Christianity According to the Bible by Ron Rhodes

Author:Ron Rhodes
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Apologetics, Christian Life, General, Religion, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Christian Theology
ISBN: 9780736917247
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Published: 2006-03-15T23:25:19+00:00

•John 12:32 says that Christ's work on the cross makes possible the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles. Notice, however, that the Lord also warned of judgment of those who reject Christ (verse 48).

•Philippians 2:10-11 says that someday all people will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, but not necessarily as Savior. (Even those in hell will have to acknowledge Christ's lordship.)

•First Timothy 2:4 expresses God's desire that all be saved, but does not promise that all will be. This divine desire is only realized in those who exercise faith in Christ (Acts 16:31).

Matthew 13:49 records these words of Jesus: "This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous." He mentions two classes-unbelievers and believers, or the wicked and the righteous. Likewise, in Matthew 25:32 Jesus said that following His second coming, "All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." Here believers and unbelievers are differentiated by the terms sheep and goats. The sheep will enter into God's kingdom (verse 34) and inherit eternal life (verse 46). The goats go into eternal punishment (verse 46). Universalism is therefore a false doctrine.

More Than One Way to Salvation?

Many people today-even some Christians-claim that Jesus is one of many ways to salvation. This line of thinking embraces the idea that all the world religions teach the same basic truths.

Some years ago, Christian philosopher Ravi Zacharias noted that many people believe the various religions are essentially the same and only superficially different. The truth is, he said, that the various religions are essentially different and are only superficially the same.

One cannot read the Bible for long without coming to the realization that the Jesus it depicts is unique in every way, especially in view of the fact that He is absolute deity (see John 1:1; 8:58; 10:30; 20:28). Jesus did not just claim to have a way to God, as did the founders of the other world religions. Rather, Jesus claimed to be God. Moreover, Jesus and His message were inseparable. The reason Jesus' teachings have absolute authority is that He is God. This is not the case with the leaders of the other world religions. Indeed, the Buddha taught that his ethical teachings were important, not he himself. He emphasized that these teachings were important whether or not he himself even existed. But Jesus said, "I tell you the truth..." with the very authority of God.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.