Perhaps this would be better titled, “Questions I’d Like Answered”, but here goes. These have been buzzing around my head like fruit flies, and I thought it’d ask all of my good friends to share some input. I don’t want this to digress to “doubtful disputations”, but I got stumped in class on some of these and am asking for insight from you, my readers:
QINA#1: Varying Degrees of Punishment
Are there varying degrees of (after death) punishment for sin? In other words, will the man without Christ who lies to his boss face as severe a punishment as a child rapist without Christ? Obviously, both constitute a breach of the law, but are they both equally as egregious?
And if there is only one punishment for every sin, why do we have varying degrees of punishment on the earth? Shouldn’t we have one single punishment for all in an effort to emulate the Kingdom?
And along those lines, consider the fact that the God of the Old Testament gave many different punishments based on the offense.
QINA#2: Sola Christos
If there is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved but Jesus Christ, what of Old Testament saints? Now I know the answer you’re going to give; you’ll say that they are saved by looking forward to Christ. But they did not have his name; so in truth they are really saved by the concept of Christ. Does that then imply that those today who do not know the name of Christ can still be saved by His concept?
QINA#3: Accountable But Not Able
How can a man be held accountable before God by general revelation (nature, etc.) without being able to respond to it? Can a man be saved by the declaration of the heavens? (Ps.19:1) If not, how can he be condemned for not responding to something he is not capable of responding to?
QINA#4: Pompey and the Most Holy Place
Why was the Roman general Pompey not struck dead when he entered the Holy of Holies in the temple? If God was willing to tear apart Uzzah, a Jew with good intentions, for touching the Ark of the Covenant, why would he spare Pompey, a insolent pagan, who claimed the right to violate the Holy of Holies? This was well before the veil was rent at the crucifixion. If the temple was already “empty”, the significance of the veil being rent would be greatly diminished, if not meaningless altogether.
QINA#5: Native American Salvation
We know how God shared His truth and His salvation with the Jews; what of those people who did not live anywhere near the Fertile Crescent? How did people from Japan or Native America get saved? And this then ties into QINA#2 … they obviously did not know Christ or Jehovah. Should we assume then that all are damned? Or should we assume a broader view of salvation?
