Q: Different skin colors? Salvation before Jesus' time?

I don't get how people have different skin colors. What happened to people in Asia, and Africa during Jesus' time? How would they ever have the chance to hear about the Word?

It seems you have a few questions here. I'll break it down.

1. How did people have different skin colors? There is no biblical, clear-cut answer, but GotQuestions has done their best to answer your question. Read their answer HERE.

2. What happened to people in Asia, and Africa during Jesus' time? How would they ever have the chance to hear about the Word?

First, it's important to understand that all people - no matter when/where they were born - are accountable to God whether or not they have heard the gospel. God has clearly revealed Himself in nature (Romans 1:20), in the conscience (Romans 2:15) and in the hearts of people (Ecclesiastes 3:11), so men are “without excuses” (Romans 1:20). A person does not end up eternally separated from God because of what they have not heard; he gets there because of his failure to respond properly to what God has revealed to Him. Deuteronomy 4:29 tell us that if a person genuinely seeks after God, He will make himself known. It is, therefore, the responsibility of a Christian to evangelize as many people as we can. We are not called to speculate who is saved, but to bring the good news to the nations (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:15).

That being said, in Jesus' day (and even before his time), God did provide a way for people to be saved. It was through faith in God. Genesis 15:6 tells us Abraham believed God and that was sufficient for God to credit it to him for righteousness (see Romans 4:3-8). Listen to what GotQuestions writes:

What has changed through the ages is the content of a believer's faith. God's requirement of what must be believed is based on the amount of revelation He has given mankind up to that time. This is called progressive revelation. Adam believed the promise God gave in Genesis 3:15 that the Seed of the woman would conquer Satan. Adam believed Him, demonstrated by the name he gave Eve (v. 20) and the Lord indicated His acceptance immediately by covering them with coats of skin (v. 21). At that point that is all Adam knew, but he believed it.

Abraham believed God according to the promises and new revelation God gave him in Genesis 12 and 15. Prior to Moses, no Scripture was written, but mankind was responsible for what God had revealed. Throughout the Old Testament, believers came to salvation because they believed that God would someday take care of their sin problem. Today, we look back, believing that He has already taken care of our sins on the cross (John 3:16; Hebrews 9:28).

Summarily, those in Jesus' day - including inhabitants of Asia & Africa - were saved if they believed in God (and not in themselves or a false idol to save them from the sins). Today, God has revealed Jesus Christ to us, and it is through him alone that salvation is granted. Thus, it is our responsibility and calling - as Christ-followers - to tell people who have never of him the good news of his salvation!

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Will Mennonites be saved?

To learn more about Mennonites (their history and beliefs), visit this Canadian website, or this Wikipedia entry. Mennonites are a Protestant Christian group established in the 16th century when Christians separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Among their core theological beliefs is that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the answer to your question is: Yes. Mennonites, like all Christians, will be saved because they have put their faith in the true Messiah and God: Jesus Christ.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Are there certain people in this world who are just never destined to know God?

In John 6:44, it says that people can't go to Jesus unless God has drawn them near to Him. Maybe I'm interpreting this Scripture incorrectly.

I've answered various forms of this question before. Please read this previous post. In it, I quote from the GotQuestions ministry website, which states:

If God is choosing who is saved, doesn’t that undermine our free will to chose and believe in Christ? The Bible says that we have the choice—all who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). The Bible never describes God rejecting anyone who believes in Him or turning away anyone who is seeking Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). Somehow, in the mystery of God, predestination works hand-in-hand with a person being drawn by God (John 6:44) and believing unto salvation (Romans 1:16). God predestines who will be saved, and we must choose Christ in order to be saved. Both facts are equally true. Romans 11:33 proclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”

Please also read our post on this very issue. Here is an excerpt:

If God doesn't choose, then you don't have the ability to turn to Him. Salvation only comes when God chooses us and works in our heart so that we have the ability to respond to Him. Listen to what theologian Donald Bloesch (Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Volume I: God, Authority and Salvation. Peabody, MA: Prince Press, 1978) says:

'To give all the glory to God in the accomplishing of our salvation is not to reduce man to nothing. Yet we must also not say that man gets some of the credit for his salvation, that man can help in the procuring of his salvation... Our position is that we must affirm both the sovereignty of grace and the responsibility of believers. The two errors to be avoided are the following: that one is saved exclusively by the work of grace upon him thereby not including or allow for personal faith and decision in the salvific process...the second error gives man a determinative role in his justification so that he virtually becomes a co-redeemer with Christ...Only the person who is transformed by divine grace can make a positive response to God's gracious invitation, but only the one who does make such a response is indeed transformed by grace.'

