[William Lane Craig] Q&A - Is Jesus the only way? What about those who never heard the Gospel?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ย. 2013
- Q&A from the 2013 Apologetics Canada Conference. To learn more about Apologetics Canada and to purchase the full DVD: www.apologeticscanadaconference.com
Conference DVD includes:
- Professional video of the 4 main sessions
- Mp3 audio of the 14 breakout sessions (does not include Logos training)
- Mp3 audio from Dr. Craig's lecture at UBC and to TWU faculty
- 6 Think For A Minute videos
- Think For A Minute Devotional
- Think For A Minute Discussion Questions / Recommended Resources
- Dr. Craig's PowerPoint / pdf notes
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Indeed a brilliant apologist...
The last chapter of his book On Guard really helped me understand this a few years ago. I think of it this way, God is like Dr Strange in Avengers Endgame. He can see all of the possible scenarios for a persons life. If even one set of events would result in the person being saved God will make it happen. No one can say if only I had this set of circumstances then I would have been saved. The bible says that God desires all to be saved so much so that he had Jesus die brutally for it. He's not going to screw anybody out heaven, he is just.
can you point me to anywhere in the bible where it states the part about 'even one scenario then God will make it happen...'
@@joseywales9726 Off the top of my head: “God determines the place and time we would live so that we might reach out to him”, He specifically sent Phillip to convert the eunuch who was searching for God”, “All who are my sheep hear my voice”, “If you search for God you will find him”. There’s other verses too that I’m forgetting.
@peacemaker Do you know this happens?
@peacemaker it could have been demonic
@peacemaker The evidence for Christianity is quite good.
The truth has been spoken!
This is an excellent intelligent position on folks being saved even before the Lord Jesus came to earth. It never crossed my mind that Job was not even an israelite but had a deep relationship with God. Fantastic stuff!
He’s so brilliant he makes my head hurt.
5:30 What he is saying is that we should be careful not to deny the antecedent.
If it rains there are clouds
If A, then B
It doesn't mean that if it doesn't rain, that there are no clouds
If -A then -B
In the same way, if you believe and confess you will be saved (A then B). It doesn't mean that if you don't confess that you won't be saved (-A then -B).
This is a logical fallacy.
no, you don't understand. Christ as the word of God that through the word all was created, the relevation of the existence and character of Christ in general revelation in creation, observed and emulated in the lives of people before Christ came to earth was the standard God used before Christ to offer salvation. Noah who was before the law was saved because he believed the word of God that told him to build and an ark and he would be saved, the word of God is Christ.
Yes...next question
This is a real stumbling block that the devil loves to use it to stop people from coming to faith in Christ. Knowing how big our God is we can safely assume that He had all peoples in mind when He said “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except by me.” First we need to understand that God hasn't got two plans of salvation, or three or four. Just one and it has been the same since the beginning. And if you would hear it, I contend that Adam and Eve were the very first "Christians." Let me clarify. The word Christ is the Greek term for the Hebrew term Messiah which means the Holy One to come. The first place we hear about the "Holy One to come" is in Genesis 3:15 in the Garden right after the fall of man. God predicts the "Seed" of the woman who shall come and crush the serpent's head and bruise His heel in the process. There we see the first Messianic prophecy. Anyone who trusted in the One to come was placing their faith in His salvation. Adam and Eve named their first child "Cain" which means man from God. This is a pretty good clue they were expecting Him and trusting in Him. Later we see God had instituted sacrifices as a means of looking forward to this One who would come. Cain brought the labors of his own hand and Able the spotless sacrifice that God accepted. In the old testament times God's people trusted in the Holy One to come by the sacrifice that represented the One true sacrifice to come. They may not have understood it to mean this but by faith they trusted God and looked forward to the Messiah/Christ. This means the old testament saints of God were just as much Christians as the New Testament. Now concerning those who never heard...Consider for a second Rom. 1:20 where God tells us we can know He exists by studying what He made. So that we are without excuse it says. So we know that God gives everyone the light of creation to know He exists. No one can be true to what they observe and still worship an idol made of wood or stone or bronze or gold. Next we read in Rom. 2:15 that God gives every man a conscience that bears witness to them. Our conscience tells us that God exists. The notion that God let someone pass into eternity without ever having a chance to be saved, makes God out to be pretty small and absent minded. Scriptures reveal that when any person on any plain of the planet respond to the light of creation and the light of their conscience then He sends someone to them to give them the light of Christ. Acts chapter 10 perfectly exemplifies how God works in this way. Cornelius was a “devout man” who feared God and gave alms generously. In other words he was responding to the light of creation and conscience. So God supernaturally sent Peter to give Cornelius the light of Christ. In verse 35 Peter affirms this is how God always responds to every nation. Again we serve a big and mighty God who can do all things beyond what we can imagine. In Rev. 5:9 we read that there will be people in heaven around the throne from EVERY nation, tribe, and tongue. Every means every. And so I don’t believe there is a single tribe or group in the history of the world who were left out. If they responded to their conscience and repented from worshiping their false gods and acknowledged the true God of creation, then He sent a missionary to their tribe to give them the light of Christ.
