, Paul says that man should realize the creator of the
universe would be larger than the created items we find in the world
("birds, and four-footed animals, and crawling creatures"), but he
chooses to worship them rather than Him, so "man is without excuse."

So, because God testifies of Himself through His creation we are
expected to understand that there are absolutes which we violate.
However, we are not left to that attestation only. In Romans 2:12-15 it
states,

"For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the
Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
for not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of
the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do
instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a
law unto themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in
their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts
ultimately accusing or defending them."

This is a fascinating Scripture that explains how God has given each
man a "natural law"; a general understanding of right and wrong. This
is evident in the fact that all men are endowed with a conscience.
Though the remote tribesman may have never heard of the Gospel or the
Jewish Law, they all have a strong working knowledge that lying,
stealing and murder of others in his tribe is wrong. Further, every
person develops some type of a moral code that they judge others
against. No one has ever been able to consistently keep even their own
moral code without adjusting it or rationalizing their behavior. Thus
God says that their thoughts will justify or condemn them.

When one understands each person's true position, then the objection
falls beyond debate. A prisoner sentenced to die for a capital offence
can be pardoned by the Governor of his state. However, for that
criminal to claim the Governor is being "unfair" or "unjust" because he
refuses to pardon the felon is ridiculous. A pardon is an action of
grace and mercy. Carrying out the sentence given would be justice. This
is why the writer to the Hebrews remarks, "How can we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation(Heb. 2:3)?" This salvation that we're
offered is great not only because of the tremendous sacrifice that
Christ made on our behalf, but it is also great because of how much we
deserve punishment, and how a God who is 100% just can rescue us from
His judgment.

I hope this has clarified the issue for you. It is easy to
misunderstand justice when one isn't judging it by God's standards, but
their own ideas. Many people with whom you may discuss this issue don't
realize these things. It is my prayer that well-informed Christians
will be equipped to argue for the need of God's grace.
May God richly bless you as you continue to seek Him.

All those that did not get the chance to accept Christ as there Saviour
will get there chance in the millennium.
God bless

"Carl" <saints@nettally.com> wrote in message
news:f4uvh5$plo$1@news.utelfla.com...

In surfing the 'net I come across some interesting Christian sites. One
I've recently come across is called "Come Reason Ministries" run by a
Lenny Esposito. His articles are a Q&A sort covering a wide range of
topics. This is one of them. I offer it "as is" for you to ponder. Feel
free to email Lenny to discuss this with him.

May God bless,
Carl
website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/

---

What About Those Who Don't Know About Christ?
by Lenny Esposito
http://www.comereason.org/

Dear Lenny,

Hi, my name is Dan. I have a question about God's plan and laws regarding
people who have never heard of God or God's word. By that I am referring
to all from Pre-Colombian societies to folks who live in the backwoods of
China. I have read verses (forgetting the references) such as individuals
are held accountable solely for what light they are shown, and how nobody
who has not heard the law is capable of honoring it. What do you think?

By the way, I love your site. It is quite excellent.

Best regards,

Dan H.

--

Hi Dan,

Thank you for the encouraging words. They really help me in this ministry.
The question you ask has been put forth many times before in many
different ways. A lot of times it is asked by the skeptic who does not
want to believe that the God of the whole world would require everyone to
believe in the same Jewish man who lived in the first century A.D. It
seems preposterous that God would hold all the isolated and tribal
peoples, many of whom have been secluded for thousands of years,
accountable for their trust in Christ. I think if we examine the issue in
light of the Bible it will become clearer, though.

Before any judgements are made, we must understand the predicament in
which mankind finds itself. All men are plagued with a condition from
birth known as sin. No person is capable of living a life perfectly. God
has given us in His law a standard which we should seek to obtain. He has
set down the ideal. It is the measuring stick for all human thought and
behavior and it is how we can determine what is "good" from what is "bad".
Each of us, if judged by the standard of righteousness, is found falling
short. We are guilty of violating that standard. We are considered sinful
creatures in three distinct ways: we have inherited sin, imputed sin, and
personal sin that condemn us.

