Why does God make it so difficult for some people to be Christians?

[TurtleAnne]

So far the way it seems to me is it's like a cascade of all the little decisions/choices people make throughout their lives that can prepare them for receiving the Holy Spirit. The vast majority of people in the scriptures were already adults, many of them older adults, by the time God was giving them direct attention in one way or another; they had already been alive for decades and had therefore encountered all sorts of many little decisions/choices that had already been shaping their character (for better or worse). I'll admit that I would feel some unease about the state of things if most of the examples were children being tested/judged, but that is not what we see. Instead what we see both in the scriptures and all the way up to present day is a great many people who go through the same things in life, but make different decisions/choices by the thousands over the years. Every little situation in life in which people can choose to do the right but inconvenient or scary thing versus the easy but wrong or cowardly thing, or in which people can choose to seek the truth and try to make a positive difference versus only thinking of themselves and looking the other way, and so on and so forth.

It's hard for me to explain it without more or less tooting my own horn in a sense, but like I know that it has been a combination of my experiences in life and then my responses to those experiences/situations, using my God-given free will, that helped to prepare me for being receptive to the Holy Spirit. I've seen many others make many small choices over time that moved them in other directions. Sort of like the saying, "death by a thousand cuts" - it's kind of like that, and could be taken in either direction - death of the fleshly, primitive, sinful self or death of the connection to the Holy Spirit. And when I look at it like that, I really just see God's incredible mercy in some cases, where people make the wrong choices by the thousands over their lives, but are still chosen out of the world in the end if they make one big, right (even if difficult) decision towards the end. And I'm not even talking about "good works" in a straightforward sense, that is not what I mean. I'm talking about spiritual matters, things that develop (or degrade) character. It's so many little things throughout one's life.

Like I mean take 2 Thessalonians 2 for example:

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The way I look at this is that some people delight in evil rather than caring about the truth, in a general sense, and so inevitably it spills over into the spiritual, like everything else that actually composes who we are. There are people out there who struggle with all manner of sinister dysfunction, if you want the psychology angle, but per scriptures this is a manner of sin, as well. You've got people who go through life only caring about their own selfish pursuits and pleasures and who have no problem snuffing out the truth in the process, by "gaslighting", invalidating, slandering / smear campaigning, manipulating, etc being deceitful both in how they present themselves and also trying to erode others' sense of truth/reality, as well. Again for the psychology terms these are common behaviors in narcissism and sociopathy, but the scriptures warned in a more straightforward manner about the dangers of pride, arrogance, hypocrisy, bearing false witness, etc because these are ultimately spiritual downfalls. You get someone who will be deceitful and manipulative (in one way or another, usually many ways) for selfish and/or malicious motives, don't expect them to be able to see spiritually when they have despised the truth so much, referred to as "narcissistic rage" in psychology when a narcissist/sociopath is exposed for their deceit.

So I don't really see it as God being the one who makes it so hard, but rather I see it as a culmination of thousands of little choices throughout one's life, and they can choose to break out of it or not until God is basically fed up and notes that the person is not going to change. And just for the record, I am speaking as someone who has long struggled with narcissistic tendencies, having been raised in a very narcissistic/abusive household. It is painful to break these cycles and try to embrace the truth, in some (many) cases, but it is possible. You just make a decision that the quality of your soul is worth going through the pain and fear, until you come out the other side. When people imply, "Oh it is too hard, it's not fair," it is kind of belittling to those of us who have done it time and time again. It is not too hard, but I will acknowledge that it can be very frightening and even painful, so I know all about that, but I can't agree that it is "too hard" because I don't want anyone to give up. I must say that it is possible and to keep pushing forward through the valley, because I want as many as possible to succeed.

 

[Kiterius]

In certain situations, it seems borderline impossible for people to learn about and accept Jesus Christ as their saviour. This is not to say that God does not present every human with the opportunity to accept him, but to propose that every human has an equal chance to accept Christ is clearly absurd. If so, there would be an equal (or at least more even) amount of Christians within every country.

How is a child born in Morocco, who may never even hear of the Christain faith throughout their entire life supposed to devote their life to a God they don't know exists? Similarly, what about those who belong to completely isolated tribes (e.g. North Sentinel Island) where the entire concept of religion may not even exist, let alone knowledge of the Christain faith. Also, severely disabled people who have no mental functionality or ability to understand.

