Why Do People Who've Never Heard Of Christ Go To Hell?

I just finished a book by Jerry Walls entitled, Hell: The Logic of Damnation; I don’t often read philosophical books (I mainly stick to theology), but this book was a gift and I am interested in the topic. I found it to be an interesting book as Dr. Walls approaches hell from many sides and presents the case for his beliefs very well.

But, I bring up this book not to discuss it, per se, but to look at a quote that was included within its pages from another philosopher, one that said something I have been thinking for many years and, since I don’t read many philosophy books, I have never seen put into words on paper before.

But first, a little history. There are two major soteriological trains of thought: Calvinism, which says that God, before the age of time, arbitrarily predestined some people for salvation and heaven and the rest of the people to hell, irrespective of their actions, thoughts and desires; and Arminianism, which says that man has free will to choose to follow God if he desires and that everyone is given just enough (prevenient) grace to be able to believe in God for salvation.

God’s vehicle, so to speak, to heaven is Jesus Christ and the belief in Him as the Son of God is paramount to salvation. This means that one must have faith in the Jesus of the Bible, not some made up, fake Jesus. The Bible tells us that there is no other name by which we can be saved and therefore allowed into heaven.

This leads to the question about what happens to those who never even hear about Jesus Christ. How do they even get the chance to accept Him as Savior? Some would say that it’s totally unfair for these people to be sent to hell just because they’ve had no opportunity to hear about Jesus. I happen to be one of those people who say this.

This is where the book I just read and the quote I’m referring to comes in.  Dr. Walls suggest that there might be a chance after death to accept Jesus’ offer of salvation; I don’t see this option presented in the Bible at all. But, on page 96 of Hell, Jerry Walls quotes renowned philosopher William Lane Craig from his book, The Only Wise God:

“it is possible that God in his providence so arranged the world that those who never in fact hear the gospel are persons who would not respond if they did hear it. God brings the gospel to all those who he knows will respond to it if they hear it… No one who would respond if he heard it will be lost.”

That’s it exactly! God, in his infinite wisdom and perfect foreknowledge, assigned future believers a location and time on earth where they would hear the gospel. God doesn’t just haphazardly pick some people to be saved and some to be damned; He knows who will be saved, if given the opportunity, and who, given an equal opportunity, would not choose salvation.

God is a just and merciful God. He wants all to be saved -- and everyone who would be, will be. Praise God!

Are You Going to Vote Democrat?

If so, you need to read this blog entry; if you know someone who will, then tell them to read it. It's entitled:

"The BIBLE SAYS if you vote for a democrat and were to die thereafter you would go to hell"

by Dennis Marcellino and it can be found at:

http://conservativebyte.com/2012/05/the-bible-says-if-you-vote-for-a-democrat-and-were-to-die-thereafter-you-would-go-to-hell/

Read it.

Nudity in the Church

I've just read a post at christianpost.com entitled, "Too Much Skin? Christian Minister Talks Lust, Modesty, Fashion", by Katherine Weber. She, in turn, was writing about a post a pastor in Ohio made on his blog, the title was, "Butts and Boobs". His post was about the way young people dress during the spring and summer months.

In a nutshell, his post was about the way young women and teen dress during the warm months of the year. Basically, whether intentionally or not, they dressed to entice lust. This was a good article and I suggest you take a look at it.

One of the best lines in the article was, "The Ohio minister added that men will always, on a physiological level, have lustful feelings toward women." That's right. I don't care who you are, sir. You are programmed to find women attractive. We see a woman showing a lot of skin and we men are naturally prone to desire that woman.

Christians have the Holy Spirit and the desire to follow God to help us avoid lusting after women, but we do fail. How many times have you read or heard about a pastor caught in a sexual predicament? It's not as if that pastor set out to fall in this manner; but men have a natural desire for women. And the natural urges of a man are hard to tame.

Pornography is a multi-billion dollar business these days; why is that? It's because it preys on man's most primal desires. Evil men take advantage of weaker men or of men who have no desire to control themselves in this area. Most men enjoy porn because most men do not know God nor His Son. 

As Christian men, we should despise pornography! Just as we should despise women who go out in public half, or more, naked. The church should be a safe haven for men where we don't have to guard our eyes and fight lust with every turn of the head we make.

But, from my experience, pastor are too afraid of offending someone to enforce the Bible's dress code. I currently attend a church where one of the teen girls wears the shortest of shorts almost every Sunday. Why isn't the youth minister saying something to her? Why isn't the Senior pastor saying something to the youth minister about not saying something to her?

I attended a mega-church in Texas where a very attractive woman sang in the choir; she was always on the front row wearing an extremely short skirt or dress every single Sunday. I commented time again to my wife about the pastors allowing that to continue. Finally, I mentioned it to the pastor, telling him that I didn't appreciate her apparel; only then did it change.

