Recently, a renowned Protestant minister announced that only those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior will be saved ~ all others are doomed. If God is really like that, I would be horrified. And if this minister really believes this way, then he should spend every moment of his life informing all in the world about it, because any nonbeliever he misses is going to hell due to his laxity.
I don't believe that it's all black-and-white like that. God's mercy is infinite. If someone has never heard of Christ, do you think that our God would condemn him or her to hell for that? (I do not recall Jesus ever saying something like "If you have not heard of me, you will not have eternal life.") There are also those who have heard the good news preached to them but still honestly have not come to the point of believing yet. Are they doomed too? I have personal non-Christian friends who are kind and more loving than a lot of Christians ~ what about them? Would God prefer a bad person who had accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour at one time over a super-good non-Christian??
All I believe is that God is merciful and just and it's not our business to proclaim who gets saved and who doesn't. Often the last shall be first. If a great sinner ends up ahead of me in line for heaven, praise God. I believe only those who outright reject Jesus as Lord and Saviour will be doomed.
A footnote. When sinners of all stripes and colors get saved due to God's mercy, the Catholic teaching of the existence of purgatory makes perfect sense.
All I believe is that God is merciful and just and it's not our business to proclaim who gets saved and who doesn't. Often the last shall be first. If a great sinner ends up ahead of me in line for heaven, praise God. I believe only those who outright reject Jesus as Lord and Saviour will be doomed.
A footnote. When sinners of all stripes and colors get saved due to God's mercy, the Catholic teaching of the existence of purgatory makes perfect sense.
Invincible ignorance! One of my favorite passages from C.S. Lewis' "The Last battle" is at the end of the book when Emeth, the Calormene who followed Tash, is accepted into Aslan's country (that is, heavenly paradise). Aslan then explains to Emeth that he could not sincerely serve Tash without in truth serving Aslan.
ReplyDeleteOr, as St Paul writes to the Romans, "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature those things that are of the law; these having not the law are a law to themselves: Who shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness to them, and their thoughts between themselves accusing, or also defending one another" (Roman 2:13-15).