Three Eternal Destinies of Man? THE CONSCIENCE...
David
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed... (Romans
1:16-17)
The Gospel is something that reveals the righteousness, or rightness of
God, and certainly it is true that the greatest right thing that God
did was John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Yet it is interesting that this is not what Paul goes on to talk about
in Romans 1:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness... (Romans 1:18)
According to Paul the ungodly and unrighteous men that His wrath is
poured out upon are characterized by the fact that they suppress the
truth in unrighteousness. Of course if one is met with the opportunity
to respond to the good news of Messiah's sacrifice and rejects it,
you could see that as suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.
However, in what Paul proceeds to write he does not go in that
direction:
...because 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 that they
are without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20)
He says that the truth they suppress is something that is evident
within them (for God has made it so). It is an inborn understanding of
God's invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature. Not
only is that knowledge known deep within us, but it is also
substantiated through what has been made.
The Conscience
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Is this speaking of John 3:16? Is that what is known about God
innately? Not according to Romans 10:14 and 17:
How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And
how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher? ... So faith comes from hearing, and
hearing by the word of Christ.
So John 3:16 is not instinctively known, but has to be heard. However,
it says that all are without excuse in regard to knowing the things of
Romans 1:18-32.
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give
thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish
heart was darkened. (Romans 1:21)
What kind of knowing could they innately have of God within their very
nature, and how could they honor Him as God according to that knowing?
It is clear that there is a requirement put upon men based on what they
are born with, which is apart from John 3:18:
"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been
judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God."
Here Yahshua[*] says that the one who has not believed in the name of
the only begotten Son of God is judged already. Paul would ask, "How
can they believe if they haven't heard?" Not believing indicates a
conscious rejection of something that has been clearly communicated to
you. It is understandable that God would hold you accountable for that.
To say that God would hold accountable those who have not heard the
message from a reputable source conceals, rather than reveals, the
righteousness of God. Rather than giving the Gospel its power, it takes
it away:
...it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to
the Jew first and also to the Greek, for in it the righteousness of God
is revealed...
The Gospel derives its power from the fact that it reveals His
righteousness to man. When that is revealed, the heart of those who
have a will to do His will is captured and the love affair begins. It
is the love that compels a person to no longer live for himself, but
live for the One who died and rose again on his behalf.[1] The innate
knowledge or understanding that Paul was talking about in Romans 1 is
referred to in chapter 2 as the conscience - the law written in
men's hearts, and also a witness to their deeds. It is the knowledge
God and man share[2] as to what is good and evil. Considering this it
can be understood how a man, according to the understanding he is born
with, can honor God. If God put the conscience in us, then when we obey
that inner voice we honor Him.
For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things
of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that
they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience
bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else
defending them... (Romans 2:14-15)
"Gentiles" refers to those who are not believers and are outside of
the Commonwealth of Israel.[3]
Of course, there are verses like Romans 3:23 and Isaiah 64:6 to
consider:
...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... (Romans
3:23)
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our
righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a
leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and of course we fall
short of the glory of God. But can it really be that there is no
distinction between those who really try so hard and even suffer
personal loss to do what is right according to the voice of conscience
(that God gave them), and those who actively suppress that same
truth[4] and even exchange it for a lie?Can it really be that there is
no distinction between those who really try so hard and even suffer
personal loss to do what is right according to the voice of conscience
(that God gave them), and those who actively suppress that same truth
and even exchange it for a lie?
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator... (Romans 1:25)
This does not refer to worshipping and serving Christ, but rather
worshipping and serving the Creator in the capacity of those who know
Him through their inborn understanding. They do that by obeying the
voice of their Creator that resides within them - their conscience.
The ones Romans 1:25 is talking about exchange that truth for a lie
that suits them better at the moment, allowing them to do what they
want, rather than what they know to be right. They elevate themselves
to the stature of their Creator, saying in their hearts that there is
no one greater or with more authority to determine what is right and
wrong than themselves (the creature). They worship, or honor and serve
only themselves. They say in their hearts, "There is no God,"
having become the fools that King David wrote of in Psalm 14:1,
The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are
corrupt, they have done abominable works; there is none who does
good.[5]
Can one honestly say (with a good conscience) that there is no
difference in the eyes of God between a terrorist and a hard-working
farmer who rises early and goes to bed late, wearing himself out in his
struggle to feed his family? Will God send them both to the same
eternal destiny of the Lake of Fire simply because they never heard the
Gospel?
This is not the impression of God that Abraham had when he made a plea
for the lives of the few righteous in Sodom:
"Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the
wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be
it from Thee... Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?"
(Genesis 18:25)
(excerpted from "Three Eternal Destinies?" found at
http://www.TheLitmusTest.org/deception-2ED.html )
Next Friday...Three Eternal Destinies-THE JUDGMENT
[*] See What's in a Name at
http://www.thelitmustest.org/whats-in-a-name-lt.html
[1] 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
[2] Conscience (con-science) means to know together with; co-knowledge.
[3] Ephesians 2:12
[4] Romans 1:18
[5] It is worth noting that Paul was quoting from this passage in
Romans 3:10, showing that "There is none righteous" is not speaking
generally of mankind, but of those fools who live as if there is no
God, and therefore no judgment.