Does God Send Jesus to Rescue Us from Himself?

Yesterday I watched Rob Bell's video that introduces his book "Love Wins", and I have to be honest, I was a little unsettled. I don't want to fully weigh in about the book until I read it, but there was a question Rob asks in the video that lit a fire underneath me. I thought about not posting the video, because I don't want to "help spread the word" about his book, but since I am blogging about something he said then I feel compelled for you to hear it from the horses mouth.



There are many questions that flood to my mind about what Rob says in this video, but I will focus on one that I can't ignore. He says that the what has been taught about the Gospel is that, at its core, God will send people to hell unless they believe in Jesus. His question becomes... does God have to send Jesus to rescue people from Himself? What kind of God is that?

Here is my contention with his line of reasoning. It goes back to the premise... Does God send you to hell! I know that many people would answer that question and say, "yes He does," but I believe that would not be accurate. The point of God sending Jesus to rescue us is that we already stand condemned to experience hell (separation from God for all eternity) because we are sinful beings... sinful by nature and sinful by choice. Man sent himself to hell because of Adam's sin. God is holy and just and must deal rightly with sin!

"8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power"
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

So does God rescue us from Himself? Not at all!!! He rescues us from our rightful condemnation! Consider these three verses:

"16 '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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.'"
John 3:16-18

I am not sure what you believe about the Gospel or what you have been taught about the Gospel, But this I know... God doesn't send people to hell anymore than the judge sends a convicted murderer to prison. That murder made a choice and is suffering the consequences of that choice. Likewise, we are rightfully sentenced to suffer the consequences of our sin nature. But God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus to take on our punishment and satisfy His demand for justice so that we can be rescued... and all this at His expense!!! WHAT KIND OF GOD IS THAT? I would say a God of love!

I will be picking up his book somewhere and reading it and will see where he is coming from, but for now, I feel as if the Gospel is under attack by one of the most influential pastors in America. This cannot be ignored!

Feel free to comment!

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