Summarily, there are certainly people in this world who are just never destined to know God. As it states in John 6:44, God must draw a person to Himself in order for that person to be saved (i.e. we cannot come to salvation on our own). However, this does not mean human beings do not have free will. We must embrace and accept this salvation by faith and in trust.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Christianity....religion or a personal relationship with Christ? or Both?

Christianity is a relationship with the true and living God through the person of Jesus Christ by whom we are forgiven of our sins. Without Jesus, a person is separate from God and cannot no relationship with Him. Ephesians 2:12-15 says:

...remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

So fundamentally, Christianity is a relationship with God. Is Christianity also considered a religion? It depends on how you define religion. If you define religion the way Wikipedia has defined it, a religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs, then yes. Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, so it is a faith system or a religion according to this definition. However it is NOT a religion if we define religion as a set of rules one must follow to gain salvation or to earn God's favor. In fact, Christianity stands apart from all other belief systems because it teaches salvation by GRACE. All other systems tell us we must do certain good things in order to be in God's presence. Christianity tells us we are not made right before God by our efforts, sincerity, or works.  Instead, we are made right before God by faith in what Christ did on the cross.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Reference: "What is Christianity" by M. Slick

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]

Q: Why didn't God give Adam & Eve a second chance?

When God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, why didn't God give them a second chance to redeem themselves. Each day we all sin, but we then get to be "clean from sin" when we pray to God and ask for forgiveness. Right? Well why didn't Adam and Eve get a second chance to ask for forgiveness so that they could be accepted back into the garden. Adam and Eve didn't get the chance to know the differences between God and Satan. In result of one sin, it cost us the whole human race to live so far away from God. How is that fair. In addition, we fall into sin each day so why doesn't he send us to some other place for sinning so much but he sent Adam and Eve away after such a sin. Why did God become so strict to them?

I would like to humbly suggest the following preamble to an “answer” to your fundamental questions:

1. Why were Adam and Eve not given a second chance?

2. Isn’t that unfair?

3. Why doesn’t God punish us like He did Adam and Eve ….. relatively quickly after we sin, and severely?

Let us admit the following:

A. The Bible is not definitive in answering your questions. It is not definitive in a lot of areas, and cannot answer every question SPECIFICALLY (that would be impossible – there are an infinite number of questions that could come up!). B. THEREFORE, we need to humbly AND carefully respond with Biblical principles that apply. In other words, we do our best. In this case, the definitive answer is ultimately buried in God’s eternal purposes, and I cannot answer for God personally. C. Having said that, I believe we ARE given sufficient principles in Scripture to suggest several reasons why “Adam and Eve were not given a second chance.” I will now attempt to give you several of these principles.

Principle #1: God is infinitely holy, and takes sin very seriously.

How serious sin is directly relates to how holy God is. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, they sinned and brought upon themselves the punishment of sin because God hates sin and punishes sin.

Ultimately, God chooses to punish sin. By doing so, I believe He exalts His own holiness and sovereignty. Not eating the fruit wasn’t simply a petty instruction to keep the peace, or prevent depletion of fruit, or to tease Adam and Eve.

This was a real litmus test of their obedience. God was very clear as to the consequences of disobedience. To respond casually to Adam and Eve’s actions would minimize the severity of their sin.

Principle #2: The concept of “fairness” is the prerogative of the person who is sovereign or in a position to define “fairness”.

Since all sin is ultimately against God … therefore God is the one who defines what is fair and what isn’t fair. God has delegated some of this responsibility. Parents often determine what is fair between children. Governments set up laws to determine fair punishments. This happens at all levels of decisions. For eternal and existential matters, God is sovereign, and He alone determines what is fair and what isn’t. He determines the rules.

