People of our day are always looking for ways to get into Heaven without obeying God.  Most Christians who have ever tried to teach anyone have heard many of the excuses people make.  Some of the more popular are the ideas that ignorance frees from obligation to obey and that good intentions outweigh wrong doing.

     It is a shame that anyone would want to excuse themselves from dedicating their lives to the Lord.  Jesus sure did not seek excuses when He was expected to dedicate His life to saving ours (John 10:17-18 and Romans 5:6-9).  In return, Jesus asks that we love Him by obeying His will (John 14:15, I John 2:3, and I John 5:2).

    With many today, they want Jesus, but not His word.  Such is impossible.  You cannot separate Jesus from His word.  The only way we know about the Lord is through the word of God.  Jesus is referred to as the word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).  Jesus, the Word, became flesh: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  If someone is ashamed of the word, they therefore are also ashamed of Christ.  As noted in our introduction, if one denies Christ they deny the word and vice versa.  It is the word of Christ that brings forth spiritual life: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).  Thus, when one rejects the word of the Lord they are rejecting eternal life!

     Since Jesus loves us so much He was sure to leave His will and testament that we might know exactly how to please Him (Hebrews 9:15-17).  Not only did He leave His will for us, but He also assures us that His word will not fade away (Matthew 24:35 and I Peter 1:23-25).  Jesus has provided the way to know Him and be known of Him.  This is His word which is able to save our souls (James 1:18; 21).  Thus, we cannot stand before the Lord in the Judgment Day and claim that we do not or could not know His will.  He has provided us the means whereby we might know the truth and be set free from sin (Romans 1:16).  For this reason, ignorance will not be an acceptable excuse.

     When Paul entered into Athens “…his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16).  He had passed by and found an altar with this inscription, “To the Unknown God” (Acts 17:23).  From that point he began to teach about the true and living God.  In that lesson he declared: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).  You will note that Paul said “all men every where” were to repent.  Paul did not say that this excluded people in third world countries or in the middle of jungles.  All men that live everywhere will not have ignorance as an excuse if they disobey the Lord.  If this single account wherein Paul rebukes the ignorant worship of idols in Athens were the only account denying the acceptability of ignorance, we would have enough to show ignorance is not acceptable to God.  This however is not the only text wherein ignorance of the truth is condemned.

     Peter, when preaching at the temple at an area called Solomon's porch (Acts 3:11), preached about those who killed Jesus.  In that lesson he said: “And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.  But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:17-19).  Ignorance alienates man from God (Ephesians 4:18).  Ignorance will never be an excuse, for we can all know Christ through the Scriptures and obey what He says (Matthew 7:7, John 8:32, Ephesians 3:1ff.)).  We must know what the Bible teaches, and we must do those things we find acceptable unto God.

     There are other clear passages that teach ignorance will not be an excuse.  Ezekiel was warned of God with these words: “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel 3:18).  God was very clear in showing Ezekiel that he had to warn the sinner.  At the same time, God made clear that if Ezekiel failed to warn the sinner that would not alleviate His judgment against that wicked man.

     Many have failed to consider the implications of the idea that biblical ignorance is an excuse from the guilt of sin.  For one, preaching to the lost would be a disservice as they then would be held accountable for that which they would have been excused had they never heard the Gospel.  That would make the Gospel of Christ a message of bondage when it is really the message of freedom (James 1:25).  If ignorance was truly bliss that would make Jesus a liar when He said: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).  When folks realize that ignorance is no excuse, they tend to lean towards emotional arguments.  They will say things like “well I did the best I could.”

     There is an old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  That is true, because God makes that point clear to us.  Towards the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount He said: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).  If good intentions were sufficient, Jesus’ would be wrong in what He said.  As for me, I will side with the Lord on this and all matters.  It is man who often misjudges, not our Lord who judges all things rightly (II Timothy 4:8).

     When we expect God to accept our “good intentions” we are asking Him to be unfair.  If the Lord would accept your good intentions, why not everyone else’s too?  God is not respecter of persons (Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9, and I Peter 1:17).  Paul adequately stated this point by writing: “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.  But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons” (Colossians 3:24-25).

     The old good intentions excuse obviously will not work in the Judgment Day, but why do people expect that of God?  Why don’t they realize that they must not just say or intend, but do the will of the Lord (James 1:22-24)?  People make excuses because they CHOOSE not to obey.  We would all be better off if we would consider something that Peter wrote by inspiration: “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (II Peter 3:14).  Peter did not write informing us to try our best or to think of excuses.  He tells us to be ready, without spot or blame, to be judged as the above verse appears in the midst of a context dealing with the return or our Lord.  Don’t think of reasons why the Lord should overlook your shortcomings.  Study, work, and obey to give Him reason to say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”.

     God loved us enough to provide His only begotten Son as an offering for our sins.  God loved us enough to give us His word that we might know the right ways which be of, and by Him.  He loves us enough to give us the time to get it right (II Peter 3:9).  He did not do all of these things so that we could just make excuses.  He did so that we can make our lives right.  He gives all sinners one of two options.  We can either repent or perish (Luke 13:3; 5).  While it is the hope of the Lord that all would be right, He knows that most will be eternally punished.  “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:23-24).