"LIFE IS FULL OF QUESTIONS. SOME ARE TRIVIAL OTHERS MORE SERIOUS, BUT SOME ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. HOWEVER, THE GREATEST AND ULTIMATE QUESTION IN LIFE MAY BE UNANSWERABLE!"

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about THE UNANSWERABLE QUESTION!

… In life regardless of who we are, there are many questions that come forth in our minds that we desire answers for. However, there are some questions to which there are no answers we can discern. Questions like, “How deep is a bottomless pit?” or, “How long is eternity? Questions like these pose no answer. However, in the Bible there is another question that has no answer! In fact, no matter how you try to solve it, there is absolutely no answer any human being can conclude. Today, I want to explore that question, and in a sense find an answer not to the question itself, but what calls all humanity to consider the basis of its asking. Now what is this question? Well, it is found in the Bible in the Book of Hebrews where we read,

Heb 2:3 (NIV)  “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation..”

There you have it! The ultimate question for which, quite frankly, no human being has or will ever have the answer! It is an “unanswerable question,” but today on the broadcast after we pause one more time for a musical moment, I’ll answer for you the “opposite response” that if answered correctly, will bring the most wonderful joy and blessing of life. Stay tuned…

… The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us that there is something every human being must know about and must never miss while they have life on this planet. It is summed up in one word ¾ SALVATION! Again, listen to this passage of Scripture that contains this “Unanswerable Question,”

Heb 2:3 (NIV)  “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation..”

The answer of course is we have no answer to “how shall we escape?” For the Bible tells us there is nothing even imaginable, that can enable us to escape the coming judgment of God when our life is over, if we have “ignored” God’s offer of “such a great salvation.” Now, let’s explore this passage of Scripture and find out what God is offering and what our response should be to AVOID this judgment that will come for such neglect in this life. First, we must ask: WHAT IS SALVATION?

The teaching about salvation in the Bible is both complex and simple. On the one hand most Westerners today can quote at last part of two most well-known verses that speak of salvation in the New Testament. They are,

(1) John 3:16 (NIV)  “”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

(2) Acts 16:31 (NIV)  “…Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.””

Here we have two wonderful verses of Scripture telling us how to obtain salvation. Which one of us can explain this man Jesus Christ, or His plan of salvation which God has revealed in the Bible?  It is a plan to save us all from the judgment and penalty of sin coming for all mankind. The point is, the word “salvation” is vitally important to all of you listening, for your life in eternity depends totally upon your understanding of it in this life and your response to it.

Now to define this word, “salvation,” in the context it is most used in Scripture reveals to us the Greek word ¾  “soteria,”  pronounced, “so-tay-ree'-ah” meaning “to rescue or be in a place of safety, to deliver, a state of health, to save, or be saving.” In the context it is found, it refers to BEING SAVED FROM A STATE OF ABSOLUTE PERIL AND DESTRUCTION THAT AWAITS ALL HUMAN BEINGS UPON DEATH. That is the salvation the Bible speaks about.

How shall we (referring to any human being) escape, avoid or be exempt from, the penalty of sin which is a destruction and death coming to all humanity? Notice the answer of how to escape the coming judgment for sin is given to us in the unanswerable question. It is to” not neglect so great salvation!” In the Bible we are told what this salvation or rescue contains. It begins with understanding of “WHO WE ARE”…

The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms.

(1) We are all created beings fashioned by an omnipotent eternal Creator God

(2) We are fashioned in the image of this Creator.

The Bible tells us clearly,

Gen 1:26 (NIV)  “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…”

Since we are all created in the image of God, that image implies that we are accountable to Him for all we are and become. Contrary to false teachings of origins today, mankind is more than a randomly developed organism, as the evolutionist would like you to believe. All humanity was created to live and exist forever. This means that when we pass from this life through the portal of physical death, that part of you that is the real image of God will live on forever and ever. You see you and I, we are everlasting spirit beings just housed in a temporal body so we can live and interact with the environment in which God placed us. But when physical death comes, which by the way is the result of sin, the question is where will we go? Jesus Christ answers,

Mat 25:46 (NIV)  “”[some] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”” 

Mat 25:41 (NIV)  “”Then he will say to [some], ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we discover that upon death God tells us a great portion of humanity will depart from His presence and blessings and go into a place of punishment called Hell and finally known as “the Lake of Fire.” There, they will endure what the absence of God brings, which will be HELL for them. But “others,” a great portion of humanity in all ages, will go into the very loving, caring and blessed presence of their Creator to live with Him forever and ever.

Now some of you listeners may scoff at that and say, “that’s just a happy a fairy tale for silly folks.” But friend, millions of people down through the ages have chosen not to neglect “SUCH A GREAT SALVATION, which the Bible says determines our destiny in eternity. God has plainly spoken and told us that NO ONE will escape His coming wrath against sin and sinners, if they neglect, or fail to take hold of this GREAT SALVATION He has provided for all human beings of all ages.

