by jimwalton » Tue Jun 19, 2018 2:50 pm
> I referenced Lewis's quote earlier was to insinuate that belief in Christ was a matter of historical fact, not salvation.
In Christian theology, Jesus's historical purpose was to secure salvation (Mk. 10.45). "Belief in him" is not belief that he existed historically, but belief that he was God incarnate sent by the Father to atone for the sins of humanity. Since Christianity takes the position that there is only one God, and YHWH/Jesus is that one God, then there is no other path to salvation. Every other path is a false path and a dead end.
> as long as they sincerely sought after the truth and lived virtuously.
This is one thing that the Bible is quite clear about. We can never come to salvation based on our own efforts or our own merits. It's like trying to swim the Pacific Ocean from L.A. to Tokyo. While some might get further than others, the distance is just too far for effort or merit to have anything to do with it. We are saved by Christ's blood, and salvation on that basis is offered to us as a free gift. All we have to do is give our lives to Him, meaning to love Him with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength. It's on the basis of relationship, not merit, that our sins are forgiven.
> both scenarios are mere speculation; as you've stated, the Bible doesn't specify the mechanism by which God saves those who haven't heard of Christ.
Right. While it might be fun to speculate (and it is), and some speculation may glance off the truth (it's hard to know), we simply don't know.
> If I suddenly passed away tomorrow and discovered the Christian God, I'd request an allowance to learn more information about Him so that I may better understand His perspective and receive assurance of His benevolent intentions.
This is interesting, but it sounds as if you don't think you have enough material to make an informed decision at this point. The 4 Gospels are loaded with material, and Paul's writings have a truckload of implications and interpretations of that information.
> For curiosity's sake, could you describe a few of these other aspects?
I can try. I'll assume you've heard various things about Jesus from when your were young and continuing to whatever age you are now.
* How was it presented to you? Did that person skew it, warp it, mock it? Did they teach it accurately and lovingly? Were they hypocrites, and you learned to associate Christianity with false concepts?
* When you think about the claims of Christ, are you objective, biased, curious, skeptical, angry, mocking, or open?
* Are the questions you roll through your mind honest, loaded, tainted? Do you give it as much open objectivity as possible, or are there emotional, psychological, or logical barriers?
An omniscient judge, to be fair, has to take all of this into consideration to render a fair verdict.
> However, when I think of a judge, I usually imagine an authority figure imposing his will upon legal offenders by sentencing harsh penalties.
I perceive a judge as imposing the assessment of the law upon offenders regardless of his will (ideally). He or she follows the lines of legal precedent and wisdom, but there is always the possibility of tempering his verdict with mercy or compromise based on certain perceive conditions.
> If separation from God automatically leads to a complete absence of life, goodness, and joy, then it's difficult to perceive how varying degrees of separation would make a difference.
This is a great question. The full fury of Hell is the complete absence of those assets, but since there are degrees of punishment in hell there must also be degrees of misery, goodness, etc.
C.S. Lewis wrote a fascinating little book called "The Great Divorce." In it he describes what he perceives hell to be like (a miserable city where it's always cloudy and lousy weather, where the people are testy, the lines are long, nothing works right, etc.). Some people there decide to take a bus trip to heaven to see what it's like there. Then he describes heaven. Most of the people can't stand it, and they get back in the bus, wanting nothing to do with it. One particular guy is intrigued, explores, etc., and eventually he gets to stay.
It's only about 125 pages long if your library has it and you get a free evening some time.
> Isn't a human soul under a lesser degree of separation from God still just as deprived of life, goodness, and joy as a human soul under a greater degree of separation?
God's presence in the Bible is always variable. Unlike his holiness, his presence can be lesser or more intense depending on the situation.