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I was reading the thread asking the question, are Roman Catholics saved? It got me to thinking. What about all the good people in the world?
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What good people? There are no good people in the world. Compared to the holiness of God, all mankind falls short of the law of God, so that there is not one who is good.
Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The concept of good people is a humanistic concept. That is to say, this belief in the principle of humanity having the capacity for his own fulfillment (apart from God) through reason and scientific methodology is invalid and decidedly unbiblical. Sin entered the world through the first man Adam. So that because of this, there are no good people (Psalms 14:3; Romans 3:10). Those who think that good people exist (which I think is also at the root of people who defend Roman Catholics) comes from a world view that's based upon mans idea of fairness, rather than the truth.
The bible says some things about this subject:
1) Every man has been given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)
2) Every man is without excuse (Romans 10)
3) There are none good, no not one (Romans 3:12)
That stinging indictment of God against the whole human race is unassailable. So the idea of "good people," implying that they
deserve to be saved also, is 100% contrary to Christiandom, and is part of a world view antithetic to Christ. You're basically saying that there is some quality in some people that others lacks that should causes him to be good in God's eyes. And that is simply not true. There is no such thing as a good man "apart from Christ!" It is only through the blood of Christ that a person can become good in God's eyes and be saved.
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...if anyone makes the assistance of grace depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says, 'What have you that you did not receive?' (1 Cor. 4:7), and, '
But by the grace of God I am what I am' (1 Cor. 15:10)."
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There are good Catholics, good Jews, good Muslims,
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Mark 10:18- "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God."
There are "no" good Catholics, good Jews or good Muslims. There are no good people, period.
Romans 3:10-11- "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
- There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."
So who are you going to believe? The word of God, or your own words and opinions?
Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
If all have sinned, how can you say that anyone is good? We're all bad, we've all sinned, we've all fallen short. There is none righteous, which means there are none good. And so say that there are good Catholics, good Jews and good Muslims, apart from salvation in Christ, is to blatantly contradict the living God.
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are we to say they are all going to hell just because they don't look at Jesus the way we do?
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Matthew 5:22- "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
Anyone who has fallen short in one small matter of the law is in danger of Hell fire, and we have all fallen short. We have all sinned. We have all violated the law of God. No, we don't say they are all going to hell just because they don't look at Jesus the way we do, we witness to the fact that God says without Christ they will face the damnation of Hell.
You see, the problem with
most professing Christians is that they transpose the words of God, witnessed by faithful Christians, upon those who testify to it and then "claim" it's their own words. Just because we testify to it, doesn't mean that we authored it. But that's how many Christians
presume to get around God's word. But it doesn't work like that.
Luke 12:5- "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him."
Don't fear our words, fear the word of God. If people end up in hell, they end up there because of their own sins, and because they themselves have no savior, not because
"WE" say they are all going to hell just because they don't have Christ. "WE" didn't say it, the Lord God said it. There is no salvation any other way. There is one way. Yes, we can sit in the vain imaginations of our own heart and design various ways that other religions might be saved, but in the end, all is vanity.
Acts 4:12- "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Hypocrisy and humanism does not the truth make. Neither does postulating on how unfair this system of salvation is based upon our own human idea of fairness. Better to simply surrender to the authority of God in realization, "Who are we to reply against God?" God is Sovereign and His judgments are righteous. Violation of His laws are dealt with according to His laws.
Romans 6:23- "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Are we to say they are all going to hell just because they don't look at Jesus the way we do? No, we're to say they are going to hell because the wages of sin is death,
all have sinned, and without Christ it is impossible to please God. But if they are good people, they don't need us to worry about them, for they have never sinned and don't have to worry about its wages.
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nosce te ipsum"
Peace,
Tony Warren
"i acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. -Psalms 32:5"