Rejecting Christ vs Not Accepting Christ (A Dialogue)

On a rattling Lagos Molue, Timotheus and the Old Man wrestle with John 3:36 and 1 John 5:10—discerning the difference between rejection and not accepting: between those who shut the door on Christ, and those who simply haven’t opened—yet.

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TIMOTHEUS:

Hmmm… these two Bible verses — these two, amongst many — got me thinking.

1 John 5:10: Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son…

John 3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

It’s startling… what it says about— erm… 
how do I put this delicately? Erm… let’s say… erm…
Let me put it this way.

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OLD MAN: What are you trying to say?

TIMOTHEUS: About people who reject… okay, let me put it this way: if someone were to say—right now, this very moment—something utterly blasphemous about Jesus…

OLD MAN: Like what?

TIMOTHEUS: Courage fails me to say what I really want to say.

OLD MAN: That’s fine. Courage failed Elijah too—he ran from a Jezebel. I mean the Jezebel. The original one…

TIMOTHEUS: If someone said Jesus was in hell—now, right now—as people of a certain… okay.

If someone said Jesus was in hell, would you not say that they were anti-Christ?

I mean, they—studied the evidence, line by line, miracle by miracle—and concluded:

“Nah… He deserves to be in hell, and He is in hell. Resurrection? Fiction.”

And they say it with blood-curdling contempt.

You would consider them Christ-rejecters, right?

And anti-Christs too, correct? Yes or no?

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(The Old Man leans forward, eyes narrowing with a knowing half-smile.)

OLD MAN: We must be careful, my son. Not everyone who rejects Christ, rejects Him knowingly.

Some reject the Christ they do not know. Others reject the Christ they know very well.

And still others reject the Christ we believers present—not Christ Himself.

So what they reject is our noise, not His voice.

Our arrogance, not His grace.

Our lack of empathy—not His compassion.

Our wars—cultural and otherwise—

not His words.

Not His wounds.

(The Old Man pauses. The Molue rattles on.)

Rejection, thus, is by gradation—ranging from a polite

“No thanks, I’m good,”

to open spite and derision at the very mention of Jesus.

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TIMOTHEUS: So then… Is there a difference between REJECTION and simply NOT ACCEPTING?

(Silence. Even the Molue seems to hold its breath. After what seemed an impossible pause, the Old Man spoke—much quieter than before.)

OLD MAN (softly): Yes. There is a difference.

Rejection is the willful turning away from a person or thing

—after considering.

It is based on emotion.

It is willful. It is a judgment.

Not accepting however, is different.

It is simply the absence of assent—

and could be based on ignorance or doubt.

It is a failure to recognize that which is offered.

Whereas one barks at the One knocking on the door;

the other simply hasn’t opened it yet.

(No one said a word. For a moment, even the city outside seemed to listen.)

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OLD MAN (continuing):

So yes…

The one who rejects Christ after—

as you put it—studying the evidence,

line by line, miracle by miracle,

and concludes that Jesus deserved hellfire

for His actions or the words He spoke—

that one is Anti-Christ.

No pussyfooting about that.

John 3:36 is clear:

“He that believeth not the Son shall not see life;

but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

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TIMOTHEUS: But John 3:36 does not say “reject” explicitly.

OLD MAN: Correct. The gradation by intent is not explicit—but at least eight contemporary translations of the Bible replace “believeth not” with “reject.”

Christian Standard Bible, Amplified Bible, New International—to name just three.

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It’s startling… what it says about— erm… 
How do I put this delicately? Erm… let’s say… erm…

Let me put it this way, Judaism needs to come around...

The Molue groaned to a stop at the last bus stop before Sango Otta.

It was about 9 p.m.

I would get off at Ifo, and the Old Man and Timotheus at Papalanto—

from where they both would begin the journey back to Lagos in the morning.

I usually timed my runs so that I could join them again at Oshodi by midday.

I was living my dream—

I was an itinerant preacher.

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Don Kenobi

#MolueMonologues