Is it really that "essential" that you must "only" accept Jesus in order to be saved?

Question

In the Bible it is stressed over and over that you must accept Jesus in order to be saved, that Jesus is the only way to get to the father. Evidently, many Christians desperately try to convert everyone to Christianity. This all makes it very obvious that it is very "essential" in Christianity that you accept Jesus.

Now the question arises: What about those who were born before Christ Himself; Died before birth; what about those who have never heard of Jesus? There are many remote areas around the world "today" where no one has ever even heard the slightest bit of Jesus ! If these people can get to heaven without having to accept Jesus, then accepting Jesus as your savior doesn't seem so "essential" after all.

And to say these people will have the chance to accept Jesus on Judgement day is erronous. Why? If Jesus appeared right in front of them, then they do not accept Jesus through faith but through certainty.

Lets see if I can get a straight answer from this.

If you conclude that people can get to heaven through other means besides Jesus, then you are also concluding that it is not essential to accept Jesus in order to be saved. But that would greatly contradict with the teaching of the Bible itself!

Answer 1

There was a sacrifical system before Christ for those who knew not of Him. Those after Christ who did not know Him will be judged by their knowledge of Him. When judgement day comes, there will be no chance to accept Christ. It will be too late.

Answer 2

In the Bible it is stressed over and over that you must accept Jesus in order to be saved,
- No, it is not. But some people imply that meaning.

that Jesus is the only way to get to the father.
- This part of the statement is true, but not in the sense that we approach God of our own ability.

Evidently, many Christians desperately try to convert everyone to Christianity.
- We don't know who is written in the Book of Life, and we get to participate in the salvation process. Exciting, not desperate!

This all makes it very obvious that it is very "essential" in Christianity that you accept Jesus.
- We've come full circle I think.

Now the question arises: What about those who were born before Christ Himself;
- The Jews were under the law. God was not any less in charge of his creation than he is now. Christ is the fulfillment of the law, not a replacement, not a supplement.

Died before birth;
- God is in charge of His creation, and will do the right thing. Age, even before birth, has nothing to do with innocence. We are under a federal representation of Adam in our guilt before the Lord.

what about those who have never heard of Jesus?
- We're still under a federal representation of Adam in our guilt before the Lord. NO ONE deserves Heaven, no one gets there through their own merit.

There are many remote areas around the world "today" where no one has ever even heard the slightest bit of Jesus !
- So what? Does God owe anyone salvation?

If these people can get to heaven without having to accept Jesus, then accepting Jesus as your savior doesn't seem so "essential" after all.
- This is an Arminian conundrum, and you're starting to make sense.

And to say these people will have the chance to accept Jesus on Judgement day is erronous. Why? If Jesus appeared right in front of them, then they do not accept Jesus through faith but through certainty.
- And you're on the wrong side of the conundrum. It has nothing to do with choosing by one method or another, because we don't choose. Should God be praying to us?

Lets see if I can get a straight answer from this.
- I've given you several.

Answer 3

When Jesus arose from the grave and ascended into Heaven the new covenant begin, the old mosiac covenant was torn into as the veil was in the Temple. Before Jesus of course you had the sacrifices as I am sure you know. A blood Sacrifice is the only way to get remission from sins. The Bible says Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. So we know that is was really faith in the old that got you saved just like faith in Jesus now in the new covenant gets you saved. Jesus was a Perfect Sacrifice so we no longer have to offer an animal. Now if we are saved and have been Born Again as Jesus said in John3:3 we ask forgiveness for our sins everyday by just bowing our heads and praying thru the Holy Spirit to Jesus.... Obviously today there are people who are in remote places in the world who have never heard of Jesus but just remember that our word Jesus is just a translated word into English and I believe that Hebrews 10:16 is true, where Jesus says he wrote his laws in our hearts and minds so that we all would know him from the least unto the greatest. Everyone on the planet that can determine right and wrong gets there chance to believe, everyone, a just God would not send people to hell who didn't know who he was. The Holy Spirit is always working, always revealing, and everyone gets there chance at Heaven. God is no respector or persons and the Bible says that he takes no pleasure in the wicked man dying because we are all created in the image of God. And thats about as straight as I can get it!! If you have a question just send me an email. God Bless YOU!!