I think scriptures bare out the fact that God indeed got His message out to those who were responding to the light of creation and conscience. A perfect example would be when Joshua sent the spies into the town of Jericho. Most of the people of this town were not responsive however some were. Thus in Josh.2:10 Rahab tells the spies that they had already heard of what God was doing for and through the Hebrew people. Because Rahab responded with a true heart to what she had heard, her house was spared. And of course this was like 3500 BC. If there are, or were, ever a group or tribe to live and die never having heard of the Messiah/Christ to come it is because they did not respond to the light of creation and conscience.
Jack MonMathews All I know is Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me." Being God, He would never make such a statement if He knew there were some who never got a fair chance to know of Him and thus had "other" ways to the Father.
Jack MonMathews I love your attitude of humility brother. Never lose that. Don't forget that God tells us to "study to show our selves approved" and that we should always be prepared "to give a reason for the hope that lies with in you." So God doesn't just let us get away with David's "too high for me" comment as an excuse. We're called to give a defence to the world for the Gospel we proclaim. One argument often used by opposing people is the "those who never heard" argument. And let's be real... this is a valid argument. So I think it behooves us as believers to have wrestled with the issue and have a well reasoned response to it. Love you my friend. Your brother in Christ, Brad.
Jack MonMathews Also I would point out that the people of the old testament looked forward to the cross in the same way you and I now look back to the cross. BY FAITH! God announced His plan of salvation in the Garden when He prophesied One would be born of the seed of a woman who would crush the head of the serpent but bruise His heel in the process. Those who by faith would trust in the One to come or from our perspective trust in the one who came, would be saved.
Jack MonMathews I understand Jacob. We know that God is infinite and therefore logically "infinitely" beyond our ability to attain, retain, or comprehend. God knows this too. Therefore the things He knew we could comprehend He wrote all down for us. Jesus says it is those things that He has hidden from the wise and revealed to us "babes." (Mtt.11:25) God tells us that the deep things of Him are revealed to us by His Holy Spirit in us. (1Cor.2:10) So I think when David said there were things too high for him to attain he meant things like God's eternal existence and power. When it comes to God's plan of salvation this is earthly and so you are right...God would do "rightly" and make sure everyone could attain it. God doesn't reveal in His word any special plans for others. He has but one plan and the amazing thing is that from Genesis to Revelation we get a completely unified revelation of that one plan. Scriptures reveal that this was His plan before the very foundation of the world, we see it set into motion in Genesis at the time of man's fall, and we see it completed in Revelation when man's fullness comes in and we are completely redeemed. In Revelation 5:9 we see in heaven there will be people redeemed out of every...EVERY tribe, tongue, people, and nation by His blood. That tells me that "every" tribe and people on earth will have had an opportunity to hear God's one plan of salvation and there will not be a single person who lived and died that missed it.
And the rich man and Lazarus.....Lazarus didn't give that confession, either, but he went up to heaven. Jesus loves the disenfranchised, the poor and needy, and brokenhearted for such people are often the ones who know they need a Lord and Savior.
