this question is mainly for christians but anyone can answer :)
i have a friend that is a very very good person, i mean shes one of the most honest ,giving, non selfish, forgiving and humble person i think i have ever met, but she however , does not have a religon, nore does she go to church, never owned a bible , and has not been saved.
so because she has not been saved , would you say she would go to hell , even though she lives a good life.
and does anyone have friends like this?
2007-06-20 06:56:39 · 56 answers · asked by delana 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
oh wow, thank you all fortaking the time to answer my question lots of great posts , now im having a hard time on wich one to choose
2007-06-21 02:38:55 · update #1
You can't come to God except through Jesus-in baptism.
1 Peter 3:21, Mk 16:16, Acts 2:28, and more.
I know many people like you describe. If we say that these will go to heaven, then we are saying you can be saved without Jesus or God or that we are saved by works alone. None of that is supported in scripture. Jn 14:6, James 2:14-26
All we can do is teach. We all have to make our own choice.
2007-06-20 06:59:50 · answer #1 · answered by tcdrtw 4 · 4⤊ 7⤋
Ideally, all good people would get into Heaven. Unfortunately, this is not the case and here's why.
Regardless of how good a person may seem, we were all born into a life of sin. Sin could be anything as seemingly small as letting a cuss word slip out to lusting after someone all the way to rape or murder. I'm not equating them. While they're on VERY different levels by our standards, they're all sin. Sin is anything that separates us from God.
Now, sin is the reason God sent Jesus Christ to earth. He died on the cross to redeem us of our sins. Salvation is a gift, not an absolute.
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSEVER BELIEVES in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
God by His very nature can have no part of sin. He is forevermore pure and glorious. Sin is a tarnish. Jesus Christ also tells us in the Bible that "No man comes to the Father but by Me."
Am I saying your friend is going to hell? Of course not. I have no idea. God is the final judge. For all I know, your friend may find the Lord 5 years down the road. What I do know is this- anyone who hasn't accepted God's gift of salvation will spend eternity with God. Those who have chosen to spend it without Him . . .will. Even if they're a "good" person.
2007-06-20 07:53:34 · answer #2 · answered by Evan S 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It makes me very sad to read some of these answers. If a person like your friend merits hell, then what kind of people are in heaven? I am not "saved"; I am Jewish. I do not agree with the Christian concept of hell and I will not be going there. That is not to say I am perfect; when I die, I will go to a place for purification and then once that's accomplished, I will be worthy to enter the world to come. I wish and hope that for all people and would never, under any circumstances, tell anyone that they are bound for hell.
2007-06-20 07:15:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Bible is clear. Either you are for God, or against God. Jesus Himself said, you must be saved to enter the Kingdom of God. This means you must have made an outward profession of faith in HIM.
It doesnt matter how good you are or what you do in this life. If you are not saved, you will NOT spend eternity in heaven.
You see, on the "day of judgement", we will all stand before God and have to answer for our life on earth. The main question will be: WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE LIFE I GAVE YOU???? The answer should be "I served you, and I accepted you as my Lord and Savior."
Anything short of that, will spell disaster for those who are not saved.
It sounds harsh, but remember. Even if you never heard of God, there is so much evidence that a higher power exists that even the deaf could hear, and the blind could see God's magnificent power and glory.
Dont be deceived by those who say He doesnt exist. They will pay in the end, unfortunately. But accepting Christ as you Lord and Savior is the only way to salvation.
God Bless
2007-06-20 08:56:05 · answer #4 · answered by Daniel R. 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually, Salvation is not a one-off event that happens in the past. It's an on-going process that fully realizes upon one's death.
Consider the following analogy: We are lost at sea in a middle of a storm. A boat comes and rescue us. You may think you're saved, but you're not home yet. In that analogy, the Church is the boat, providing you shelter during your mortal life. At the end of your life, you will be saved by entering the Kingdom of God.
Consider a different person from your friend: A person that would go to church every day, but once outside of church shows no compassion for the poor, doesn't care about social justice, is judgemental etc... Would you consider that person to be worthy of heaven?
Personally I do not think our God would only judge a person only on whether that person has a religion or attended church. At the end of the day, nobody can tell who is going to hell or Heaven. The best course of action is to pray for your friend. Remember that Jesus came to rescue humanity as a whole, not just believers.
