Faith alone or Jesus alone?

Question

My husband brought this thought into view yesterday:: If in the time of Aberham how did people know who God was? Were they going to heaven without the law of moses and go to heaven with faith alone?
If they went to heaven on faith alone, as God being so merciful today still- people who don't know Jesus but have an idea of God and try to do good- would they go to heaven on faith alone too? Or because they never heard of Jesus would they be unable to? Just want peoples thoughts, and I'd appreciate no bashing on this either or bad language. Thank you!

Answer 1

Neither. God doesn't exist.

Those are all fairytales and superstition.

Faith is what you have left over when you have no real reason to believe something, but still want to believe it.

Answer 2

"Faith alone or Jesus alone?"

I think that you are missing something. We do not know what Abraham must have known. Because Abraham apparently knew that Jesus would come. There was knowledge in the minds to those that understood, i.e. Moses, Abraham, and the prophets.

Where I get that is John 8:56
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

We don't get that anywhere else in scripture that I know of. So we have an element of mystery there.

"Were they going to heaven without the law of moses and go to heaven with faith alone?"

There are parts of the New Testament where Paul wrote about that.
Romans 3:28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

I also recommend reading Hebrews 11. Paul was right on it with his message, the Old Testament saints trusted (faithed) in God
and were counted as righteous.

"If they went to heaven on faith alone, as God being so merciful today still- people who don't know Jesus but have an idea of God and try to do good- would they go to heaven on faith alone too?"

I wonder about that too. I think that the answer is 'yes'. I can't help but think that in the pre-discovered (by Europeans) Indonesia, for instance, that there might have been a person that would go off by themself and have a connection that wasn't like the rest of the tribe. It's as if I could see him alone in the forest looking up at the stars and knowing that those in his tribe didn't understand something about God. But he did. Somehow he had a connection that wasn't describable to the others, and he understood. I've seen this person in a dream and think about it at times.

Answer 3

The way to heaven in today's age is through JESUS CHRIST.
In John 14:6 JESUS says, I am the way the truth and the light; no one comes to the FATHER except by ME. Acts 4:10-12 declares that there is no other name under heaven given whereby people can be saved, only JESUS CHRIST. This has been the way to heaven since CHRIST was resurrected from the dead. Before that the Jewish people were under the old covenant or as you probably know it, the law of moses. This covenant was between GOD and the Jewish people only. Everyone else went to heaven or hell based on what is called the law of conscience. In other words if people knew whether something was wrong or right and chose to do wrong then they were guilty, for they violated the law of conscience. Now if they realized their error and was repentant, and tried to do the right things and lived their life according to this they were justified. If however they consistently did the wrong things and lived their life like that ignoring their conscience their home after death would be hell.
You can reference this in Rom 2:12-16.
~GOD BLESS YOU AND LEAD YOU INTO ALL TRUTH~

Answer 4

People Before Jesus -it was the Old Testament- Then Jesus and The New Testament. They lived by the laws in the Old Testament then by Jesus in the New Testament. That 's why the Pharisees had such a problem with Jesus, was because they were always living by laws and they didn't even believe it was legal to heal a person on the Sabbath-Dr. Luke was banned on Sunday and a lot more would have been if Jesus hadn't showed them that man lived by Faith and not by the laws. Not the kind they were inflicting on people, which was pure stupidity. They actually seen more visable miracles back then than we do now, because we do have to live and believe in Faith-a substance of things believed without seeing. they seen the blind man healed,they seen Jesus walk on water-= they seen him turn water into wine- they seen him raise Lazarus from the dead. He took the 5 loaves and 2 fishes and fed 5 thousand and that didn't count the women and children so there were wven more. If we believe what the Bible says and I do, then He says that before he comes for us that there will not be a living soul that has not been exposed to his gospel. that's why my church picks and send out at least 15-missionaries every year to go to different countries. Every year we do this, and he says also that if we know his word and not abide in his truth then it would have been better for us to have not known at all. A man that putteth his hand to the plow and turns back is doomed. That's my opinion. I don't know much but I do know what I believe and the Pharisees were confounded by Jesus and he made them very mad because they didn't want anyone to appear smarter than they. Or for that matter they didn't like the attention he was drawing-somewaht like today, people are still the same in some respcets. it seems.PEOPLE will argue this point til you are blind that Jesus was in the beginning already with God. he says, in Genesis1:26-Let us- Us make man in OUr image-after OUr likeness.

