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John
3:16-21 explains that all who believe are saved and unbelievers are
condemned. In verse 19, we see there are people who would rather live in
darkness, they're the people who refuse to accept this truth. Then, in John
14:16, we're told no one comes to the Father except
through Jesus. These two truths are tied together as a way to true
salvation. Only by confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and
believing in our hearts he was raised from the dead can we be saved (Romans
10:9). God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ is the foundation of
the Christian faith. Any church or individual teaching salvation can be
received in any other way can only do so by going against the clear Biblical
teaching. There are such false teachers inside and outside the walls of our
churches. It's up to each and every true Christian to squelch these heresies
at the source.
Although there are verses that talk about people being
ignorant of the truth, these passages must be taken in context with what
Jesus revealed. The false teachers provide exceptions to the truth that only
through Christ can we be saved as stated in Acts 4:12. One such teaching
proclaims that Muslims and others who've heard the truth, once or several
times, may still be saved because they've been "brainwashed" since childhood
to refuse all Christian beliefs as lies. There are also exceptions for all
of the people who haven't, at any time in their lives, been exposed to the
truth (ie. Aborigines in the Amazonian rainforests). The greatest exception
is most often put forth toward the Jews as God's chosen people; this is the
greatest heresy, as Jesus is their Messiah. For any and all groups of people
in this world, the false teachers find supposed loopholes through which
these people can receive salvation without first acknowledging Jesus Christ.
Are any of these teachings acceptable? Is ignorance of
the truth a free pass to salvation? As mentioned, there are verses that seem
to support this view. However, through study, we can see ignorance is no
excuse for older children and adults. A study on whether or not infants and
young children are granted salvation without knowing Jesus will be
forthcoming.
(Acts 17:30-31) After explaining that God determined
the time and place when people would live so they'll seek after him, Paul
talks about idols. He then writes: In the past God
overlooked such ignorance but now he commands all people to repent
and he has given them proof of this to all men by
raising him [Jesus] from the dead. The
ignorance should be removed by the proof. This doesn't just apply to people
who may have been present when Jesus returned from the dead. The truth was
recorded and relayed to people from that day forward. Once a person has been
exposed to the truth about salvation only through Christ, they can no longer
claim ignorance. A Muslim, Buddhist, or anyone else who chooses not to
believe, regardless of their reasons or excuses, has no defense for their
refusal when they stand in the presence of Christ on judgment day.
Setting aside, for the moment, the fact of believing in
Jesus as the only way to salvation, the Bible clearly denounces some
people's belief that God is known to many people even if they have different
practices. These people will say that even though some people in the world
may utilize "heathen" symbols and rituals, they can still be worshipping
God. They may be worshipping a god, but not the God of the Bible.
It's true that since the creation of world God's
invisible qualities . . . have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without
excuse (Acts 1:20). However, it also says these men have
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images
of mean and animals (Acts 1:23). If any group of people are worshipping
idols, they aren't worshipping God. There are no excuses or exceptions.
There are other people who will quote Acts 2:5-11 to
demonstrate that even people who haven't accepted Christ can be saved by
their good works. This could, but doesn't, apply to people who have access
to the law as shown in verses 12-16. All who sin apart
from the law will also perish from the law, and all who sin under the law
will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are
righteous in God's sight, but those who obey the law will be declared
righteous (verses 12-13). If anyone is ignorant of the law, they'll
still be condemned. For those who know the law (ie. Jews), they'll be judged
by how they serve the law. One time failing to obey every law and
restriction is enough to condemn a person. Prior to the time of Christ,
animal sacrifices could be offered as a means to cover these sins, but no
more. The only sacrifice available now is Jesus Christ.
He is the atoning |
