Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
1 Timothy 3:16, “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.”
There are some mysteries for Christians. How do we know the word of God is true? Why are we sinners along with Adam and Eve? Why is Christ able to die on a cross to pay for our sins, but we can’t pay for our own sins that way? And why do we get sent to Hell and have to stay there forever (presumably in more torment than death on a cross) if we reject Christ? What happens to those who die without hearing about Jesus Christ? Why is there suffering in the world if Jesus loves us? I’ll share my view on these.
How do we know the word of God is true? This question strikes many as a mystery, but it shouldn’t. God answers this question directly in both John 16:7-11 and 1 John 5:7-9:
John 16:7-11
7 ¶ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
1 John 5:7-9
7 For there are three that testify:8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.
The Holy Spirit convicts us of the truth of God’s word when we hear it, and His testimony is more sure than the testimony of men, which we often receive. How much more sure? So sure that we know the word of God is true, because God calls us liars if we deny that Jesus is the Christ:
1 John 2:22, “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?”
Knowing the word of God is true is of huge significance for understanding all the other mysteries of the Christian faith, because it means we know who God is, and that ultimately He has an answer, even if we don’t know the details right now.
Knowing the word of God is true has great significance for Christian apologetics as well, because it means that man is not unaware of the truth when he hears the Gospel. Simon Greenleaf appropriately observes on page 12 of The Testimony of the Evangelists:
In requiring this candor and simplicity of mind in those who would investigate the truth of our religion, Christianity demands nothing more than is readily conceded to every branch of human science. All these have their data, and their axioms; and Christianity, too, has her first principles, the admission of which is essential to any real progress in knowledge. “Christianity,” says Bishop Wilson, “inscribes on the portal of her dominion ‘Whosoever shall not receive theas a little child, shall in nowise enter therein.’ Christianity does not profess to convince the perverse and headstrong, to bring irresistible evidence to the daring and profane, to vanquish the proud scorner, and afford evidences from which the careless and perverse cannot possibly escape. This might go to destroy man’s responsibility. All that Christianity professes, is to propose such evidences as may satisfy the meek, the tractable, the candid, the serious inquirer.” kingdom ofGod
Why are we sinners along with Adam and Eve? This question is quite a bit more of a mystery than the preceding one. God says in Romans 5:12-14:
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned––13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
But how is it that “all sinned”?
1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God––and righteousness and sanctification and redemption––…” And 1 Corinthians 15:22 goes on to say, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”
But how is it that we were “in Adam” in the first place, and what does it mean to be in Adam or in Christ?
Dr. Norman Geisler has some profound responses to these questions in volume three of his Systematic Theology. The following passage is from pages 124-125:
The Effects of Sin on Adam’s Descendents
Adam’s sin affected not only himself but also all of his offspring – all of us have sinned “through one man” (Rom. 5:12). All of Adam’s descendants were in him potentially, seminally (that is, in seed form, cf. Hebrews 7:9,10), and/or legally (judicially), since as the head of the race he was our legal representative (Rom. 5:18-21).
The Judicial (Legal) Effects of Adam’s Sin
As our legal representative, Adam sinned on our behalf, and we received the legal consequences of his choice. In other words, Adam had the God-given power of attorney for the whole human race, and when he exercised it for ill, the consequences for sin were directly imputed (to impute means to “attribute” or “give,” meaning that responsibility must be taken for what has been imputed) to all of his posterity – which is all of us. Paul says,
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass [Adam’s sin] was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness [Christ’s death] was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus] the many will be made righteous. (Rom.5:18-19)
As legally or judicially, then, the consequences of Adam’s sin were imputed to all his natural offspring, we will later learn that Christ, “the last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45) revoked what Adam did, making every human being legally and potentially savable.
Hence, all of us stand guilty before God because of what Adam did on our behalf; his sin on behalf of the race was imputed to the race. Clearly, the all (or many) were not made sinners actually, since they did not actually exist at that time. However, they were potentially and legally present in Adam, and, as such, received the imputation of the consequences of his sin.
