[Biblemat] A> Unanswered Questions

[Steven C. Harper]

From: TRUTH & REASON, a bulletin of the Glendale church of Christ, Glendale, AZ. 
Editor: Steven Harper 
February 25, 2007

Unanswered Questions

 

   From time to time, we may come across some puzzling situations where we end up leaving with some unanswered questions. When I recall the few times this has happened to me, I still wonder exactly how things came to be as they did, and at least one of those situations still causes me some great consternation because I simply don't have the answer to why things are as they are. On a lighter note, I have walked away from some tests and puzzles with questions unanswered, only to remember or discover the answers later.

     It may be that somebody reading this is one who has not yet obeyed the gospel, and maybe you have not yet obeyed because you have some unanswered questions about spiritual matters, God, Jesus, the church, or the Bible. I cannot promise I can give you an answer for everything, but I know that if it has to do with your spiritual condition, then God's Word has an answer somewhere and, together, we can find it. I can tell you this: the answer for your questions will not be found in the creed books of men, it will not be based on popular opinion or what 'the majority' believes and teaches, it will not be according to the laws of men, and it will not even be my own opinion. If we are to give correct answers about spiritual matters, we must go to the Word of God to see what He has said because He has given the right to judge all men to Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31), before whom all of us will one day stand (2 Cor. 5:10).

     Since the questions about spiritual matters are of the utmost importance, it would be supremely foolish to simply ignore those questions or to purposefully leave them unanswered. We cannot ignore the questions because we are afraid we won't like the answers because if it is truth, the answer will be true whether we ask the question or not! If a boulder is about to fall on my head, it will still fall even if I don't ask anyone about it. In the same way, we cannot expect to escape the punishments God has promised to the disobedient (2 Thess. 1:8) simply by ignoring the Bible or by not asking the eternally important questions.

     But what if you don't even know the questions, much less the answers? How can we know the answers if we don't even know what questions to ask? If I may, let me propose a few questions that should be asked, and the answers God gives. As you consider these questions, it may be that the answers are unpleasant and difficult to hear. If that is the case, don't simply walk away or ignore them; ignoring the answer doesn't change the answer. Black is black and white is white, no matter how many people say otherwise, and no matter how much we may not like that to be so. Consider these things and the brief answers, and then ask yourself one more question: Am I willing to accept God's answers?

     Question #1: Does God exist? If you are not a believer, this is the most basic question that must be answered, for the answer brings consequences. Many men try to 'explain away' the existence of God because they know consequences will follow, rather than honestly examining the evidence. But God's Word tells us He "did not leave himself without witness" (Acts 14:17), and "His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" (Rom. 1:20). Simply put, there is ample evidence within the creation to point to a Creator. Whether you want to accept that or not does not change the fact, though. Realizing that God exists then must move us to ask the next question:

     Question #2: What does God want me to do? This is one of the great questions of life ['Why are we here?'], but man has come up with some far-fetched and often selfish answers in an effort to ignore God's Word and the answer He has given. Again, God's Word tells us, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12:13). Life is not about 'getting it while you can' or having the most fun or accumulating the most wealth and material goods; life is about obeying God. Period. Like or not, accept it or not - that is God's answer.

     Question #3: How can I know what God wants me to do? Now that I know I must fear God and keep His commandments, what are His commandments? First, let us understand that the Bible is God's Word and it is His will for mankind revealed; there is no other book that contains God's will for mankind. Within the Bible, we find that the New Testament of Jesus Christ, in particular, is that to which we must adhere. Jesus Himself said the words He has spoken will judge us in the last day (John 12:47-48) - not the words of Moses and the prophets, not the words of Joseph Smith, Jr., not the words of a man who calls himself the pope, and not the words of Mohammed. It is through Jesus Christ alone we are able to be saved (Acts 4:12) and it is Jesus who will judge us (Rom. 14:10), so it would be in our best interest to heed His words.

     Question #4: Is there anything I must do? If we listened to the religious leaders in the denominational world, we would be only confused because the answers they give are varied and - often - contradictory. Some say God has done it all and man can do nothing towards his own salvation, yet others lay it all on man and teach some sort of meritorious salvation wherein a man can 'earn' salvation through the practice of good deeds; in this view, the good deeds are weighed against the bad in the end, and if the good outweigh the bad, he may enter heaven. This is not God's answer, however.

     In the New Testament, when the question was asked about what to do, answers were given! Not once were these men told they did not need to do anything, or that they could not do anything! Men were told to "Believe in the Lord Jesus" (Acts 16:31); they were told that if "you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. 10:9); and they were told to "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38). Without question, we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7), but that blood is effective to us only when we obey the commands He has given.

     Question #5: Doesn't God love everyone and, if so, why would He send them to eternal punishment? The answer to the first question is 'yes'; God loves everyone! He loved the world so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins that whoever believes might escape the eternal punishment (John 3:16). He does not want any to perish, but He does want all men to repent of [turn away from] their sins (2 Pet. 3:9). If any man goes to eternal punishment, it is not because God wanted them to, and He will not do the 'sending'; those who face eternal punishment will do so because they chose to follow their own fleshly desires and disobey God. Men will face eternal punishment in spite of God's love and God's desire that they be saved (1 Tim. 2:4).

    Those are just a few of the important questions we must ask, but are we willing to accept God's answers? Please don't ignore the questions, but please don't ignore the answers, either.   -- Steven Harper
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