“Well, it’s just cruel and unfair if there is really only one path to God.”
That’s a common objection to the non-negotiable demands of the Gospel. On a purely emotional level, you can feel the frustration, saying: Look, I’m intelligent and reasonable enough that, if God would just cut me a little slack on this and provide more options, I would consider joining his team.
The root of the problem is not an unspecified “ideal number of options”. The root is a stubborn human nature that never, ever wants to be told what to do and how far is too far. What’s more, it’s not a new objection to God’s authority. It goes waaaay back.
Imagine with me, a possible entry in our ancestor Adam’s diary
Dear Diary: Today was fairly pleasant. Eve and I love being vegetarians, and the selection is really impressive. Seriously. We’ve got 147 different fruit-bearing trees around here, all ours for the taking, and all delicious. I’ll admit, though, that tree #148 is a constant source of frustration. We ought to be allowed to try the fruit from that one. I mean, I’m intelligent and reasonable enough that, if God would just cut us a little slack on this and provide that option, then it would be like paradise.
Sound familiar?