The Transmissional Effects of Adam’s Sin
Not only was the effect of Adam’s sin (fallenness or depravity) imputed to his descendents directly and immediately, but it was also transmitted to us indirectly and mediately. Everyone who is naturally generated from Adam – every human – inherits a sinful nature from him. This is sometimes called the doctrine of “original sin” (or “inherited sin” [see Ps. 51:5]). Again, Paul confirms,
You were dead in your transgressions and sins…. All of us also lived among [the unsaved] at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (Eph. 2:1,3)
We are sinners not only because we sin, but also because we were born sinners. Being sinners by nature, short of and without salvation, we inevitably are and do what comes naturally: We sin.
Just how this sinful nature is transmitted from parents to child is a subject of substantial theological debate. Undebatable, however, is the Bible’s teaching that it is transmitted.
Another passage of Scripture that illustrates the Lord’s decision to deal with mankind on the basis of God-given power of attorney is 1 Chronicles 21:1-27.
Why is Christ able to die on a cross to pay for our sins, but we can’t pay for our own sins that way? And why do we get sent to Hell and have to stay there forever (presumably in more torment than death on a cross) if we reject Christ? For an answer I turn again to volume three of Dr. Norman Geisler’s Systematic Theology. The following passage is from pages 215-217:
An Evaluation of the Theories of the Atonement
There are dimensions of truth in all of these views.
First, as the recapitulation theory asserts, “Christ went through all the stages of human life, resisted all temptations, died and arose a victor over death and the devil,” thus making all “the benefits of [His] victory available to us through participation in him.”
Second, as the ransom theory affirms, Christ did pay the price to purchase us from the clutches of Satan, though the price was paid to God, not the devil. Without the Atonement, we would still be in bondage to Satan and, consequently, to sin (cf. Mark 10:45; 1 Cor. 6:20).
Third, the moral-example theory contains truth, for Christ’s death did provide an example of faith and obedience that inspires us to be obedient to God (cf. 1 Peter 2:21).
Fourth, the necessary-satisfaction theory gets to the very heart of the Atonement, affirming that it was necessary for God’s offended justice and honor to be satisfied by a penalty that only Jesus could pay. Because He is the God-man, Christ’s death had infinite value and, hence, could restore the honor due to an infinitely holy God. Since God cannot simply remit sins, a reparation must be paid, and only a sinless person could pay it for humanity.
Fifth, there is truth in even the liberal moral-influence theory. God is love; His demonstration of self-sacrificing love at the cross (Rom. 5:8) does have a moral influence on us (1 John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:14-15).
Sixth, building on the necessary-satisfaction theory, the substitution theory rightly maintains that such an atonement was a substitution for the sins of all human beings. Absolute justice has been violated, and, therefore, as substitution for our sins had to be made by the sinless Son of God.
Seventh, although the need for God’s satisfaction is not optional, again, the optional satisfaction theory correctly affirms:
A man effectively atones for an offense when he offers to the one who has been offended something which he accepts as matching or outweighing the former offense. Christ, suffering in loving and obedient spirit, offered more to God than was demanded in recompense for all the sins of mankind….Christ’s passion, then, was not only sufficient but superabundant for the sins of mankind; as John says, “He is a propitiation for our sins, not for ours only but also for those of the whole world” (ST, 3a. 46, 3).Eighth, even the governmental theory is not without verity, for it truthfully affirms that, in His holiness, God has established laws of which sin is a violation. As the sovereign Ruler, God does have the right to punish sin, which is inherently deserving of punishment. Likewise, the governmental theory correctly stresses God’s love and notes that while He does desire to forgive sins, He wishes to do it in such a way as to maintain His moral government.
Ninth, and finally, as inadequate as the mystical theory may be as a full explanation of the Atonement, there is an element of truth in it, for salvation does involve a mysterious spiritual union with Christ. Indeed, He is the absolute unity of divinity and humanity. In brief, God became man that man may become like God. Even Paul spoke of the “mystery” of the union of “Christ and the church” as Bridegroom and bride (Eph. 5:32).
What happens to those who die without hearing about Jesus Christ? For an excellent answer to this question we will attend a lecture by Professor William Lane Craig.
Thank you so very much for reading! Please be sure to visit the recommended links in the sidebar and share them with your friends, so we can spread educated and powerful witnessing for Christ! Proverbs 31:23 says, “Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.” The husband represents Christ and the wife represents the members of the Church, who are passionate to please their Husband by lovingly making Him known. :)