2007-06-20 07:07:22 · answer #5 · answered by Eric 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Hello
Different Christian denominations have different teachings on this. This Calvinistic concept of "eternal security" once saved always saved is believed to be a bad doctrine by most of the Christian churches since in contradicts what Jesus taught anyway. Just belief and faith is not good enough.Only God himself can ultimately say who is or isn't; not ourselves or minister or priest.
You have to remember that when others are born into different religions or perhaps no religions that they are drilled and indoctrinated that "their" religions are the right path to God or gods or no god and if they transgress and leave that belief, straight to hell or some other punishment they will go.
They are just as adamant or scared in not leaving their beliefs as you are as a Chirstian. We cannot help but wonder if God takes this sort of situation into consideration for people who do not know better.
Regards,
Michael Kelly
2007-06-20 07:18:12 · answer #6 · answered by Michael Kelly 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I know it is bad form to answer a question with another question. However:
Do you think that it is necessary that a person acknowledge, or for that matter even be aware, that they have been "saved" in order to actually be saved?
It's a lame analogy, but consider a case where an ultra deadly virus capable of wiping out the whole planet in a matter of days was about to be released due to some equipment malfunction. The chief scientist knows this and also knows that his son is the only one close enough to be able to do what is necessary to keep the virus contained. The cost, unfortunately, is that whoever does what is necessary to stop it will die an agonizing death. The chief scientist, knowing exactly what is at stake, sacrifices his son to save the rest of humanity. So.... does the rest of humanity really have to be aware of the scientist and his son's sacrifice to have been saved by their actions?
2007-06-20 07:04:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Dear delana,
The Bible states in Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." ALL our good works are worthless unless the Lord has saved us.
Please recall the parable of the ten virgins-5 were foolish and 5 were wise (Matthew 25:1-13). The virgins represent those who believe they are saved (bride of Christ). Virgin suggests purity and moral. However 5 were born-again (saved) and 5 were not.
This is why God tells us in 2 Cprinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"
If God is going to save her, she needs to hear the word of God. The Bible states in Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." "FAITH" is a synonym for Christ because He is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). Go through Hebrews 11 and everywhere you see the word "faith" insert Christ....see what you get. You can also do this with the book of Romans.
2007-06-20 07:15:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
She has most likely been exposed to one or more religions, as most atheists have. Do not fear for her, because she will not go to hell. Although Christianity preaches that Jesus is the only way to heaven, most religions are not so close-minded. If there is a God, it is probably a more accepting God. Also, if you want to "save" your friend, you can ask her if she would like to know more about Christianity, but if she doesn't want to do not pressure her. She will take that as an insult to her beliefs, and it would be an ignorant thing to do.
2007-06-20 07:04:32 · answer #9 · answered by khard 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Most Christian sects require acceptance of JC to be "saved", but not all. Consult the sect you hve ties to.
The age old question is are peoples in places who have never heard of JC doomed to hell? Around the 1600's most Euro's trhought so and began massave exploration to "save" people who had never heard of JC. We now know what a fiasco that was, and Colombus is a prime example - enslaved the "indians" of south/central Americas, and tourchered them becauswe they were not "human", because they had not been "saved".
Another, more bothersome question, is what about all the people of the world who died before Jesus was born? You know, those who were good Jews. Answer that one, and you win a new car! Most sects answer this by claiming that when Jesus descended into hell, that he wend around and collected all those worthy (Abraham, Moses, etc) and brought them into the Grace of God. But some sects don't allow for that.
All in all, a question that makes most "Christians" very uncomfortable, I offer...
Ron.
2007-06-20 07:08:23 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
If they can't accept a good hearted nonbeliever into heaven rather than a child molesting priest, than go ahead and send me to hell. I'm sure the fact that he believes and I don't makes him a better person, right?? I've never mocked anybody for going to church. I think if it helps your "self control" and makes you a better person, than I'm all for it. More power to you. But why do some Christians feel it necessary to shove their beliefs down our throat? Are they more sure about their religion than the guy in Iraq who is willing to strap a bomb to himself? How much more proof do they really have besides a book written by man that can be interpreted differently from one person to the next?
2007-06-20 07:23:52 · answer #11 · answered by Haywood Jablomee 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