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Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
-Matthew 7:12-13The devil has not a single paid helper. The Opposition employs millions.
-Mark TwainCatch-22 is a book by Joseph Heller in which a man was faced with a situation that you could describe as being between a rock and a hard place–damned if you do, and damned if you don't. In other words, an impossible situation. That is what Christians are faced with when they are charged to carry out the Great Commission and evangelize the world.
Some Christians believe that those who die without hearing the Gospel are not automatically damned. Somehow, in the afterlife, they will be presented with the Truth, and have a chance to repent at that time. This may seem like a pretty fair scenario, except when you consider that Christians have been commanded to spread the Gospel message to as many as possible here on earth, often at great risk to themselves, and the people receiving the message. And the irony of this is, because of one thing or another in their lives, or maybe the imperfect manner in which the Gospel was presented to them, most unbelievers who hear the Message will not choose to believe it. Thus, they are damned to hell, with no further opportunity to repent. So the question arises: when will the Gospel message be more compelling and most accurately delivered–by us in this life, or by Jesus himself in the next? Obviously the next. For then you will already have one foot in the door, so to speak. No need to convince you of the afterlife, because you are already there. No need to make you believe in Jesus (and risk misrepresenting Him), for you can meet Him yourself. And what better way to convince people of the horrors of hell than to give them an actual glimpse into it? So if this is the case, telling someone the Gospel message in this life could well be the worst thing you could do for them. It’s sort of like surgery. Isn’t it better to wait for a qualified surgeon, in a sterile operating room, to perform the procedure?
Then there are Christians who believe that once you die, that’s it. There is no chance at salvation in the afterlife. What–you lived in South America in 31 A.D.? Too bad. Unbelievers who die go to hell, period, regardless of whether or not they have heard the Gospel. But then how can we believe that God is fair when He gives some a chance to repent, but not others? Usually those who believe this also add that there is something called "natural law," where even if you have never heard the Christian message, your God-given conscience will tell you what is right, and what is wrong. And the extent to which you follow that conscience will either damn you or save you. But again, that makes the whole evangelism thing meaningless. Why risk the crocodiles and the malaria in the jungles to bring the Word to the savages when they don't really need to hear it anyway? It makes any attempts to spread the Gospel an utter waste of time.
And then there are those Christians who believe in predestination. God knows who will be saved anyway. If you are predestined, nothing can stop you from becoming a Christian. And if you are not, nothing can compel you. Again I wonder, what’s the point of evangelism?
My pastor once gave an interesting sermon about evangelism, or "witnessing," as we liked to call it. In it he stressed the importance of our roles in saving the souls of the lost. He said that we must not miss an opportunity to witness, or the blood of those unbelievers we neglected to tell would be on our hands. I do believe that was the Sunday we plastered the nearby McDonalds with little green tracts, much to the annoyance of the custodial crew. But I find this sermon interesting because it conspicuously left out any mention of liability. If we shirked our responsibility, what then? We still went to heaven, and the lost soul still went to Hell. Where was the justice in that?
Recently I brought up the same question to the singles minister at a large Baptist church, who gave a sermon that morning on the importance of presenting a good witness to the world. He said that people often rejected Christianity because of the example set by Christians who were living unChristian lives. I asked him what happened to those wayward Christians who did not set a good example, and what was the restitution to those nonbelievers who were damaged by this? He said there was none, and that in the end, the behavior of Christians did not really influence whether or not an unbeliever became saved, nor did it affect their chances of getting into heaven. In fact, how Christians behaved really didn’t matter one way or the other. People either chose to believe, or they didn't.
Okay. Let's see if we have this straight.
Possible outcomes of the Great Commission, depending on what you believe
1) I can make a difference–my witness is essential.
This is the stand most Christians take, though fortunately, most are not very serious about it, or they’d be anxiety-ridden basket cases all the time. Unless they happen to be born salespeople (in which case they should also be getting rich on Amway), most people do not like approaching strangers at bus stops and sharing the plan of salvation, every chance they get. And since Christians do not fulfill this responsibility perfectly, thankfully for people waiting at bus stops, souls that are not reached go to hell, because God’s marketing team fell apart.
