Jesus: The Author of Salvation

It's that time of the year again!:p Special guest-writer, Jeremy, shares his opinion on salvation.

Hi guys,

So this is a topic that sometimes bothers me. It’s also a topic I’m by no means sure about. In fact, please don’t take this as the truth or anything like that. Rather take it as my opinion (this is a blog post after all).

Who exactly doesn't get into heaven? Fundamentalists believe only those who have actively accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour receive eternal life. In fact Jesus tells us He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no one goes to the Father except through Him. And I believe this is the truth: Jesus is the author of salvation!

But I also believe that us going to the Father through Jesus may not have to be a conscious decision on our part. Jesus came to save all human kind, not just those fortunate enough to hear about Him. What about babies who pass away? What about people who have never heard of Him? What about people who have heard of Him but have been grievously hurt by the church, and thus associate their pain with Jesus?

I for one would not blame if they stayed as far away from church as they could. But what happens if they die before they realise the truth of Jesus’ love for them?

(Disclaimer: I’m in no way saying it’s ok to ignore the Gopel for convenience’s sake. We still have to tell everyone about what Jesus did for us on the cross, it’s our mandate. Also, if you’ve heard of Jesus but you’re too afraid of putting aside worldly things to accept Him, that’s also not ok).

My pastor puts it nicely: he feels we will be judged on our understanding of God. If I, or any other person who has accepted Christ or gained an intimate knowledge of Him, were to reject Him now, we would have far more to answer for than someone who passed away deep in the Amazon jungle 100 years ago, never having heard of Jesus.

Also, some people say that if you’ve lived a nice life but never heard of Jesus then God will be understanding (which is a lie. We can’t earn our salvation, and that rule doesn’t change for people who are unreached by the Gospel). But I think God is far more understanding than that. What if all you’ve ever known is violence and killing, and you go on to kill yourself? Would God condemn you for that?

My answer is: I don’t know! And neither does any other human being. But one thing I know for sure: whatever happens on Judgement Day will be just and right. We will stand before God in our multitudes and say to each other: “Wow, God is Holy”.

And so brothers and sisters, I would like to leave you with this: we as humans cannot condemn anyone, and whatever happens on Judgement Day we will know it was the right and fair thing.

Have a blessed week :) and peace be with you,

Jeremy