This is why we Christians are so zealous in witnessing for all to hear the plan of salvation God has accomplished --  a plan to save us all from our sins and the coming judgment for them. We care enough to confront those who are perishing like we once were, and we want you to experience the same joy, forgiveness, and promises of God for those who are saved from the judgment and peril for sin. Now let’s put it all together again.

The straightforward answer to “what is salvation,” is finding out what went wrong in the original creation of the human race. We are told in the Bible that our first parents, who were created, were literal real people whose names were ¾ Adam and Eve. God put them in a perfect environment on earth called the Garden of Eden. There they were put to the test to see if they would live in God’s environment and as free will sentient creatures, be obedient to His command and conditions to live in and enjoy His world created for them. The test and mankind’s failure of it is told to us in two verses,

Gen 2:17 (NIV)  “…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.””

Gen 3:6 (NIV)  “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

You see Adam and Eve were given everything upon their creation! They had no needs unmet. God simply withheld from them one special fruit bearing tree in the middle of the garden. Yet, our first parents failed God’s test of obedience and sinned against Him, that is they chose to exercise their own will against the will of God. You know friend that is what sin really is. We simply choose to exercise our own will against what God has said and desires for all of us living in His universe. Think of it in these terms.

You are a destitute couple, homeless, without work and any support at all. You desperately need a home to live in. You find a home for rent in a beautiful neighborhood, it’s a fantastic home that will meet every need of you and your spouse. You talk to the landlord and owner who by the way owns all the houses in this exclusive neighborhood and he says, “I’m going to allow you to live in my home absolutely free, but there is one condition.” You ask what it is and he says, “you must not open the sealed box on the fireplace mantle. It is my special possession that I want to keep there to remind you of my ownership of the house you will live in. If you open the box and take the contents, I will throw you out of my house and banish you forever from the neighborhood which I built and own.”

 Now you begin to think about it. WOW! I can live rent and utility free in this beautiful home in this fantastic neighborhood, and have everything that goes with it at no cost to me. The only stipulation is to not open the small black box sitting on the fireplace mantle. OK, I agree.

So you move in, and everything is great; but, after a while that box there annoys you and your wife. “Why can’t I have this house and everything in it including that black box? What right has the owner to tell me I can’t have that too?”

So one day your wife, while her husband is out in the yard, she decides to open the box. In it she finds many thousands of dollars along with a beautiful  huge diamond ring and an expensive watch of real gold. She begins to think of all things she can buy with the money and besides the ring is a woman’s and guess what -- it fits her finger perfectly. The watch is a man’s and it looks like the right size for her husband’s wrist. She immediately runs to him and drags him to the open box and says, “ Look honey at the money and think what it will buy us. Look there’s a gold watch that fits you and this diamond ring is beautiful.”

So the husband takes the money and watch and she fits the diamond ring on her finger, and they both run off to spend the cash. Well one day the owner comes by to see if his box is still there on the fireplace mantle. He finds it gone. He calls the tenants and asks them what they did with it. By now they are sorry, realizing how much this man had given them, and they were hiding, but it is too late. The owner said because you disobeyed the terms of my agreement to live in my home, rent free and in my neighborhood, you will be cast out!

Now, would the owner be wrong to do this? Well, no sane reasoning person would side with the selfish and ruthless unthankful tenants. You too would cast them out, wouldn’t you, if after giving them everything, they stole from you and disobeyed the one thing you wished to keep as your own possession. Well, my friend that is the story of mankind and the sin so great against the Creator and Owner of the universe which He made. And, because our first parents sinned in a similar manner, we too are cast out and have no claim on God or His blessings. Yet the story goes on.

Being cast out, this childless couple soon have children. But now penniless, they live in squalor and poverty in the woods surrounding the beautiful neighborhood they once lived. But before they were cast out of the beautiful home, the owner sat them down and said.

“You’ve spent the thousands of dollars I had in the box, you even hocked the diamond ring and watch. You are in debt to me for it all. Yet you have no money or funds to repay it, besides you’ve been sentenced to go to jail for your theft. But, I tell you what I’m going to do.  I’m going to pay the ransom for getting the diamond ring and watch back, I’m going to pay the fine for the jail term you deserve, and I’m going to put back in the box all the money you stole and restore everything the way it was before you sinned against me. Furthermore, one day in the future, I’m going to allow you to live in a greater mansion and neighborhood I own, greater than you’ve ever dreamed of.”

Now it all dawns upon you this is almost too good to be true. So you ask why would you do that in light of what we’ve done to you? The owner, builder and developer answers:

“because I’ve grown to love you and your family so much, I would even be willing die for you. Now here’s the only condition to receive my forgiveness, full restoration and future blessing. I want you to personally confess to me your sin of theft, your evil greed, and your rebellious disobedience to my will for you. I also want you to be thankful, by loving me in return. That is all.”

