How Men Are Saved

[jabcat]

Through innocence?  Through ignorance, having looked at the stars and realized there's a God, and then "living by the light they have"?    Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and being given faith to believe on Him as Savior - God's work of the ages.

"Here at Tentmaker Ministries we do not believe all men are as yet saved..."  Gary Amirault

Very much agree with     http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/circularity.htm

[EXCERPT]   HOW MEN ARE SAVED - J. Preston Eby

It is estimated that about one hundred and sixty billions of human beings have lived on the earth in the six thousand years since Adam departed from Eden. Of these, the very broadest estimate that could be made with reason would be that less than five billion were saints of God. This broad estimate would leave the immense aggregate of one hundred and fifty-five billions (155,000,000,000) who went down into death without faith and hope in the only name given under heaven or among men whereby we must be saved. Indeed, the vast majority of these never knew or heard of Jesus, and could not believe in Him of whom they had not heard. What, I ask, has become of this vast multitude, of which figures give a wholly inadequate idea? What is, and is to be, their condition? Did God make no provision for these, whose condition and circumstances He must have foreseen? Or did He, from the foundation of the world, make a wretched and merciless provision for their hopeless, eternal torment, as many of His children claim?

There is one beautiful and undeniable truth in the Word of God. The Scriptures clearly show that there is only one ground of salvation and that is FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST as our Redeemer and Lord. "By grace are you saved, through faith " (Eph. 2:8). Justification by faith is the underlying principle of the whole system of New Testament revelation. When asked, "What must I do to be saved?" the apostles answered, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31). "There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).
The apostle Paul warned of those who would depart from the utter simplicity of this truth to preach ANOTHER WAY, and ANOTHER GOSPEL. "I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that comes preaching ANOTHER Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if yea receive ANOTHER Spirit, which yea have not received, or ANOTHER Gospel, which yea have not accepted, yea might well bear with him" (11 OCR. 11:3-4). ANOTHER JESUS, ANOTHER SPIRIT, ANOTHER GOSPEL - ANOTHER WAY!

Many today who claim to be "Bible believing," "Evangelical" or "Fundamental" preach ANOTHER GOSPEL and ANOTHER WAY OF SALVATION. There are some who feel the burden of the awful doctrine of eternal torture which they embrace, and unconsciously their souls revolt at the ghastly conclusions to which it leads. Such ones have resorted to various makeshifts to escape the inevitable conclusions. I will mention two or three of these. It is said that although it is true that the great mass of the race have thus far died in their sins, yet it does not follow that they have been lost; for if those who are unavoidably ignorant live up to the light they have, they will be saved . These claim that Paul teaches that IGNORANCE will save men, when he says that "The Gentiles, which have not the law, are a law unto themselves" (Rom. 2:14). They gather from this that the law which their conscience furnishes is sufficient to justify them.

But such persons misunderstand Paul. His argument is that the whole world is guilty before God (Rom. 3:19); that the Gentiles, who had not the written law, were condemned, not justified, by the light of conscience, which, whether it excused them or accused them proved that they were unworthy sinners and thus estranged from the life of God, even as Israel who had the written law were condemned by it; "For by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). The law given to the Israelite revealed his weakness, and was intended to show him that he was unable to justify himself before God; for "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight." The written law condemned the Israelite, and the Gentiles had light enough in their conscience to condemn them; and thus every mouth is stopped from claiming any inherent life, and all the world stands guilty before God.

Salvation by IGNORANCE! Indeed! ANOTHER GOSPEL! ANOTHER WAY! "For there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved!" (Acts 4:12).
... Continuing the same line of argument, might we not reason that if God had left ALL MEN in ignorance, ALL would have been saved? If so, the coming and death of Jesus were useless, the preaching and suffering of apostles and saints were vain, and the so-called Gospel, instead of being good news, is very bad news. Leave the heathen alone in their darkness and ignorance and the majority will be saved by living up to the light they have. ..Such reasoning is a hideous affront to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, and a wicked blasphemy against God and His plan of redemption. ANOTHER GOSPEL! ANOTHER WAY!

The Word of God asks the burning question: "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Rom. 10: 14-15). And these poor deluded souls pretend to answer all these "how shalls " of Scripture by creating a method by which it can be done! They have invented a system by which men can believe without hearing and hear without a preacher, and under this system no preacher need be sent.