Mankind has inherited a sin nature from Adam. We are offspring of a sinful
forefather, and his proclivity to sin has been passed through the
generations down to us. The Bible is very consistent. When God created the
creatures of the earth, He created "each after their kind", and so Adam's
progeny are born are of the same kind as their father, corrupted by sin.
Though we may do good works and we may not commit unspeakable acts, our
natural inclination is to be self-serving and immoral. We struggle to
teach our children not to lie, not to steal, not to cheat and not to be
sexually loose. We must reinforce these concepts because humanity realizes
that doing those things are responses to the natural desires people feel.
This is the sin nature that resides at the core of every person.
Therefore, humanity is naturally depraved and considered a wicked race.
This may seem difficult to accept, but when one compares God's
righteousness to the natural inclinations of a person, it shows itself to
be a true statement.

Further, we are all imputed with the sin of Adam. Romans 5:12 states that
"Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so
death spread to all men, because all sinned." Because Adam is the eldest
of all humanity, he is the representative of the human race. When he
violated God's law, the consequences of his actions are also imputed, or
attributed to us, just as if we were the ones who sinned in Eden. Let me
try to explain this more clearly.

Adam was the first man, and because all people come from Adam, they are
viewed Biblically as being a part of Adam when he fell. They shared in the
sin of Adam by residing "in his loins" as it were (ref. Hebrews 7:9-10 for
further illustration of this concept.) Because we were a part of Adam's
body, we directly took part in his sin. We are condemned by the sin he
committed because that curse covered all of Adam. This imputation of sin
links us to Adam not through our fathers and their fathers, but
immediately. The Bible looks at each of us as residing independently in
some small part of Adam. You may look at it as our entire DNA code was
residing in Adam at the moment he sinned. If all of Adam sinned, then his
fingers sinned, his hair had sinned and each of us had a direct part in
that sin in the exact same way.

The first two ways humanity is considered sinful are theologically
derived, but the last way we are considered sinful is self-evident. Each
of us is personally sinful, meaning each of us transgresses God's laws
repeatedly. We do it willfully as well as unknowingly. Nevertheless, we
are individually guilty of transgressing the righteousness God requires.
Remember, I said that we can only know good from evil by God's standard.
If we do something even unknowingly that violates His laws, we are guilty
of falling short.

A common objection that may be raised here is "How can people be held
accountable for breaking laws which they're unaware of?" The answer is
simply that God requires perfection and holiness, and even if we don't
know we're violating His will, the fact that we've transgressed remains.
In "Answering an Atheist", I used the analogy of water to demonstrate the
necessity of God's purity. In order for Him to be considered holy
(something which is His nature, and cannot be abrogated), He must separate
Himself from all that has been corrupted by sin. Even a glass of distilled
water with one drop of sewage is still contaminated, and therefore unfit.
God cannot violate His nature and ignore the sin that contaminates us. He
must punish iniquity, for that is what constitutes righteousness.

So, we see that man is condemned by sin in at least three ways. Because of
this, all of humanity, regardless of their age or life experience, stands
guilty before God. At this point it all seems pretty bleak- and so it
should. I don't think people realize the dire position mankind finds
itself if left to its own merits. Paul tries to emphasize this point in
Romans 3 when quoting the Psalms he writes,

"There is none righteous, no not one; There is none who understands. There
is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; They have
together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."

In other words, since the fall in the Garden, all of mankind has need of a
Savior, because no man is capable of saving himself. No one is capable of
even keeping themselves from sin, because it is as much a human trait as
is our desire for survival. If all of mankind is in need of a savior, and
God has provided but one Savior for mankind, then all of mankind will be
judged by their response to that Savior's mission.