One dictionary definition of “Fair” is: free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice: a fair decision; a fair judge. However, WHO determines what is free from bias, dishonesty or injustice? Everyone may have a different opinion. Ultimately, it is the judge, or person of authority who determines what is fair. For matters of the soul and eternity, that person is God!

Principle #3: We all deserve immediate punishment for our sins.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). It is only the mercy and patience of God that prevents us from receiving the appropriate punishment for our sins (death) every time we sin.

Principle #4: The provision of Jesus Christ IS the second chance offered to Adam and Eve.

In a very real sense, Adam and Eve got better than a second chance …. they were offered salvation! We all need salvation. The ONLY way to be saved, is by believing in Jesus for salvation. Jesus, who is God, died on the cross for our sins to pay for all our sins, and then rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Salvation is a FREE GIFT that happens in a split second when you believe in Jesus alone to save you!

Final Thoughts to Ponder:

A. If God did not punish Adam and Eve after the FIRST sin, then what would be the appropriate (or “fair”) number of chances that they should have been given? Two chances? Five? Thirty-seven? Twelve million chances? Who decides what is the fair number of chances before it’s too late?

If you decided that punishment should only come after the second, third or fourth sin (etc.), does that lessen the importance of the first few sins? What makes the first few sins any less serious?

What severity of sin is sufficient to merit punishment? Just murder (ie. Cain and Abel)? What about rape or lying or stealing or anger or jealousy or pride? Who should decide which sin is severe enough to warrant punishment? Are you our I capable or authorized to do so?

B. God is NOT fair. He is gracious, kind and much more generous than just being fair.

This is especially clear in the New Testament. Take, for example, the Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Matt. 20:1-16). In this parable, the owner of the vineyard (God) is not only fair, he is excessively generous to some. The main thrust of the parable is that God’s standard of justice (and therefore, the standard for the Kingdom of God) is radically different from the standard of the world. All deserve hell. Salvation is not given because of merit or good works, but strictly as a pure gift. Therefore, there is no justification for boasting of our good deeds, or for jealous competition in the Kingdom of God.

In the Old Testament, Abraham asks the Angel of God, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). The answer is a resounding “Yes!”, based on faith in a Just God. We must not distort the justice of God. Since it is a demonstration of His character, God’s justice is invariably connected with His love, mercy and compassion. Romans 3:25 reminds us that the greatest show of God’s justice was at the Cross. Here God displayed His love in the ultimate fashion, but He also showed that He does not compromise Himself. We must affirm the sovereignty of God. He has the right to bestow amazing love to whomever He pleases. Therefore, election and predestination are ultimately fair.

We misunderstand the depth of the goodness of God, and therefore His justice. We should not complain about God’s justice when we see others receiving God’s goodness.

C. In a real sense, we all were in Adam (as the head of our race and root of all mankind), and therefore we all sinned through him. In addition, we were all punished in the same way (with death).

However, praise God, the Bible tells us that in a similar way, the death and sacrifice of Christ gives us life. The key Biblical passage is in Romans 5:12, 15-19.

[Answered by Pastor Fred Tham, English Ministry]

Q: Good people with good hearts?

What happens to non-believers when they die? How about if they're generally "good people" (as in they have good hearts)?

Let me answer the 2nd question first. Since the dawn of time, human beings have tried to justify their lives (and earn their way to heaven/God) in one of three ways:

1. They assume they are living a good enough life to please God when they finally meet Him.

2. They work very hard at some social cause because they think that they are good people and need to overcome the evil deeds of bad people

3. They work very hard at keeping the rules of a particular religion in order to justify themselves as a good person in the sight of God*

While each of these "good people go to heaven" options seem reasonable, this theory does not make sense and is full of problems (read this post from last week for a full explanation, "Why isn't being good enough sufficient?").

Scripture tells that the biggest problem of all is that there are no "good people" out there. All human beings are sinful (Romans 3), meaning we are all bad people. In the Gospel of Luke (18:19), Jesus actually states that the only person who is good (perfect, pure, sinless) is God himself. Human beings are imperfect, impure and sinful. And the reason is because we do not have "good hearts." In fact, all of our sin comes from the very core of our being, or what the Bible calls the "heart" (Mark 7:21-23). Out of the sinful heart comes sinful thoughts, words, deeds and intentions.