If God is the God of the living, then Moses and David and Daniel will all confess Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God the Father. Every knee will bow. All flesh shall see it tohether.
like a boss
So people who have no exposure to "the word" should definitely not be preached to for fear they might reject it and go to hell.
Not really, especially if you conclude that those who would reject wouldn't be saved anyway. Moreover, those who seek the truth wouldn't just offhandedly reject it without proper investigation.
We also don't know how those who were poorly introduced to the gospel will be judged compared to those better introduced to it.
There is still a life here on Earth that Christians are supposed to love and care for. To spread the hope for eternal life and the mission to clothe the naked feed the poor and love your neighbours and enemies. To be peacemakers, healers, teachers and friends to those in need.
Why hide away a talent when you can help unlock other people's desire to do the same?
This is at least my understanding of why one would seek to spread the "good news".
@@tahjsimon9058 according to what he said, my statement is absolutely factual. Bear in mind, I think it's all BS.
@@riffhammeron It by definition wouldn't be factual for the reasons I stated, at best it would be a follow up question if phrased as one.
You watched a few minutes clip and instead of saying; doesn't sharing the gospel pose a risk to some that might be good people but reject the gospel either because of a flawed messenger or it being poorly presented. You posed it as a guarantee when you know full well that you cannot defend such a claim philosophically.
It is obvious by your initial statement that you find it BS btw.
With God being all knowing of who will or will not respond to The Gosepl, it seems that He would somehow get The Good News to everyone who will respond before their last breath even in back woods 3rd world countries.
Even if some dont know the gospel of CHRIST he said that GOD give every mankind creature free will of choice to do good and evil in their life so their choice of action is going to decide their eternal faith..
I believe this as GOD knows his creation very well about mankind how vulnerable it is so he gave us free will of choice which he really care about to decide our eternal faith.. Even the person beside him on the cross is a full time sinner but at the last he fully accept how sinister monster he is and tell jesus just to remember him when he reach his kingdom..
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Jesus is the only way. This is an awesome answer to this question, and I think is perfectly accurate.
Is it true that Satan is now dating Medusa?
Yes we know y'all atheists think the Bible is fiction. Lord knows ye've harped on that point for 12 years or more. 2edgy4me.
Ok, problem solved! We have salvation "if" we believe in Christ! One more problem: We are not able to believe, nor repent, nor choose Christ(according to calvinism).
now finish the reformed teaching and then you can address Psalm 14 and Romans 3 teaching on the status of man
If this was true, Jesus sacrifice on the cross would’ve been pointless. Jesus is the only way to salvation NOT Knowledge.
Besides, if Christ was brought back from the dead, he wasn't sacrificed at all was he?
That's like saying, "If he was brought back from the dead then he didn't die." He gave his life, and he endured horrendous agony. That was the sacrifice. The fact that he wasn't ultimately defeated is neither here nor there.
funny you start a debate on a video of christian apologetics.
As I listen on, it's just shocking how someone can be so mixed up in their minds. Seriously Craig, listen to yourself. It's absolutely ridiculous what you are saying. Either it DOES matter that you hear the gospel, or it DOESNT. You can't have it both ways.
That is a misrepresentation of Craig's position. The reality is that some people don't hear the Gospel and Craig is simply saying there is hope for such people. This is not the contradiction that you imply in your comment. Concerning your previous comment, you may disagree with Christianity, perhaps you are an atheist. But the question of whether a Creator exists is a valid question. The question of whether such a Creator has communicated to His creation is also a valid question. Not walking under ladders is 'superstitious nonsense'. Being a Christian is a valid, thought through worldview and rests on a reasonable foundation regardless of whether you believe or not.
@@Freethinkingtheist77 is this in response to Jay’s comment here? What was expressed that led you to presuppose his beliefs (that he is an atheist)? I think it is a valid question regarding the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why would there be a need for missions if the unreached were beneficiaries of atonement? We would be doing others a disservice by sharing the knowledge of salvation, with the possibility of them rejecting Christ, the only name by which men can be saved! I do not see anywhere is Scripture where man is judged on the light that he has. Man has no light. He was born in darkness. That is why we must go and tell others of the hope that we have in Jesus! The Scriptures teach that because of sin, death reigned through the line of Adam (Romans 5:17). But in Christ, to those who would receive Him, who believe in His name, He would give the right to become children of God (John 1:12).
