H2Andy:
i fail to see how quoting from the Bible and keeping it simple can be "false doctrine"
but hey ... i guess anything can be false doctrine
all i need is two passages to make my point:
How can it be false? It can be incomplete.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten SOn, that whosoever believeith in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2, He was in the beginning with God. 3, All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Biblically speaking, would you say that Moses, Elijah, David and other Old Testament saints ("saints" meaning all those who were set apart as believers...not just the big names) have eternal life (saved)?
If so, how?
Can Jesus payment for sin and finishing of Gods salvation plan be retroactive, covering those who came before Jesus lived on earth? What about others without benefit of our level of knowledge of the Gospel?
Those are questions that article tried to address. You just skip them.
and
Revelation 20:10-15
10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Who are those being judged at this time?
what is the book of life? belief in Jesus, who gives everlasting life. if you don't believe in Jesus, you go to hell with the devil and his followers.
Is that what the Book of Life is?
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great standing before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written the books.
simple, to the point, and Biblical
(i may not take it literally, but i do know the Bible -- and i know bad exegesis when i see it)
Simple and to the point but maybe not so complete. Satan believes in Jesus but will not be saved. Faith in Jesus (Gods salvation plan) and rebirth in the spirit is required...lots of scriptures already presented earlier in the thread. Again, what level of knowledge is required in order to consitute "beliefe in Jesus", have sufficient faith and be reborn in the spirit?
I think you've raised two seperate issues. One, you refer to those who willingly and knowingly reject God and His salvation plan. Here, I agree that we can make a strong Biblical case as to their fate. they are in trouble. I think your issue here is that you think there should be more choices?
The second issue you bring up is the salvation of those who lack knowledge of the gospel...your 21 year old reasonably good man who dies without ever hearing about Jesus. By the same token, what about a child or one otherwise unable to fully understand? These are questions that I'm not prepared to thouroughly address using scripture. The article attempted to do that. You grab a couple of scriptures and right them off as going to Hell? I'm not at all convinced that is a Biblical assumption. Again, what level of knowledge is required? Where must that knowledge come from? Is reading the Bible or having it taught to you the only source of sufficient knowledge? I think to jump to that conclusion is to underestimate God and as the article tries to show, I think there are lots of scriptures that give us some hints that God has other ways, though, those scriptures may not fully explain all of Gods ways to us.
In this second case, if your intent is to scripturally support the assumption that all those with incomplete knowledge or understanding of the gospel automatically go to Hell, I think you have more work to do.
