Is Truth worth Dying For?

1
Is Truth worth Dying For?

• The challenge of the early church was to decide
  if the Truth of the Gospel was worth dying for,
  then it had to be worth living for!!

2
Central Issue of Mission Motivation Is Christ
really Unique and Who He said He was?

• Universalists naively believe everyone will be
  saved
• Others hold that sincere seekers after God will
  not be condemned, even if not believers
• New Wider Hope Theory or Reformed Hope for
  Unreached or Inclusivism
• A pastor wrote, Behind the shameful apathy and
  lethargy of the church, that allows one thousand
  millions (now three billion) of human beings to
  go to their graves in ignorance of the Gospel,
  there lies a practical doubt, if not denial, of
  their lost condition.

3
Uniqueness of Christ

• Claimed equality with God, same attributes,
  power, knowledge, and worship as God
• Was the only begotten, monogenes, a class by
  himself, only one of kind, unique.
• NAU Acts 412 "And there is salvation in no one
  else for there is no other name under heaven
  that has been given among men by which we must be
  saved.
• NAU 1 Tim 25 For there is one God, and one
  mediator also between God and men, the man Christ
  Jesus,

4
No other religious leader claimed to be God!

• Some leaders like Gautama, the Buddha, Confucius
  and Lao Tse were agnostics about even knowing God
  or even to be concerned about God!
• Some religions do not have identifiable leaders
  Hinduism and Shinto
• Two are close to concept of God Zoroaster and
  Islam
• Zoroaster had ancient views, not written until
  after Christ, likely influenced by Christianity
  in Iran (Cyrus may have been)
• Mohammad borrowed much from Judaism and
  Christianity though modified concept of God
• Mystical, emotional relationship deceives many
  of false reality

5
Jesus life supports His Uniqueness

• 100 prophecies fulfilled at first coming
• Only human born of a virgin (Marys virgin birth
  is a myth or false tradition of Catholics)
• Confirmed His deity by unique miracles
• Gave prophecies which never fail
• He alone died for the sins of others
• He alone ascended to heaven
• He alone can be with you today

6
His Unique Salvation

• Uniqueness of the falleveryone is guilty before
  God
• No religion has any salvation from sin!
• None have a notion that man is a fallen creature
  incapable of ever being good enough for salvation
• Hindu moksha (realization) is release from life
  cycles Buddhas nirvana (oblivion) is release
  from suffering (a transferance to nothing)
• Zorastrianism and Islam have concept of Paradise
  but it is supposedly attained by human merit

7
His Unique Salvation

• Uniqueness of Gracefreely given through faith
• All religions based on human merit
• Only Christianity teaches God reaches down to man
  to offer a full and free salvation.
• Catholics see grace as commodity of
  overabundance of works by saints dispersed by
  Church rites

8
His Unique Benefits

• Total forgiveness of sin, without need of merit
  or sacrificeJesus paid it all!
• Present assurance of eternal life with Christ

9
Are the Heathen Really Lost?

• Who are they? unconverted, unbelieving or any
  unchurched person.
• What do we mean by lost?
• What Jesus came to seek (Lk 1910)must be
  important
• Consequence of Adams fall was devastatingall
  mankind was separated from God
• Nothing in common with God (I 1 Cor 211 For who
  among men knows the thoughts of a man except the
  man's spirit within him? In the same way no one
  knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of
  God.
• Adam died in his spirit to God immediately (Gen
  217)
• Caused entire race to be born spiritually dead,
  under wrath, without hope and without God and
  alienated from the life of God (Eph 21-3, 12
  418)

10
Universal Physical and Spiritual Death

• Bible truth leaves every person without excuse
• Rom 319 Now we know that whatever the law says,
  it says to those who are under the law, so that
  every mouth may be silenced and the whole world
  held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will
  be declared righteous in his sight by observing
  the law rather, through the law we become
  conscious of sin.
• Romans 512 Therefore, just as sin entered the
  world through one man, and death through sin, and
  in this way death came to all men, because all
  sinned-

11
Universal Physical and Spiritual Death

• We sin because we are sinners
• We are not becoming lostman is already lost!
• Both those who have never heard, or those who
  reject the gospel are equally lost John 318
  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but
  whoever does not believe stands condemned already
  because he has not believed in the name of God's
  one and only Son.
• Note you are not lost because you reject Christ
  ---- You are lost because you have not believed
  even if you have never heard!
• The only solution offered in the world is through
  Christ

12
All Mankind Needs Salvation

• Luke 135 I tell you, no! But unless you repent,
  you too will all perish.
• Acts 1730-31 In the past God overlooked such
  ignorance, but now he commands all people
  everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day
  when he will judge the world with justice by the
  man he has appointed. He has given proof of this
  to all men by raising him from the dead.
• Acts 2021 I have declared to both Jews and
  Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance
  and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