Now, most of the discussion until this point has been academic. The
reasoning above is based on the premise that the person who asks your
question believes in the Bible for his theology. What is usually required,
though, is a strong answer to the skeptic who does not see man's condition
as so desperate.
Let's look at how mankind looks upon sin in the "real world". All of
mankind, whether they are aware of Christianity or not, must concede that
evil is the biggest problem of humanity. Every culture in every time has
lamented the never ceasing examples of man's evil deeds. Even in a
primitive society where a man is expected to have many wives, it is never
accepted that a man may take another's wife. All of humanity recognizes
this, and also that there is a Law outside of themselves to which we all
must adhere. People may differ as to the finer points of that law, but all
people understand there is a "good" and an "evil" in the world. It just
seems to make sense. It is self-evident. (For more on this idea, please
see my page entitled "The Problem of Evil" )

So, we realize that we don't measure up to perfection. This is universal.
I know of no culture where people feel they have never erred. We even use
the expression "You're only human" to show that perfection cannot be
attained by the human race. What makes this so condemning is that all of
mankind has the means necessary to know there is a God and that they fall
short of His plan. Romans 1 states this when it says "that which is known
about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For
since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal
power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through
what has been made, so they are without excuse." Paul argues here that
every person of the human race has the testimony of the creation and the
testimony of their own shortcomings to inform them that they do not meet
God's requirements for them. Further, Paul says that man should realize
the creator of the universe would be larger than the created items we find
in the world ("birds, and four-footed animals, and crawling creatures"),
but he chooses to worship them rather than Him, so "man is without
excuse."

So, because God testifies of Himself through His creation we are expected
to understand that there are absolutes which we violate. However, we are
not left to that attestation only. In Romans 2:12-15 it states,

"For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law;
and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for not
the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will
be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively
the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto
themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts,
their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts ultimately accusing
or defending them."

This is a fascinating Scripture that explains how God has given each man a
"natural law"; a general understanding of right and wrong. This is evident
in the fact that all men are endowed with a conscience. Though the remote
tribesman may have never heard of the Gospel or the Jewish Law, they all
have a strong working knowledge that lying, stealing and murder of others
in his tribe is wrong. Further, every person develops some type of a moral
code that they judge others against. No one has ever been able to
consistently keep even their own moral code without adjusting it or
rationalizing their behavior. Thus God says that their thoughts will
justify or condemn them.

When one understands each person's true position, then the objection falls
beyond debate. A prisoner sentenced to die for a capital offence can be
pardoned by the Governor of his state. However, for that criminal to claim
the Governor is being "unfair" or "unjust" because he refuses to pardon
the felon is ridiculous. A pardon is an action of grace and mercy.
Carrying out the sentence given would be justice. This is why the writer
to the Hebrews remarks, "How can we escape if we neglect so great a
salvation(Heb. 2:3)?" This salvation that we're offered is great not only
because of the tremendous sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf, but it
is also great because of how much we deserve punishment, and how a God who
is 100% just can rescue us from His judgment.

I hope this has clarified the issue for you. It is easy to misunderstand
justice when one isn't judging it by God's standards, but their own ideas.
Many people with whom you may discuss this issue don't realize these
things. It is my prayer that well-informed Christians will be equipped to
argue for the need of God's grace.
May God richly bless you as you continue to seek Him.

Carl wrote:

In surfing the 'net I come across some interesting Christian sites. One I've
recently come across is called "Come Reason Ministries" run by a Lenny
Esposito. His articles are a Q&A sort covering a wide range of topics. This
is one of them. I offer it "as is" for you to ponder. Feel free to email
Lenny to discuss this with him.

The myriad of sects and cults within one religion is glaring proof of the
impossiblity of a god

THINK about it !!!!!

May God bless,
Carl
website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/

---

What About Those Who Don't Know About Christ?
by Lenny Esposito
http://www.comereason.org/

Dear Lenny,

Hi, my name is Dan. I have a question about God's plan and laws regarding
people who have never heard of God or God's word. By that I am referring to
all from Pre-Colombian societies to folks who live in the backwoods of
China. I have read verses (forgetting the references) such as individuals
are held accountable solely for what light they are shown, and how nobody
who has not heard the law is capable of honoring it. What do you think?

By the way, I love your site. It is quite excellent.

Best regards,

Dan H.