Another time, My family was seeking a new church home in Bellevue, Washington when on our third visit to a church, the pastor called the winner of a cook-off to the front of the church. the winner was the 13-year-old daughter of the associate pastor (she was introduced as such) and her attire consisted of a T-shirt and jean short cut off at her crotch! Can you imagine a pastor allowing his daughter to dress like a slut?!

The church has really fallen down in this area. Could it be because even pastors are enjoying the "eye candy" that is flaunted at us today? If the church does not present a safe haven for men, what will?

Pastors, stand your ground!

You deserve... Really?

I was half listening to a TV commercial today when I heard the phrase, "You deserve it." This is not the first time I've heard this phrase in a commercial either on television or on the radio. I don't recall hear this phrase as often in the past so it's gotten me to thinking. Could this phrase be tied to what is happening in the Obama political world?

Obama is telling everyone that they deserve this, and they deserve that, all regardless of the effort put forth on their part. And now I'm hearing that I DESERVE every product being advertised. Obama, the liberal news media, and now advertisements are all working together to brainwash us all in that we deserve any and every thing we desire. There is absolutely no reason, according to them, for anyone not having what we want.

But, the Bible tells us differently. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, it says: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat."

If this is the rule for food, a very basic need for life, how much more for the thing that are not necessary but only desired? Luke 12:15 says, "Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." There's nothing wrong with wanting things, as long as it is not in excess; notice the word abundance in the verse above. 

God enjoys giving us good things. But we are not to be greedy about it. Nor are we always to desire everything we see. God expects us to live happy, useful, helpful lives. An Obamian-style life, filled with unearned and unneeded handouts is not please to God.

No one deserves anything. God's unearned mercy and forgiveness is a blessing beyond description and anything else from Him is icing on the cake. His love for us should be all that we desire; it's all that should make us happy.

This is a hard thing for us to comprehend, let alone put into practice. But practice it we must. Thank you Lord. 

Amazing Pharisees

I was reading in the book of Matthew today when I came to chapter 12 where it says:

9Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 11He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

This is one of the many stories involving Jesus that amazes me. But this time, it’s not Jesus doing the amazing, it’s the Pharisees. As you know, the Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day; their word was the last word to the Jews. It was the Pharisee’s job to interpret the Hebrew Scripture and to then tell the common folks how to live.

So here was the Son of God, preforming a miracle right before their very eyes, yet all they could think about was that He was “breaking the rules”! This upset them so much that they began to plan a way to get rid of Jesus, not by running Him out of the country, but by killing Him!

These guys knew about Jesus, meaning they knew that He was the promised Messiah. They knew the scripture and the time frame set out by God’s prophets. They were expecting the Messiah to show Himself at any time. The only problem was that they were looking for a big guy with a big sword who’d kill a bunch of Romans and put the Jews on all the thrones of the world.

What they were starting to realize though, was that the Messiah was establishing a different kind of kingdom – a spiritual kingdom that would include not only the Jews, but the Gentiles as well; and that each member of this kingdom would be a priest of God.

Needless to say, the Pharisees didn’t like this one bit! They didn’t want to lose their place of leadership. They enjoyed being looked up to and being the most important people in the room. To bring it down to ground level, they were selfish, egotistical sinners. Or in other words… you and me.

Aren’t we the same way? When you think about it, there are only three people we care about -- me, myself and I. We are all sinners whose every though is, “How do I please myself?” We are all Pharisees at heart. Even when we are helping others, we do it because it makes us feel good to do so.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will forgive us of all our sins (no matter what they are), and then He will send His Spirit to live in us to teach us, to guide us and to motivate us to help others with unselfish motives.  

Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. He is the One who sacrificed Himself to allow us to become children of God. We are because He is; we owe our every action and thought to Him. I’m a sinner, but I will one day live in heaven in the shadow of my God because of His grace given to me through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. Join me, will you, in this grace and forgiveness, happiness and joy, and eternal life with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Is There a Christian Presidential Politician?

I’ve just read an article entitled, “Where Have All the Bold Pastors Gone?” by Jerry Newcombe published on March 13, 2012 (http://worldviewchurch.org/columns/featured-column/1221-where-have-all-the-bold-pastors-gone). The article is about pastors speaking up and being bold in their pronouncements, particularly presidential candidates. He does find one pastor who seems to be boldly speaking out; here is a quote by Mr. Newcombe that I found interesting:

“Another outspoken minister has been Dr. Robert Jeffress of Dallas, who was castigated about half a year ago for stating he preferred a Christian politician to a Mormon one” (the first minister mentioned was a Catholic priest).

Although not so stated Mr. Newcombe, Dr. Jeffress was speaking about Mitt Romney (http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-robert-jeffress-refuses-to-back-down-on-mormonism-is-a-cult-57933/). This statement by Dr. Jeffress, and the fact that it is quoted by Mr. Newcombe, does bring up some questions.

