Choosing Ignorance

“I don’t know” or “I do not recall” are phrases we hear a lot…especially when it comes to congressional testimony. Somehow, ignorance is construed as an excuse. It can be a reason, but not an excuse. As much as we like to use these as an out, they only go so far. Going back to my childhood, I remember I was throwing small stones in the driveway, and for whatever reason I thought it would be a clever idea to throw one of those stones at my dad’s new sports car. I started with what was nothing more than a pebble, and when it bounced off the windshield with no damage, I decided to up the odds and throw something bigger. Well, after about the fourth “upgrade” you can easily guess what happened to the windshield. When my dad came out later and saw the windshield with a nice chip in it, he asked me what happened. I of course said, “I don’t know.” He knew I was lying. He gave me one more chance, to which I then fessed up. He then asked me “Why?” and in essence I said, “I don’t recall.” Let’s just say justice was swift and sure enough I never did that again. I couldn’t play ignorance. I was without excuse. Human consequences in life, as harsh as they may get, have limits. They are temporary in light of eternity. However, in his letter to the Roman’s, Paul is warning his readers that the “ignorant card’ cannot be played with God. There are those that defy, deny, or even detest God. In verses 18-19 Paul tells his readers, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.” Then there are those that would say they don’t know God because they never knew of God. That claim is not excusable because, as Paul writes in verse 20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” God is truly everywhere and in everything. As Psalm 19:1 reads, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Accountability is difficult because it inherently comes with responsibility. There is consequence to action, either by commission or omission. For the believer, there is the hope that comes with putting our trust in Christ and accepting Him as Lord and Savior. When we stand before God we stand not in confidence of self, but in confidence of who Jesus is and what He has done. For the non-believer, ignorance does not negate guilt. The consequence of that ignorance is eternal separation from God in a very real place called hell. Choose Christ, not ignorance.