Text: Romans 1:18-32
ARE THE LOST REALLY LOST?
What do you think? Are the lost really lost? Let me explain the question a bit - Are those who have not heard, and hence not received the good news that we are forgiven and put right in God's sight through faith in Christ's death and resurrection - are they destined to a life of eternal separation from God?
Footnotes:
Here is the Wildman of Borneo who has never heard of Jesus Christ. Has never been given the opportunity to respond to the good news - what happens when he dies and meets God face to face? Is he allowed to plead ignorance and thus spend eternity with God or is he forced to spend eternity separated from God in all the terrors of hell. Are the lost really lost? What do you think? It's an important question for us to answer as we focus on missions - on the worldwide proclamation of the gospel - as we endeavour to embrace our world. For how you answer that question will effect the way you think about missions, the way you support missions, the priority you give to missions and even if you do missions at all. Are the lost really lost? Well what are the options? There are those who say no - the lost are not really lost. There are many who believe that God is a God of mercy and love and that those attributes of God are so great so magnified in his character that those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will be given a second chance when they come to the judgement seat of Christ. Even then - if someone fails to be awed by the sight of such holiness, power, and majesty and fails to give themselves to Him - even then God's grace will prevail and they will be eventually saved from the fires of hell. The idea is called Universalism. I will never forget a conversation I had with two professing Christian High School teachers who held this very idea. "God is a God of love and grace" they said, "And His love and grace will eventually triumph in everyone's life regardless of the decisions they have made in this world." Many people believe that - and you can understand the impact of such thinking upon the worldwide mission of God. If you believe that the lost are not really, eternally lost then you must also believe that we do not need missionaries, we do not need to translate the Bible into the native languages of the world, we do not need to support missionary endeavours with our prayers, time and financial resources. For in the end all will be well for God will simply open the doors of heaven and all will enter in. Universalism appears to be kindly, humane, compassionate and tames our righteous indignation at the thought that God would send anyone to hell. Are the lost really lost? We are a people of the Book. We are a people who seek to have our lives moulded, guided and instructed by the Word of God. So this morning, we need to discover what God says about this question? And our text is Romans 1:18-32 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world His eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things He has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honour Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. So what does our text say? The text begins with the thought of the wrath of God being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. "Well" we say to God, "we can understand that and we can accept that. Those who seek to suppress the truth of God's love and grace will experience God's wrath. They have obviously turned their back on God. And Paul says, No, I'm not talking about those who have heard the truth about God like you have heard about God through a book or through a friend or preacher. I'm talking about those who heard about God, have witnessed him with their very eyes through the revelation of creation. Verses 19 - 20 "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature invisible though they are, having been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse." Are the lost really lost? Yes. Why? Because God has revealed himself. He has revealed himself plainly. God has not hidden himself from humanity. Indeed it is just the opposite; God has made himself known. There are some that might say, "Well we missed, it, God's revelation of himself wasn't clear." Sorry, verse 19, God's witness is plain to them, for God has made it plain. God's revelation of himself is right before their eyes if only they would open them. And the text tells us that his revelation is universal. There isn't a man, woman, boy or girl alive who can say I have not seen God - God has been revealed to us through that which he has made - through creation. And we can testify to it, we know it to be true - My first experience of God came to me while working in the garden - as I tasted a juicy red tomato - and saw the delicateness of the rose petal, and the dazzling beauty of a autumn forest. I said, there has to be a God. As many of you know Bonnie de Bruijn has spent the past three or four months climbing rock faces on the West Coast of the United States. I was talking to her about her experiences and I asked her, when you were climbing did you experience God? And her face brightened and she said, "Every day. But I remember one time when we had climbed to the top of a high cliff and the sun was shinning so brightly that it made the face of the rock shimmer and the sky was a brilliant colour." And a friend said to me, "You see God don't you?" And I said, "Yes." Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So John Piper writes, "The message of creation is this; There is a great God of glory and power and generosity behind all this awesome universe; you belong to him; he is patient with you in sustaining your rebellious life turn and bank your hope on him and delight yourself in him, not his handiwork." (1) So creation proclaims that message in the brilliance of a blue-sky, and puffy white clouds, fragrant flowers, the majesty of a full moon on a winter's night, and awesomeness of innumerable stars. All of creation is seems to sing "God is real, God is real, God is real." But the questions about God's mercy and grace might persist and someone might ask the question of Universalism a little differently - you might ask, "Would God send the lost to hell for simply not believing in a Christ that they have never heard of?" And the answer to the question when stated like this is of course, "No". This is not to say that they will not go to hell, but it is to say that this is not the reason. They will go to hell, if they have turned their back on the revelation of God they have received. They are indeed lost and on their way to eternal separation from God, not because they have never heard about Christ, but because they have rejected the revelation of God that they have received. Listen, if you push the argument of Universalism to the absurd conclusion - it would, as James Kennedy points out - run like this - If every one who did not hear of Christ went to heaven, then we have a great system of evangelization. That is simply for us to close all the churches, fire all the ministers, burn all the Bibles, and all other religious literature, and in a few generations no one will have heard of Christ and everyone will go to heaven. (2) But that's not logical. Listen, humanity is condemned for only one thing, and that is sin. To hear of Christ and to reject him is the worst sin a man or woman can commit but it is nevertheless, one of thousands of sins which a man or woman can commit. And the truth is, that all have sinned. * The wild man in Borneo and the Business man in Barrie. * The woman living Mongolia and the woman living in Markham. * The teen swimming in the streams of Malaysia and the teen skiing the slops of Mt. Saint Louie. