“By
faith
Moses,
when
he
had
grown
up,
refused
to
be
called
the
son
of
Pharaoh's
daughter;
choosing
rather
to
endure
ill-treatment
with
the
people
of
God,
than
to
enjoy
the
passing
pleasures
of
sin;
considering
the
reproach
of
Christ
greater
riches
than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward” (Heb. 11: 24-26).
Hell and “Hobson’s Choice”
Henry
Hobson
(1544-1631)
rented
out
horses
in
Cambridge,
England,
but
did
not
allow
customers
their
choice
of
mounts.
If
he
had,
the
best
horses
would
have
been
overused.
So,
Hobson
required
that
they
take
the
horse
in
the
stall
nearest
the
door.
This
gave
rise
to
the
expression,
“Hobson’s
choice,”
which
is
hardly
a
real
choice.
Is
salvation
a
“Hobson’s
choice”?
After
all,
no
sane
person
would
choose
to
go
to hell.
It
would
be,
except
for
one
consideration.
It
is
only
when
a
person
has
committed
himself
to
faith
in
God
and
the
Bible
as
His
word
that
the
choosing
effectively
ends.
The
person
who
believes
the
Bible
would
never
choose
to
spend
eternity in hell rather than heaven.
Thus,
salvation
remains
a
choice,
but
it
confronts
a
person
when
he
contemplates
the
evidence
for
faith.
No
one
given
a
choice
between
heaven
and
hell
would
choose
hell.
Yet,
that
is
only
true
if
one
believes
in
this
choice.
Thus,
one
does
not
so
much
choose
whether
to
go
to
heaven
or
hell
as
he
does
whether
to
believe
or
not.
Once
he
has
decided
that
the
evidence
for
the
Bible
is
enough
to
believe,
he
has
already
made
his
choice
to
do
what
the
Bible
says,
because
it
is
God’s
word.
In
that
sense, the choosing has ended; now, all that is left is the doing.
Faith
is
very
much
a
choice.
The
Bible
fully
informs
the
unbeliever
as
to
what
is
ultimately
involved
in
this
choice,
but
the
unbeliever
is
perfectly
free
not
to
believe the Bible.
Scripture
describes
Moses
as
choosing
the
reward
Christ
would
give
him
rather
than
“the
treasures
of
Egypt.”
Yet,
he
chose
this
reward
“by
faith,”
not
because
he
had
seen
it.
Thus,
his
choice
first
consisted
in
choosing
to
believe
in
the
God
who
promised him that reward.
That
salvation
is
an
actual
choice
is
further
seen
from
the
fact
that
many,
in
effect,
choose
to
be
lost
in
hell
(Matt.
7:13f).
Yet,
they
do
not
make
that
choice
in
awareness
that
this
is
really
what
they
are
choosing.
Instead,
they
choose
not
to
believe
that
they
are
choosing
between
heaven
and
hell.
Their
choice
consists
primarily in choosing not to believe the evidence.
Because
God
does
not
want
to
compel
faith,
He
has
always
presented
heaven
and
hell
as
a
choice
of
faith.
The
evidence
is
sufficient,
but
it
is
never
so
compelling
as
to
deprive
a
person
of
a
free
choice.
While
Jesus
was
on
the
cross,
His
abusers
said,
“…
Let
Him
now
come
down
from
the
cross,
and
we
shall
believe
in
Him”
(Matt.
27:42).
If
Jesus
had
come
down
from
the
cross,
no
doubt,
they
would
have
believed
in
Him.
Yet,
He
did
not
come
down
from
the
cross
because
He
did
not
want
to
force
people
into
faith
but
to
give
them
adequate
evidence
to
believe
and
choose
to
do
so.
In
fact,
this
is
exactly
what
happened.
Not
long
before
Jesus’
crucifixion,
and
not
far
from
where
it
occurred,
He
had
raised
Lazarus
from
the
dead
(Jn.
11:18,43ff;
12:1,9-11).
Yet,
instead
of
believing
in
Him
because
of
Lazarus’
resurrection,
the
Jews
chose
to
quash
the
evidence
by
killing
Lazarus
and
not
believe.
As
Paul
put
it,
“…
They
did
not
receive
the
love of the truth so as to be saved … but took pleasure in wickedness” (2 Thess. 2:10-12).
Douglas
A.
Jacoby
said,
“There
is
always
room
to
doubt.
Theologians
refer
to
God’s
modesty:
He
does
not
force
us
to
believe.
…
If
the
spiritual
world
were
visible,
there
would
be
little
room
to
doubt.
God’s
invisibility
is
a
sort
of
guarantee
that
we
are
responding
authentically.
Faith
is
more
than
a
response
to
evidence;
it
is
a
decision to believe” (Compelling Evidence for God and the Bible, pg. 179).
Faith
is
a
choice,
and
in
choosing
whether
to
believe,
one
chooses
either
heaven
or hell.
Picture is of old stables at Lower Dean Manor /cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Graham Horn -
geograph.org.uk/p/447607
Copyright © 2017 - current year, Gary P. and Leslie G. Eubanks. All Rights Reserved.
