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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Q: What happens to people of other religions when they die? Do they automatically go to hell?

I answered this question already in this previous post. Please read it carefully. By "other religions", I assume you mean non-Christians or those have not received forgiveness of their sin by trusting in Jesus. The answer is YES: They will be separated from God in hell. I know this seems intolerant. And harsh. Yet, please consider what I wrote in this post about "being good enough." Also read the second half of this previous post which deals with the "exclusivity of Christianity." At the end of this post, this is what I wrote:

"Christianity is actually the most inclusive of all faith systems. Other religions assume our ability to secure God's favor & love by doing the right things. What is the implication here? You can be a "good person" if you follow certain rules. Listen to what Dr. Tim Keller says (read this carefully!):
'The universal religion of humankind is: We develop a good record and give it to God, and then he owes us. The gospel is: God develops a good record and gives it to us, then we owe him (Rom. 1:17). In short, to say a good person, not just Christians, can find God is to say good works are enough to find God. So the apparently inclusive approach is really quite exclusive. It says, 'The good people can find God, and the bad people do not.' The gospel says, 'The people who know they aren't good can find God, and the people who think they are good do not.' So both approaches are exclusive, but the gospel's is the more inclusive exclusivity. It says joyfully, 'It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. It doesn't matter if you've been at the gates of hell. You can be welcomed and embraced fully and instantly through Christ.' "
[Answered by Pastor HM]