Answering Common Questions About God & Christianity #1 | Topics

Considering the sheer amount of division and debates surrounding the world of Christianity, there's bound to be countless of questions and controversial statements made revolving around its beliefs and understandings. In the time that I've spent learning more about the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, I've also seen and heard a few questions that have frequently popped up amongst both believers and unbelievers. Because of this, I've decided to transfer the information that I've gained and placed on my separate social media platform over the months and place it on this blog for archival and referential purposes. 

So what I will do for the rest of this article is take commonly asked questions and debates from people towards the teachings of the Bible and see if I can provide answers to the best of my understandings and research. This information comes from several sources including my very own Bible readings and understandings with the monumental aid of online Bible Study tools (like Lexicon, Logos, BibleRef, and other sources) in addition to listening to who I believe to be trusted veterans in the world of apologetics and teachings of scripture. My hopes is that I can create a place where the answers to certain controversial or challenging questions can be found with ease and updated overtime if needed.

Question #1: 

Never Hearing About Jesus = Hell??

Question: What about people who have never heard about Jesus in foreign remote places? Places where the Bible never reached? Will they still go to Hell due to never hearing the gospel? Isn't that unfair?

Answer: Although God does not specifically, on a mechanical or practical level, explain how He will judge people who have never heard of Jesus, we can still look to scripture for insight on this dilemma. First off, we have to establish the fact that God, by His very nature of being God as the source of all that is righteous, will judge this particular group of people perfectly. How do we know this? We know this by the very standard of justice that He displays and reveals about His own character. 

What does that mean exactly? That means that no matter how God decides to judge them, we can be confident in knowing that He will do so in a manner that honors and glorifies His very being as being perfect justice at its purest form. Essentially, no one can and will ever get ripped off or get the rug pulled under their feet in some twist of events while existing within God’s perfect justice system. Let's not forget that it’s the Devil who is a wicked schemer and liar trying to deceive mankind whereas God is the source and standard of all that is Good and Righteousness by His very nature. 

So let’s get that out of the way to at least remove the notion that these people in question are being unfairly handled by God. It’s literally impossible for God to unfairly handle anyone or anything by the very nature of being who He is. You have to ask the simple question "How can the purest form of goodness and righteousness unfairly punish people for something that was completely out of their control?". Alright, but that doesn't entirely answer the question, right? So let's see if we can dive in a little bit more (or as specifically as God's Word allows us to be without straying away from what is written into complete empty speculation). 

Let it be known that no one goes to Hell because of ignorance of being unaware of Christ. They go to Hell because of sin being in their lives violating His standards and rejecting Him as God. And how does God respond to the one who actively and arrogantly sins against Him? God grants them their desire to be sinful by giving them eternal separation from Him. Remember the wages of Sin is death according to God's Word which means eternal death (aka Hell and separation from God forever). Whereas the gift of salvation (offered through Christ) is eternal life with God. We see this represented in James 1:15 and Romans 6:23 amongst several other verses in the Bible.

But how does this help us exactly? Well interestingly enough, there are people who contrastingly actually end up in Heaven not knowing about Jesus that we can find in the Bible such as Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, etc.. How do they end up in Heaven before Jesus’s time on Earth? By accepting God as He revealed Himself to them during that point in history and putting their faith entirely in Him. Now in addition to this is Jesus’s eventual death on the cross covering over all of mankind’s sins of all time (which includes theirs). So they may not have known about Jesus but they certainly knew about God and accepted Him in faith and obedience. 

We also know that God’s Law is apparently written on the hearts of man as stated in Romans 2:15. This connects to mankind’s consciousness having some semblance of what is right or wrong without actually being taught the Law (a morality compass of some kind imbued by God early on). In a sense, you can see how this may even explain why even children can feel some concern or guilt toward something evil despite never being taught right or wrong just yet by their parental figures or the world around them.  

So, if we piece together just these components alone (and of course there is likely bound to be several other elements involved that was't brought up), we can see that God will judge people who never heard about Jesus in a perfectly righteous way that involves not what they don’t know, but what they DO know. In other words, what God has already revealed to them about Himself, and based on their response to whatever that may be, they will be judged perfectly and righteously with no injustice being brought upon them whatsoever. 

To paraphrase a quote from Cliffe Knechtle, "No one’s getting short changed in eternity."

Question #2: 

What Came Before God?

Question: If God created the universe, then who created God? Where did He come from? What was everything like before God?

