Full Text for Confessions 2- Volume 22 - How do we answer claims by non-Christians that all people go to heaven? (Video)

ROUGHLY EDITED COPY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY EDUCATION NETWORK CUENET LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS 2-22 DR. ROBERT KOLB CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY: CAPTION FIRST, INC. P.O. BOX 1024 LOMBARD, IL 60148 800-825-5234 *** THIS TEXT IS BEING PROVIDED IN A ROUGH DRAFT FORMAT. COMMUNICATION ACCESS REALTIME TRANSLATION (CART) IS PROVIDED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION ACCESSIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE A TOTALLY VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS. *** LC2-22 >> VERY GOOD. YOU'VE GIVEN US A LOT OF GREAT INSIGHT TO SHARE WITH OUR CONGREGATIONS. MAY I ASK YOU A QUESTION THAT I'VE HEARD FROM SOME PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD? I WOULD LIKE YOUR ANSWER AS A MODEL. I'VE BEEN ASKED "AREN'T ALL PEOPLE GOING TO HEAVEN?" OR ALTERNATIVELY I'VE BEEN TOLD BY A NON-CHURCH ATTENDING FRIEND "MY RELATIVE WAS A GOOD MAN. I KNOW HE IS WITH THE ANGELS NOW." HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THIS? >>DR. ROBERT KOLB: WELL, JOSH, I THINK -- OH, YOU'RE NOT JOSH. WHO ARE YOU? OH, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE WHO YOU ARE. ERIC. WHAT'S IN A NAME? NO, IT'S VERY CLEAR, ERIC, THAT YOU WANT TO BE ERIC. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE JOSH. AND SO IT IS WITH OUR GOD. HE WANTS TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR THE VERY PERSON HE IS. HE WANTS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS YAHWEH THAT COMES FROM THE BURNING BUSH. HE WANTS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE ONE THAT BECAME A HUMAN BEING FOR OUR SAKES. HE WANTS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO MOVES IN US AND TAKES CARE OF US AND DOES ALL THINGS FOR US. AND SO BECAUSE THIS ISN'T A MATTER OF A CHECKLIST OF THINGS WE HAVE TO DO OR BELIEVE, IT'S NOT A MATTER OF JUST HUMAN PERFORMANCE, IT'S A MATTER OF THAT VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST IN THE REAL PERSON OF THE REAL GOD THAT WE HAVE TO SAY THAT IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT PERSON, YOU HAVE SEPARATED YOURSELF FROM HIM. AND YOU'RE LIVING OUTSIDE OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. AND YOU WILL LIVE OUTSIDE OF THAT RELATIONSHIP FOREVER. IT'S A MYSTERY. THERE'S A MYSTERY, FIRST OF ALL, IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. HOW COULD GOD AS ALMIGHTY, HOW COULD GOD AS COMPLETELY GOOD, PERMIT EVIL TO INVADE THE GARDEN? AND THERE IS NO BIBLICAL ANSWER. WHEN JOB TRIES TO SEARCH THE WISDOM OF GOD, GOD SAYS, "I'LL BE GOD AND YOU GO AHEAD AND BE JOB AND GO BACK TO YOUR FLOCKS AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR NEIGHBORS." BUT THERE'S JUST NO OTHER ANSWER GIVEN. NOT ANY IN SCRIPTURE FOR THE QUESTION OF WHY SOME ARE SAVED AND NOT OTHERS. IN LUKE 13 JESUS WAS ASKED "WHOSE FAULT WAS IT REALLY THAT THE TOWER OF SOLOMON FELL ON THOSE 14 PEOPLE AND THEY DIED?" AND THE HOPE IS, OF COURSE, THAT IT'S THEIR FAULT AND I CAN WALK BY TOWERS WITHOUT ANY FEAR. WHY DID THOSE PEOPLE GET KILLED BY THE ROMAN COPS? JESUS DOESN'T SAY, "WELL, BECAUSE THEY WERE GUILTIER THAN MOST PEOPLE." JESUS SAYS, "THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT BUT YOU REPENT. YOU BE TURNED BACK TO GOD. YOU RECOGNIZE YOUR OWN SINFULNESS AND FLEE TO THE MERCY OF GOD." AND SO WHEN THE QUESTION WAS POSED, PETER HAD TO SAY, "THERE IS NO OTHER NAME." THE DESIGNATION OF A PERSON. THERE IS NO OTHER NAME GIVEN AMONG HUMAN BEINGS BY WHOM YOU MAY BE SAVED EXCEPT THE NAME OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. JESUS REVEALS THE TRUE GOD TO US. AND ALTHOUGH WE CAN'T EXPLAIN WHY, WE KNOW THAT ONLY THE PEOPLE WHOM HE ENGAGES WITH HIS WORD, THE PEOPLE WHOM HE BRINGS INTO THIS RELATIONSHIP WHICH WE EXPRESS IN OUR TRUST WHEN WE COME TO THE AGE WHEN WE HAVE CONSCIOUS TRUST, ONLY PEOPLE IN THAT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WILL BE SAVED. *** THIS TEXT IS BEING PROVIDED IN A ROUGH DRAFT FORMAT. COMMUNICATION ACCESS REALTIME TRANSLATION (CART) IS PROVIDED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION ACCESSIBILITY AND MAY NOT BE A TOTALLY VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS. ***