From: jte@psi.com (John Eldredge)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Is God fair? (was Re: Salvation and the purpose of evangelization)
Date: 30 Aug 92 07:23:43 GMT
Organization: Performance Systems International, Inc. Reston Virginia.

Many find it "fundamental" to believe in the concept of DISPENSATIONS.  That 
is, God interacts with men in different ways (often called "economies") 
through the ages.  Through time, more is known ABOUT God as He reveals it 
(Christ being the ultimate view of God the Father), and accordingly, more is 
expected in terms of the CONTENT of our faith.  "To whom much is given, much 
is required." (Luke 12:48) 

Today's "exclusivity" in the provision by the Son and the need to exercise 
faith in that promise by the Father is clear n the New Testament.  In Old 
Testament times, however, the Messiah was promised (that is, future), so that 
atonement (that is covering) of sin was acceptable until the time sin would 
be actually eliminated through that Messiah's sinless blood and the Father's 
promise to switch that Messiah's righteousness with our total sinfulness 
(II Cor 5).

This is why it is consistent to believe that the ENTIRE Scriptures are without
error.  So, Abraham's faith unto righteousness, Moses' faith, a Jew's faith 
(between about 1450 BC and 30 AD) and a contemporary Christian's faith, while 
somewhat different in content, are totally consistent in their focus 
(believing God's revealed promises) and result - ie righteousness before the
holy YaHWeH, the Great "I AM." 

>About the mental handicapped child...well, I don't really know.  I
>could guess that if that child died in child hood, as Jesus says in
>Matt 19:14 that the Kingdom of God belongs to those such as kids.
>As a handicapped adult, I guess I could venture to say that if you
>are talking about a case where faith is not possible in one who
>cannot comprehend Jesus, then I feel that God is a God of justice
>and fairness...and I think that they may have mercy because in the
>same turn, as they cannot understand faith, they also cannot
>understand sin.  Any other opinions on this?

I understand that how we view God's form of justice and fairplay affects
our very definition of the God we worship.  The danger is that I am not able 
to "judge" God on the basis of my criterion of "fairness."  Can the 'created' 
judge his 'Creator' - according to Paul, no (Romans 9:19-21).

There are clearly situations in life that are unprovable, undogmatic or out of 
our sight.  How God does or does not judge those who seemingly cannot under-
stand truth is just such a case.  Though I want to believe in an "age of 
accountability" for my daughters, and want to impart hope to those who lose 
young children, my Scriptural "texts" are sketchy at best.

Can a child truely believe?  According to Christ, we must all come to Him 
with 'child-like' faith.  Can the mentally disabled believe?  Many can,
like the down-syndrome afflicted girl in my church.

We also see in the context of judgement, that while "step one" is whether
our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, the focus of the two judge-
ments are our specific deeds.  In other words, there is clearly greater and 
lesser judgements (note I Cor 3 and Rev 20).  So, an aborigine in the bush 
would be judged differently than an American living in the same neighborhood 
as a Bible-believing church.  Beyond that, Scripture is fairly quiet, though 
we do see in Romans 1 that men repress God's truth, we see judgements on 
subsequent generations throughout Scripture, and we see entire cultures move
away from God (Gen 4).

Many questions are unknown this side of the first death, but our queries
will not justify errant belief.  As they say, we can be born twice and die
once, or be born once and die twice.  The latter is real and unfortunately
the wide road.  "It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the 
judgement."  (Heb 9:27).

May God the Holy Spirit convict us of our need to trust Him wholly.

John