Answer: This is a fantastic, thought provoking question and one that I absolutely love as it reminds me of my childhood years of pre-Christianity pondering. Eventually, I finally realized the absurdity of me (the creation) trying to fully understand the scope of God (the Creator) who is not bound by the same laws of existence that He created for me. God cannot be created if He is the ultimate creator of all things. It's really as simple as that and I think many people, including myself for several years, have overcomplicated what is really a pretty simple truth to observe.

"Okay, but...but...what came before God?" Alright, think of it like this. God being unlimited, forever, eternal, never ending, and never having a beginning are concepts that baffle our minds as creatures who are (contrastingly to him) limited by space and time. That's why we'll always run into a dilemma when trying to comprehend God not being born or coming into existence out of something before because we, who did come into existence out of something, are not able to relate to Him. If you're trying to understand God on a basic fundamental level, you'll have to basically remove all understanding of yourself. What limits you on Earth, does not limit Him. 

Think of fundamental elements such as time, space, energy, matter, and everything else that brings stability to the universe. The manner in which you exist and perceive reality is not the same as His and is instead below Him. Your most complex thoughts and analyzations about life and reality is that of a child observing their crib compared to Him, the parent looking down who essentially built the crib. The second you accept and apply that principle is the moment you wisely embrace His infinite boundless nature. If He is indeed God (not "a god", but GOD), then He is truly all that there is, all that there ever was, and all that there ever will be simply because He is who He is. 

Therefore, nothing can come before God because using the concept of "before" is to use a measurement of time which God is not bounded by and was the one who actually created time alongside everything else that you and I know as the pillars of structure that everything flows within and throughout. So, what came before God? Well, understanding the context of His nature, the answer is quite simple. There is no "before God" because...He is. 

[Bible Scripture References]

Revelation 1:8

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Question #3: 

How Can God Bring Something Good Out of Evil?

Question: With all of the evil things happening in the world right now, how can a Christian believe that God would make something good out of any of it?

Answer: A great explanation of how God can use the evils of this world for good can be seen in a video by CrossExamined by Frank Turek who tackles this challenging question, but I'll see if I can try to maybe tackle it a bit here myself. Think of this question by first thinking about the character of God. Only a being of eternal perspective can navigate an act or event of pure wickedness that's happening in the world into a revelation of salvation and love. The essence of the gospel within the Bible is evidently the greatest example of God taking something evil (our sins against Him as well as the brutal attack on Jesus) and bringing something good out of it (our salvation through Jesus Christ which brings us back to God which is the greatest act of Love ever conceived). 

This is the God that we have and the one who deserves everlasting praise. It's really a simple equation when you break it down starting from the character of God as revealed in scripture. God is outside of time and space which means He knows all that has and will happen in the world. He also knows the hearts of man (as we can see in Romans 8:27-29) meaning He already knows how each and every one of us will act and think. Because of this, God, who is the ultimate authority and engineer of the universe, can quite easily navigate what the devil meant for evil into something good whether it be short term victories or long term resolutions. 

The same God who brought existence into being and knows all that has and is to come is the same God who can move mountains utilizing evil acts by the enemy and wicked people that He allowed for the greater good of his creation. The moment you realize and acknowledge that this is God that we're talking about here and not "some guy trying to work things out on a computer screen", you realize that this isn't difficult to accept. If God gave you a chance to have eternal life with Him through Jesus despite the fact that you sinned against Him for so long, can He not also utilize evil for good? We're not able to see the bigger picture as part of creation because we simply don't have the perspective of the creator. We’re essentially specs on a canvas trying to see the whole painting. We can't. 

That's why it's called "putting Faith in God" meaning trusting that He knows what's best because He literally is the best of all that ever was and knows the best that ever could be. He works all things in  favor of what is best. Now, if you shifted the question to why there's even evil to begin with? Well, you can likely trace that back to the Devil being the fallen angel, who then set forth the first temptation of man to go against God (the incident in the Garden of Eden), to then the corruption of sin entering into the world as a result. And yet, with all of that darkness taking root, God already had a plan to shut the Devil down for good and save those who wish to be saved wiping all evil from the world for good. As Christians, we look forward to that day.

Question #4: 

Did God Create Some People For Hell?

Question: If the Bible says that many will go to Hell and only few will go to Heaven, does that mean that God created people to go to hell considering the fact that He knows many will not make it to Heaven?

Answer: I believe scripture answers that directly. So the question is referencing Matthew 7:13-14 which does indeed give us a sobering reminder that many will in fact end up perishing in Hell compared to the few in comparison that will have eternal life. So let's tackle this sensitive subject matter. As 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 states, God gave us the opportunity to receive salvation through Christ for everyone so that we would not face His wrath but instead be with Him for eternity saved and secured.

