Why?

Can you believe Ash Wednesday is less than a month away? It marks the beginning of Lent which can be thought of as a time a self-examination. Thinking back I recall those who have influenced my life the most. One such person was my high school civics teacher. One day he gave us a pop quiz using one word, “Why?” Pondering the question I thought “Why, Why what?” Part of me wanted to stand up and say “COME ON! REALLY? ARE YOU SERIOUS?” Determined, I put my pen to paper in hopes of giving an answer which would be awe inspiring. Proud of my answer I handed in what should have been considered a literary masterpiece that would influence society. My elation was short lived when I found out the answer was a single word, “Because”. The purpose of this quiz taught the class not to over complicate an answer to a simple question.


Think about this for a moment. Isn’t there a tendency for us to over think our explanations that we fail to provide an answer to the question? If someone approached us today about our beliefs, especially in the church, how would we respond? Often the responses to questions about our faith beliefs confuse others who never fully understand what we are saying. A simple question about “why” we believe what we do is complicated in trying to provide an eloquent theological dissertation describing our faith. During a round of golf a member of the foursome I was in asked me a question in regards to my theological stance on Scripture. He asked that if 100 people on an island had neverheard the good news of Jesus Christ and they died would they enter into the kingdom of heaven? At this moment there is no doubt in my mind that many of you are pondering this question. What is your answer and “Why”?

Before I could ever respond my golf buddy gave me an answer supported through the quoting of scriptural references. Told to me was the 100 folks on the island are denied God’s redemptive grace since they never professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Big theological words were used. Of course my limited cranial capacity proved to hinder my ability to understand his answer. LOL! All I could think about at the moment was Ezekiel 3:18 conveying the idea that if we are not sharing the word of God with those who have no knowledge then we will be held accountable for their death. In other words if we have knowledge of people on an island who have never heard the good news then we will be responsible if they die without knowledge of Jesus.

As for those on the island entering into the kingdom of heaven, well, let’s make sure they hear about God’s redemptive love.