Are non-Christians going to Hell?

OK, here is a sticky one.

I first started thinking about this one in High School. To be sure, I've had a change of heart or two over the years. Almost ten years ago, I was introduced by my Sunday School Teacher to the name, Ravi Zacharias. Zacharias is a Christian apologist, and is skilled at the art of argument for God and things Christians hold true.

After viewing this video from Zacharias, it made an impression on me. So I studied and learned, and looked at what the Bible had to say.

How does salvation work?
The first part that must be answered with regards to whom will be saved is how salvation works. Salvation is through Grace alone, and that through faith in God. Jews and "Righteous Gentiles" of Old Testament times were saved by Grace through faith in Adonai. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it, and so it is fulfilled today, and there is no reason to practice the over 400 laws given to Moses.

The second thing that must be understood is that there must be a punishment for sin. Jesus Christ bore that punishment. God's Grace is Grace from punishment through atonement made possible by Christ's sacrifice. This act provided forgiveness of sin and, therefore, redemption for those who put their faith in God.

The third part that must be understood is that once saved, a person will no longer wish to continue to sin. There will be improvement. This is not to say that salvation is by way of works (which would be false), but it is to say that salvation will bear fruits.

The methods of salvation
This was the hard part, because there are three major groups to consider, as well as time frame considerations. What follows is my opinion on what best can be summarized. To be sure, folks more well read than I have put far more effort into it. At the end of the day, it is all based on faith, and so here is what I firmly believe:

JEWS
This category is often further subdivided into two categories (but only be Christians): Jews prior to Christ, and Jews after Christ. The key part is that Jews, to be saved, had to have faith in Adonai (they will often write His Name as "G-d," and often use the name Adonai in its place) to receive His Grace. This is clear in the Old Testament.

The questions arise from the New Testament.

And those questions are not as sound as some would seem to believe. Jesus Himself on multiple occasions stated that God the Father (Adonai) was greater than, and had created He, Jesus (God the Son).

But God does not lie. He did not set up a time-sensitive plan of salvation. The Old Testament never gives a time frame in which Grace by Faith in Adonai ends, and Grace by Faith in Jesus Christ instead begins. He instead set up a plan of redemption. At the end of the day, whether a Jew believes that Adonai sent Jesus to bear the burden of sin is almost completely irrelevant.

The important question is whether the Jew believes in God.

CHRISTIANS
This category is the easiest, as there is no "before Christ" and "after Christ." It is all "after" Christ's mission. Few Christians doubt that Christ came to redeem. Few Christians do not believe in God (an argument could be made that one who does not believe in God could not possibly be Christian!). Even Jews agree that most Christians would fall under the "righteous gentile" status afforded those who live under the Noahide Laws.

OTHERS
What about those who have never heard of Jehova / God / Adonai / Jesus?
It is a more important question than most give credit to. There are entire countries that do not allow proselytizing by Judeo-Christian persons.  There are millions, if not billions, of people from the past who never would have heard the name or the message.

It is my opinion that an entire religion (Mormon) came about because someone had a guilty conscience about requiring all to have heard the message of Jesus, and that nobody got around to the Western Hemisphere for some 1500 years (give or take) after Christ was on Earth. This simple fact creates a serious moral dilemma. It is my opinion that Joseph Smith attempted to reconcile that in his mind by fabricating the Book of Mormon.

Good chance that if Smith and others had been privy to original Biblical sources, and not a stripped variation of the Bible (current protestant Bible has only 66 books - by some accounts, that number should be over 600), then he would have been more familiar with the Talmud, as well as God given commands. It's OK, most Christians these days do not know of these other sources, and few believe they are legitimate sources to find God's plan.

In either event, the fact is that the Noahide Code was set forth long ago so that all "sons of Noah" (all mankind), would have a way to demonstrate their belief in the One True God. Again, not a faith-by-works, but a way to demonstrate a moral compass set straight by belief in the Almighty.

Zacharias stated it well when he mentioned in the above-linked clip that we are not the ones who will Judge, but an Almighty God who knows compassion and love will judge. 


CONCLUSION
So is this Universalism? Nope. Far from it.
Is this a New Age belief (aka "many gods, one face," etc.). Again - nope. Far from it.
Is this an "all roads lead to Rome" approach? Nope - did you even read what I wrote?

Is it a perfect plan set forth by a perfect Creator to allow everyone the choice to seek God and be with Him?
One plan - belief in God.
One sacrifice - Jesus Christ.
One God - Jehova

Now you're getting it!


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