Do people of other faiths have to believe in Jesus to go to heaven?

Here is a very good blog post by Kevin DeYoung on how he would answer the question, "Do people of other faiths have to believe in Jesus to go to heaven?" This came up on the Larry King Show in 2005 and anyone whose been a Christian for long has had this question from a skeptic or pluralistic leaning non-believer.

Is Faith Necessary?

Do people of other faiths have to believe in Jesus to go to heaven? Earlier this morning I had a video up of Joel Osteen’s response to this question on Larry King Live. Resurgence had asked me to comment on Osteen’s answer. A couple hours after the post went up the folks at Resurgence contacted me saying they found out Osteen issued an apology several years ago for the statements made on Larry King. You can read about the apology here. It is a clear, humble apology for which Osteen should be commended. As I remarked in my original post at Resurgence, “It’s not easy to winsomely answer a question about the eternal fate of billions of people and do it on live television before the next commercial break.” I’m sorry the clip went up, even for a short time, because it does not accurately reflect what Osteen believes. Very little of my post at Resurgence actually focused on Osteen. Mostly I imagined what I would have said (if I were thinking clearly and quickly on national television, which is a big “if”!). Here’s my answer: “You know, Larry, that’s a huge question. On one level it’s hard to answer because it feels like a trap. ‘Will he or won’t he condemn everyone to hell?’ Well, it’s not my place to give the final evaluation for anyone. And I don’t want to sit here and say that I deserve to go to heaven more than someone else. “Because the fact of the matter is none of us can merit heaven. God is holy and we are not. No matter how sincere we are or how many good things we do, we can’t begin to approach the purity and perfection of God. So we need a Mediator, a go-between. “The Bible teaches that God sent his Son to be our Mediator. He lived the life we couldn’t and died the death meant for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says he was counted as sin so that we could become the righteousness of God. This great exchange is only possible by faith. Even Jesus said that those who don’t believe in him stand condemned already. “And not because they don’t believe. God doesn’t punish people for not hearing about Jesus. He punishes us for being sinful sinners, for twisting what he has revealed to us in creation and what our own consciences tell us we should do. Without Christ, there’s no bridge between God and man, there’s no hope for a personal relationship with God, there’s no chance of being forgiven. “Look, I realize that’s offensive to many people. But our desire is not to exclude anyone. That’s why Christians believe in sharing their faith and starting new churches. We want everyone to put their faith in Christ and be his disciples. That’s what Jesus told us to do before he ascended into heaven. But I can’t accept that good Buddhists or sincere Hindus are doing just fine, because I don’t believe Jesus is someone’s personal God. I believe he is God. He is more than a personal Lord. He is the Lord over everyone and everything whether they recognize it or not. I can’t fully honor Christ if I pretend he is just one option among many. To say what I think your viewers want me to say would be to deny all that I believe is glorious, precious, and unique about Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. “See, the good news is Jesus is not just my personal Savior. He is the Savior of the world. That means he’s not my possession that I try to monopolize. No, he possesses everything and will gladly forgive all who turn to him in faith and repentance. Apart from Christ, no one can be right with God, no Hindus, no Buddhists, no Muslims, least of all this sinful pastor. There is no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved. But in Christ, there is salvation, joy, and new life for all who believe.

Grace Gem, "O Stand Amazed at His Free Grace!" by Thomas Sherman

Here is another excellent Grace Gem from April 16 (I'm a little behind):

O stand amazed at His free grace!

Thomas Sherman, "Divine Breathings; Or, a Pious Soul Thirsting after Christ"

O precious saint! Three questions call for your answer:
1. What were you?
2. What are you?
3. What shall you be?

1. What were you?
Dead in your transgressions and sins,
a rebel to your God,
a prodigal to your Father,
a slave to your lust,
the devil's captive,
on the highway to hell.

2. What are you?
Redeemed by Christ,
a royal child of God,
the spouse of Christ,
the temple of the Holy Spirit,
the heir of a priceless eternal inheritance!

3. What shall you be?
A glorious saint,
a companion of angels,
a triumphant victor,
a crowned king,
an attendant on the Lamb,
a participant in those soul-ravishing and ineffable excellencies that are in God! You shall behold the King of Glory face to face--and enjoy immediate communion with Jesus Christ! Nay more, you are made one with Him:
clothed with His excellencies,
enthroned with His glories,
crowned with His eternity,
and filled with His felicity!

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard, and
no mind has imagined . . .
what God has prepared for those who love Him!"
1 Corinthians 2:9

O stand amazed at His free grace--and render all the glory to God!

What Is the Gospel? from R.C. Sproul

From the Ligonier Ministries Blog here is R.C. Sproul explaining one of the most important questions of life, "What is the Gospel?"

What Is the Gospel? from R.C. Sproul

There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the Gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the Gospel to you when they tell you, 'you can have a purpose to your life', or that 'you can have meaning to your life', or that 'you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.' All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the Gospel. The Gospel is called the 'good news' because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness – or lack of it – or the righteousness of another. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God. The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the Gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith – and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him – and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity.

Grace Gem, "A whole Christ must be received--with the whole heart " by Thomas Sherman

A whole Christ must be received--with the whole heart

(Thomas Sherman, "Aids to the Divine Life--A Series of Practical Christian Contemplations" 1680)

"Yet to all who received Him . . . He gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12

A whole Christ must be received--with the whole heart.

Some in their understanding, assent to the way of salvation--yet do not consent to it with their will. In judgment they are for Christ--but in affection they are for other things. There is only a part of their soul that is for Christ. Others would have the benefits that are from Christ--but have no love for the person of Christ.

Some would have Christ only as a Savior--but not as a Lord. They desire Him only as a Priest to offer a sacrifice for their sins--but not as a Prophet to instruct them, nor as a King to rule over them. So that it is but part of Christ, that they would receive.