Answer 4

You need to read a little more indepth into the text it will tell you exactly where the people went, and what they had to do in order to be come saved.
Even the people who have never heard of Jesus himself know that there is a god why b/c the grass is green the sun comes up and goes down and its never late, the seasons change at aroud the same time every year. Your heart beats and never gets tired, you blood bumps through your body and almost never needs to be changed, you can see, the eye its self is amazing.
Its good that you a curious you should attend a bible study and get all of your questions answered indepth.
I will pray that you find your way to Christ or whatever you choose.

Answer 5

Actually, "accept Jesus" is NOT BIBLICAL. Rather, Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." He clearly indicates that something else is ESSENTIAL. Contrary to the predominant pop-theology answer, Jesus says there is something the believer MUST DO.

Look to the first time in church history that people asked how they could become right with God... how to become a Christian.

"Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins, turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to show that you have received forgiveness for your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:37-38.

The TRUE answer to that question is still the same.

No, it is not just "getting wet." Peter attempts to explain this in a letter he wrote to Christians several years later. 1Peter 3:21 "...And that water is a picture of baptism, WHICH NOW SAVES YOU, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

If it were possible for an adult to go to heaven without Jesus, then the "Great Commission" of Matthew 28:18-20 represents incredible cruelty. Consider for a moment the converse of the conditional statement here, "REJECTING the message of JESUS (meaning you had to hear and reject that message) is the ONLY way to be LOST... yes or no?" If the answer here is yes, then spreading the gospel is condemning people to hell, since those who haven't heard it cannot "reject" it.

No, Jesus' last words to the apostles and the fervor with which they went about spreading the Gospel message, ultimately at the cost of their own lives, certainly deny any possibility that this converse expression is true.

Answer 6

It is essential to accept the sacrifice Christ gave for our sins and claim him as Lord. In the Old Testament God set up the sacrificial system to foreshadow Christ's sacrifice for us and established the law to show the desires of God. If you lived in accordance with the law and completed your offerings then you were accorded righteousness. For all the people who have not heard God gave them a conscience to be their law. Read Romans and it is explained. Basically it said God has made himself manifest for all to see and if you choose to ignore it or disobey it then you are condemned. Now we do not know what the exact rules on that are but that is another reason why Christians are commanded to preach to the nations and have the name of Christ spoken in every tongue and by every tribe.

Answer 7

Christianity is not the only religion in the world. There will be many people enter heaven through their faith in their religion. What they mean by accepting Jesus as your only way is that if you say you are Christian, then in order to be a true Christian in every sense of the word you have to be saved and baptized. You can't say I am Hindu and preach Christianity, it doesn't work that way. People that have never heard of Christ are not judged on judgment day as others are, nor are children or the mentally handicapped that don't know right from wrong, that's what they believe.Catholicism teaches that if a child isn't purged of 'original sin' by being baptized then they enter purgatory upon death, regardless of knowing right or wrong, and this is contradictive to what they teach in their CCD classes. It's all about what you feel is right, true and what you can follow in your heart.

Answer 8

The simple answer is 'yes'.
John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life".
That is where faith comes in - I mean really, what have you got to lose?
As to those people who were born before Jesus, and those who live in remote places who have never heard about God and Jesus and Christianity, Each person will be judged by God on each individual circumstance. Our God is a loving God, who will not penalise new babies, young children and those who have never heard the name of Jesus.
It is those who have heard the Word of God who choose to ignore it that I believe God will deal with in the final days.
God welcomes an enquiring mind, and a genuine heart. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

Answer 9

Don't mistake the letter of the law for the spirit of the law. Jesus fulfilled both, and is not concerned about dotting the "i's" and crossing the "t"s so much as He is after our heart devotion.

I know that I'm on the edge of a cliff and there's one bridge to cross, if I want to get to the other side. Does it matter what clothes I wear or how I comb my hair? The point is, cross it! The stumbling stone of Jesus isn't that he's all that complicated--it's that faith in Him seems too simple.

Answer 10

"Only" accepting Jesus isn't the path to salvation, but to DAMNATION. Jesus forbids others from worshipping him on many occasions in the Bible and flat out tells people that there is one one who is good, that is GOD.

Worshipping a man as GOD is idolatry, a breaking of the first commandment. GOD's will is so easy to see - save for those who walk the world with both eyes shut.