--

Hi Dan,

Thank you for the encouraging words. They really help me in this ministry.
The question you ask has been put forth many times before in many different
ways. A lot of times it is asked by the skeptic who does not want to believe
that the God of the whole world would require everyone to believe in the
same Jewish man who lived in the first century A.D. It seems preposterous
that God would hold all the isolated and tribal peoples, many of whom have
been secluded for thousands of years, accountable for their trust in Christ.
I think if we examine the issue in light of the Bible it will become
clearer, though.

Before any judgements are made, we must understand the predicament in which
mankind finds itself. All men are plagued with a condition from birth known
as sin. No person is capable of living a life perfectly. God has given us in
His law a standard which we should seek to obtain. He has set down the
ideal. It is the measuring stick for all human thought and behavior and it
is how we can determine what is "good" from what is "bad". Each of us, if
judged by the standard of righteousness, is found falling short. We are
guilty of violating that standard. We are considered sinful creatures in
three distinct ways: we have inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin
that condemn us.

Mankind has inherited a sin nature from Adam. We are offspring of a sinful
forefather, and his proclivity to sin has been passed through the
generations down to us. The Bible is very consistent. When God created the
creatures of the earth, He created "each after their kind", and so Adam's
progeny are born are of the same kind as their father, corrupted by sin.
Though we may do good works and we may not commit unspeakable acts, our
natural inclination is to be self-serving and immoral. We struggle to teach
our children not to lie, not to steal, not to cheat and not to be sexually
loose. We must reinforce these concepts because humanity realizes that doing
those things are responses to the natural desires people feel. This is the
sin nature that resides at the core of every person. Therefore, humanity is
naturally depraved and considered a wicked race. This may seem difficult to
accept, but when one compares God's righteousness to the natural
inclinations of a person, it shows itself to be a true statement.

Further, we are all imputed with the sin of Adam. Romans 5:12 states that
"Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so
death spread to all men, because all sinned." Because Adam is the eldest of
all humanity, he is the representative of the human race. When he violated
God's law, the consequences of his actions are also imputed, or attributed
to us, just as if we were the ones who sinned in Eden. Let me try to explain
this more clearly.

Adam was the first man, and because all people come from Adam, they are
viewed Biblically as being a part of Adam when he fell. They shared in the
sin of Adam by residing "in his loins" as it were (ref. Hebrews 7:9-10 for
further illustration of this concept.) Because we were a part of Adam's
body, we directly took part in his sin. We are condemned by the sin he
committed because that curse covered all of Adam. This imputation of sin
links us to Adam not through our fathers and their fathers, but immediately.
The Bible looks at each of us as residing independently in some small part
of Adam. You may look at it as our entire DNA code was residing in Adam at
the moment he sinned. If all of Adam sinned, then his fingers sinned, his
hair had sinned and each of us had a direct part in that sin in the exact
same way.

The first two ways humanity is considered sinful are theologically derived,
but the last way we are considered sinful is self-evident. Each of us is
personally sinful, meaning each of us transgresses God's laws repeatedly. We
do it willfully as well as unknowingly. Nevertheless, we are individually
guilty of transgressing the righteousness God requires. Remember, I said
that we can only know good from evil by God's standard. If we do something
even unknowingly that violates His laws, we are guilty of falling short.

A common objection that may be raised here is "How can people be held
accountable for breaking laws which they're unaware of?" The answer is
simply that God requires perfection and holiness, and even if we don't know
we're violating His will, the fact that we've transgressed remains. In
"Answering an Atheist", I used the analogy of water to demonstrate the
necessity of God's purity. In order for Him to be considered holy (something
which is His nature, and cannot be abrogated), He must separate Himself from
all that has been corrupted by sin. Even a glass of distilled water with one
drop of sewage is still contaminated, and therefore unfit. God cannot
violate His nature and ignore the sin that contaminates us. He must punish
iniquity, for that is what constitutes righteousness.

