|
sacrifice for our sins . . . also for the sins
of the whole world (1 John 2:2). This doesn't mean everyone in the
world is covered by this blood. As mentioned in the opening paragraph of
this study, one must accept Jesus as Lord and believe he died for our sins.
Jews, who have and know the law, must accept their Messiah to be saved.
(Galatians 3:8-9) God . .
. announced the gospel in advance to Abraham .
. . "All nations will be blessed through you." So
those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. The
gospel is the good news of salvation through belief in Jesus as Savior, who
came into this world through the line descending from Abraham. Only people
who place their faith in Jesus are saved.
(Galatians 3) All who rely on the
law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not
continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law" (verse 10)
and Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us (verse 13). Jews who've refused to accept
their Messiah are still under the curse of the law. No one can live without
breaking the law. If any man claims to have always obeyed the law, he's a
liar (1 John 1:8). The only sacrifice for sin is Jesus Christ. Without
accepting this truth, people will be condemned. This is especially true for
Jews denying the saving grace of their Messiah.
Ignorance is no excuse, at least for the majority of
people in the world today. Jesus commanded the disciples to
go into all the world and preach the good news
(Luke 16:15). That's exactly what's happening today. Anyone who hears or
reads the truth yet refuses to believe it, for any reason, will be judged
and condemned. This includes Muslims, Jews, and all other religious groups.
The Bible has been translated into many languages and missionaries have
preached in most, if not all, countries. Although the message is repeated
often, there are still some people who'll deny it's truth. If there would be
an exception to the rule, it would be for people who've never been exposed
to the gospel in any way. This could only apply if the people were truly
following the one and only God presented in the Bible, but as seen in Acts
1:23, these uneducated people don't worship the God shown through creation.
Salvation is found in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we can
be saved (Acts 4:12). This statement is applicable to every human who
ever lived since the time of Jesus. Yes, people have died in ignorance and
have been condemned for all eternity. This was never God's intention. It's
the individual's choice to refuse the truth when they hear it or worship
idols instead of God shown through his creation. If we don't want any more
people to die unsaved, it's up to us to personally reach out to people with
the truth or to support people and organizations to do the footwork.
Unfortunately, many people will continue to deny the truth that only by
accepting the Lord and Savior can they be saved. People will continue to
make excuses - they're brainwashed by cults or other religions, they were
and continue to be God's chosen people, and many others. If there are
exceptions, Jesus was a liar. Neither the Bible nor Jesus teaches any
exceptions to the rule. |