Hell and “Hobson’s Choice”
Henry
Hobson
(1544-1631)
rented
out
horses
in
Cambridge,
England,
but
did
not
allow
customers
their
choice
of
mounts.
If
he
had,
the
best
horses
would
have
been
overused.
So,
Hobson
required
that
they
take
the
horse
in
the
stall
nearest
the
door.
This
gave
rise
to
the
expression,
“Hobson’s
choice,”
which is hardly a real choice.
Is
salvation
a
“Hobson’s
choice”?
After
all,
no
sane person would choose to go to hell.
It
would
be,
except
for
one
consideration.
It
is
only
when
a
person
has
committed
himself
to
faith
in
God
and
the
Bible
as
His
word
that
the
choosing
effectively
ends.
The
person
who
believes
the
Bible
would
never
choose
to
spend
eternity
in
hell
rather
than heaven.
Thus,
salvation
remains
a
choice,
but
it
confronts
a
person
when
he
contemplates
the
evidence
for
faith.
No
one
given
a
choice
between
heaven
and
hell
would
choose
hell.
Yet,
that
is
only
true
if
one
believes
in
this
choice.
Thus,
one
does
not
so
much
choose
whether
to
go
to
heaven
or
hell
as
he
does
whether
to
believe
or
not.
Once
he
has
decided
that
the
evidence
for
the
Bible
is
enough
to
believe,
he
has
already
made
his
choice
to
do
what
the
Bible
says,
because
it
is
God’s
word.
In
that
sense,
the
choosing
has
ended;
now,
all
that
is
left
is
the
doing.
Faith
is
very
much
a
choice.
The
Bible
fully
informs
the
unbeliever
as
to
what
is
ultimately
involved
in
this
choice,
but
the
unbeliever
is
perfectly free not to believe the Bible.
Scripture
describes
Moses
as
choosing
the
reward
Christ
would
give
him
rather
than
“the
treasures
of
Egypt.”
Yet,
he
chose
this
reward
“by
faith,”
not
because
he
had
seen
it.
Thus,
his
choice
first
consisted
in
choosing
to
believe
in
the
God
who
promised him that reward.
That
salvation
is
an
actual
choice
is
further
seen
from
the
fact
that
many,
in
effect,
choose
to
be
lost
in
hell
(Matt.
7:13f).
Yet,
they
do
not
make
that
choice
in
awareness
that
this
is
really
what
they
are
choosing.
Instead,
they
choose
not
to
believe
that
they
are
choosing
between
heaven
and
hell.
Their
choice
consists
primarily
in
choosing
not
to
believe
the evidence.
Because
God
does
not
want
to
compel
faith,
He
has
always
presented
heaven
and
hell
as
a
choice
of
faith.
The
evidence
is
sufficient,
but
it
is
never
so
compelling
as
to
deprive
a
person
of
a
free
choice.
While
Jesus
was
on
the
cross,
His
abusers
said,
“…
Let
Him
now
come
down
from
the
cross,
and
we
shall
believe
in
Him”
(Matt.
27:42).
If
Jesus
had
come
down
from
the
cross,
no
doubt,
they
would
have
believed
in
Him.
Yet,
He
did
not
come
down
from
the
cross
because
He
did
not
want
to
force
people
into
faith
but
to
give
them
adequate
evidence
to
believe
and
choose
to
do
so.
In
fact,
this
is
exactly
what
happened.
Not
long
before
Jesus’
crucifixion,
and
not
far
from
where
it
occurred,
He
had
raised
Lazarus
from
the
dead
(Jn.
11:18,43ff;
12:1,9-11).
Yet,
instead
of
believing
in
Him
because
of
Lazarus’
resurrection,
the
Jews
chose
to
quash
the
evidence
by
killing
Lazarus
and
not
believe.
As
Paul
put
it,
“…
They
did
not
receive
the
love
of
the
truth
so
as
to
be
saved
…
but
took
pleasure
in
wickedness”
(2
Thess.
2:10-12).
Douglas
A.
Jacoby
said,
“There
is
always
room
to
doubt.
Theologians
refer
to
God’s
modesty:
He
does
not
force
us
to
believe.
…
If
the
spiritual
world
were
visible,
there
would
be
little
room
to
doubt.
God’s
invisibility
is
a
sort
of
guarantee
that
we
are
responding
authentically.
Faith
is
more
than
a
response
to
evidence;
it
is
a
decision
to
believe”
(Compelling Evidence for God and the Bible, pg. 179).
Faith
is
a
choice,
and
in
choosing
whether
to believe, one chooses either heaven or hell.
Picture is of old stables at Lower Dean Manor
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Graham Horn - geograph.org.uk/p/447607
Copyright © 2017 - current year, Gary P. and Leslie G. Eubanks. All Rights Reserved.
“By
faith
Moses,
when
he
had
grown
up,
refused
to
be
called
the
son
of
Pharaoh's
daughter;
choosing
rather
to
endure
ill-treatment
with
the
people
of
God,
than
to
enjoy
the
passing
pleasures
of
sin;
considering
the
reproach
of
Christ
greater
riches
than
the
treasures
of
Egypt; for he was looking to the reward” (Heb. 11: 24-26).