And yes, I understand that God's work is beyond our comprehension but I can't fathom why God allows conditions in which millions of people live and die with minimal to no knowledge of Christianity and no understanding that they are going to go to hell for not believing in a God that they never knew existed due to circumstances of which they had no influence over.

Thank you for all contributions! Just an issue I've been thinking about.

Hell is a metaphor. Those who don't accept Christ cease to exist.

 

[Kiterius]

Of course it is through God that anyone is saved. But my question is, then, why does God choose not to save more of those who are circumstantially disadvantaged. God has the power to save anyone and yet chooses to predominantly save those born in free, Western and developed countries who usually have Christian upbringings.

What of it. God's sovereign. He can do whatever he wants to.

 

[TheNorwegian]

The opening question is one of the main motivations for missions. The first Christians saw it is an absolute necessity to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. That many have not heard the Gospel is the result of Christians not taking the Great Commission seriously. I do not think every Christian is called to go to a distant country, but I do think everyone can contribute in some way

 

[Thir7ySev3n]

In certain situations, it seems borderline impossible for people to learn about and accept Jesus Christ as their saviour. This is not to say that God does not present every human with the opportunity to accept him, but to propose that every human has an equal chance to accept Christ is clearly absurd. If so, there would be an equal (or at least more even) amount of Christians within every country.

How is a child born in Morocco, who may never even hear of the Christian faith throughout their entire life supposed to devote their life to a God they don't know exists? Similarly, what about those who belong to completely isolated tribes (e.g. North Sentinel Island) where the entire concept of religion may not even exist, let alone knowledge of the Christian faith. Also, severely disabled people who have no mental functionality or ability to understand.

And yes, I understand that God's work is beyond our comprehension but I can't fathom why God allows conditions in which millions of people live and die with minimal to no knowledge of Christianity and no understanding that they are going to go to hell for not believing in a God that they never knew existed due to circumstances of which they had no influence over.

Thank you for all contributions! Just an issue I've been thinking about.

There is a rather simple solution to this problem that I have written recently elsewhere (in my experience, this is one of the top recurring confusions and/or complaints from Christians and unbelievers alike). I have spent considerable time dealing with issues of God's goodness, providence and human freedom, and how to reconcile the doctrines of the latter two. I have developed a deductive argument inferred from explicit Scriptural doctrines and natural theological considerations to demonstrate conclusively that concurrent providence and human freedom are not only reconcilable, but follow necessarily from the nature of God and are necessary for the greatest achievable good in a created world. To resolve the ostensible contradictory implications of some of the Scriptures that seem inclined towards either determinism (implying damnation by misfortune) or human freedom, pay close attention to the following points as I develop them. I assure you if you understand them it will relieve you of the confusion.

To clarify in advance, this is an argument from God's middle-knowledge to demonstrate the coherence of the simultaneous doctrines of human freedom and God's providence. Middle-knowledge is knowledge of all true counter-factuals, i.e., knowledge of what would be true in different sets of circumstances (like who Peter would be if He wasn't born in Israel in the time of Jesus, or what I would do if I had great wealth or poverty, etc.; all of the consequences entailed in any change from the actual world). The following points are my condensed version of the premises for God's middle-knowledge informed by (as previously mentioned) explicit Scriptural doctrines and natural theological inferences. If any of the points were to be in dispute or not fully understood, I would be happy to provide my extensive evidences for whichever premise seems contentious. For brevity's sake, I present the shortest (but still comprehensive) answer I can muster.

1. God, as eternal and ultimate reality, necessarily possesses all great-making attributes maximally (omni-attributes).
2. God, as eternal and ultimate, is the uncaused cause of all reality extrinsic to Himself.
3. God, as creator of all and maximally great, possesses omniscience.
4. As omniscient, God possesses foreknowledge of the course of any world He creates.
5. If God has foreknowledge of the course of any world, He has foreknowledge of the course of every world He could actualize.
6. If God has foreknowledge of every potential course, He has knowledge of courses that were not actualized.
7. Therefore, God has middle-knowledge.

