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<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma color=#ff8000>Siarlys - for the first time, I agree with you. -layne</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>In a message dated 5/17/2004 12:10:45 PM Eastern Standard Time, gcfl-discuss@gcfl.net writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT face=Arial>I'm sure no-one means to offend anyone else, but when Jeff writes<BR><BR>>with out having accepted Christ according to the Bible your works mean<BR>nothing. It<BR>>is clearly stated in the Bible that you have to have accepted Jesus to<BR>>enter heaven<BR><BR>I believe both statements are incomplete, which means I have to deny that<BR>the second one is correct.<BR><BR>First, it is all over both the Old and New Testament that humans cannot<BR>earn salvation by good works. God is not impressed, because, first, we<BR>are imperfect and inconsistent, and, second, we all "fall short of the<BR>glory of God" to the extent that if God didn't care about us, for reasons<BR>that no human with the powers of God could comprehend, we would be<BR>nothing and nowhere. Without giving a long list of citations, the Psalms<BR>of David, the preaching of Amos, Micah, Ezra, Job's contemplations, the<BR>four gospels, and some of Paul's epistles, all are consistent on this<BR>point.<BR><BR>But, it is not in the Bible, but in various teachings of church councils<BR>and modern founders of denominations, that we find a rigid claim that<BR>only those who have accepted Jesus can get into heaven.<BR><BR>Accepting Jesus is a very good way to get into heaven. But Christians who<BR>believe nobody else will get in are in for a shock when they see how many<BR>Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, maybe even some agnostics, are going to<BR>be there with us.<BR><BR>The most consistent reference directly from Jesus is Matthew 25:31, to<BR>the end of the chapter. Jesus is very clear that many who think they have<BR>accepted Jesus, but have not acted on what Jesus taught, are not going to<BR>get in. Also, many who are unaware they ever did anything for Jesus, are<BR>going to be accepted.<BR><BR>C.S. Lewis worked with this theme in The Last Battle, the concluding book<BR>of his Narnia series, which features a parallel to the Revelation and<BR>last judgment. Aslan, the Lion, the story's Christ-figure, explains to a<BR>prince of a pagan kingdom, who has become a man of high moral values and<BR>compassion through cultivating a sincere devotion to his nation's rather<BR>ruthless pagan idol, "anything good and true and pure you did out of<BR>dedication to Tash, you really did for Me."<BR><BR>Friends have tried to tell me that this cannot be true, citing John 14. I<BR>have two answers to that. The simpler is, Jesus said in Matthew 24,<BR>"inasmuch as you have done it for the least of these my brethren, you<BR>have done it unto me." Therefore, those who are not Christian, who have<BR>fed, clothed, visited, "the least of these my brethren," have come to<BR>salvation through Jesus because "you have done it unto me." Anyway, that<BR>is what Jesus said, whether it conflicts with some Christian doctrine or<BR>not.<BR><BR>Second, I believe John 14, which is arbitrarily separated from John 13,<BR>has been badly misunderstood. Peter, Philip and Thomas were asking<BR>questions that bordered on idolatry: from we can't see where you are<BR>going, to show us the Father and we will believe. Jesus responded,<BR>essentially, you can't see the way or the Father, that is why I came, in<BR>human form, follow what I have taught you and you will be fine. Nobody<BR>had asked "can people who don't accept you as their savior be saved?" and<BR>that is not the question Jesus was answering.<BR><BR>But, as I said, accepting Jesus is a very good way to be saved. Its just<BR>not the only way that Jesus will accept a human. And Jesus did say that<BR>"salvation is of the Jews." (That is a phrase taken out of context, but<BR>so are many other conclusions). Bottom line, Jesus sacrifice was not only<BR>for those who formally accept him by name.<BR><BR>Siarlys</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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