But You Haven’t Read the Bible?!
If you are a true Christian, you’ve probably been there — eager to share the good news of Jesus Christ and all He did to save us from eternal damnation. The Gospel — who doesn’t want to hear good news?! I wish I’d understood it sooner than age 52. After being saved, I’d heard there are folks out there hostile to the Gospel but didn’t quite understand the magnitude of how many and that some resided in my own inner circle. I had certainly been ignorant to the gospel before my conversion to Christ but not hostile per se.
My first discussion went south fast. A self-proclaimed agnostic, who, oddly, puts out a beautiful array of figurines depicting the manger scene of the night of Christ’s birth every December, asked me, as in 1 Peter 3:15, a reason for the hope that is in me. To preface, she had known me through many bouts of anxiety and depression and was astonished they had all but dissipated. This discussion centered around all the upheaval in the world and how it did not cause me much fear or anxiety. Perplexed, she asked why. I pointed to the sky and said, “I know where I’m going when I die.” Her reply was to roll her eyes and proclaim, “Well, that’s YOUR opinion.” In subsequent discussions, she referred to me as a kooky Christian. I pray often that God will reveal Himself to her.
Shortly after, I met a new neighbor. While we rode into town together to do some thriftin’ I casually mentioned my deep faith and how the Lord had transformed my entire life and asked her if she knew Jesus. Her response, a la the pope recently, was that she believes there are many Gods and many paths to Heaven and that a loving God would never sentence 8 billion people to eternity in Hell. Just a couple weeks ago, she reiterated that belief and said a bit sarcastically and nonchalantly, “Well, if I end up in Hell, I won’t be alone.” No, she won’t, as per Matthew 7:13-14. I pray for her soul often.
These stories are quite typical. Yes, God is loving, but He is also full of wrath. How do I know this? Only by reading the Bible, studying its content, and supplementing my learning by listening to sermons preached by and reading Christian-related material written by men of God whom I trust. I’m not saying that all of God’s word is easy to understand, but the first rule of comprehensive reading is to actually read the material. It boggles my mind how sure some people are about God’s loving character and what He would or would not do but have never even read His autobiography, the Bible. No matter what you’ve been told, you absolutely cannot presume to know God’s heart without reading God’s word.
I am deeply concerned for those who are hostile to the Gospel and am frustrated that I don’t yet know how to communicate this concern in a loving manner that will be accepted and understood by these lost human beings. And at what point is one casting pearls at swine (Matthew 7:6)? I cry out to God for guidance. My heart breaks for the countless mortals who will perish on the last day and ultimately be thrown into the lake of fire.
Life on this earth is fleeting. It may not seem it today, but in the realm of eternity, your bodily existence here will be over in the blink of an eye. Nothing will matter but the Gospel. God sent his son Jesus to live a sinless life and die an excruciatingly painful death on a cross so that we might be forgiven our sins and enjoy eternal life in the glorious presence of our Lord. In other words, God delivered His terrifying wrath that we ourselves deserve onto His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins so that we shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Please do not presume to know God’s heart without having read His word.
Hebrews 4:12-13 — 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