From this understanding, it follows that in creating a universe that would accommodate truly free moral agents, God would have an infinite number of options available to Him with an equally infinite amount of possible outcomes. From what we know about the nature of God, He would naturally choose to create the world which would produce the greatest possible outcome. What is the greatest possible outcome? There is none other than that world which provides the circumstances which leads the largest number of souls to freely accept the grace of God through the salvation provided in Jesus Christ. From what we know about God's nature, particularly that God is omnibenevolent, omniscient and omnipotent, this can be deductively inferred as follows:

1. Because God is omnibenevolent, He would be desire to create the world which would produce the greatest potential good
2. Because God is omniscient, He would know which world would produce the greatest potential good
3. Because God is omnipotent, He would be able to create the world which would produce the greatest potential good

Therefore the world in which we exist is that which would produce the great potential good. To repeat, this greatest good is the largest number of souls that would freely surrender themselves to God and receive His grace.

Again, God would have had a literally infinite number of options present of worlds to create with an equally infinite number of outcomes. By His perfect nature, however, God would not create a world at random in which His will to create concurrently free and absolutely loved creatures was not accomplished. So God would have to narrow His options to feasible worlds which accommodate creaturely freedom and yet lovingly provides the circumstances that permits each person who would freely choose God to do so. Knowing God, once He had narrowed the options to the assortment of great results, He would naturally choose the greatest of these possible outcomes. This is not to say God is predestining our decisions, but the creation of the world which would provide the social, environmental and personal circumstances that are necessary for each individual, in their own times and places as God foreknew, to interact with each other, their environment and God in a way that corresponds to their psychology/personality, ultimately and inevitably leading to the salvation of those who would freely respond affirmatively to God's grace in whatever circumstance they find themselves. In this sense, then, God can literally be said to have elected those who are saved, though their choices as well as those who reject God are entirely free.

As is stated in Acts 17, God placed us within our context because He knew that if given that context we would freely choose to accept Him by the testimony and in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. It could then be rightly asked "well then could God have not provided a precise set of circumstances that would be those which are necessary to win the soul of every person?", and the answer would be no. For some people, there is no such set of circumstances that would be sufficient for them to freely receive the salvation of Christ by the Holy Spirit's testimony. This is affirmed doubly in the Scriptures. First, in Daniel 12:10 concerning the course through to the end times Jesus says: "Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." Again, concerning God's providence Paul says in Romans 9:22: "What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?"

It may also seem confusing to think that God has among His human creation "objects of wrath" which He prepares for destruction, until you comprehend these points and Scriptures collectively. There are some souls which God would create that will freely reject Him under any and all circumstances, but are still necessary in the grand scheme of world history to play a role in drawing all those who will be freely saved into that salvation. God Himself illustrates this wonderfully in His statement to Pharaoh in Exodus 9:15-16: "For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

See Acts 17:26-27, Genesis 50:20, Jeremiah 25:8-14 and Judges 14:4 for more Scriptural examples on the providence of God and how it works.

 

[SkyWriting]

What about Matthew 4:4?? But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God....????
Sounds not only useful, but needful.

Man needs spiritual food as well..... I agree.
In those days, and in Jesus's ministry, most
of the communication was speech and action.

 

[Kiterius]

The opening question is one of the main motivations for missions. The first Christians saw it is an absolute necessity to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. That many have not heard the Gospel is the result of Christians not taking the Great Commission seriously. I do not think every Christian is called to go to a distant country, but I do think everyone can contribute in some way

Yes. Our God is missional, so every follower of God should be participating in the missio Dei.

 

[JoeP222w]

In certain situations, it seems borderline impossible for people to learn about and accept Jesus Christ as their saviour.

I don't agree. No one seeks God in and of themselves:

Romans 3:10-12 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; (11) no one understands; no one seeks for God. (12) All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

This is not to say that God does not present every human with the opportunity to accept him,

This is unbiblical thought. God succeeds in His endeavors. He is not eternally frustrated by the sovereign will of man (which does not exist).

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

but to propose that every human has an equal chance to accept Christ is clearly absurd. If so, there would be an equal (or at least more even) amount of Christians within every country.

What is the Biblical basis for this thought?

How is a child born in Morocco, who may never even hear of the Christain faith throughout their entire life supposed to devote their life to a God they don't know exists?

You are basically saying that God is restricted by man's geopolitical boundaries. No biblical basis for this.

