So Close!

2. So Close! ...And Yet So Far? Part 11: "If Jesus Is The Only Way...?"

3. “Are the moral adherents to the African traditional religions, virtuous Hindus, and Buddhists really outside a saving relationship to God? Do Muslims and Jews – who know the God of Abraham and follow his commands – need to hear the gospel? No other issue is so defining of the contemporary religious landscape.” ~ Timothy Phillips

4. “In the realm of the political and social and economic we can be sufficiently certain to convert, but in the realm of religion there is not sufficient certainty to convert anybody, and therefore there can be no conversions in religions.” ~ Gandhi

5. “If Jesus was literally God incarnate, the second Person of the holy Trinity living a human life, so that the Christian religion was founded by God-on-earth in person, it is then very hard to escape from the traditional view that all mankind must be converted to the Christian faith.” ~ John Hick, Liberal Theologian

6. extra ecclesiam nulla salus “Outside the church there is no salvation.” ~ Catholic Doctrine

7. “Shameful is the presumption of those who dare throw heaven open to the unbelieving.” ~ John Calvin

8. “It should be clear that if God has placed people in situations where they will never hear the gospel, it is simply because he does not intend for them to be saved.” ~ Loraine Boettner

9. “If there be anywhere a soul feeling after God, following the night of nature and of conscience, in hope and faith that the Great Unknown will somehow give more light, and lead to life and blessedness, we may safely leave such to His fatherly care.” ~ Arthur T. Pierson, Missionary

10. “Living by the Bible means assuming that no one will be saved apart from faith in Christ, and acting accordingly.” ~ J.I. Packer

11. “I myself cannot doubt that there may be those who, while never hearing the gospel here on earth, will wake up, as it were, on the other side of the grave to worship the One in whom, without understanding it at the time, they found the mercy of God.” ~ Norman Anderson, Princeton Theologian

12. “The question is not whether the unevangelized know Jesus, but rather, whether he knows them. God does not care about the content of our theology, only the direction of our faith.” ~ Clark H. Pinnock, Theologian

13. “The very concept of an eternal hell is an insult to the Christian doctrine of God’s sovereign love. No worse insult could be offered to Christ and no blasphemy of God could go deeper than this. God’s name has been libeled beyond belief even by those who sincerely think they know Him, love Him, and serve Him. Yet an idol they serve, not the God of the Christian faith.” ~ Nels F.S. Ferre, Theologian

14. “We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know him can be saved through Him.” ~ C.S. Lewis

15. “If God would concede to me His omnipotence for 24 hours, you would see how many changes I would make in the world. But if He gave me His wisdom too, I would leave things as they are.” ~ J.L. Monsabre

16. “Will all or some people who do not hear the gospel be saved in the end of time? In a sense, of course, we have no way of knowing just what the future will hold. This is what is distinctive about the future, that we have not yet experienced it.” ~ Millard J. Erickson, Theologian

17. “It is through the Catholic Church alone, which is the all-embracing means of salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained.” ~ Vatican II

18. “The message of Christ must be heard by every religion, including the Christian ‘religion’.” ~ Karl Barth

19. “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ~ Soren Kierkegaard

20. “It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” ~ Woody Allen

21. “We die only once, and then we are judged.” ~ Hebrews 9:27 (CEV)

22. “All people have disobeyed God, and that’s why he treats them as prisoners. But he does this, so that he can have mercy on all of them.” ~ Romans 11:32 (CEV)

23. “Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.” ~ Romans 5:18 (NRSV)

24. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world.” ~ 1 John 2:2 (NIV)

25. “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” ~ John 1:9 (NRSV)

26. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” ~ Jesus, Matthew 7:13-14 (NRSV)

27. “Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save any one.” ~ Acts 4:12 (CEV)

28. “And all who believe in God’s Son have eternal life. Those who don’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them.” ~ John 3:36 (NLT)

29. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” ~ Jesus, John 14:6 (NASB)

30. “Anyone who denies the son doesn’t have the Father either. But anyone who confesses the Son has the Father also.” ~ 1 John 2:23 (NLT)

31. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life.” ~ 1 John 5:11-12 (NLT)

32. “No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.” ~ Hebrews 11:6 (TEV)

33. “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” ~ John 9:41 (NASB)

34. “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? An how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” ~ Romans 10:13-14 (NLT)

35. 1 + 1 + 1 = 1

36. 1 x 1 x 1 = 1

37. So Close! ...And Yet So Far? Part 11: "If Jesus Is The Only Way...?"