Questions

Question: If there was no hell would Jesus have still come to die on the cross for us? Is hell the main reason that Jesus died?

If hell was what it was all about then why did access through God became available to all through Jesus?

What was man created for? The Westminster Confession says that “the chief end of man is to worship God and enjoy him forever.” Was not man created for God and by God? And was not man able to enjoy fellowship with God before sin?

Another Question: Did Jesus die on the cross to satisfy the wrath of God against man? Was God wrathful against his creation that he created and which he still does? Or do humans not value human life the way that God does?

Jesus did not come to keep people from hell but to restore the broken relationship between God and humanity that could not be fixed by the law and a sacrificial system. (Although not "going to hell" is a part of the restored relationship between us and God.)

If this is true than would it not make sense that the reason we would want to become a “Christian” is not to escape hell but rather to enjoy fellowship with our God and creator. So maybe instead of scaring people into heaven we should allow them to fall in love with their God, the one who wants to give them abundant life not just in heaven but here as well (even though life will never be perfect or free of pain).

For me salvation and being a “Christian” or Christ Follower is beyond heaven or hell but it is about restoration and enjoying God. It is about falling in love with the one who made me and the one who loves me. It is not about fear but about love, about grace, about enjoying the one who created me and loves me .

Why?

Jesus wept (John 11:35). Just two words but they show a wonderful side of Jesus. He is moved to tears over the loss of his friend Lazarus. What’s interesting is that before he gets to the tomb where Lazarus is laying he tells his disciples that he is going there to wake him (John 11:11). Jesus knew what was about to happen yet when he got there he still wept.

Tradition tells us that before Jesus was 30 his father Joseph died. My guess would be that Jesus wept at his tomb as well. But a different result took place. There was no miracle. There was no one being raised from the dead. Many years later when his brothers and sisters saw Jesus heal others I wonder if they thought back to the day their father was buried and wonder why Jesus didn’t do something.

Why? Why did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead but not his father?

Today there are many questions we ask.

Why is one person healed of cancer and another is not?

Why is one able to overcome an addiction and another is not?

Why is one baby born healthy and another is born with a disability?

Why?

Life is full of mysteries and unexplained questions. To try to make up answers can sometimes do more harm than good. And let’s face it we do not have all the answers anyway right? I know I don’t.

So what do we do? What do we say? How do we respond?

My answer… I don’t know.