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I love the way John Stott puts it, he says, "No one can plead innocence, because no one can plead ignorance." (3) Look at the last part of verse 20 again, "They are without excuse." God has revealed himself in creation. And Paul goes on to show us how humanity has turned it's back on the revelation. Instead of worshipping the creator, humanity has worshipped the created. And despite what new age preachers proclaim the two are not the same. As John Piper points out the Creator and creation are as different as the "love poem and the love, the painting and the landscape, the ring and the marriage." (4) One points to the other, one is an expression of the other. Can you imagine a man loving his wedding ring more than he loved his wife? No. But that's exactly what the Word of God says has happened. "Human beings have fallen in love with the echo of God's excellency in creation and lost the ability to hear the incomparable original shout of love." (5) Verse 21-23 of our text. "For though they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four footed animals or reptiles." Of course Scripture takes this to the full conclusion, when God's revelation is ignored and begin to worship creation what is the final result? The final result is that Human behaviour is perverted. Verse 24 and 27 tell of how the lost become morally perverted and verse 28 to 32 tell of how the lost become mentally perverted. Are the lost really lost? Yes. Universalism is nice, and it seems to be compassionate but it's just not Biblical. To be sure God does love the world, and Jesus dies for the sins of the whole world, and God desires that all be saved and will go out leaving the 99 found sheep in search of the one lost sheep. But don't let your Biblical knowledge stop there. Understand that there will be a judgement when you go home today read Matthew 25 and shudder at our Lord's description of an everlasting fire ready for those who turn their back on him. Read Matthew 25 and see how our Lord spoke of everlasting life AND everlasting punishment. Know that the gospel is preached so that people will not perish - John 3:16. "Know that those whose names are not written the Lamb's Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire - Revelation 20:15. And whether you interpret this literally or not, it can mean nothing less than horrible suffering. Above all it means separation from God." (6) Are the lost really lost? Yes. Really lost. And this is the starting point of our mission. For if the lost are really lost, and have no hope of heaven, for they have denied the revelation of God in creation then it is up to us to bring them the good news of redemption. Hudson Taylor was a great man of faith, with a large heart for the people of China, and an equally large trust in God of heaven. He established the famous China Inland Mission and was instrumental in bringing thousands of missionaries to the shores of China. Well, he tells a story of how one day he was traveling in a Chinese junk with his son, and a young Chinese named Peter. Peter as not yet a Christian. But was an immense help to Taylor in many ways. As Hudson Taylor was in his cabin preparing tracts and books for distribution, Peter was puttering about on the junk. Now he had silly habit of clambering along the narrow ledge past the cabin when moving from one end of the boat to the other. From his cabin, Hudson Taylor heard a cry and splash. He rushed on to the deck. Peter had fallen headfirst into the canal. The water was still low; so Peter was held fast in deep sludge somewhere under the water. The boatmen were looking helpless. A strong wind was carrying the junk quickly forward in spite of the heavy current running in the opposite direction. The bank was featureless, with no landmark to indicate how far behind they had left Peter. Taylor quickly lowered the sail and then leaped into the water, thrashing about in a frantic search. Then he saw a fishing-boat with a drag net and hooks. Come!" he shouted "Come and drag this spot. A man is drowning!" "It is not convenient," the fisherman replied. "Don't talk about convenience. A man is drowning, I tell you!" "We are busy fishing and cannot come." "Never mind your fishing. I'll give you more money than many a days fishing will bring. Just come. Come at once!" "How much money will you give us?" Hudson Taylor couldn't believe his ears. "We can't discuss that now! Come quickly, or it will be too late. I'll give you five dollars." "We won't drag for that. Give us twenty dollars, and we will drag." "I haven't got that much. Come quickly and I will give you what I have." "How much will that be?" "I don't know exactly. About fourteen dollars, I think." At last, but even then, slowly, the fishermen brought their boat over and let down the net. In less than a minute they brought up Peter's body. Although Peter had been under the water all the time these negotiations had been going on, Taylor tried artificial respiration - to a chorus of complaints from the fishermen that they weren't being paid immediately. His lengthy efforts to revive the man failed. Peter was dead. Hudson Taylor wrote later that to him, "This incident was profoundly sad and full of significance, suggesting a far more mournful reality. Were not these fishermen actually guilty of this poor Chinaman's death, in that they had in their hands the means of saving him, if they would only use them? Yes, they were responsible for his death. And yet, let us pause before we pronounce judgement against them, and look to ourselves. It is hardhearted, and wicked to neglect to save a body. How much more hardhearted and wicked is it to neglect to save a soul. (7) The Lord Jesus commands, commands me, commands you, into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature because the lost are really lost.
Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - January 2001
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