What do you believe?

I believe that the Christ is the only 'ticket' into Heaven. While there are many tenets of the faith I'm willing to accept debate upon, this I am unwilling to budge about.

Now as to whether there is another place (not quite hell) where God will send people who never hear the gospel (either because of Christian incontinence or the fact that there are places our missionaries still have not penetrated)...I struggle with, especially in light of Romans 2. I suppose you could call me a 'moderate' Baptist, as opposed to the typical SBC hard-line fundamentalist stance many in my denomination will espouse.

But that's just me, and I could be wrong. In theology, few things are certain until we actually see Christ!

 

Act 4:8-12

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 

John 14-6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

 

What I believe?....well, I believe as Peter preached, in the beginning...nothing changed!

Acts 2:38-39
38) Then Peter said unto them, *repent,* and be *baptized* every one of you in the *NAME* of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39) For the *promise* is unto you, and to your children, and to *all* that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

I could go on, but this is one of my favorites.

MEE

 

I belive that God sent His "only beggoten" Son. Born of a virgin, to walk sinless on earth with man, not to destroy the law but to fulfill the law. I belive he was crusified and died on the cross for our sins and on the 3 day He arose. I belive He assended into heaven and sits on the right hand side of the throne. I belive He will some day (soon) come again. I belive that Jesus lives, heals, and forgives sin. I also belive the promise that if we belive on Him we shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 4:24-25 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

I belive He was there in the beginning.

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

I could say more but you got the general idea.

Music4Him

 

The difference between Christianity and all others is that all others make an attempt to reach God whereas Christianity is God reaching down to man. The center of Christianity is Christ whereas all others is centered in man.

 

Also, True Christianity is based on God's Love for Man...

No other purported diety has published thier love for man to the extent of giving all and requiring nothing in advance of that gift...

And, comes with it a command that we love one another...

(Even though Paul allowed for us to live at peace with all men as much as lieth within you... )

 

Man realizes in his heart that he was created. As such he looks for God!

It would be nice to think that a "good person" from any religious background could go to heaven - but this is clearly not what the Bible tells us about salvation.

 

The Bible does not say that "good person" from another religion can not go to haven either.

Let me suggest a scenario and please make your comments.

A "good person" from another religion dies. The person meets Jesus. Jesus reveals himself to the "good person". The person believes, accepts the grace and is saved. Is it possible?

 

Janosik, I think that it's in the very least possible (how "probable" is a matter of sheer speculation). This is why we as Christians are strictly forbidden from judging a person's salvation. Scripturally, that is resrved for God and God alone.

 

The thread starts off with two questions.

#1. Does it matter what you believe? Is Christianity just as valid as Islam or Buddhism?

#2. Are Christians the only ones that go to heaven?

Those are two very different questions.

The first deals with the efforts of Satan to introduce error into the Creation story, salvation history, and salvation future. All erroneous religions insert error into those key truths and "no" their error is not "more-or-less the same" as God's truth.

But the 2nd question deals with the ability of God to reach the lost - no matter how dark a spot they live in. In Romans 2 - we see evidence that God the Holy Spirit who convicts the World of sin and righteousness judgment is able to reach out even to those with no access to the Bible at all.

In Christ,

Bob