This leads us to your second question: What happens to non-believers after they die? Simply put: They are condemned before God for their sin. They are subsequently sent AWAY from Him, which is a frightening thought because God is the source of all beauty, goodness and love. So when unbelievers are removed from His presence forever, they enter into a place absent of all beauty, goodness and love. Scripture calls this place Hades or Hell. Now this sounds harsh, but consider what C.S. Lewis said: "Hell is the greatest monument to human freedom. All in hell choose it." Lewis is saying that those who reject God's salvation in Christ freely do so. They choose NOT to be with God, so God respects that choice.

Friend, God is giving you a choice today. I implore you to choose God by choosing to trust in Jesus for you salvation and NOT your own works/heart/deeds/goodness. Christianity is different from all other religions because it says that we can't do anything to earn our salvation. The standards are too high; and we are too weak and sinful. The only way to be saved, therefore, is by trusting the only "good person" that ever lived: Jesus. Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live. He died the death that we should have died. In doing so, Jesus takes away the sin of those who trust in Him and grants them access to God, i.e. salvation.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

*Mark Driscoll, Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2009), 159-160.

Q: Why is being "good" not sufficient enough?

How do I explain this to a non-believer?? My cousin thinks that by donating money to charities and helping the poor...its good enough, but I don't know how to explain! Help?


Great question. Your cousin's question is really a question of being good enough for WHAT? I think he means being good enough to meet God or to go to heaven. Millions of people have debated this question for years and years. And the result has been that many people believe as he does: Good people go to heaven. We are "good" enough based on what we do (e.g. donating money, helping the poor). The logic goes something like:


There is a good God in a good placed reserved for good people. This God goes by many names. He is behind all major religions. Therefore, all major and possibly minor, religions provide a legitimate path to God and, therefore, heaven. Whether you make it to this good place is, of course, determined by whether you are good. Each religion has its own criteria of good. But what they all have in common is that men and women must do certain things, and not do certain thing, in order to assure themselves a spot in this good place with a good God. After all...


1. It is fair. If you do well in school, you move to the next grade. If you do well in tryouts, you make the team. Being rewarded for your efforts is part of our human experience, so it makes sense that perhaps this idea came from God. After all, the religious books of the world (The Bible, Koran and even the Book of Mormon) tell of God’s eagerness to reward good behavior in this life. So it makes sense that if you do enough good in this life, you should go to heaven.


2. There is a good god. If there is a good God, and if dwells in a good place, then it makes sense that God would fill heaven with good people. Good God + Good people = Good place.


3. It keeps everyone on his or her best behavior. If good people get to go to heaven, then you and I should try to be good. This is good for law and order and makes a healthy society.


4. It makes all religions equal. Since there is a God behind ALL religions, as long as you are good –you get to go to heaven.

This makes sense right? Actually, NO, it doesn't. Once you get past the emotional appeal, the “good people go to heaven” has some MAJOR problems.

1. If good people go to heaven, then we need a clear & consistent definition for what good is.

If God is good, why didn’t he do a better job of telling us what his expectations are, so we don’t have to live our whole lives wondering where we stand? If good people go to heaven, a good God should have communicated that directly to us. Instead we have all sorts of religions (& their leaders) telling us all sorts of different ways to get to heaven. But all religions aren’t the same. The Koran is very different than the Bible. Mohammed /Buddha/Krishna/Gandhi – they have different messages. As open-minded as you might try to be, everyone can’t be right. In order for our theory to work, we need rules the reflect God’s standards rather than the standards of these religious leaders. BUT how do we know what God’s standards are?

2. This line of thinking also makes you wonder how good God really is.

If you were an employer, you wouldn’t withhold a job description from your employees and then evaluate them by a standard they never had the opportunity to see. You would refuse to work at that company. If your teacher did this, you would drop the class. You’d complain to the principal. You’d leave the school, because let’s face: “be good” is not only impractical but also unfair.