13
What about those who have not heard?

• Heathen have had a revelation of God it is not
  like they have no knowledge they know something
  of God
• Two kinds of General Revelation of God
• Heathen were not always heathenmankind
  originally knew God
• They suppressed truth (Rom 118)
• They did not honor God as God, nor thanked Him
  (121)
• In prideful wisdom they indulged in foolish
  speculation (122)
• With each generation they fell deeper into
  idolatry and immorality (123-25) though many
  pagan tribes retain traditions or legends from
  this time
• Man also has a revelation of God in nature (Rom
  119-20)
• Cosmological argument universe must have had an
  origin
• Teleological argument design and order in
  creation demands a Designer
• Revelation of Human Consciencelaw of God written
  in heart (Rom 212-16)though marred by sin it
  shows guilt

14
General Revelation

• Is only able to CONDEMN MAN or points to the need
  of help beyond human help Just as the Law only
  condemns!
• If honest, General Revelation provokes a search
  for the truth about God.
• There is no hint of Gods plan of salvation.
• It remains OUR RESPONSIBILITY to make available
  to the world the only solution.

15
Gods Holiness and Judgment

• Those who rationalize away Gods judgment on
  heathen, usually appeal to Gods love.
• Some like to ignore Gods wrath and holiness
• Habakkuk 113 Your eyes are too pure to look on
  evil you cannot tolerate wrong.
• One seemingly minor sin (humanly speaking)
  condemned the entire human race and creation
  such is Gods holiness
• Inclusivists tend to ignore or deny Gods
  judgment on mankind (Tower of Babel, 10
  judgmental plagues, extermination of immoral
  Canaanites and judgments on pagan nations)
• It must be noted that God has degrees in judgment
  in hell (Mat 1120-24) and He always does justly

16
Reductio ad absurdum

• A way to test the logic of a proposition
  reducing to the absurd extreme.
• If only those who reject the gospel are lost
  then it is better if they never hear this makes
  any mission effort absurd.
• If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those
  who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has
  blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they
  cannot see the light of the gospel 1Cor 43-4

17
Reductio ad absurdum

• Religion is a tool Satan uses to keep men from
  knowing God.
• Apostate or mystical Christianity can deceive
  unbelievers. Mat 715, 21-25, "Beware of the
  false prophets, who come to you in sheep's
  clothingNot every one that saith unto me, Lord,
  Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but
  he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
  heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
  Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in
  thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name
  done many wonderful works? Then I will tell them
  plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you
  evildoers!'

18
Objections Answered

• Isnt Sincerity Enough? No hint that God is
  impressed when one is sincere, but wrong
• Is it really fair of God to condemn those who
  have never heard?
• Cant look at life from just mans view must see
  Gods perspective
• If all merit eternal condemnation, then only by
  Gods grace can anyone be saved
• Romans 22 Now we know that God's judgment
  against those who do such things is based on
  truth.

19
Can God apply the merits of Christs death to the
pious heathen apart from hearing and believing
the gospel?

• Some want to allow Gods regeneration of people
  unconditionally, arbitrarily whether they hear or
  not
• Some have misunderstood Romans 325 God presented
  him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in
  his blood. He did this to demonstrate his
  justice, because in his forbearance he had left
  the sins committed beforehand unpunished
• Hebrews 915 For this reason Christ is the
  mediator of a new covenant, that those who are
  called may receive the promised eternal
  inheritance-- now that he has died as a ransom to
  set them free from the sins committed under the
  first covenant.

20
OT saints not comparable

• OT pagan saints had considerable revelation NOT
  written (Job, Melchizedek, Jethro)
• They were not dependent upon Natural Revelation
• They trusted Yahweh and Messianic expectations
• The content of faith grew with each successive
  revelation
• Now there are no exceptions nor exemptions all
  must believe in Christ, or remain lost forever
• Muslims believe that to call prophet Jesus God
  Incarnate is greatest of sins, a blasphemy
• Hindus who mystically worship 33 million gods ,
  and/or as pantheists deny the personality of God
• Buddhists deny any personal God. There is only
  an impersonal force of energy

21
Conclusion to Revealed Truth

• If or Since Jesus IS who He said He was, then
  everyone must hear the news, understand it in
  their language clearly, and choose to believe and
  trust in Him for full forgiveness and sure
  salvation.
• John 146 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the
  truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
  except through me.
• Make sure that you personally have told Jesus
  that you have put your hope for forgiveness and
  heaven exclusively in His death on the Cross as
  promised in the Scriptures.
• Now you, too, have a message that must be told to
  the whole world.