Awareness and Unbelief does not imply Conscious Rejection of Jesus Christ

The world we live in today is filled with awareness of the Person of Jesus Christ. One perhaps has to travel to extreme corners of the earth that have yet to embrace any sort of civilization for discovery of groups of people who have yet to arrive at awareness of the name of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes, Christians, who otherwise are well meaning relate to others as if awareness of Jesus Christ that is coupled with unbelief in Jesus Christ implies conscious rejection of Jesus Christ. For demonstration of the spiritual reality that combination of awareness and unbelief does not, in of itself, imply conscious rejection of Jesus Christ requires only one illustration.

Paul, the Apostle, who formerly was known as Saul, was a student of Gamaliel, a Pharisee (Acts 22:3). In respect of response of the Jewish Establishment to disciples of Jesus Christ, Gamaliel advised his fellow Pharisees and Sadducees as follows. Using examples of men who, previously had claimed to be ‘The Christ’, that is, the ‘Anointed One’, Gamaliel showed that always, subsequent to demise of the person claiming to be the Christ, such persons’ disciples scatter, and return to their homes, with outcome the movement dies. If Jesus was a false Christ he advised, absent any intervention from leaders of the Jews, the same outcome was bound…