A little simplistic Story
In a big class of 100 Students, the teacher announced his expectations, and requested that the students be quiet. The students however made noise and violated his expectations. He decides to punish them all! He asks them to kneel down, raise up their hands and close their eyes.
While all the eyes were closed, the teachers son, pleads with the teacher to please punish him severely for the errors of everyone in the class. He came to the class after they have erred and was faultless. He pleaded and received 100 strokes on behalf of everyone in class. The teacher announced that he could tell the students that they were free to go, that he had paid their price, for far they were willing to accept his substitution.
The son went to a few students and told them, and they agreed and stood up. He asked them to join him in telling the others. Some of the others heard and rejected the offer, saying, please let me serve my punishment in peace, when the teacher is pleased with me, he would let me go! Some others accepted, but some others didn’t get to hear of the pardon at all.
What would happen to each category of students? Those who rejected the sons offer would be rejected and would continue serving their punishment. Those who did not get to hear would serve their punishments still and those who heard and believed would get up from their punishment and enjoy themselves.
Such is the nature of man, of sin, of Jesus Christ and eternal condemnation.
Anyone who wants to understand the fairness and justice of God must first realize that all of humanity stands condemned and guilty! That is the starting point! By one man, sin came into the earth! If your great grandfather died before giving birth to your father, then you would have died in him. In the same way, we all became sinners in Adam! By sin came death and eternal condemnation. There are good sinners and bad sinners, moral sinners and immoral sinners. Our behavior had nothing on our nature. All humanity stands condemned by God and under punishment for sin, until Jesus Christ.
In the words of C.S. Lewis, Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic or Lord! No half measures, either totally disrespect him or revere him. A man who claims to be the Way, the only way to God! Many religions point the way, Jesus says I am the way! Many say follow these teachings, Jesus says, follow me. He declared that he would die, rise from the dead, never to die again, that’s a lot of boldness! Jesus didn’t present himself as a mere prophet. He was the last Adam, and the Second man! He’s resurrection from the dead, make his words not historical words, but current affairs.
Jesus Christ came as a sinless lamb, to pay with his blood for the sins of man, and to die on the Cross to destroy the nature of sin. All who accept him, have eternal life. All who reject him are condemned already (John 3:18, 36), being condemned already anyway! All who don’t hear the message of his redemption stay condemned! There is none innocent, there is none righteous. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! (Rom 3:23). If you die without hearing the Gospel, you are already currently in HELL, your soul is locked down in punishment, waiting only for judgment! It has nothing to do with your good deeds!
So how do I escape HELL? Accept the punishment already taken on my behalf, accept the Son! There is no excuse (Rom 1:19,20)! God is already revealed to all of humanity, and we have refused and rejected Him, preferring to worship idols in His stead! The invincible qualities of God are also evident in nature, but we bypass it. If you are truly innocent and deserving of being rescued from HELL, God will send Peter to you, like he did for Cornelius! There is no way to hear, without being told. You have heard!
