The way I see the question of ‘sin’ and its 'atonement' is as follows:
Firstly, we all have an inherently sinful nature that needs to be atoned.
Secondly, we then all commit actual acts of sin once we reach our own unique age of discretion, and those acts of sin also need atonement.
Then I look to Christ’s sacrificial death as being the only available means of atonement in both instances.
In the first instance I believe that Christ’s sacrificial death atoned for inherent sin for every person ever to be born, (including retrospectively those born before Christ’s sacrificial death). And I believe that atonement for inherent sin to be independent of anything needed from ‘man’. On that basis all who die before reaching their age of discretion are fully atoned; having committed no actual acts of sin.
In the second instance, regarding actual acts of sin, I believe atonement to be wholly dependent on faith in whatever it is that God reveals and requires of a ‘man’.
For those of us who come under the sound or sight of the Gospel message of John 3:16, then the faith that is required of us is faith in that Gospel message. Whereas for those who might never come under such a sight or sound then they will be called to show faith in one or more of many different ways.
Hebrews 11 is packed with examples of different calls and responses to faith that were accounted for righteousness.
Whereas Romans 1:11-25 can be extrapolated to indicate that those who receive no other call than that of the message of creation “have excuse” if their response to that call is to worship the evident God of creation, rather than worshipping idols which might be fashioned out of created things.
I draw from this that it is still Christ’s sacrificial death that is the only way by which man can be saved, but actually being aware of such is not necessarily a prerequisite.
Adding all this together I believe that I have covered every worldwide eventuality regarding sin and its atonement.
It’s what I call “being able to see the bigger picture”.
Nevertheless, such as I think I see, is clouded by the "darkened glass" through which we all have to peer, and all that matters for each of us is the degree of unprejudiced sincerity with which we hold our various beliefs.
Firstly, we all have an inherently sinful nature that needs to be atoned.
Secondly, we then all commit actual acts of sin once we reach our own unique age of discretion, and those acts of sin also need atonement.
Then I look to Christ’s sacrificial death as being the only available means of atonement in both instances.
In the first instance I believe that Christ’s sacrificial death atoned for inherent sin for every person ever to be born, (including retrospectively those born before Christ’s sacrificial death). And I believe that atonement for inherent sin to be independent of anything needed from ‘man’. On that basis all who die before reaching their age of discretion are fully atoned; having committed no actual acts of sin.
In the second instance, regarding actual acts of sin, I believe atonement to be wholly dependent on faith in whatever it is that God reveals and requires of a ‘man’.
For those of us who come under the sound or sight of the Gospel message of John 3:16, then the faith that is required of us is faith in that Gospel message. Whereas for those who might never come under such a sight or sound then they will be called to show faith in one or more of many different ways.
Hebrews 11 is packed with examples of different calls and responses to faith that were accounted for righteousness.
Whereas Romans 1:11-25 can be extrapolated to indicate that those who receive no other call than that of the message of creation “have excuse” if their response to that call is to worship the evident God of creation, rather than worshipping idols which might be fashioned out of created things.
I draw from this that it is still Christ’s sacrificial death that is the only way by which man can be saved, but actually being aware of such is not necessarily a prerequisite.
Adding all this together I believe that I have covered every worldwide eventuality regarding sin and its atonement.
It’s what I call “being able to see the bigger picture”.
Nevertheless, such as I think I see, is clouded by the "darkened glass" through which we all have to peer, and all that matters for each of us is the degree of unprejudiced sincerity with which we hold our various beliefs.