Questioning God

David Porter at boomerinthepew.com questions:

"The word just, or justice seems to fail me as well. Can I presume that somehow God is unjust? Somehow, using that word makes me shudder.

All this comes about, by the way, in considering God's condemnation of a fictional Masai warrior, who lives is the depths of Africa, has never heard the gospel, has not therefore been born again, dies, and subsequently spends eternity in hell."


Any believer who has any sensitivity has or does ponder about that question from time to time. If a professing Christian did not, I would really wonder if he had any inward workings of grace.

David wonders if it is not insolence to ask such a question of God, but I don't believe that it is, if it's asked sincerely and not as an invitation to doubt God. The Bible shows that God works in very different ways with those of His people who question Him, depending on their motives. Those who murmured against God fell in the wilderness (Numbers 14:27), while Jeremiah complained bitterly to God's face, even going so far as to day, "Lord, You have deceived me, and I was fooled!" and was not punished (Jer. 20:7). Instead of being consumed on the spot, he received such grace that he was able to later say, "They [Your mercies] are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness."

The difference between the two I believe is that the Israelite directed their complaints against God to justify their disobedience and wilful alienation, while Jeremiah complained to God within the context of his faith-relationship.

Not only are such questions not "punishable", but I believe that there is a spiritual value in the questioning. We need to be honest to God about our doubts and "unworthy" thoughts to keep a free and open relationship with Him. If we do, we bring them within the realm of His grace. If we try to suppress them, they will not go away; they will just stay there under the surface and poison the relationship.

And if we find it hard to understand why God can show grace to such "affronts" to His dignity, I think it is because we really lack a conception of the humility of God. But that is a fit subject for a whole 'nother post.

In the case of the "Masai" question, I don't know the answer....and perhaps it's better that I don't. If I did - if I found some explanation to justify the lost which perfectly satisfied my reason, would not my fleshly nature use it as a rationalization to close my heart off from their fate? And if I did, how could I be said to have the mind of Christ toward them?

It may be the working of God's grace which leads the believer to care enough about a total stranger's destiny to want to know God's heart on the lost. But the believer who wants to know the answer must also be willing to become the answer.

One can debate the fate of the Masai warrior....or one can go speak to him. The link below is the fascinating story of a man who did just that.

http://www.ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/01_3_PDFs/1_3%20Christianity%20Rediscovered%20Buswell%20fixed.pdf

Thanks to this believer's obedience, we'll have to find another hypothetical hopelessly benighted person for the purposes of David's question, because such no longer exist among the Masai. As a replacement, may I suggest the present generation of Western youth? Many have heard the name of Jesus only as a swear word and have no idea what the gospel is.

It is idle for us to wonder about God's fairness when people are living in darkness within our reach. Now that is unfair. I'm convicted that we believers really need to seek the Lord more about this.

I know from my all too inconsistent experience that I tend to stop wondering about God's purposes when I know I am living in His purpose. Somehow being the answer makes it less necessary to know the answer.