R. You ask a very common question. God can act in any way God wants to save people. After all, God is God! However, the only way to salvation we are told of in Scripture is through belief in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself says, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Now, God may act in other ways to save people, but this is the only one we know.
Given this fact, then the question naturally arises, what about those who have never heard about God, or who worship another god, or don’t believe in God? Are they condemned to hell? The real answer to that question is, I don’t know. The God I know is gracious and merciful and I would hope/expect that God would provide another way to salvation for them. But, I don’t know this for sure (see above).
What I do know is that my calling from God through Jesus is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Knowing that the only way to salvation is through Christ, and that I have been commanded by my Savior to proclaim that Good News to the world in word and deed, and that there are those who have not heard this Gospel, I am compelled to work to bring the Gospel to these people so that they too might “see and believe.” (Mark 15:32).
So, we are diligent in living out our faith in love towards others who do not believe as we do. We trust both that the Holy Spirit will work in and through our lives and words to transform them in God’s own time and that God is gracious and merciful and desires life for everyone.
In short, when it comes to people of other religions or no religion, we live out our faith in front of them, proclaiming the love of God in Jesus Christ in word and deed, and trust that God will do the rest.
Let me know if you have further questions by contacting me.
God’s Blessings,
Pastor Brian
Leave a Reply