If I Met Dr. John MacArthur, I’d Ask Him This About Heaven & Hell
No more simplistic answers to complex issues.
Dr. MacArthur,
My thoughts often drive me, for whatever reason, to the problematic topic of heaven and hell. It also tends to illicit passion out of me, so I apologize in advance if my question comes across fiery (see what I did there). Please have patience and bear with me.
I recently listened to you critique Billy Graham for his softened views about hell—who all is going, who all isn’t, the love of God, etc. Within that same audio clip, you also reflected on another prominent Christian saying,
“Catholic apologist Peter Kreeft… [says] that there are Buddhists and there are Hindus and there are Confucianists and there are Muslims and there are Atheists and there are orthodox Jews in heaven…
This belief is motivated by some human conception of ‘fairness’. ‘[As if] it’s not fair somehow, for somebody, somewhere, not to be able to be saved when they don’t have immediate access to the Gospel.’”
— John MacArthur —
I’m not exactly sure why you speak of the human conception of fairness or equal treatment so negatively. The Golden Rule Jesus articulated seems to be a principle of active fairness in response to loving our valued human neighbors of any nation or creed: “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
From your obvious dismissal of Kreeft’s and a large body of the Church’s view, I take it you believe God is quite fair in condemning a person to eternal conscious torment EVEN IF they do not have access to the Gospel. Which makes me wonder if you see real and vulnerable people behind the different perspectives and circumstances across the globe, or if you see numbers on a wrathful God’s eternal chopping block.
Either way, I have questions about ‘fairness’. Let’s shake things up before I ask them though.
First, try and forget you were born in a traditionally Christian American culture — a fact that plays a massive role in your conversion. Forget you are a fifth generation Christian pastor — socially influential, and maybe even a tad pressuring. Forget you spent your higher education career at notable Evangelical institutions such as Bob Jones, Azuza Pacific, and Biola — rigorously emboldening your prior beliefs and never presenting much of an intellectual or social challenge to your Christian upbringing. Forget the comfortable life your ministry has allowed you and your family to enjoy—which alleviates a major issue that most of humanity has to deal with. Finally, and this is a really important one, forget the theology that says the God of the universe fatalistically predestined you, and some lucky others, to eternal reconciliation and conscious utopia while simultaneously predestining other individuals to eternal separation and conscious torment in a fiery afterlife — believing glory is gotten through fatalistic eternal retributive punishment.
Instead, pretend you were born in a traditionally Islamic culture—nearly guaranteeing your religious conversion to Islam. Pretend that your family had little or no social status and worked tirelessly just to put food on the table each night—citing the Christian west as one of the reasons life is so hard. Pretend you never had an opportunity for higher education because time and money were spent on work and food—though a simple Muslim faith was intellectually and existentially satisfying to you. Pretend that no matter how hard you persevered, none of your endeavors ever became lucrative—yet you continued to toil daily so your children would have a better chance and better opportunities. Finally, and this is a really important one, pretend you genuinely tried to be a kind, generous, and loving person—truly believing God would be merciful if you faithfully prayed, followed the moral teachings of Islam, and worshiped him alone.
Now imagine physical death comes, and lo and behold, the Christians were right! Previously incomprehensible and blasphemous categories to your Muslim mind now sharply come into focus. Jesus wasn’t just a prophet raised to heaven by God. He was the Son of God who really died and rose bodily.
Not surprisingly, you are shocked! Shocked like Paul seeing a vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus. And, like Paul, after coming to grips with the reality of your newfound vision, your anti-Christian heart sees Truth.
But here comes the really bad news… The same God who you just learned was willing to sacrifice himself for humanity in an act of loving redemption and reconciliation condemns you to conscious torment in hell for eternity. In tears, before taking the longest walk of shame ever, you have a dialogue with God:
“Did I fail to meet your moral standards? Is that why I’m being sent to hell?”
“Yes.”
“I am truly sorry. I see many people get to enjoy heaven with you. They must have met your moral standards?”
“No.”
“How then, Lord, are they so fortunate to receive your eternal grace and mercy and not my eternally tragic fate?”
“While on Earth, I gave them faith in ME, Jesus, as their savior. I did not give you such faith. Therefore, they receive my grace and mercy and you receive my wrath.”
“Lord, I wish you would have given me that exact faith on Earth. It was never my conscious intent to displease you. I was taught how to worship from a young age and truly believed you would recognize my devotion, though imperfect, and show mercy toward my numerous moral failings. Christian beliefs honestly confused me. I was persuaded Christians corrupted your message and the prophet Mohammed gave us your true message. My teachers and I were misled. Please don’t let the children I left behind suffer my same fate.”
“Your genuine intent and life circumstances are irrelevant.”
Doesn’t the love and grace of God all Christians cling to make this concept absurd? Or, like Peter Kreeft’s concept of ‘fairness’, is my thinking purely motivated by some mere ‘human conception’ of ‘love’?
Try and forget answering as the western preacher. Answer while pretending you’re the middle eastern soul who was apparently born at the wrong time and in the wrong part of the world…
