Question:
It is my understanding that
Christ died so that we be free of the wrath deserving of such a sinful lot as
we are. I understand that does not
absolve us from the responsibility to avoid sinning, or to repent and have
faith in Christ. However, what happened
to all of the people who sinned and dies before Christ was born? Since sin is inherent in our natures, isn’t
it somewhat unfair to condemn some and spare others when all of out sins are
ultimately the same? And if they have
been condemned, it was surely no oversight; after all, this is God we’re
talking about. He doesn’t require a
warm-up to get it right. So could you
please answer this for me? Were some
people intentionally condemned, and others spared through Christ? If so, why?
Response: These are good questions. Others have provided solid answers, but allow
me to add my $0.02 worth. I see three
questions in your post, and I will attempt to answer all three.
1.
What happened to all of the people who sinned and
died before Christ was born?
God doesn't exist in time and
space like we do. The cross of Christ
was the focal point of all history.
People who lived before the cross looked forward to the cross for salvation. All throughout the Old Testament are signs
and pointers to Christ and His sacrifice.
Those who placed their faith in God and His word had that faith
vindicated at the cross. You can say the
same thing for us who live 2,000 years later.
We weren't even born when Jesus dies, yet our faith in Christ and what
He did, in effect, places us right there at the cross. Our faith looks backward to the cross, and
the OT saints' faith looks backward to the cross. The key in all this is faith. God has always
saved people on the basis of their faith in Him.
2.
Since sin is "inherent" in our natures...
isn't it somewhat unfair to condemn some and spare others, when all of our
"sins" are ultimately the same?
This is a trickier question,
but here goes. Sin wasn't inherent in
the natures of Adam & Eve. They were
created sinless. Sin became a reality when they disobeyed God in the
garden. What happened when they sinned
was a twofold penalty: 1) They were
going to die physically; and 2) they died spiritually (i.e., their human nature
became corrupt). This corrupt human
nature was passed down to their progeny--this is what many call inherent sin.
Now everyone born since Adam
& Eve were born sinners. As the old
saying goes: We aren't sinners because
we sin, we sin because we're sinners. Each
person is born guilty in the eyes of God's perfect justice. How do we prove this? Simple, from the earliest moments of life
children are completely selfish. We
constantly have to tell them "No."
At some point in every child's life, that unintentional selfishness
turns into willful disobedience; that's the sin nature at work.
The Bible is very clear on
this:
·
Romans 3:23 - All have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God.
·
Romans 6:23 - The wages of sin is death.
If all people sin, then it is
not unfair to condemn all people to death, right? Everyone who sins gets what they deserve when
they die. However, God's grace kicks in
when He offers a way out of this conundrum.
God offers mercy and grace (which, by definition, are things that are
given, not earned) to those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ bore God's wrath against sin on
the cross. In other words, He died
vicariously for those who place their faith in Him. If you have faith in Jesus Christ, then it is
as if you were there on the cross--your sin penalty has been paid in full. We don't deserve this, it was done by God out
love. So to answer your question: No, it is not unfair.
1.
Were some people intentionally condemned, and others
spared through Christ? And if so, why?
This is perhaps the most
difficult question to answer. Not
because the answer is hard to find, but because the answer is hard to
accept. Let me start by saying that God
far exceeds our human comprehension. In
Deuteronomy 29:29 it says, "The secret things belong to God, but the
things revealed belong to us." In
the Bible, God has revealed certain things. These are the things we know about
God. However, there are things that God
has kept to Himself, not because He's cruel and doesn't want us to know, but
because there is no way our human understanding can come to grips with these
things.
For example, the Bible clearly
states that God is working all things out according to His plan and will; yet
the Bible doesn't spell that plan out. The Bible also clearly states that
salvation is a work of God done in the hearts of men, yet it also speaks of us
being offered a choice to accept the call of the gospel. The Bible doesn't explain how those two
seemingly contradictory truths come together.
This is what theologians call a paradox.
The Bible asserts two truths that the human mind cannot piece
together. Yet I believe in a God whose
wisdom and intelligence far exceeds mine, so If I cannot figure it out, I know
He can.
Here's what I know for
sure. We're all sinners, and because of
this, God rightly condemns us to judgment.
I look back on my life before Christ, and all I see is a pattern of
willful disobedience; no one made me sin, I did so willingly. I also know that God draws people from their
sin to Jesus (cf. John 6:44). I
distinctly remember a time when I renounced my sin and turned to Christ, yet
not two months before I would have had nothing to do with the Bible and
Christ. I now understand that it was God
working through His word to change my heart and mind--God's word has the power
to change a life. I also know that God's
sovereign choice in salvation always works in conjunction with a person's
acceptance by faith--God's choosing and our believing always go
hand-in-hand. If God chooses to pass over
some people and leave them in their sin, that is His choice. He is not treating anybody unfairly. The Bible says in Romans chapter 1, that
everybody has enough knowledge to make an informed decision to accept and
believe in God, yet we all suppress this knowledge and reject it. If we reject the gospel, we have no excuse.
I hope this helps!