David_McQueen Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 DO you think only Christians wil be in heaven? Quote Firstborn Ministries: Spoken and written word, without apology Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me Whether through direct revelation of God or indirect, no one makes it to heaven except through Jesus Christ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gregory Matthews Posted April 8, 2005 Moderators Share Posted April 8, 2005 Robert, you have correctly stated that no one comes to God the Father, except by Christ. But, you did not respond to the question. Quote Gregory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveM1936 Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 There were no Christians in OT times. If there were only Christians in heaven, then no one who lived before Christ would be saved. Christ never left the Holy Land. What about the people in His day who never heard of Him? Most of Africa and Asia and the Americas did not hear of Christianity until less than 300 years ago. What about these people? In our day, the Christian faith is prevented by force from reaching the Muslim world. Personally, I believe that anyone who responds to the Holy Spirit will be in heaven, whether he ever heard of Jesus or not. There will be be many in heaven who will wonder how they got there, who this God/Man is. We will have the privilege of teaching them about Christ. God will judge people by how much they had opportunity to know about Bible truth. The basic requirement for heaven is how we treat people. If one has the love of Jesus in his heart and treats others the way God does, then that person will be in heaven, even if he does not know all the Bible teaches. What the Bible teaches is to love others, be compassionate to others, help those who need help. Feed the hungry. Take care of widows and orphans. Relieve the wants of the poor. Treat God's creatures with love. This is Bible truth. Your friend, Dave M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Quote: Robert, you have correctly stated that no one comes to God the Father, except by Christ. But, you did not respond to the question. I thought I did? Whether through direct revelation of God or indirect, no one makes it to heaven except through Jesus Christ. Direct: Bible Indirect: Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made [creation/nature], so that they are without excuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restin Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 And what about the American Indians who lived in America before the arrival of the "Christian" Catholic Jesuits, who forced them to become Christians on penalty of death, and slew whole tribes with siphilus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cricket Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Yep. Only Christians will be in heaven. The moment they arrive, they won't be able to help falling in love with Him. So, yep. Only Christians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made [creation/nature], so that they are without excuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kevin H Posted April 10, 2005 Moderators Share Posted April 10, 2005 This question depends on how you define "Christian." In the largest sence of defining the word, only Christians will be in heaven, we are all saved by the grace of Christ, when they see Jesus they recognize him as their deepest desire, they have been responding to how the Holy Spirit has been pointing them into the direction of Jesus and continue to yeld and find his pressence to be heaven. But if we limit "Christianity" to a specific religious structure, then Jesus is much bigger than Christianity. There are members of the "Christian" religion who allows themselves to live in a very unChristlike way. Many of the commadants of Hitler's death camps were Lutheran ministers. Remember the phrase behind Rhoad Island "I'd rather live with Christian savages than to live with savage Christians." Too much of modern Christianity has replaced the consept of a relationship with Jesus, to a list of works: They require righteousness by vocabulary, saying the right words about Jesus, and being able to give a history lesson of the cross. There are many who say the right words and can give the history lesson but who don't know the person. While there are others who either are ignorant of the words and history lesson, or know the words but have had it such misrepresented to them they they shy away from them, and maybe get a bitter feeling in the pit of their stomach at the words, but they know the person. Many Jews, Muslims and others will wake up in the first resurection, look in the sky and say "You're Jesus? I thought that Jesus was... well, forget who I thought Jesus was, I know you, you've been my best friend through life. This is my God, I have waited for him and he will save us!" I've heard a minister on the radio ask "Are there going to be some in heaven saying 'praise Jesus', while others are saying 'praise Buddah' while others say 'praise Mohammad'? and from this argument argued that only members of the Christian religion would be in heaven. But these people will no more say "prase Buddah" or "prase Mohammad" than we will say "praise Paul" or "praise Billy Graham." All religions have their strong and weak points. Both the Holy Spirit and Satan are busy working in all religions. Religions are no more than a vessel in helping people learn more about God. Judaism, Islam and Christianity have advantages as we are clearer about the fact that there is indeed a God out there and to greatter or lesser degrees look at the interactions that some people (i.e prophets) had with this God. Christianity has the most because we have a better understanding of the few years that this God came and live among us and died for us. What we know makes it easier to love him. You can compare the religions with other vessels for lovers. There is a knowlege that each other exists and cherishing the memory of their brief incounter and long to be back together and learn more about each other. There are those who exchange love letters. Some have love letters and photos, some have e-mail, others Instant messengers, and others have telephone conversations. Just because someone is not in a position to be able to have the knowlege that talking in person brings, does not mean that they love their beloved less and will not be happier on that grand reunion day. As you know from my posts here about hell fire, when Jesus shows up in person he is not going to say "What religion are you" but "I love you!" and we will either run to him and find it heaven to be with him, or else be split between being overwhelmed by our deepest desire, and their distrust of him and habbit of resisting his love and grace and that split litterally rips them up. I just got home from work and have to work double shift when I wake up so I better stop here now, but there is a little more that I'd like to say here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.