Similarly, what about those who belong to completely isolated tribes (e.g. North Sentinel Island) where the entire concept of religion may not even exist, let alone knowledge of the Christain faith.

Then you must go to these people to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to them, if you truly have compassion for them, should you not?


Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (19) For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. (20) For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Also, severely disabled people who have no mental functionality or ability to understand.

This is a false understanding, and you cannot know the heart of such a person. You are saying God, who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, cannot overcome someones mental capacity, and thus salvation is based solely on man's mental capability.

No Biblical basis for that thought.

And yes, I understand that God's work is beyond our comprehension but I can't fathom why God allows conditions in which millions of people live and die with minimal to no knowledge of Christianity and no understanding that they are going to go to hell for not believing in a God that they never knew existed due to circumstances of which they had no influence over.

Again, Romans 1:18-20.

Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (19) For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. (20) For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

 

[JoeP222w]

The question is not, why did he not save more, but why did he save any?

You hit the nail on the head!

 

[thesunisout]

In certain situations, it seems borderline impossible for people to learn about and accept Jesus Christ as their saviour. This is not to say that God does not present every human with the opportunity to accept him, but to propose that every human has an equal chance to accept Christ is clearly absurd. If so, there would be an equal (or at least more even) amount of Christians within every country.

How is a child born in Morocco, who may never even hear of the Christain faith throughout their entire life supposed to devote their life to a God they don't know exists? Similarly, what about those who belong to completely isolated tribes (e.g. North Sentinel Island) where the entire concept of religion may not even exist, let alone knowledge of the Christain faith. Also, severely disabled people who have no mental functionality or ability to understand.

And yes, I understand that God's work is beyond our comprehension but I can't fathom why God allows conditions in which millions of people live and die with minimal to no knowledge of Christianity and no understanding that they are going to go to hell for not believing in a God that they never knew existed due to circumstances of which they had no influence over.

Thank you for all contributions! Just an issue I've been thinking about.

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excus

According to Gods word He doesn't make it hard for people to be saved. On the contrary, men have no excuse before Him for not being saved

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Man needs spiritual food as well..... I agree.
In those days, and in Jesus's ministry, most
of the communication was speech and action.

It is a lot more praiseworthy than that...and we are not living in the time and place when written N.T. did not exist. God's Word is a magnificent blessing, by it you are instructed how to be saved...
Sanctify them by Thy Truth; Thy Word is Truth. --John 17:17
Romans 15:3-6:
For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excus

According to Gods word He doesn't make it hard for people to be saved. On the contrary, men have no excuse before Him for not being saved

It has already been quoted from Romans that the righteous requirements of the LAW are written on the hearts of all mankind so that they are without excuse. This LAW informs us of God's will and our falling short of that will...our sin. We may become conscience-stricken and even depressed over our sin. We are all given an opportunity then to seek to find God and be reconciled to Him. We are led on a search for the Truth. Some do not make such an endeavor.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excus

According to Gods word He doesn't make it hard for people to be saved. On the contrary, men have no excuse before Him for not being saved

Remember the parable of the 10 minas and what happened to the servant with only one mina, see below...

Luke 19:20-26:
“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’

“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.

Therefore, what seems harsh and almost unfair to us can be righteous in God's eyes...He knows the hearts and minds of all mankind so His judgements are all righteous.He warns that the path is straight and narrow and only a few find it. He also saves the last hour converts/workers. God is a righteous judge...we must start there and not with any presumption to the contrary.

 

[John Hyperspace]

In certain situations, it seems borderline impossible for people to learn about and accept Jesus Christ as their saviour. This is not to say that God does not present every human with the opportunity to accept him, but to propose that every human has an equal chance to accept Christ is clearly absurd. If so, there would be an equal (or at least more even) amount of Christians within every country.

How is a child born in Morocco, who may never even hear of the Christain faith throughout their entire life supposed to devote their life to a God they don't know exists? Similarly, what about those who belong to completely isolated tribes (e.g. North Sentinel Island) where the entire concept of religion may not even exist, let alone knowledge of the Christain faith. Also, severely disabled people who have no mental functionality or ability to understand.

