CHARGING GOD FOOLISHLY by w.

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 11, 1889

CHARGING GOD FOOLISHLY.

By w.

In the article entitled "Spirits in Prison," we have given the explanation of the words of Peter, that Christ was "quickened by the Spirit, by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing." We saw that the preaching was done by the Spirit, when before the flood it strove with men who were in bondage to their own corrupt desires. We propose now to show the folly and the wickedness of the theory that the preaching was done by Christ between his death and his resurrection.

We will first quote the words of two eminent theologians, which voice the popular sentiment concerning this text. Archdeacon Farrar, in "Early Days of Christianity," speaks of this text as showing that there is hope for those who die in their sins, and says:—

"Of all the blunt weapons of ignorant controversy employed against those to whom has been revealed the possibility of a larger hope than has been revealed by Augustine or Calvin, the bluntest is the charge that such a hope renders null the necessity for the work of Christ. As if it were not this very hope which gives to the love of Christ its mightiest effectiveness! We thus rescue the work of redemption from the appearance of having failed to achieve its end for the vast majority of those for whom Christ died."—Chapter 7.

Dean Alford also, in his comments on the text, says that the inference to be drawn from it, which with him is the same as Farrar's, "is one which throws light on one of the darkest enigmas of divine justice; the cases where the final doom seems infinitely out of proportion to the guilt which incurred it."

And so man, in order to fathom the mind of God, will deliberately belittle sin, and will presume to judge how much punishment is due for the commission of certain sins! If the severest punishment that God ever inflicts is not justly due those who corrupted their way, and obstinately resisted his pleadings for a hundred and twenty years, each year growing more and more bold in their rebellion, we should like to know what sin would merit the vengeance of God, and everlasting destruction.

Again, the view which we combat actually charges God with acting rashly, in punishing people who did not deserve it. For if there were some of the antediluvians who in the time of Christ were fit subjects for the preaching of the gospel, then they ought not to have been destroyed in the flood. It would seem as though reverence for God ought to be sufficient to deter his professed ministers from making such charges against him.

It is said that "by the theory that Christ preached while in hades, we rescue the work of redemption from the appearance of having failed to achieve its end for the vast majority of those for whom Christ died." Who has the right to say that the gospel has not achieved its end unless everybody is saved? The Bible nowhere teaches us to expect that all will be saved. When one came to Christ and asked, "Are there few that be saved?" he replied:—

"Strive to enter in at the straight gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Luke 13:23, 24.

In the sermon on the mount, he also said: "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matt. 7:13, 14.

Thus we see that the Lord himself teaches us that all men will not be saved. Why will men

do violence to a text, in order to draw from it an inference which contradicts the plain declaration of Christ?

Note that the theory that Christ descended into hades to preach to the dead, does teach the doctrine of probation after death, and universal salvation. In fact, the doctrine of probation after death, inevitably runs into that of universal salvation. For if God, in order to be just, must grant another probation to those who remain impenitent at the close of the first, he must also grant another to those who remain impenitent at the close of the second, and so on until all have been converted. But this, as we have seen, contradicts the plain word of God.

The theory of future probation, or probation after death, which is built almost solely on this false interpretation of 1 Peter 3:18-20, is nothing else than the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory, with its attendant prayers for the dead. For if we must pray for those who are on probation before death, as we assuredly ought, then it follows that we ought to pray for those on probation after death, if there were any such.

Not only so, but we ought in that case to pray to them, in the sense that the Catholics pray to them, namely, to ask their intercession for us. For if the dead are on probation, they are in as good case as we are, who are also on probation; and since we are exhorted to pray for one another, we ought to ask the dead to pray for us, as well as to pray for them. In fact, there is no absurdity of Catholicism or Spiritualism which does not legitimately follow from the theory that Christ went after death to preach to people in hades.

Finally, take notice that all these absurdities and false doctrines come from the unscriptural theory that the dead are conscious, and thus capable of listening to preaching. If men believed what the Scripture says, that "the dead know not anything," they could not take the position Farrar and Alford and so many thousands of professed Christians do, in regard to 1 Peter 3:18-20. We have already fully shown the fallacy of that theory; but we will in conclusion quote a few texts which, if men will adhere to them, will keep them from such false and unnecessary conclusions.

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl. 9:10.

"The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Ps. 115:17.

"For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth." Isa. 38:18.

"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Ps. 146:3, 4.

Let us hold to the plain statements of the Bible, and not be carried away with the suggestions of the enemy. "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." w.