3. Your conscience is not enough.

You say, “But wait, maybe God HAS given us a standard. It’s called the conscience. Isn’t there a built-in sense of right and wrong inside all of us? Doesn’t everyone know that it’s wrong to steal, kill, and lie?” And the answer is yes. There is a general sense of morality that resides in all of us and I believe that God designed it. If people made it up, it’s really hard to explain how people of every nation throughout recorded history have continued to arrive at similar conclusions regarding right and wrong; fair and unfair. BUT what the conscience cannot do is give you direction in terms of how good you have to be to go to heaven.

Think about it. That’s where religion takes over. If your conscience had the power to tell you where you stand with God, there would be no need for religion. We would know exactly where you stand. But we don’t. That’s exactly my point. It’s hard to find even two people (w/ two consciences) that are on the same page regarding what good is, let alone how much good we must be to make to heaven.

4. The Bible (or other religion texts) can't help you get into heaven.

You say: “Ok, let’s assume ‘be good’ is not as helpful as I once thought. So I’ll follow a set of religious rules. I’ll read The Bible and do what it says in there. Or I’ll go to church and listen to what they tell me.” The problem here is if you look at the Bible for a list of things to ensure your place in heaven, the standard is way too high. The Bible actually has 248 commands and 365 prohibitions, making 613 rules in total. Can you imagine trying to even read through all the rules, let alone try to follow every single one to ensure your place in heaven? I’m not arguing the Bible is correct, I’m just saying the Bible offers no help in our quest to find a magic list of being good enough to go to heaven.

5. You may just run out of time.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume you're going to try to follow a set of rules. Even if that were the case, you are still left with where you stand at any given time. When you die, what percentage of your overall deeds are required to be ‘good’? 70%? 80%? 51%? Let’s assume that God is really laid back and that only 10% of your deeds need to be good to get you into heaven. Even then, you could find yourself one good work away from the passing grade. Can you imagine that? Because you didn’t help that old granny cross the street, you could miss out on heaven and go to the ‘other place’? Or what if God is a really hard marker: 90% of your deeds need to be good to secure a place up there. Then most of us would probably not make that cut. Heaven would probably be pretty empty. Or have you considered what if you simply run out of time to perform your good deeds? Think about it. You could be destined to be the next Bono, but you walk out these doors, and a car hits you. Then all those wonderful, good acts you were going to do… well, tough luck. Do you see why religions of the world and most people cling to one form of this view or another? It’s because there aren’t good options out there. What else can you believe? If good people don’t go, who does?

6. Everyone does not go to heaven.

First, that’s not fair. It means whatever you do in this life doesn’t matter. You could do whatever you want, and you’d be there. Second, it means most of the major religions in the world have misled hundreds of generations because they don’t believe this. Lastly, if everyone’s going to make it, why doesn’t God just tell us?

The Alternative: Jesus

As you can see, the "good people go to heaven" view is actually full of many holes. So what is the alternative? The alternative is the Gospel. The Gospel teaches us that good people DON’T go to heaven (Jesus actually taught the best in the culture were not good enough). WHY? Because there is really no such thing as a "good" person; we are all sinners and therefore bad people. So what we need is forgiveness of our sins and not fairness.

Do you really want God to give you what’s fair and nothing more? If you believe that only good people go to heaven, I think the only honest answer to that question is, “I don’t know.” Why? Because none of us knows what we deserve! We think we know what’s fair, but I am convinced when people complain about something NOT being fair, it is almost always an excuse for the fact they are NOT getting something they want.

This is where Christianity is really different than other faith systems. The God of Christianity never claims to be fair. He claims to be forgiving. Romans 5:8 says:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In other words, while we were treating God and others unfairly, God decided to forgive us and pay for our sins himself. Jesus lived the GOOD life I could never live. And Jesus died the UNFAIR death I should have died. I get what Jesus deserved; Jesus gets what I deserve. Jesus opted for forgiveness rather than fairness.

So friend, read this answer carefully, pray for your cousin and explain it to him. He may not understand it at first, but it is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). And be sure to live this out. Treat people (including your cousin) as God has treated you - with grace, forgiveness and love.

[Answered by Pastor HM, who is glad God opened my eyes and made me realize I'm really not a good person, but rather just a prideful, sinful one]

Homosexuality and the Exclusivity of Christianity?

