Bible says, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Rom 10:10).
Cautious and deliberate decision to accept the offer of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ and the grace of God is all that required for eternal life.
However, there are some who can’t make that cautious and deliberate decision.
These are the group of people I’m referring to:
1) Jesus came in the time of New Testament. How then can the people in the Old Testament receive salvation?
2) What about salvation for the mentally ill or mentally challenged?
3) What about salvation for still born or babies?
Let me know what you think of their salvation and leave your thought in this blog, ya…
1) Jesus died for all… for the present, past & future..
2 & 3) for those who are mentally ill or mentally challenged..new born babies.. i got no idea but i believe God has prepare a way & special plan for them.. not included in “believer” & “non believer” catergory..i think.
Dear Chi,
1) Jesus DID die for all…present, past & future, but people in New Testament didn’t know his existence. How can they call on His name and be saved?
2) If God have special ways for this category of people, we might as well put off all effort to keep them alive and evangelize to them.
1) Old Testament:
Jews were delivered and brought out of Egypt, crossed over the Red Sea (they were free from the bondage of slavery and into a new life, new destiny…)and they have to endure to spent years in wilderness until they finally came to the promise land. This is somehow parallel to the baptism of Christian, we died to our old ways of life, free from the bondage and obtain a new life.
Unfortunately, Jews failed because of their complaints etc (please read on Genesis). Tho’ many were saved from Egypt but not many qualified to enter the promise land. Hope that we will not end up to be like them.
Many incidents in the OT times, God had uses prophets ahead of us (such as Jonah, Moses, Elijah etc) to bring salvation to the people.
About 2 and 3 questions: I believe that God has His own ways to reach out to them, and we as human sometimes are very limited in our understanding, God’s work in each one life differently and each is indeed a miracle. When we can’t think of a way, somehow He will make a way that is less expected. Bible incidents do gave us a lot of surprises and some even head-cracked for us to understand of God’s thinking; isn’t it?
Cheers!
Samantha,
1) You mean the prophet in the Old Testament can bring salvation to the Jews? What about the Chinese, the Inca, the Africans and the many people who lives at the time of Noah, Abraham and Joseph? How then can they obtain salvation?
2) So, you also don’t know any answer to question 2 & 3.
er…i’m not too sure. but during OT, they need to obey God and do good works. Through prohets like Moses, God’s commandments & rules were told to the people.. Sins seperate our relationship with God, that’s why we need to repent & something has to die on our behalf to pay for our sins (atonement) coz we can’t pay for our own. During OT, they sacrifice the animals (without defect) to God, take bath & etc everytime they sin against God. So, personally iI believe they need to obey God, repent everyday & do good works until the day they die..But in NT & now, Jesus the Lamb of God has became the perfect sacrifice. The old way has been replaced. But still, we need to continue to do good works & repent everyday because we are ot perfect & we need to good workds reflect Christ image in us.
Jesus has died, but He has resurrected. Therefore, I believe everyone, whether in OT or NT, they could achieved their salvation as long as they obey God, repented and do good works.. call upon the name of Jesus and be saved, well, they believe Jesus is the Messiah right? =)
I don’t think that God say we can put off all effort to keep these catergory of people alive and evangelize to them. That’s not in the great commission. Preach the good news to everyone. EVERYONE. include them.
Again, what about those who are not Jews during the time of Noah and Abraham? The Chinese? The Inca? The African? etc?
… these people (Chinese, Indian etc) were Gentiles (Chinese means ‘wai pang ren’, non Jews). Tho’ it never been recorded down in the ‘existing bible..’ but that doesn’t mean that God has not reached out to them. I believe we may have lost part of the manuscripts… these are just what the scholars could found and compiled.
P
I could say that those prophets in OT have gone before us, have done great works and became good examples for us to follow.
I agreed with Chi at some points, with regards to the animal sacrificed (in OT) and Jesus as the sacrificed lamb (in NT), tats not only that but the salvation of mankind = OBEYING GOD (includes regeneration – die to the sinful way of life and live a new life, repent everyday – i think he meant renewal & do good works until the day we die.. ) Be it people in OT or NT!
And yes, good news (salvation) is for everyone. We are not to judge how these people can be saved, but believe that God has His plan for them. Rather we need to give account of what we have done for God to bring the gospel to everyone (including the unfortunate) …
)
Samantha,
“we may have lost part of the manuscripts” ? Are you implying that the Bible is not complete and authoritative as the Word of God?
I agree with you that God has plans of salvation for everyone – regardless of what age they live in, but knowing it will greatly help us to avoid doing futile evangelism and having effective witnessing to save more souls in snatching them from the fire of hell.
1) I think people had to worship and circumcised to be save and salvation wasn’t much of an issue back then as it was not mention, or maybe I did not come across any verses in the OT that talks about eternal life (LoL). People in the OT feared death more than anything else(?), as compare to the zealous apostles in the NT. The form of worship in the OT, which includes a lenghty set of rules, was only practiced in Jerusalem and it’s neighbouring countries. It was not mentioned whether or not other parts of the world knew of the God that they were worshipping. Saved or not, I believe God has the final say, and since the Bible did not mention it specifically, or maybe I missed it (LoL again), but the chances of that is low I believe.
2) That my friend, I could not answer you, but I believe that our God is full of grace and mercy, and He will judge and deliver accordingly.
3) Matthew 19:13-15
Jesus said in those verses that the “Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these”. “Such as these” could mean children, and if it means that, we know that those unborn children will be in the Kingdom of Heaven. Or it could mean people with innocence and purity as such, could enter the Kingdom of God. Either way, it is safe to imply that unborn babies will still end up in Heaven, because I believe their innocence could not have been worse than those of the children mentioned in Matt 19:13-15.
Peace!