So, we see that man is condemned by sin in at least three ways. Because of
this, all of humanity, regardless of their age or life experience, stands
guilty before God. At this point it all seems pretty bleak- and so it
should. I don't think people realize the dire position mankind finds itself
if left to its own merits. Paul tries to emphasize this point in Romans 3
when quoting the Psalms he writes,

"There is none righteous, no not one; There is none who understands. There
is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; They have
together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."

In other words, since the fall in the Garden, all of mankind has need of a
Savior, because no man is capable of saving himself. No one is capable of
even keeping themselves from sin, because it is as much a human trait as is
our desire for survival. If all of mankind is in need of a savior, and God
has provided but one Savior for mankind, then all of mankind will be judged
by their response to that Savior's mission.

Now, most of the discussion until this point has been academic. The
reasoning above is based on the premise that the person who asks your
question believes in the Bible for his theology. What is usually required,
though, is a strong answer to the skeptic who does not see man's condition
as so desperate.
Let's look at how mankind looks upon sin in the "real world". All of
mankind, whether they are aware of Christianity or not, must concede that
evil is the biggest problem of humanity. Every culture in every time has
lamented the never ceasing examples of man's evil deeds. Even in a primitive
society where a man is expected to have many wives, it is never accepted
that a man may take another's wife. All of humanity recognizes this, and
also that there is a Law outside of themselves to which we all must adhere.
People may differ as to the finer points of that law, but all people
understand there is a "good" and an "evil" in the world. It just seems to
make sense. It is self-evident. (For more on this idea, please see my page
entitled "The Problem of Evil" )

So, we realize that we don't measure up to perfection. This is universal. I
know of no culture where people feel they have never erred. We even use the
expression "You're only human" to show that perfection cannot be attained by
the human race. What makes this so condemning is that all of mankind has the
means necessary to know there is a God and that they fall short of His plan.
Romans 1 states this when it says "that which is known about God is evident
within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the
world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have
been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so they are
without excuse." Paul argues here that every person of the human race has
the testimony of the creation and the testimony of their own shortcomings to
inform them that they do not meet God's requirements for them. Further, Paul
says that man should realize the creator of the universe would be larger
than the created items we find in the world ("birds, and four-footed
animals, and crawling creatures"), but he chooses to worship them rather
than Him, so "man is without excuse."

So, because God testifies of Himself through His creation we are expected to
understand that there are absolutes which we violate. However, we are not
left to that attestation only. In Romans 2:12-15 it states,

"For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law;
and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for not the
hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be
justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the
things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves, in
that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience
bearing witness, and their thoughts ultimately accusing or defending them."

This is a fascinating Scripture that explains how God has given each man a
"natural law"; a general understanding of right and wrong. This is evident
in the fact that all men are endowed with a conscience. Though the remote
tribesman may have never heard of the Gospel or the Jewish Law, they all
have a strong working knowledge that lying, stealing and murder of others in
his tribe is wrong. Further, every person develops some type of a moral code
that they judge others against. No one has ever been able to consistently
keep even their own moral code without adjusting it or rationalizing their
behavior. Thus God says that their thoughts will justify or condemn them.

When one understands each person's true position, then the objection falls
beyond debate. A prisoner sentenced to die for a capital offence can be
pardoned by the Governor of his state. However, for that criminal to claim
the Governor is being "unfair" or "unjust" because he refuses to pardon the
felon is ridiculous. A pardon is an action of grace and mercy. Carrying out
the sentence given would be justice. This is why the writer to the Hebrews
remarks, "How can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation(Heb. 2:3)?"
This salvation that we're offered is great not only because of the
tremendous sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf, but it is also great
because of how much we deserve punishment, and how a God who is 100% just
can rescue us from His judgment.

I hope this has clarified the issue for you. It is easy to misunderstand
justice when one isn't judging it by God's standards, but their own ideas.
Many people with whom you may discuss this issue don't realize these things.
It is my prayer that well-informed Christians will be equipped to argue for
the need of God's grace.
May God richly bless you as you continue to seek Him.

The myriad of sects and cults within one religion is glaring proof of the
impossiblity of a god