My friends and I were having a big conversation/debate about religion. Two of them are Jewish but not really practicing. They had issues trying to accept some things with Christianity.

The first problem was regarding gay marriage and homosexuality. My friends think that Christianity should change as society changes. They think that the whole idea of marriage being man and woman is too traditional and narrow-minded and that we should change our views to suit today's culture.

Then we got into the whole debate about whether you can be gay + christian. Since they don't believe that being gay is sinful, it was difficult to explain how a gay person can confess and become a Christian. Christianity comes off as being very narrow-minded. In their word, we are a bit "superior self-righteous power." One of them said that Christianity is the only religion that won't accept the good aspects of other religions, which are open-minded. They also asked that if someone does not believe in Jesus, etc would they go to heaven? They see Christianity as saying, "You have to live this way and believe what Christians believe, or you are unworthy and will not get into heaven" and "If you are gay, you must convert and repent and become straight and become a Christian."

How can i rephrase my beliefs so that my friends don't picture Christianity as a holier-than-thou, exclusive club that seeks to alienate people who don't believe the same thing? How can i help give my friends a more positive view of Christianity, without denying our attitude toward homosexuality and the fact that there really is only one way to heaven?

Hello. It would seem your friends have two primary concerns (the first is built upon the second):

1. Homosexuality

2. The exclusivity of Christianity as the one true way to God

So let's break it down:

1. Homosexuality

Since your friends are Jewish, they should appreciate and understand this next point: Long before the New Testament was written, the Old Testament condemned the act of homosexuality as immoral and unnatural (Lev. 18:22). So the stance Christians take is not something that the early church "made up." The New Testament affirms the Old Testament.

Your friends make the claim that religion should evolve with the times. I see several flaws in this argument. First, it assumes that something newer is superior to something older. This is known as "chronological snobbery" and it's false. If this were true, then we can argue for allowing any form of evil to be normative in society. For instance, if one day, a group of people start arguing that marrying your own sister should be lawful and moral, by this line of thought, who is to say they are wrong? The second flaw is that the biblical stance on marriage has been the universal understanding in every human civilization in world history. Listen to what this article from Got Questions says:

The Bible alone, however, does not have to be used to demonstrate this understanding of marriage. The biblical viewpoint of marriage has been the universal understanding of marriage in every human civilization in world history. History argues against gay marriage. Modern secular psychology recognizes that men and women are psychologically and emotionally designed to complement one another. In regard to the family, psychologists contend that a union between a man and woman in which both spouses serve as good gender role models is the best environment in which to raise well-adjusted children. Psychology argues against gay marriage. In nature/physicality, clearly, men and women were designed to “fit” together sexually. With the “natural” purpose of sexual intercourse being procreation, clearly only a sexual relationship between a man and a woman can fulfill this purpose. Nature argues against gay marriage.

2. Now, let's talk about your friend's primary concern: The exclusivity of Christianity. There's a few points here:

A. The Bible does not describe homosexuality as a “greater” sin than any other. All sin is offensive to God. Homosexuality is just one of the many things listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that will keep a person from the kingdom of God. According to the Bible, God’s forgiveness is just as available to a homosexual as it is to an adulterer, idol worshipper, murderer, thief, etc. God also promises the strength for victory over sin, including homosexuality, to all those who will believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 4:13).*

*This is an excerpt from this article.

B. We are not saying there are no truth in other religions. Every culture & religion has some expression of God’s truth. To claim that there is no other name but Jesus doesn’t mean other religions don’t have truth; it is however to claim that those truths are to be examined in light of Jesus Christ who claims to the Truth (John 14:6). C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Lewis isn’t saying you can’t see other truths, but that by Jesus (who is THE Truth), we can truly understand other truths.

C. We are not saying we cannot learn from other religions. Christians can learn a great deal from the rest of the world. The intensity of which a Hindu seeks God can make us look like hypocrites. The discipline a Muslim can make us look very lazy. The missionary commitment of a Mormon puts us to shame.

