Christian Exclusivists

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RR,
Many pastors of the Christian faith would say that if a person has sincere faith in God the Father, but not necessarily in Jesus Christ, then that person will be condemned. I know of a few, in particular, that point to John 14:6 as their reference for that viewpoint. How would you respond?


Great question! Let's dig into it a bit...

If one is familiar with the Mechanics of Salvation, then one knows that salvation is a gift granted by God. To receive the gift, a person must: A) believe in God, B) repent (turn away from sin and toward God), and C) do those things God commands as a demonstration of faith.


In the above linked blog post, I talked about how John 14:6 is often twisted by some to mean Christ is the only way to God in the sense of, one must believe in Christ only, and that regardless of belief in God the Father. Here are some problems with that point of view:

1. Jesus Himself said that the Father was greater in John 14:28.
You have heard Me tell you, ‘I am going away and I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.
2. Deuteronomy 30 dictates that those who love the Lord and keep His commands (assumed that the person believes in God, as one would not love God without believing in Him) will see eternal life:
If you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, then you will live
So, if this verse is not true, then it means that either:
A) God lied when He promised it, or
B) God changed His mind.

We know these are not the case, because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We also know neither of these statements is true because God doesn't change (Malachi 3:6), and that includes a change of mind on what is needed for salvation.


Summary
Once again, it is not a method that "apart from Christ" a person can be saved. It is because of God's grace and love that a person gains eternal life.


.

Comments

  1. HermJanuary 15, 2014 at 12:42 AM

    You bring up some good points.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TMIrJanuary 15, 2014 at 7:24 PM

    But, if we look at it this way, then a denomination cannot sell itself as the "true way" and they will not make money. :)

    ReplyDelete

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