But, I ask, how are the heathen, or any lost men, to be justified by faith by this method since "faith comes BY HEARING and hearing by the Word of God," and "it pleased God BY THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING to save them that believe" (Rom. 10: 17; 1 Cor. 1:21). ...If God independently and sovereignly reveals Himself to every man then the "Great Commission" is a monstrous farce and should be torn out of the Bible ...Such a teaching contradicts the Word of God, making a travesty of the fact that "God has committed unto US the word of reconciliation" and has "given to US the ministry of reconciliation" (II Cor. 5:18-19).

The fundamental flaw in the theory is that even if a heathen looked up at the stars one beautiful night and became deeply impressed that there must be a great God out there somewhere, such understanding in no way reveals to his darkened heart the wonderful truth that this God has a Son, that His Son's name is Jesus, that Jesus died for His sins, and that only by faith in Jesus Christ can a man be saved. I challenge anyone to prove that the vast multitudes of heathen die having rejected Jesus Christ who died for them who was revealed to their hearts by the Holy Spirit apart from the preaching of the Gospel. How foolish can men be! Let someone answer - if they can! Ah, it is but ANOTHER GOSPEL! ANOTHER WAY!

Another makeshift theory is the theory of salvation by innocence. Most Christians today, including the so-called "Fundamentalists" who claim to believe the whole unadulterated Word of God, believe this lie. They tell us that a baby that dies in infancy, or a small child that dies before reaching the "age of accountability," whatever that is, is alright, automatically covered by the blood of Jesus-SAVED! This evidently becomes a SECOND WAY to salvation, since it is apart from FAITH in Jesus Christ. "Oh," they glibly recite, "the little child is INNOCENT, and therefore free from the guilt of any sin." Is that so! The Scripture says otherwise. "Behold, I was shaped in iniquity , and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5). ... states the true inner condition of his own nature from his mother's womb.

Again, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon ALL MEN, for that ALL HAVE SINNED" (Rom. 5:12).
"For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).
"For God has concluded them ALL in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11:32).
If even one infant is saved without personally believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, then there is indeed another way! "He that believes shall be saved" is the unceasing and unalterable testimony of God's Word...

..The truth is, we who believe in the faithful dealings of God after death are the only ones who have the answer to the problem of the child that dies in innocence and ignorance of God and salvation. We are the only ones who correctly harmonize the whole plan of God and the processes of redemption. The rest contradict their own teaching that all men are born sinners.. There is but one way for all, rich and poor, male and female, bond and free, Israelite and Gentile, old and young, and a personal encounter with Jesus Christ most surely IS THAT WAY ... now and forevermore!

[jedi1989]

If a person heard of the UR, but has rejected it, are they saved?
Technically they have rejected the gospel.

[jabcat]

Hi jedi.

I see this as the gospel;

1 Cor 15:1-4  Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you which you have received and on which you have taken your stand. .. By this gospel you are saved... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

[Jock]

Jedi

That person will still be eventually saved. "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord"

Jock.

[sheila]

  Do not be amazed at this,for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out.-

  those who have done good will rise to live,those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself,I can do

  nothing,I judge only as I hear,and my judgement is just,for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.

[rosered]

 
  Great verses sis!!  made me think of  these  also found in  the old and new testaments being that He Is Lord of the dead and   the living


Isaiah 33:22
For Yahweh is our judge. Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king. He will save us.
Isaiah 33:21-23 (in Context) Isaiah 33 (Whole Chapter)

James 4:12
Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?

[sheila]

Books are opened and all are judged as to what was done in the flesh[sin in all men condemned] then the book of life was opened

the book of life is the free gift of rigtheousness through Christ. All men bear the image of the corrupt one..and are condemned

  under the law....so,too all men shall receive the free gift of eternal life . Old man of sin..image dies under law...new man in

  Christ lives eternally.  What is impossible with men,is possible with God.   

   No flesh shall boast...by MY SPIRIT......and MY POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS

   the body that is sown is perishable,it is raised imperishable,it is sown in dishonour,it is raised in Glory,it is sown in

weakness it is raised in power,it is sown a natural body,it is raised a spiritual body.

[rosered]

 :goodpost:    Amen !   

    we know we are born of God when we love one another  , no matter where you are at in your new birth ! apparently  the only thing we are to HATE is evil in ourselves as well as in others !
 


1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not.


1Jo 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loves  not [his] brother abides  in death.  

1Jo 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Real  Love is what   makes all the difference !!!!!  :HeartThrob: