Theology

Hubs and I are taking a theology class at our church. I think I am going to love it. Already my mind is running crazy with questions, and I'm finding answers and differing opinions, and I'm fascinated.  As I was talking out my biggest question from yesterday's first class to hubs, he says, "Well, I don't know the answer, but I know this won't be your only hiccup." True. And I absolutely love that wheels-turning, trying-to-understand feeling. So I thought I'd share my first big area of confusion, and I hope my friends who also like to think and understand such things can help me understand.

Now I am certainly not as intellectual, educated or well-versed in scripture as my pastor, so I'm sure I will miss something or mix something up when I try to express my questions, but I will do my best. Here's my best stab at it:  I agree that at some point in every human, God reveals himself. Whether that be in just looking at the stars in the sky and how perfectly the universe is made and our bodies are made, or whether it be in innately knowing, as C.S. Lewis expresses, that there is right and wrong. Humans who have never heard of God have a conscience. I get that. I totally agree. But knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not naturally revealed. Someone must be told that message. I understand that too. And I know that the Bible says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

During the class, the pastor said something like this: Now what about the guy on some remote island who never hears the message of Jesus Christ and never has the chance to accept him? He may choose to understand through the natural revelation of God that there is a God, but he would have no way of ever knowing there is a Jesus and what He did on the cross for him and accepting Him. According to that John 14:6 scripture, he would go to hell. I have a prolem with that, and here's why.  If that is true, then babies and little children and unborn babies and mentally handicapped individuals would also go to hell.  When asked that question, words like "age of accountability" and "merciful enough" were spoken.  The pastor said that the term "age of accountability" was not ever used in the Bible, but that would be the point in an individual's life when he or she is mentally able and responsible enough to make a decision to follow Christ. But if God is merciful enough to not send babies and mentally retarded people to hell, then how is the guy on the remote island different? Why wouldn't God's mercy reach to him? If there is a little ignorant-of-the-Gospel family on this remote island including a mom, a dad and a baby, and a hurricane comes through and kills all of them, the baby would go to heaven, but the parents would go to hell? I know what the Bible says, but if I choose to believe that God doesn't send babies to hell (which I do choose, by the way), then it's hard for me to see the difference when it comes to groups of people who never have the chance to choose Jesus.

Now, last night, a very intelligent Bible scholar and uncle of hubby got into a discussion about this which led to his belief in limited atonement, which is that God sent Jesus to save a chosen few, not everyone. He did an amazing job explaining his stance on it, backed by scripture. (Is 53:12, "yet He Himself bore the sin of many.") But I also found scripture last night that backed my stance that Jesus did die for the entire world, not just a select few. (1 John 2:2, "and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.") We had a fascinating discussion, and I respect very much his view on it, but I am going to choose to stick with my view on that.  Although, if I did believe in limited atonement, my questions would immediately be answered.  But also in that case, I wouldn't believe in sending missionaries to spread the Gospel, and I know that Bible calls us to be "fishers of men." (John 21:17)  John 3:16 is sort of the basis of Christianity. It's the verse we're all drilled with as children, and it does read "whosoever believes in him," not just a few. 

I wondered if anyone out there would like to add to my understanding of this aspect of the Bible, without arguing for limited atonement. Like I said, I can wrap my brain around it, and it DOES answer my heaven/hell questions, and I respect anyone's choice to believe it, but that's not what I believe, so, given my choice in believing that Christ died for the whole world and that everyone has the option to choose Christ, how do you explain what happens to children and not have it carry through to people who have never heard Christ? I do believe what the Bible says. But it almost seems as if that would mean that even a child would go to hell, and I know my God would not do that. Thoughts?