Subject: Be serious about this- |
Bible Note: Aspiring Overseer, Your name is interesting. You are seeking God to become a counselor or pastor or father of kids? If any are the case, then keep seeking and He will lead you down the right path! In response, the person who doesn't understand is not held accountable until the Holy Spirit enlightens him as he seeks to understand. The verses you mention refer to those who have rejected knowledge, not those who are ignorant of it. They know something is wrong, but they turn from the truth. I'm referring to people who were a) never approached and so do not know to seek and b) who are seeking and haven't yet had an experience or "epiphany" that further explains God's truth. Babes in Christ are not held to the same standards as mature Christians or else I fear many more people would give up before they started out of a sense of hopelessness. (I would be very discouraged if I died right now and was held accountable at the same level as Mother Theresa!) I will answer as best I can to each passage: Job 36:10 refers to God giving instruction to man, if they hear (turn toward God), then they are blessed (v11). However, if they don't hear (reject God), then they are cursed (v12) to die without the knowledge of how rich both in spiritual and perhaps physical wealth life would be if they would let go of their pride, anger, and self-righteousness (see ch 35, esp.ly v 12-14, and ch 36, esp.ly v 17-19). Prov 19:2, I'm not sure how this verse supports your argument as it only says it isn't good to lack knowledge, not that something bad will happen because you lack knowledge. Isa. 27:11 is referring to Israel (the "fortified city" in v 10) turning from the Lord to their own methods. The passage speaks of people who, instead of seeking the Lord's will, or asking the Spirit for guidance, try to do things for themselves. This is a pride issue. Deut. 32:28-31 and Isa. 1:2-3 further explains the passage in ch 27. Israel became prideful and sought their own way. They are not an ignorant nation, but a prideful nation. I do not understand your point for using Jer 5:3-4, either (as I didn't understand the use of Prov. 19:2). V 3 says "You have smitten them" and "You have consumed them" but "they have refused to repent". Again, this passage is dealing with Israel's rebellion. They are seeking anything but justice and truth (v 1), yet when God disciplines them, they continue to rebel. A person is not described to be in a state of rebellion, thus requiring smiting and consuming, if he doesn't know he is rebelling. God only disciplines those who knowingly and willingly place their will or desires above God's. Matt 15:14 is describing the Pharisees, not ignorant people (see v 12). If you look at 2 Cor 4:2, you will see that those who are perishing do so because they are crafty and adulterate, or change the meaning of, the gospel. Hos 4:6 begins with v 4 where the people are likened to those who contend with priests. This isn't a result of ignorance, but of rebellion. They contend because they don't want to obey, or they want to alter, the rules. "My people" means God's chosen ones, or Israel. They are cursed because they rejected knowledge, thus allowing generational sin. The stronghold established through the parents will not be broken until the ancestors seek the Lord. Just as Adam sinned and caused the rest of humanity to be born in sin, so did Israel curse its children. As an example of my point, a parent shouldn't hold his child accountable for something until the something has been clearly defined, otherwise, how would the child know what he has done wrong? 1 Sam 3:13 says that God holds the *parents* responsible for the sons' evil ways because the *parents* know. In the same way, God holds His children (those who have repented and accepted Jesus as their Savior) accountable for the truths we know. However, it isn't good to remain a babe in Christ, for then we cannot fulfill the Great Commission. In Christ, Estelle |