I agree, this Natural Theology that William is teaching is heresy.
Beware false prophets like William Lane Craig
Wait I'm confused ..... if people can be saved if they haven't heard of Christ.... then y would I tell them about the gospel??
because GOD told u to do so....
Your comment implies that anyone who hasn't heard of Christ is saved. Listen carefully to the video again because that is not Craig's position.
@@Freethinkingtheist77 No. No one needs to listen to it again. I think you need to reread his comment. He never implied that anyone who has not heard of Christ is saved. Why tell people about the gospel, if everyone is going to be judged no matter what? Whether it is God or nature, everyone will be judged equally. If that is the case, what's the point of spreading the gospel? It seems like everyone will receive an equal judgment.
job and Moses were under the Jewish law,and they obeyed God.
that's a very good dodge you made there. this isn't going anywhere.
why can't religious people just give an answer.
He did...
When Jesus said: I am the way, the truth, and the life; Jesus was stating the truth. God, or the force of Love that animates all of life; is the way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus was not speaking personally about himself. What Jesus meant is that Love is the way to live, Love is the truth, and Love is the way to eternal life; not in the sense of heaven, but as a way to know yourself as the eternal being that you are.
When you know yourself as Love, you know yourself as God. God, the I am that is within Jesus, is the same God that is within everyone.
The spirit that is within Jesus is also within everyone. God is the same in everyone, and God's name is Love.
@Caleb King:
Jesus did not die for our sins! Jesus came to teach us the Truth, so that we would stop behaving in ways that harm ourselves and others.
Jesus came to teach us the Way of Love, which is also the Way of Forgiveness. For that reason, Jesus did not needed to be crucified and denounced.
Jesus' crucifixion did not redeem us or wash away our sins! But it did succeed in making Jesus a martyr, which helped ensure that Jesus' teachings lived on.
Jesus did came to redeem us, but from ourselves! From our own delusionary beliefs and lack of Love, by teaching us another way.
No one can actually redeem us, but ourselves! No one is redeemed from their sins by a Saviors act; least of all, a blood sacrifice.
The concept of making a blood sacrifice [to win approval or forgiveness from God] is pure superstition, a throwback to primitive humankind and their ancient religions. Jesus did not sacrifice his body for us, or for any reason.
A Savior brings the teachings, then people must redeem themselves by applying those teachings in their lives. No one is redeemed without a commitment and some effort on their part to know Love and follow it; there is no other way.
Jesus and others light the way, but each person must choose to step on the path of Love and live it. Again! Only we can redeem ourselves from our sins and delusionary beliefs.
@@edgarmorales4476 You say that you believe Jesus came to speak the truth, but deny it’s true that Jesus is the only way even though Jesus himself said “no one comes to the father except through me”. Please elaborate
King of the universe and creator of everything can't come up with a better solution than brutally killing a guy.
What he did just shows how just God he is
@@johnsonmanamohan4437 How is it justice for Jesus to be tortured? Call it something else, but it definitely isn't just.
@@riffhammeron his law says penalty for sin is death...instead of punishing
us to die for our sins..he took it upon himself...he fulfilled the requirements..
@@johnsonmanamohan4437 why was blood necessary? Couldn't he just forgive without torturing someone?
@@riffhammeron he didn't torture anyone..he himself came in the form of human and died in our place
Where in his Bible did WLC get this nonsense???
your not getting it! I cant even answer your question until I understand what you see as evidence. so that I can show you that either your requirement isn't reasonable or logical OR that there is in fact much evidence both historically, philosophically and even scientifically of a God. so define delusion and evidence and then I would be happy to answer you.
I don't want you to answer if you don't know the definition of evidence and delusion.
You obviously don't know much about Christianity.
It saddens me to see such a clearly intelligent man as Craig spouting such utter superstitious nonsense.