In a small and crude way, that is the story of the Bible. Our Creator God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who created the universe and all things and planted the human race in it, set up the requirements to live here. Adam and Eve sinned against God, the landlord, and were cast out of the Garden. In response, the whole world was changed for them and sin reigned now everywhere. But God has provided SUCH A GREAT SALVATION to sinners who are unworthy, and given them a second chance and promised them full restoration in the coming eternity. But it all begins with today and our response to God’s offered forgiveness

Say, have you realized you are such a sinner? Have you realized that your will all your life is opposed to God’s will? Is such sin serious? Indeed it is, just look around at our world and the problems and sorrows we suffer. It is all because of our selfishness and sins. According to God’s Word, we human beings are debased, defiled and defiant. We shake our fist in the face of God while using all He has provided for us and say, “We will not have You to reign over us!”

The Bible teaches this is the sin of lawlessness, a deliberate rebellion to what God has revealed for our living in God’s world. And, for all who do not receive SUCH GREAT SALVATION, only a fearful looking forward of banishment in a place called Hell is ahead. Make no mistake friend, Hell is real, it is a fearful place, it is final place and it is a fair place for all who spurned SUCH GREAT SALVATION.

What is this salvation from sin and the penalty coming? It is threefold,

(1) God promises to deliver us from “the PENALTY OF SIN” that is coming to all humanity.

Rom 6:23 (NIV)  “For the wages of sin is death..”

For all of us because of our first parent’s sins and our own as well, Hell and the judgment awaits us. With every beat of our hearts, we are that much closer to this fiery state of eternity. But salvation is more than just deliverance from the second death and Hell.. It is also,

(2) Deliverance from “the POWER OF SIN” in this life and for eternity.

Yes, God grants us power to live above sin and evil and self-will for all who come to Christ confessing their sins. Once we Christians were slaves to sinful habits, ways, and lifestyles, but salvation delivers us from it all, when we seek God’s restoration. But salvation is one more thing friend.

(3) It is deliverance from “THE PRESENCE OF SIN,” which only comes in the future life.

Yes, God promises us He initially saves us, but He is also saving us,  and He shall save us from all that we have become by sin. So the question, the “unanswerable question,”

Heb 2:3 (NIV)  “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?..”

Has no answer for there is NO ESCAPE of this coming judgment, none whatsoever. On the other hand, if we DO NOT NEGLECT SUCH A GREAT SALVATION, God has the very best ahead for you and for me. What’s so great about God’s rescue (salvation)?

1. First, the great price God paid for it by His substitutionary payment for our sins is provided for by the God/Man Jesus Christ.

2. Secondly, it’s great because it is free to all who ask for it.

3. Third, it is great because the receipt of it is so simple even a child can receive it.

So we all should ask - what must we do to be saved fro our sinfulness and the coming penalty? The Bible answer in simplicity.

Acts 16:31 (NIV)  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.””

Rom 10:9-10 (NIV)  “ if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

So friend, I ask you -- have you come to Christ? I’m not asking if you are religious, or have been baptized, or a member of a church. Have you in your mind and heart come to understand you are a sinner and helplessly lost? Have you understood that God loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to be your substitutionary sacrifice for your sin penalty coming? Have you heard the Good News, that Christ died for you and offers you forgiveness for all your sins? Have you received Him into your heart and life by surrendering your life up to Him? The Bible tells us we must do this to be saved. Listen again to,

John 1:12 (NIV)  “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…”

When you reach out by faith with a prayer from your heart to call upon Jesus Christ, as your God who has come in the flesh to save you, that is what He will do! Yes, SUCH A GREAT SALVATION is yours for the asking. Will you right now ask? Let’s pray together something like this…

Dear Lord Jesus. I know I am a sinner. I know I’ve not lived my life according to Your will and Word. I understand that I am under your judgment and await its punishment in eternity. I also understand You loved me enough to rescue and deliver me from my sin penalty coming. You sent Jesus Christ to die in my place. I understand He died for me and You accepted His death in place of mine. I receive Jesus Christ now into my life by committing to change my life as You lead me and teach me. I ask for your forgiveness, and Your gift of eternal life, and I commit to live for You as your Word the bible will teach me. I pray this prayer in Jesus Name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer in your heart, listen to the assurance Jesus Christ promises to all who do…

John 5:24 (NIV)  “”I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

That’s God promise to all who receive “such a great salvation” in Jesus Christ. So, the unanswerable question remains as such! There is no answer of escape for all who “neglect, or ignore” SUCH A GREAT SALVATION offered to all humanity. The only answer is – accept it now before it’s too late. May God so bless each in the listening audience, and may He open your heart and mind to understand and receive this gift now and for eternity. Amen.

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·         Radio talk #3306

·         Broadcast date: August 13, 2006

·         Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator

·         Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast

·         Address: P.O. Box 60033 Grand Junction, CO 81506

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The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 26 years, and serves as General Director.

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