Regarding those who have never heard...

Believe that God will save those like Infants and challenged peoples by His application of effectual grace on their behalf, BUT believe that ALL will be held accountible to God based upon being sinners and now in age of accountibility!

This "theory" is like one I heard while in College, that God elected to save ALL in Christ, and that ONLY those who have heard AND rejected Him will be lost!

Why urgency to preach jesus to whole earth, if by hearing and than rejecting Him, that condemns them from once being saved state?

 

I believe the Bible clearly teaches general revelation, revelation through nature. Man can come to an understanding of the existence of God and somewhat of His nature through general revelation, but there is no salvation in the Bible apart from evangelization.

I do not believe that general revelation includes any human made religion. They are all idolatry, and thus an abomination to God, as I read once more in my devotions once again this morning. All human religions turn people completely away from God, as Romans 1 clearly teaches.

 

You've got me! I don't even know what "Jersey Shore" is. Don't have it over here.

They want to endlessly study it without believing. Japanese love to study, but not to commit.

 

Yes, I believe all who do not know and believe in Christ are destined for an eternal Hell. But it is certainly not because of their location. That's a totally unfounded idea. They will go to Hell. I'd rather not believe that, but I have to because that is what God's special revelation teaches.

I've never interacted with you on the BB until now, but this kind of rhetoric leaves me completely unmoved and even repelled. Don't put words into my mouth.

God gives light to every person born into the world. This is true. However, that person must respond to the light they have been given. At that point they will be given more light, and God will send someone. That is where us missionaries come in. The Bible says that all who seek will find (Matt. 6:6-7).

In the book Cowboy Boots in Darkest Africa, Evangelist Bill Rice (my mother's uncle), tells of going to a pygmy tribe deep in the African jungle with a missionary and a translator. This tribe had never seen a white man, and were very afraid. But there was an old man who, when he heard the Word of God, said, "I thought it must be that way. When I was young I climbed a tree and said, 'God, where are you?'" But the man was not saved from his sin until he trusted Christ as Savior.

The Bible is very clear that God uses human instruments to proclaim His message, and has no other plan.

"14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10)

Beyond that, logically speaking you would have to prove there is good in human-made religion in order to prove your point. Otherwise you are suggesting an a-theistic (note the dash) method of salvation. Study comparative religions. Cultures only seek the spiritual through their religions. There are no records in human history of people in non-Christian cultures seeking God outside of their religion.

So, let's try Buddhism. What good can you find in Buddhism? I'll be waiting for your response.

 

You are exactly right...:thumbs::thumbs::applause::applause:

 

The more I think about it the less this statement makes sense linguistically. In the NT, "evangelize" is the verb euaggelizw, meaning according to the Fribergs' Anlex:

So to evangelize is to give good news. In the NT the word occurs 52 times, exclusively used of humans except in Revelation 10:7, where God gives good news to His servants the prophets, and several verses where an angel gives good news.

So where do you get God evangelizing the lost? That is not in the Bible.

 

You are following your emotions here, not the precious Word of God.

The Bible is very clear that Christ is the only way (John 14:6), and that there is no other name under Heaven for salvation (Acts 4:12).

In fact, the verse you keep referring to proves that very thing. John 1:9 says, "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." John is referring directly to Jesus Christ as the Light of the world. You are stretching the Scriptures badly to make them refer to anything else but Christ, including "spiritual revelation" as you say it. The Light is Christ, nothing else.

Here is how Christ lights all who are in the world. Everything good in the world comes from Christ through His servants. All over the world the first hospitals were built by missionaries, the first charities were started by Christians, education was started by Christians. Missionaries are virtually always the first to put a language into written form. An excellent book on this is, What if Jesus Had Never Been Born? by James Kennedy.

If a non-believer among the billions who do not know Christ is sincere about seeking the truth, he will find that Christ is the Light. He will learn what I've just said, that all good things come from Christ. Islam destroys. Buddhism makes poor. All religions destroy. Only Christ brings good.

This kind of rhetoric harms your cause. No one is saying that God cannot evangelize.

 

No....he is not agreeing to your error.He is trying to help you come to truth.

 

God will get the gospel to any "whosoever will" no matter where they are.

 

No, I don't think we have agreed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you appear to believe that someone can be saved without the Gospel being proclaimed to them, on their own somehow. I don't believe that and never will.

 

Uh, let me see. I remember a scripture verse-um, where was it. Wait a minute. It's coming to me.

Got it!

I Corinthians 1:21

And I'll repeat this verse first quoted by convicted 1. Romans 1:16

I really don't see much wiggle room here. People are saved by hearing the gospel, and believing. Without hearing the gospel, they have no hope.

 

I'm with Amy, in that God will get the Good News to every man though the light He put into all the world. I'm very cautious about about drawing human lines that have to be crossed or making specific rules that others must follow.