And yes, I understand that God's work is beyond our comprehension but I can't fathom why God allows conditions in which millions of people live and die with minimal to no knowledge of Christianity and no understanding that they are going to go to hell for not believing in a God that they never knew existed due to circumstances of which they had no influence over.

Thank you for all contributions! Just an issue I've been thinking about.

As I'm taught, God is manifesting a certain group of people during this age, to reign during the coming age; those who don't hear the gospel, and those that hear it without understanding it, aren't of that group. These people will get the chance to hear without deception in the coming age. No one is "going to hell" for not believing in a God they never knew existed; people teaching such nonsense are of the group that hear the gospel but don't understand it; no better or worse than them that never heard it with their ears at all.

 

[1213]

....
How is a child born in Morocco, who may never even hear of the Christain faith throughout their entire life supposed to devote their life to a God they don't know exists? ....

First thing that is good to understand is this:

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

The key thing is righteousness, not belief, because:

If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn't believe, I don't judge him….
John 12:47-48

Person who has not heard of Jesus can be counted righteous, by these words:

For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without the law. As many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it isn't the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified (for when Gentiles who don't have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ.
Romans 2:12-16

On basis of that, all people can be or become righteous. And righteousness is like right understanding and attitude that makes person do right things. That can happen in all places.

 

[Greg J.]

In certain situations, it seems borderline impossible for people to learn about and accept Jesus Christ as their saviour.

You're describing sin, not God. God is working for everyone's salvation and long-term comfort. His plan isn't going to well, because not many people are doing what he said to do. He gave us the freedom to choose him and his ways or not, which is one reason he doesn't "just" do it for us. Unless you are being obedient to God all the time, you are still divided in whether you want what God has or what you (fallen, sinful) want. The former leads to everlasting happiness (John 4:14), the latter perpetuates sin and its effects.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

God's grace is never a matter of fairness. Fairness is akin to justice (what we are owed), and the only thing that He owes us is damnation. Salvation is a gift (mercy), and when you give a gift, you are not required (justice) to give it to everyone (or anyone). And, the reasons for your giving a gift to one person and not to another are completely within your discretion.

Carefully study Romans 8 & 9

This is a bit messed up but true. I was reading an article that really made me sad. A young girl was murder... Her parents were idiots and gave her to CPS where she endured sexual molestation for years... They said she was kind and a friend to the friendless...and befriend an autistic child.,. And her foster parents murdered her, she was raped while the foster mother watched and then she was murdered.

As I read that I just wondered...what glory does God get out of this? Where was God in this ? Because that girl didn't have a fighting chance all the adults in her life failed her... Why didn't God intervene? And I just hope she's in heaven because she had complete hell on earth.

I just...I don't know. I wonder why some are given more mercy and grace then others....and why some are given more then they can bear... Honestly I would much rather God throw everyone in hell then show mercy to some ..because it isn't fair ...her life wasn't fair. Idk, it just saddens me.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excus

According to Gods word He doesn't make it hard for people to be saved. On the contrary, men have no excuse before Him for not being saved

I beg to differ with that, if you have series of horrible events its hard to believe God cares. I've read posts from people who struggle with believing in God because some have sever mental illness, were homeless, a loved one died and just had calamity after calamity and in the midst God just wasn't there for them.... So I can see how it can be hard.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

What of it. God's sovereign. He can do whatever he wants to.

That's so easy to say when you're saved and all is well with you. What if you had a child and they were stuck in their ways and rejected god till their dying day, or if your mother ,friends did the same...how would you feel?

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

I don't know how responsible God is for that - there is quite a bit of free will at play. God loves those people more than any of us ever could, and I trust that if anyone goes to Hell, it's his loss more than mine. I am probably not going to be crucified for the sake of one stranger, let alone billions of people who act like they hate me. Yet Jesus came and died for billions of people who have acted as though they hated him. He has also invested more into each person than I ever could, starting at conception. And he knows how bad Hell is. If there is the possibility of a chance after death for an unsaved person to be saved, it would behoove God to make that chance - but we don't know if one truly exists, or how much of a chance it is - perhaps information would be hidden from the soul in question until their decision is made, rather than the no-brainer of seeing God ahead of you and Hell below you. It would therefore be irresponsible at best for us to preach a message where people would count on a chance that we don't know exists, when we know that the people we are preaching to do have a chance right now.

This was a great answer.