The first question would be to ask them both to name a Christian politician running for president. As far as I know, there isn’t one. Yes, I know that Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich both are Roman Catholics; but, Roman Catholicism is not a Christian denomination.

Here is a small sampling of the heresies that Catholics believe; people must believe this to be a member of the RC church! A true Christian would not dare to be a member of a group whose statement of faith contained any of these anti-Christian beliefs. The Roman Catholic Church’s Catechism published in 1992 (http://kwing.christiansonnet.org/church-news/theo_Catholicism.htm) says:

- 82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.

- 494 ... As St. Irenaeus says, "Being obedient she [Mary] became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race." ...

- 495 ... the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos).

- 508 From among the descendants of Eve, God chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of his Son. "Full of grace," Mary is "the most excellent fruit of redemption" (SC 103): from the first instant of her conception, she was totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout her life.

- 966 "Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son ..." The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection ... "In giving birth you kept your virginity... You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death" (Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion, Feast of the Dormition, August 15th.).

- 846 Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation ... thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.

- 841 The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day.

- 891 The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful -- who confirms his brethren in the faith -- he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. ... The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magesterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council. ... This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.

- 1263 By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin.

- 980 It is through the sacrament of Penance that the baptized can be reconciled with God and with the Church: "Penance has rightly been called by the holy Fathers `a laborious kind of baptism.' This sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have not yet been reborn" (Council of Trent (1551): DS 1672; cf. St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 39, 17: PG 36,356).

- 1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification [purgatory], so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

- 1129 The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation. ... The fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers in the divine nature by uniting them in a living union with the only Son, the Saviour.

- 1365 Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. ... In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

- 1493 One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the unconfessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience. The confession of venial faults, without being necessary in itself, is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.

- 1497 Individual and integral confession of grave sins followed by absolution remains the only ordinary means of reconciliation with God and with the Church.

- 1471 An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. ... Indulgences may be applied to the living or the dead.

- 1478 An indulgence is obtained through the Church who ... intervenes in favour of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the punishments due for their sins. ...

So clearly, the RCC is not a Christian denomination; likewise, its members are not Christians. So, there is no Christian for Dr. Jeffress to vote for; like the rest of us, come voting time in November, he’ll have to settle for socialist Muslim or a capitalist cultist. Come soon Lord Jesus, come soon!

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Mother Teresa

What? Mother Teresa was a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Yep. Let’s start with what exactly is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

In the book of Matthew, verse 7:15, Jesus tells us to “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

Jesus also said in Matthew 24:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.”

So was Mother Teresa really a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Although I don’t believe if she ever preformed a miracle, she surely showed great signs of love and compassion toward those much less fortunate than herself.

No doubt that she really cared for people in the midst of their hardships and sicknesses. I can’t argue that she didn’t do great things in India, well above and beyond the “call of duty”. She puts most people to shame with her unselfish sacrifice and dedication to service.

But, does all this make a person a Christian? No it doesn’t. The only thing that makes a person a Christian is their belief in Jesus Christ of the Bible; and that only He is the way to have our sin forgiven. That only He is “the way, the truth and the life” and that “no one goes to the Father except through Jesus”.

Is this what Mother Teresa believed? Here are some quotes she made to describe her beliefs and about who gets to heaven. Now you can decide if she was a Christian or not.

“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' rather he will ask, 'How much love did you put into what you did?”

For one thing, God’s not going to ask us anything! He’s going to open the Lamb’s Book of Life and if our name isn’t in it, we’re not going to heaven. Plus, if He did ask us a question, I’m betting it’ll be in the line of, “Did you believe in my son and what did you do with that belief?”

“I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.”

Isn’t helping someone get better at doing their godless religion just affirming their religion? Why would they then ever want to become a Christian?

“Some call Him Ishwar, some call Him Allah, some simply God, but we have to acknowledge that it is He who made us for greater things: to love and be loved. What matters is that we love. We cannot love without prayer, and so whatever religion we are, we must pray together.”

Really? It doesn’t matter what religion we are? All we have to do is pray together? Well, I tell you what, you pray to that rock over there and I’ll pray to that sock on the clothesline over here and we’ll all meet in heaven someday!

She was overheard saying to a dying man, “You say a prayer in your religion, and I will say a prayer as I know it. Together we will say this prayer and it will be something beautiful for God.”

Here was her chance to tell a dying soul about Jesus Christ yet she dishonored God, Jesus and that man by godless rhetoric.

Mother Teresa was no saint, and no Christian. On judgment day, she’ll be on the left side of God with the other goats. Hell and destruction is her destiny; not heaven and the glory of God.

We all need to be discerning in the people we trust; it doesn’t matter who they are, we need to be diligent in making sure we look up to true Christians.

References:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/838305.Mother_Teresa

http://www.mostholyfamilymonastery.com/32_Religiousorders.pdf