But both of these courses are equally dangerous; for, if we would be saved, we must cleave to Christ with all the faculties of the soul--with will, judgment, affection, etc. And so, again, we must cleave to the whole of Christ--Christ in His natures, person, offices, etc. If, therefore, you would rightly receive Christ, see that your whole soul receives a whole Christ.

Flowchart on drinkable water in the world

Here is an excellent post by FlowingData on the World's drinkable water in the world.

Grace Gem, A.W. Pink; You are a filthy pauper!

Here is an excellent Grace Gem for April 8th by A.W. Pink:

You are a filthy pauper!

Arthur Pink, "Identification of the Godly"

"For this is what the high and lofty One says--He who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place--but also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit." Isaiah 57:15

A humble spirit or heart, is an infallible sign of regeneration; for the unregenerate are proud, self-satisfied, self-righteous.

Yet the very mention of the word "humility" seems to cut off many Christians. As they examine themselves, they discover so much pride at work within, that they are quite unable to persuade themselves that they have a humble heart. It seems to them--that humility is one thing they most evidently lack. Now it will no doubt be a startling statement--but we unhesitatingly affirm that the great majority of God's people are far more humble than they suppose!

FIRST, that the Christian reader possesses a humble heart, is plain from the fact that he confesses himself to be a Hell-deserving sinner. We do not have in mind what you say of yourself when in the company of your fellows--but rather what you feel and say of yourself when alone with God. Whatever pretenses you are guilty of before men--when in the presence of the Omniscient One--you are real, sincere, and genuine.

Now, dear reader, be honest with yourself: When on your knees before the Throne of Grace, do you freely and frankly acknowledge that if you received your lawful due, you would--even now--be suffering the dreadful fires of Hell? If so, a miracle of grace must have been wrought within you. No unregenerate person will or can honestly make such a confession to God--for he does not feel he has done anything deserving of eternal punishment.

SECOND, if you own that "all your righteous acts are like filthy rags," that is proof you possess a humble heart. Of course, we mean much more than your merely uttering those words as a parrot might, or even singing then during some religious service. We mean that when you are in the presence of the Lord--which is always the surest test--you personally realize that you have not a single meritorious deed of your own to commend you to His favorable regard.

We mean that, when bowed in His presence, in the calmness and quietness of your prayer-closet, you own without any qualification, that your best performances are defiled by sin--and that in yourself, you are a filthy pauper!

If that is indeed your language before God--it most certainly issues from a humble heart. The heart of the natural man thinks and feels the very opposite, and can no more loathe himself--than transform himself into a holy angel.

THIRD, if you receive everything in the Scriptures as a little child--that is another proof that a miracle of grace has been wrought within you and that you now possess a humble heart. By nature, all are "wise and prudent" in their own esteem.

The enmity of the proud carnal mind rises up against the sovereignty of God--making one vessel to honor and another to dishonor; against the spirituality and strictness of the Divine Law--which curses all who deviate the slightest from its holy demands; and against the endless punishment of all dying out of Christ. But the regenerate, though there is much they do not understand, accept without murmur or question--all that is revealed in the Word. If you do, that is proof that your pride has been abased before God.

How thankful we should be that Scripture does not say that God dwells only in those who have complete victory over sin, or those who enjoy unbroken and unclouded communion with Him. Had those been the distinguishing features named--then every one of us might well despair!

But every regenerate person has a humble heart. And if you, my reader, measuring yourself by what has been pointed out above, can discern such fruits and evidences of humility--then so far from its being presumptuous for you to look upon yourself as one saved and indwelt by God--it would be most wicked presumption for you to do otherwise.

The Preaching of John MacArthur

Here is a post by Phil Johnson on the Pyromaniacs blog which has an excerpt about the preaching of John MacArthur which appears in a new book by Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 7: Our Own Time.

What one hears from [John MacArthur's] pulpit is a very straight Christian message—conservative, to be sure, but free from the wrangling, the defensiveness, and the bitterness of the fundamentalism of a generation or two ago. If one were to call MacArthur a fundamentalist, a label that, I gather, he would not reject, one would have to admit that his is a very impressive sort of fundamentalism. His expository sermons are instructive and edifying. Twice a Sunday he draws a very large congregation that sits attentively for an hour-long sermon . . . .

Continue Reading

Which Resurrection did you observe on Easter? and "Which 'Jesus' do you worship?"

Here is an excellent post from Defending, Contending Blog asking “Which ‘Resurrection’ did you observe today?”

Previous to this one the question was asked "Which 'Jesus' do you worship?"

Both of these posts are absolutely priceless.

New Testament Reliabilty "Downright Miraculous" by Dr. James White

Here is a great quote from Dr. James White on the reliability of the New Testament (specific to the manuscript evidence) given at Rockdale Community Church back in February. These presentations are very good but somewhat difficult to follow on audio. I would pay good money to get the video version.

"1,500-2,000 meaningful and viable textual variants, over 1.3 million pages of handwritten copies, spanning approximately 1,500 years prior to the invention of printing is an amazingly small percentage of the text, reflecting an amazingly accurate history of transmission. One might say it is downright miraculous"

Here are the links to download the two files:
New Testament Reliability, Part 1
New Testament Reliability, Part 2

John MacArthur on the Purpose Driven Life

It is quite troubling that Rick Warren has been invited by John Piper to be a speaker at the 2010 Desiring God Conference. I really like John Piper's preaching and ministry but why he continues to invite the likes of Warren and Douglas Wilson (proponent of Federal Vision) to speak at conferences baffles my mind.
This is an excellent video where John MacArthur shows the flaw in the false gospel taught in Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life".