2) I can’t really make a difference–my witness is not essential.
Although most Christians will not admit to this, this is how most of them live. When thrust into an impossible situation, this is the easiest way to cope. Of course this makes the Great Commission a rather empty edict, about as useful as bailing water off the Titanic.
3) People who never hear the Gospel go to hell.
If you believe this, then there is no reason to believe that God is fair.
4) People who never hear the Gospel go to heaven.
Then sharing the Gospel message would be the worst thing you could do to them (see the parable about the sower and the seeds, Matthew 13:1-9), for you have just guaranteed that a large percentage of these heretofore innocents are going to hell.
5) I don’t know what happens to people who never hear the Gospel. God will take care of them.
Then should you really meddle?
6) Why are we even discussing this?
Amen. Please write your local televangelist or evangelical pastor, and tell him or her that the money you send them could be much better used feeding the poor, housing the homeless, or filling potholes.
Still, the Great Commission is of great importance to Christians, their raison d’être. But the fact remains that far more people will reject the Gospel message than will accept it. So despite their best efforts, and the fervent wish of the Lord, the devil still manages to steal far more souls than God, in all His power, can save. If we use the analogy that God is the Shepherd and humanity His sheep, then how good a shepherd is He? Let's say you hire a shepherd to take your flock out for the day. The job of the shepherd is to ensure the safety of the sheep, and to see that wolves don't eat any of them. But in the evening, when this shepherd returns with your flock, you find that most of your sheep have been eaten, and only a few make it back. How good a job would you say the shepherd did? Wouldn't you fire such a shepherd on the spot for incompetence?
Yet Christians tell us that God is a shepherd like this. Despite His Great Commission to save souls, most will be lost. Christians say that God will triumph and defeat the devil. What sort of triumph is this? And who defeated who? If God's will is that none should perish, and if He even gave His own son’s life to accomplish this, then He will have failed most miserably. For if God's aim is to save, and Satan's to corrupt, then despite the Great Commission and all His good intentions, God will have lost the game.
Okay. Let's say we ignore all this, and still believe that Christians should spread the Gospel message so people will get saved. Then what should be the most important thing for a Christian? Well, to save souls. This should outweigh politics, world hunger, sex, drugs, rock and roll, and even morality, for what temporary earthly situation is more important than the eternal destiny of a soul? If a little starvation can cause a community to get on its knees and pray to God for salvation, then why not? If a corrupt dictator oppresses his people enough that they turn to Christianity for release, all the better.
But again, Christians themselves don't quite believe this. Most of the noise you hear from Christian camps these days are cries for a return to traditional family values, stopping homosexualism, and getting rid of the Democrats. Not so much is said about getting saved. Things like anti-gay rallies bring Christians out in droves. Yet only occasionally do you see the lonely person handing out tracts on the street corner. But if salvation really mattered, then why is all this attention, or any, for that matter, given to these other issues? Who cares if someone leads a gay lifestyle? If he does not believe in Jesus, he will go to Hell no matter if he sleeps with men or women. Who cares if teens have sex? If they all became celibate, they'd still burn in hell without a saving knowledge of Christ. It's a classic case of fiddling while Rome burns. The only thing that should matter to Christians, is that thousands die every day and go to hell. Why try to feed the hungry? Better an empty belly on its way to heaven, than a full one headed for hell. Better the believing prostitute than the unbelieving, faithful wife. And besides, if people aren't going to become Christians anyway, why deny them some fun before they die?
Few things bring out Christians more than antiabortion rallies. Yet if you ask any of these angry, shouting, banner-toting people, they will tell you that the souls of all those millions of poor aborted babies are now with God in heaven. In that case, Christians should thank abortion doctors, not condemn them, for they are the only truly successful evangelists. Where else will you get a 100% salvation rate? If these babies had not been aborted, most of them would have grown up and not become Christians, thus ending up in Hell. Getting aborted was the only thing that ensured the salvation of their souls. So what if they missed out on life–what's 80 or 90 years lost now, compared to billions gained later? Who would not trade a brief life here on earth to avoid an eternity of agony in the next? I realize this is getting absurd, but that’s the point. The Great Commission and its implications are absurd.
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