Colossians 1:9-14
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray
for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all
spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the
Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in
the knowledge of God. May you be
strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance
and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to
share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and
transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins.
“How could a loving God send people to hell?” This is
the question Christians around the world have heard over and over again when
talking to friends, family, and loved ones who are resistant to the idea that
salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. My reflections on this question have caused me to realize a
very dangerous and insidious supposition exists at its core. There is a presupposition that people
are all bound for heaven but that there is this omnipotent Being who for some
unspecified reason chooses that some ought be sent to hell.
The action within this question is “to send” as if to say that those
being sent would have otherwise been heaven-bound, except for the fact that God
intervened and determined to send them to hell. The notion that heaven is the default for humankind is fundamentally
flawed.
The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.”
Then in 6:23 of the same book we read, “For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Adam and Eve were created without sin,
but they allowed themselves to be tempted into sin. The result is that each one of us who has come after Adam
and Eve (i.e. every one of us) is born
with a sin nature. A young child
does not need to be taught to sin – the ability to sin comes naturally to
him/her. Rather, we must teach our
children to do what’s right.
Romans 5:12 tells us “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through
one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” The progression is then as
follows: Adam and Eve were created
in God’s image – free from sin.
They chose to enter into sin.
The sin nature was then passed down to all mankind. The default cost of sin is death which
thus extends to all mankind – not eternal life in Heaven, rather eternal
death. But, the “free
gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord!” God
isn’t arbitrarily sending people to hell.
He sacrificed His own Son to intervene on our behalves in order that all
who receive Him should inherit eternal life as children of God. John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive
Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of
God.” God’s action isn’t “to send”
people to hell. Rather, His action
is to give broken people the right to become children of God. He has “qualified us to share
in the inheritance of the saints in light.” The Strong’s definition of “qualified”
is “to make sufficient” or “made adequate”. God’s action is not to arbitrarily send people to hell, but
rather to make broken and sinful people adequate for Heaven.
The final verse in today’s passage is a powerful depiction
of the full impact of God’s work in the life of a believer. We are born with a sin nature which
causes us separation from our God and Creator. Barring intervention, we are bound for death and the domain
of darkness. BUT, for those who
choose to believe in His Name, God has given the right to become His
children. In so doing, He
literally delivers us from that domain of darkness and transfers us to the
Kingdom of His Son. I can picture
an image of people unknowingly headed toward hell and destruction, when all of
a sudden one of them realizes his need for a Savior. He calls out to God and immediately a hand from above
reaches down and lifts him off of the path toward destruction and places him on
the path toward eternal life. God
is not sending people to hell. He is making us adequate for heaven and
delivering us from hell. His is the work of redemption.
Speaking of redemption, I am reminded of the analogy that a
friend of mine excitedly shared many years ago. She was from a different part of the country and had never
heard of the term “redemption center”.
For those like her who are unfamiliar with this designation, it’s the
term used for a business which buys back empty cans and bottles for recycling
purposes. In Maine, we literally
bring our empty cans and bottles to the redemption center and receive five
cents per item. I recall this
friend’s excitement when she realized that a redemption center is a place that
pays money for something that would otherwise be considered worthless. Aside from some clever ideas that one
might find on Pinterest, what can the typical person do with empty cans and
bottles except dispose of them?
But, the redemption center takes those items that are lacking in value
and places worth upon them – it says, you have value in my eyes. Her analogy was clear. God takes broken and sinful people who
are headed for destruction and redeems us through the forgiveness of our sins. He gives us value beyond anything we
ever would have had on our own.
Our steadfast God qualifies us as His children and sends us to heaven if
we will simply receive the free gift that He offers.
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