Realitybites said:
BusyTarpDuster2017 said:
. However, this does raise an interesting question: suppose someone only hears that there's this Jesus who is the Son of the Creator who says that if they believe in him, they will have eternal life - and in their heart they believe it, and they put their trust in this Jesus, while not knowing anything about Baptism, repentance, works, what is sin or what is not sin, how to pray.... anything else other than what he just heard. Let's say he dies without doing any of those things, but continued to believe in his heart about this Jesus person and what he promised. Unlikely hypothetical, sure, but not impossible. Is this person saved, even though he never really repented of anything or obeyed anything? I say yes. Because the gospel is that faith in Jesus is what saves, not anyting else. What do you say?
"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Luke 13:3
So your answer is that the person in my example is NOT saved despite placing his faith and trust in Jesus, and so he goes to Hell?
Also, remember that Jesus said this to his people the Jews BEFORE he died for all sins, so they were
still under the Law. Jesus was preaching the arrival of Israel's promised Messiah - himself. Israel was to turn from their ways (repent) and accept him as their King. He was preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, the literal, earthly kingdom of Israel where Jesus would rule, and all people of the world would be blessed through Israel with the Jews as Jesus' priests. In this kingdom, the Law still applied. But, the Jews rejected him, and thus this offer was taken away from them, and Jesus' plan was to give the offer to the Gentiles AFTER HE DIED - this offer was to be given in
grace to those who would believe, without any Law requirement since Jesus' death and resurrection fulfilled all the Law. This is the Gospel of Grace, which was preached by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. xfrodobaggins has mentioned dispensationalism often in this thread, and I really think it's worth looking into, if you don't know about it. I think it really clears up the Gospels.
To illustrate further, consider another thing that Jesus said
before he went to the cross, also written in Luke (chapter 18): "
And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him... "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'"Here, Jesus is saying in order to have eternal life, you have to keep the commandments perfectly. Why does he say this? Is this what we are to believe? Where's repentance, faith, etc? Where's the gospel?