D. We are not saying that Christianity is the one true religion. Christianity is not the savior; Christ is.

Christianity is claiming that Jesus Christ in the one and only savior who can deliver us from our sins. HE is the issue here. Your friends may say, “Christians are hypocrites” – but that’s not the issue. Yes, there are bad Christians (who don’t love as Jesus loved), but there are also those who follow Jesus and love and would be considered “good Christians.” In the same way, we can say there are bad and good Buddhists, or Mormons, or Muslims. This is not the issue. Christians are not claiming that following their religion gets them to heaven or saves them; Christians are claiming that Jesus does. So Jesus is really the issue; who do you think Jesus is? Why do think this way? On what basis do you believe or not believe who he says he is?

E. Christianity is not the only religion that claims exclusivity. Your friend is wrong to say that Christianity is narrow-minded, while other religions are open-minded. All religions teach different things and therefore are exclusive by nature. Imagine a person says this: “All Chinese look alike.” What would you say about this person? Two things: (1) This person is obviously not Chinese (2) He lacks interest in Chinese people because he never looks at them very hard. It’s the same thing with religion. Let's take a look at some examples...

Muslims radically claim exclusivity - not just theologically but linguistically. They believe that the sole and sufficient miracle of Islam is the Koran. They also believe that it is only recognizable in Arabic and that any translation makes it unsacred.

Hinduism is uncompromising on 3 issues: The law of karma (law of moral cause and effect); the authority of their scriptures (Vedas) and reincarnation.

Buddhism doesn’t believe in a personal God at all

New Age followers believe they are God

Baha’ism claims cosmic embrace of all religions, which means they are excluding exclusivists!

What I’m trying to say is that every faith system is exclusive, because every time you assert something a true; you mean something contrary is false. Truth excludes its opposite. Even those that deny the exclusive nature of truth are actually making a truth claim. That's what your friends have done. By stating that Christianity is narrow-minded, and implying they are open-minded, they have made an exclusive truth claim!

F. 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.' "

So friend, take heart. Read as much as you can (I've put some further recommended resources below) about this topic; pray that God would grant you wisdom, patience and courage and talk to your friends again. I've encountered many people that share your friends' viewpoint. There's hope because the gospel has the power the save (Romans 1:16-17).

[Answered by Pastor HM]

http://www.everystudent.com/features/connecting.html

www.reasonablefaith.org - Dr. William Lane Craig's website

The Reason for God, by Timothy Keller (Listen to Keller's talk about exclusivity)

Vintage Jesus, by Mark Driscoll

Evidence That Demands A Verdict, by Josh McDowell

The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel

Jesus Among Other Gods, by Ravi Zacharias

Q: Not faith alone?

Q: In James 2:24, it says, "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." Does this mean Protestants are wrong?

Certainly not! The Book of James can be confusing because it seems to contradict much of what the Apostle Paul wrote (e.g. Ephesians 2:8-9). But there is no disagreement between these two New Testament authors. Both Paul and James would agree that the basis of salvation is grace alone through faith - meaning that the works & deeds of a person are not the basis of faith, but rather a necessary RESULT of faith.

If you read James 2:22, it says that faith "was completed by works." The word "completed" means "bring to maturity." So this verse does not mean we are saved by works but rather that genuine faith is seen in the good works it produces! For James, "faith alone" (2:24) means a fake kind of faith (e.g. the kind of faith that is purely intellectual without a personal trust in Jesus that bears good fruit in one's life). Summarily, no - the Protestants are not wrong in this regard.

Hope that this makes sense. Keep good theological questions like this coming, friend.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Are only Protestant Christians going to heaven?

What about the other religions that use the Bible? For example, would Catholics or Presbyterians go to Heaven, or do they have to be Protestant?

Hi! Good question. I've written a previous post concerning this issue. Read it HERE. To answer this question, let's get some terminology cleared up. Protestants and Roman Catholics both fall under the banner of "Christianity." You can read up on their differences HERE. Presbyterians are NOT a third category, but rather fall under the umbrella of Protestantism.