Answer 5

This is a fun interesting question, and really no matter how you look at it it makes God a liar of some sort. Here's what I mean:

If the God of the OT is to be believed, then Abraham's people entered into a covenant, or promise, with Him. This allows them though certain practices to achieve whatever form of heaven was thought of then. Even according to this tradition there were those who never even died which would be cool, I think.

Then the God of the NT, i.e. Jesus, decided that he was the only way to heaven. While Jesus says he was never sent to replace the 'law' he seemed to do a good job there for most Christians. So then do people today who keep the old covenant make it to heaven? Christians would say no, Jews would laugh, Muslims who guffaw (they are along the same lines seeing as they are from the line of Abraham also).

So therein is the problem. If we have to take the Bible as a whole and complete thing, which most Christians will tell us we have to, and we have to assume that everything in it is the truth, which is also important to Christians, then is the God of the OT right, or Jesus? Or how can they both be right?

The other interesting point is those who never hear, or have the chance to hear, Christian preaching. If God, who is infinite in His knowledge, power, and understanding really wants people to choose his path and join him in heaven, then did he make some sort of clause for those who have never heard? Is God in the habit of sending innocents to Hell? Probably, since He never seemed to have qualms about destroying entire cities or enslaving people, or condemning the entirety of humanity because Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Poor humanity, now that our two "parents" know the difference between good and bad, the rest of us are forced into accepting the Christian "lifestyle" or be condemned.

Answer 6

I agree with Hawk. I also know that EVERYONE, will have the opportunity to hear the gospel in it's entirety if they didn't while they were on earth. If they heard something that was incorrect, or were involved in a apostate group, they will have a chance to hear the truth. Having faith is essential, it tells us that in scripture, but the only way to our Heavenly Father is through the Son, Jesus Christ. As I said if people didn't have the opportunity to learn about him and his life here, they will receive the chance. Hope it helps.

Answer 7

The old test. God reviled himself, to certain righteous people, to sacrifice animals. (Thu faith and sacrifice for sin they went to heaven) In the new test.....(2nd part of question) The only way to the father is though the son.( the new sacrifice) (hopefully if anyone has heard of God, they would know who Jesus was,that's why we try and spread the word!... #:-)
Happy fishing!! ><>

Answer 8

Before Jesus Christ came to earth man had no way of redeeming himself from sin other than Blood sacrifice of animals. And the only way that He/she could achieve life with God in heaven is by having faith in Him.

When Christ came to the earth he paid for our sin by taking our sin on himself even though He was perfect. When that happened something changed. When Christ rose from the death He showed that He defeated sin. Now if we call to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. So things have changed since the time before Christ. No need for animal sacrifice cause Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. And it is faith in Him which we receive our salvation. So really it's both.

Answer 9

It is thought that before Christ, the Jews who kept the law and sought God went to a place to wait for the Messiah. Jesus descended into Hell and conquered death. He opened heaven's gates for the just who had gone before him.

People today, who do not know of Christ can not be condemmed to hell for not knowing. Only those who know that truth and reject it will be in hell.

None of us know exactly what will happen, since only God can judge and only God is perfect justice and perfect mercy. I trust him completely to make sure that everyone gets what they deserve...be it heaven or hell.

Answer 10

Personally this is one of my major disagreements with the Bible. It makes no sense that God would only manifest himself to one people, but would wipe out other cities and countries for doing wrong and not wipe out other civilizations that were the same or worse.

Not only that, but you have also defined a real problem, i.e. Christ said that he is the only way, but if God still allows "good people" with no knowledge of Christ, then there is another way.

Answer 11

I believe John 14:6 answers that:
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."