Taking scripture alone, it would seem that whilst what many Christians usually say about other religions is true of those who hear the call of the Gospel message of Christ's sacrificial atonement, those Christians really ought to lay alongside it the scriptural teaching that 'Faith in such as God reveals and requires' of the man who never hears the Gospel message of Christ is accounted to such a man for righteousness.
Hebrews 11 is packed with examples of such faith and many will doubtless say "ah yes but all that was before Christ" but we cannot get away from the fact that Romans 1:17-25 brings the same principal right up to date.
And, to step back a tad from 'scripture alone' it just happens to be a fact that there still remain languages into which the Bible has never been translated, peoples to whom the Gospel has never been preached, and peoples who cannot read, even if they had a bible.
All these people, and more, ought not to be forgotten in our preaching.
Provided they worship the God of whom creation testifies, rather than worshipping created things they have excuse as per Romans 1:17-25, regardless of whether or not they append different names to the creator God than the name that has been told to those who have Bibles to read.
To the Christian that of course does not excuse the followers of other religions who nevertheless have heard and yet still reject the gospel message.
But as I say, it appears from the wider view of Scriptural teaching, that the criterea is 'faith in such as God reveals and requires of a person'.
Faith in the Gospel of Christ’s sacrificial atonement for those who hear it.
'Faith in such as God reveals and requires of a person' for everyone else.
Mike.
Hebrews 11 is packed with examples of such faith and many will doubtless say "ah yes but all that was before Christ" but we cannot get away from the fact that Romans 1:17-25 brings the same principal right up to date.
And, to step back a tad from 'scripture alone' it just happens to be a fact that there still remain languages into which the Bible has never been translated, peoples to whom the Gospel has never been preached, and peoples who cannot read, even if they had a bible.
All these people, and more, ought not to be forgotten in our preaching.
Provided they worship the God of whom creation testifies, rather than worshipping created things they have excuse as per Romans 1:17-25, regardless of whether or not they append different names to the creator God than the name that has been told to those who have Bibles to read.
To the Christian that of course does not excuse the followers of other religions who nevertheless have heard and yet still reject the gospel message.
But as I say, it appears from the wider view of Scriptural teaching, that the criterea is 'faith in such as God reveals and requires of a person'.
Faith in the Gospel of Christ’s sacrificial atonement for those who hear it.
'Faith in such as God reveals and requires of a person' for everyone else.
Mike.