Anyone who rejects God in the end, faces His eternal wrath and this is certainly not some tragic conclusion that He created them in mind for. We all have the freedom to believe and accept Him as God and what He did for us, and we know for a fact that God wants us not to perish (according to 2 Peter 3:9). So if there are more people going to Hell than there are to Heaven, that’s not God’s desire nor design for them to head into destruction without mercy and grace. Instead, that’s entirely on the freedom of choice that they made from their very own heart which God honors and gives them what they desire. If they desire to be separated from God in rejection forever, then that's what God gives them....eternal separation. 

When Christ died on the cross, He never said that He did so for “a few people” to be saved. The atonement was not meant for a handful of people “likely to believe” in God. Instead, the gift of salvation was designed for every single one of us to be eternally secured with and through our creator. Our free will allows for any person to receive that gift by choosing to accept and trust in what God has given us out of love and grace. The sad truth however is that many, as we know, have and will continue to choose to reject God despite what has been given to them. They have made their choice and have secured their eternity in a place of no rest separated from their creator. 

Though God may have already known this, He did not create them to choose wrongly, but gave them full autonomy to make that choice for themselves. So that it may be genuine and legitimate in the eyes of God by His own created standard, when someone initially chooses to believe and place their faith in Him, they do so from the heart. Love, in this display of faith, is pure and counted as good as opposed to being entirely forced upon. In this way, no one can claim that God is playing “favorites” selecting who He wants and who He willfully abandons. Instead, we are all equally qualified for salvation by our freedom to accept or reject what has been revealed by Him. 

As arguably the most famous verse in the Bible states (John 3:16): For God so love the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This verse connects with 2 Peter 3:9’s crucial understanding of God’s character which states: The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. God makes it very clear in His word that He does not want any of us to go to Hell but instead for us to be with Him, yet many will still choose to go their separate ways from Him leading to their eternal separation from Him (aka Hell). 

Now, that leaves us with a bigger question. Why on Earth would anyone even reject God in the first place? This is the one that I feel isn't being answered enough by non-Christians. If you knew who God was and knew what He was offering, why would you turn your face in rejection? The answer to this can likely be found when examining man's fallen nature. Evidently, they would rather serve themselves and desires instead of putting their lives in the hands of an all-knowing authority figure. Even if that figure so happens to be the one who created them, knows them more than anyone ever could (including themselves), and wants the best for them. The rebellious man simply wants nothing to do with God. This my friends is the epitome of ignorance and arrogance.

Question #5: 

Are Christians Believing & Following God Strictly Out of Enslaved Fear?

Question: How can there be a freedom of choice unless there is freedom to refuse without the fear of death and punishment? Any system of thought that’s based upon fear, violence, the threat of pain, and suffering is a bankrupt system.

Answer: People have rejected God without any fear whatsoever since they do not believe that there is anything to fear to begin with. It was their choice to reject Him and they will eventually learn that their choice was a bad one. Much like the rebellious teenager who chooses to reject the notion of a law and authority having no fear of repercussions only to find out the hard way later on that there is indeed an authority and law that ought to be followed. 

Now the ideal version of that story is that the child learns and realizes the good that comes from and with the authority figure establishing said law for the safety and protection of the people. This revelation is the beginning of wisdom and leads to the child changing their ways to line up with it not out of some enslaved fear but out of wisdom. The tragic version of that story however is one where the teenager continues to reject the law and authority altogether until they end up facing the consequences of their rejection and is justifiably thrown behind bars. 

What do you call a person who rebelliously acts against the law? What do we do with these people? We justifiably treat them as criminals for they have committed a crime and is then sentenced with a punishment that lines up with the crime. So what is the punishment for rebelling against an eternal, infinite, and righteous good God with rejection and the desire to be completely separate from said God? Well, an eternal punishment of separation with all that is good being removed sounds about fitting. That's essentially how we can view Hell as being in a sense. So is it just fear that Christians have towards their belief and trust in God or is it wisdom? 

The answer is wisdom with a healthy appropriate fear as anyone would have not wanting to go against the law and knowing that the law is good. Someone who actively wants to follow the good law wouldn't be living in panic inducing fear but instead the type of fear that leans more towards alertness and awareness of oneself and one's actions. And with God's help through the Holy Spirit and His Word (the Bible), they know that they are properly equipped to learn and grow as one who walks a path (albeit imperfect) desiring to honor God.