Who is Guilty for the Sin of Unbelief?
Man is responsible for every one of his sins. Man is guilty before the judgment of God. He is not righteous, nor does he do good (Rom 3:10–12). The inherited original sin of Adam, the federal head of humanity, coupled with each one’s practiced sins ensures that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23; 5:12, 19). Thus, all men in their natural state, with their sin nature, are condemned already (Jn 3:18; Eph 2:3).
If God our Creator had not been merciful, gracious, and loving toward some, all people would rightly be sentenced to eternal punishment in fiery hell, amidst the lake of fire (Mt 25:41, 46; Jude 7; Rev 20:14–15). But God with His eternal omniscience, and according to His eternal good pleasure decreed some people to salvation (Rom 9:23). In this eternal decree, He reprobated others (Rom 9:22), passing over them in election, and like the fallen angels, sent no Savior into the world for them. He also did not send His Holy Spirit to them, to cause them to be born again (1 Pet 1:3), nor cause them to walk in His statutes (Ezek 36:26).
The means for salvation, for reconciliation between the just God and unjust sinners is Christ’s blood atonement for sin (Lev 16; 2 Cor 5:18–20). In this work of Christ, as a substitute sacrifice, Jesus died on the cross of Calvary to save His people from their sins (Mt 1:21), that is, to save them from God’s just punishment, as the consequence for their sins.
In the universal proclamation of this particular Gospel promise, God reveals His unconditional covenant, whereby He tells of His predetermined plan to save a chosen people (Acts 2:23; Rom 8:30; 11:5; Eph 1:4-5), a holy nation, that will be His possession of royal priests for eternity (1 Pet 2:9). The promise of One to come (Gen 3:15; 12:1–3), who would have the name Israel, and who would gather His people Israel (Is 49:3, 6), would also be identified as Mighty God and Emmanuel, which is “God with us (Is 8:8; 9:6).”
God is the Savior, and He saved us (Titus 1:3–4; 3:4–5), that is, His bride, His church, for whom Jesus gave Himself up to death (Eph 5:25), by laying down His life on the cross (Jn 10:11, 15), and demonstrating His eternal love for us (Jn 15:13; 5:8)…believers.
For whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but has everlasting life (Jn 3:16). He Himself has given them eternal life (Jn 10:28) because He Himself is the resurrection and the life (Jn 11:25), and he who believes in Jesus will live, even if he dies, for when Jesus comes forth again, these believers will experience the resurrection of life in their bodies (Jn 5:29), even as they have already experienced this new life in their regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Jn 3; 2 Cor 3:6; 1 Pet 1:3).
Faith in who God is and what He has done is not too deep, nor too difficult for ordinary men to understand. So when Christ Jesus is presented, all men everywhere should repent and believe that He alone is the Savior of sinners (Jn 14:6; Acts 17:30). God is serious when He reveals the consequences for faith and for unbelief. Not all men have faith, however (2 Thess 3:2b). If God has ordained that faith is the means to apprehend Christ, to receive Him for salvation, then the Bible is clear that it is not by the will of man, but of God (Jn 1:13). And as many as were ordained to eternal life…believed (Acts 13:48).
Jesus taught the parable of the soils (Mt 13:3–23) for us to see that the fault does not sit in the seed, which is the Word, the Gospel of Jesus Christ — for this Gospel is indiscriminately preached to all creation (Mk 16:15). In the parable, the same seed falls onto four types of soils, but only one of them is good soil. The outcome is positive, in that God gives the increase to the seed (Mk 4:26), which eventually produces good fruit that remains (Jn 15; Gal 5:22–23). Therefore, Christ is not to blame for a man’s unbelief, nor is God.
In His providence God has made His existence evident (Rom 1:18). He has caused sunshine and rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous (Mt 5:45). He has patiently endured the rebellion of men, who enjoy His provisions without giving thanks to God, maintaining their enmity against Him.
Despite all of the good things shared in His providential care, the one thing God does not grant to the reprobate is grace unto salvation. There is no love, nor grace, nor mercy for the wicked unbeliever, who does not know God. God reserves His grace for His elect, whom Jesus redeemed, and whom the Spirit has baptized, planting the seed of the Word, germinating faith in the regenerate soul (Rom 10:14–17).
Jesus is the Author of the faith He grants to God’s elect, redeemed, regenerated people (Heb 12:2). Faith is a gift of God (Phil 1:29), derived from His grace (Eph 2:8–9), which is evident by the indwelling person and work of the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9, 11; Gal 4:6; 2 Tim 1:14). God gives gifts to men, foremost is the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 10:45), who works grace to ensure the life of faith is not a fleeting fancy (Heb 6:4–6). Paul expressed it best, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against the day (2 Tim 1:12).”
The true Christian is filled with the permanent presence of the Holy Spirit (Heb 13:5), who has made us to know His covenant (Ps 25:14), and made us to know His ways (Ps 25:4). The ways of the sinner are sin, and he is guilty of every sin, including unbelief. The higher way of God is to implant the Word that gives faith to His elect, by giving the Holy Spirit to them, by His own free will and gracious choice decreed in eternity. Sin and guilt and unbelief belong to man; but salvation, including faith, belong to God (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 19:1).
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
April 13, 2022
