RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-05-28	What About Those Who Have Never Heard of Jesus (Jn.15:22)
		Joh 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Some have tried to use this verse to say that we should not tell people about Jesus. Their thought is that when we do tell someone about Jesus, and they do not believe, that now makes them guilty of sin. It is too common for individual verses to be taken out of their context and given a new and unintended meaning. Now the context for the John 15:22 is Jesus talking to “them”. That is, the scribes and Pharisees. It was clear that they already rejected Him (vs.18-21). And were going to reject Him on the cross. Joh 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. Jesus made an announcement that He is going to Jerusalem. And that He would be rejected, crucified and slain. Jesus is saying, if I had not come to the Jews, then they would not have any sin in regard to the upcoming crucifixion. Now that they have heard me, and rejected me, they will also be guilty of killing their Messiah. So yes, there was a sin that they could not commit unless Jesus was present. This is the sin of rejecting Him. But they were ALREADY guilty before Jesus came. So this passage is not a general truth applicable to everyone concerning how we are made guilty of sin. It is directed to those present during Jesus' ministry who heard Him personally. Joh 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name So no one goes to Hell for not hearing about Jesus. That would be like saying someone dies from AIDS because they did not get the cure. It is true that people will die from a known disease from a lack of the cure. But before they died it was true that they were already dying because of the disease. The whole human race has the disease of personal individual sin. The good news is that Jesus is the Cure! We are all dying as a result of our own personal sin. This was true even before Christ came to this earth. So it would be false to say that people go to hell for something they did not know. We all violate our own conscience when we sin. So we know we are sinners. Though we try to suppress that knowledge. God will use our own conscience to testify against us. For those who have heard the name of Jesus, and still reject Him, it will be worse for them. They came so close to the Cure of their sin problem (Jesus), but still will die in their sin. Paul asked this important question in the book of Romans (Ro.10:14-15) Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!" Paul quotes from Is.52:7 which is just before Isaiah 53 concerning the Messiah's death on a cross. We are told here that the feet of those who bear glad tidings are beautiful. It is wonderful to have feet that the Lord calls beautiful! How beautiful are your feet before the Lord? Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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