Among the chief differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism is this very issue of salvation. According to Roman Catholicism, man cannot be saved by faith alone in Christ alone. They teach that a person must rely on faith plus “good works” in order to be saved. Protestant teaching affirms Scripture, which says salvation comes from God alone through the death and resurrection of His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8).*

So my answer is quite straight-forward: Anyone who receives and trusts in Jesus ALONE (& not their own merits/deeds/works) for the forgiveness of their sins gains salvation. If you genuinely hold to Roman Catholic doctrine and believe you can enter God's kingdom on his own merit, then please look at Scripture and instead put their faith solely in the fact that we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” (Romans 3:24-25). Good works arise from faith in Christ and thus are an indication that one is truly born again. But in and of themselves, they do not justify or save us.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

*This, in fact, is where Protestants received their name; they "protested" against Roman Catholic teaching.

Q: How do you know if you really believe in Christ?

This is a basic, but very important question. In essence, belief in Jesus means you receive Jesus for all that He is. The opposite of belief is, of course, unbelief. Unbelief is something Jesus encountered in his own life and is still prevalent today. When people don't believe in Jesus, or only believe some things about Jesus, then they don't truly receive Him as He really is. For instance, if you only believe that Jesus was a good, moral teacher, you have fallen into unbelief because Jesus claimed to be much more than a moral teacher - he claimed to be God. To believe in Jesus, therefore, is to trust in Him completely. This is especially crucial when it comes to salvation. Salvation is much more than mere head knowledge; it involves believing that you are a sinner and that Jesus died for you on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin. It's an act of the mind, will and heart (Romans 9:9-10).

That being said, how do you know if you really believe? I addressed this in my last sermon found HERE. Here's a written excerpt:

Dr. Victor Shepherd once said, "Our knowledge of someone is precisely the DIFFERENCE that person has made within us as a result of our meeting him/her. To know God is to be profoundly ALTERED by God through having encountered him."

The more you know a person, the more effect there is on your life. That's the principle. When you truly know a person, your life is made different forever. I'll give you an example from my own life. I've dated my wife for 13 years (we've been married for 5). I can confidently say that since I've gotten to know her, she's made the biggest impact in my life. I've been made different forever. If my life wasn't much different after 13 years, then I really couldn't say I know my wife. I may know facts about her (e.g. her favourite colour is blue; she likes sushi; she is the eldest child, etc.), but I don't really know her intimately.

With respect to our relationship with God, the same principle holds true. We know God when we have been made different forever through our encounter with Him. Sadly, many people know FACTS about God (e.g. believe that Jesus did this and that), but they don't know God PERSONALLY - God has not had a profound, everlasting impact in their life. When you know God, the direction of your life MUST change because that's the kind of IMPACT God makes on a person. He works in a person's heart, so she no longer desire to sin, but desire to live in holiness and obedience to Him. When you truly know God, your priorities; life direction; behaviour; words; innermost desires change as a result of your relationship with Him.

So friend, my question to you would simply be: Has your life changed because of Jesus? Would others who know you well agree?

[Answered by Pastor HM]

For further reading:

1. John Piper's message on "Believing in Your Heart." He writes this:

Therefore, believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is much more than accepting a fact. It means being confident that God is for you, that he has closed ranks with you, that he is transforming your life, and that he will save you for eternal joy. Believing in the resurrection means trusting in all the promises of life and hope and righteousness for which it stands. It means being so confident of God's power and love that no fear of worldly loss nor greed for worldly gain will lure us to disobey his will. That's the difference between Satan and the saints. O might God circumcise all our hearts to love him and to rest in the resurrection of his Son.

2. John Walvoord's article entitled, "Do You Really Believe in Jesus?" He writes:

The Bible uses the word believe or the word faith hundreds of times to describe an act of trust. It is an act of the mind in that it involves comprehension of some truth, to at least a limited degree. The Bible indicates that the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and enables us to understand what we should believe to be saved (John 16:7-11).

Belief is also an act of the will because it involves a decision on our part (John 7:17). Are we going to trust the facts about the person and the work of Christ? The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was the God-man — all that God is from eternity, and all that man is apart from sin. The Bible also repeatedly presents, in both testaments, the fact that God Himself provides Christ as the One who would die on the cross for our sins. He was the lamb of sacrifice (John 1:29). He died in our place. He "bore our sins in his body" (1 Pet. 2:24). He died "the righteous for the unrighteous" to bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18).