Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: bitting-douglas@yale.edu (Douglas Bitting) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: A Question... Message-ID: Date: 9 Feb 90 07:10:57 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Yale University Computer Science Dept, New Haven CT 06520-2158 Lines: 56 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu I do not know if any of you here follow what happens over on soc.couples (at least I think that is the group I am talking about), I stated a few things that I believe about the Word of God. What I said has a lot to do about people damning themselves by not accepting/"living" the Word of God. Anyway, the question that everyone is throwing back at me (and I did expect it) is: What about the people who have never heard of the Word of God? Do they, too (i.e. along with the people who choose not to believe it), go to hell? Then they proceed to go on about how God is not just at all if this is the case. Now, I know that there is an answer to this question for I have heard it before. However, I do not remember what that answer is and it is troubling me. I would appreciate any thoughts on this. #8-) /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Doug Bitting || Arpa: U.S. Snail Mail: || bitting-doug@cs.yale.edu PO Box 3043 Yale Station || "Peace is Joy resting, New Haven, CT || Joy is Peace dancing." 06520 || --source unknown to me \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ [I trust you won't be shocked when I tell you that the last time somebody asked this question there was a disagreement. To start with, there are many passages in Scripture saying that salvation is only from Christ. A particularly clear one is John 14:6 "No one comes to the Father, but by me". Paul's discussions, particularly in Romans, lead to the conclusion that we are all hopelessly lost except if Christ saves us. Now the question becomes whether it is possible for Christ to save someone who does not acknowledge him explicitly. This is where the disagreements start. Paul is very clear on the importance of believing in Christ. The most obvious interpretation of this is that we must believe in him by name. As Paul says, "and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?" (Rom 10:14) So many Christians believe that someone must believe in Christ in order to be saved, and those that we do not reach are therefore not saved. There are a substantial number of people however who believe that it is possible for Christ to call someone inwardly, and for them to respond to his call even though they don't know it is Christ specifically. One can find passages in Paul that seems to support this, but whether in context they really do is a matter of considerable debate. E.g. Rom 10 goes on to say that everyone in the world has heard enough to be saved (Rom 10:18). Rom 2, although discussing Jews and Gentiles, certainly seems to have an obvious generalization that covers this issue. Someone who had not heard of Christ might still have Christ in his heart inwardly. But as I said, this is a matter of considerable debate. Interestingly, the current Catholic view allows for "anonymous Christians", who have been called by Christ but do not know his name. Many Protestants however are very suspicious over this whole line or reasoning. It seems to challenge the crucial role of faith in salvation. --clh]