Oftentimes
I have been faced with a conundrum of good people who will go to hell because
they refused to accept Christ. People from other religions, including atheist come
with the question saying I’m a good person, how will you say I will go to hell
despite my “goodness”.
I have
often struggled to answer this question. It’s a one of those questions you have
an answer to but can’t explain. The answer is a deep one and a mystery.
The truth is
that it needs to be said from the onset that “good” people will go to hell. A
paradox that’s hard to accept because we think that the point of life to be a
good person? I’ll take you through the scriptures to know the truth.
We are
saved by grace alone. We are saved by Christ alone. And it has nothing to do
with religion.
Jesus said
while He was here on earth. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh to the Father
but by me. (Ponder that for a while).
Then in
another place He says Not everyone who says unto me Lord, Lord shall enter the
Kingdom of God for many will say unto me, we did many great things in your
name, in your name we cast out devils, we prophesied in your names and He will
say to them I never knew you, you that work iniquity.
In another
place He says, except
a man be born-again (born of water and the spirit), born of God, He cannot see
the kingdom of God.
Salvation
is a gift. God’s gift to man. In fact, after all the back and forth, Paul
concluded “By grace are ye saved through
faith and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, lest any man should boast”
Let’s go
back to men and women who lived before Christ. Are they all condemned? The
Bible calls Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Melchisedec, Abel, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth,
David, Zachariah and a whole lot of other men righteous even before the blood
of Jesus was shed. But all these men looked forward to a time when they can be
part of the kingdom of God because they knew there was something missing, that
missing link is Christ.
From
all of these it is obvious. That Salvation is not created by man, we don’t buy
it nor earn it and the salvation of every man is tied to the grace of God alone. Hence, He
alone knows those who will be saved, on the other hand remember that He is a just
God who will reward the wicked and righteous.
Paul says
in another place whom he did foreknow, He predestined to be like His Son and
called them, justified them and glorified.
Hence, it
can be said
Some “Christians”
will go to hell
Some
Muslims will go to hell
Some Buddhist
will go to hell
Men of many
Religion will go to hell including atheist, and it will be because they failed
to accept Christ’s Salvation. He is the only way into God’s Kingdom because of
who He is.
But the
Summary of the whole matter is that:
Many will
inherit salvation (Christians, muslims, budhist, hindus, atheists) but only
through Christ alone. They will inherit Salvation through the grace of Christ.
Because we must
realise that labels are for men, but when God looks at man, He does not look on
man with such labels, He looks at the heart of man and His decision to save a
man is guided by who He is and the heart of the man. A man is saved by the Love
of God.
Hence, we
persuade all men to turn to God through Christ, Because the call is not to be Christians,
but the call is to be like His Son, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour of the
World, Born of God and inherit Eternal Life and if that makes you a Christian, all well and good but if you become a Christian and do not become like His Son. Judgement awaits.
Because in
Christ are all things, all things are made by him and for Him.
