| Can someone be saved without being a Christian? |
| Here is what I believe. The Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans
6:23). This kind of sums up the nature of Christian salvation. Because people
sin, they die. It's not a punishment by God, but the simple and logical fact
that an imperfect being cannot live forever. But because Christ, who was
a perfect being, willingly died in our place, we are freed from the penalty
of our sins. John 14:6 backs this up when Jesus said, "no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me." What He did for us was a gift, not something we can
earn by our own works. So the question boils down to this: who gets this
gift? Only Christians?
I believe that this gift is made available to all men, whether or not they have heard of Jesus Christ, though many men reject this gift and are thus not saved. If some man living in a remote region of the world never hears of Jesus, would this man be absolutely refused salvation? Most Christians would agree that such a man could be saved, and the Bible says that God doesn't want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). You see, God made all people with an understanding of the nature of love vs. hate, forgiveness vs. condemnation, life vs. death. The Holy Spirit is a nature, which comes from God, which favors love, forgiveness, and life. A person who has never heard of Jesus, but whose nature favors good, forgiveness, and life, could be saved by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross since this person has not rejected the Holy Spirit. I strongly believe that those who are in touch with the Holy Spirit will usually be drawn towards Christ if they are told about Him. Matthew 12:32 says, "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man (Jesus), it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Most Christians agree that the unforgiveable sin mentioned in this passage isn't simply having spoken against the Holy Ghost once or twice, but it is rejecting the Holy Spirit altogether. If we take this to be the case, then this passage suggests that you can be forgiven for not believing in Jesus, as long as you have not also rejected the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which .God hath prepared for them that love Him." Since many people of other faiths also love God, couldn't this passage apply to them as well? If the Bible is true (as I believe it is), then those of other faiths which don't recognize Jesus as savior are wrong, but they can be forgiven for being wrong as long as they are in tune with the Holy Spirit. I don't think Christians should absolutely reject the idea that people of other faiths can be saved, but neither should we hesitate to share the gospel with them. Those people have nothing to lose by being exposed to the Bible, for according to Jesus, "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world" (John 12:47). If those people are in tune with the Holy Spirit, they will probably come to accept Jesus. If they are not in tune with the Holy Spirit, perhaps we can help them to be |