A gracEmail reader writes, "Our Bible class had a discussion concerning individuals who were not able to hear the gospel before they died. Several stated that all those people would be lost. What do you believe will happen to such according to the Bible?" * * * God's judgment will be completely righteous, for he will judge all people by the light they actually possessed rather than by some standard of which they had no knowledge (Rom. 2:12). Not everyone received the Ten Commandments, or the Golden Rule -- but every human being with moral consciousness has God's revelation in creation (Rom. … [Read more...]
THOSE WHO NEVER HEARD (1)
"What about those," asks a reader, "who, through no fault of their own, never hear the gospel during this life? Must we assume that all such people will finally perish?" * * * It is absolutely true that no one will be saved except through the atonement which Jesus has accomplished (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5-6). It is also true that many people will be saved by Jesus' atonement who, in this life, never understood that Jesus' atonement had taken place. Christians historically place in that category all faithful people who lived before Jesus, both Jew and Gentile (Rom. 3:23-30). Many Christians … [Read more...]
GOSPEL OF JUDAS
As every savvy marketer knows, sensationalism sells books and attracts a television audience. The National Geographic Channel can therefore expect a host of viewers for its special program "The Gospel of Judas" set to show tonight (Sunday, April 9, 2006). "One of the most significant biblical finds of the last century," hypes the producer's website, "-- a lost gospel that could challenge what is believed about the story of Judas and his betrayal of Jesus." The TV special follows the translated publication three days earlier of the so-called Gospel of Judas, a codex (bound like a book rather … [Read more...]
