Here is the question. . What are you? An exclusivist or an inclusivist or an universalist? (all definitions come from Todd's seminary prof, Kim Thacker).
An exclusivist believes that the only way to heaven is through calling on the name of Jesus, including believing in His death and resurrection.
An inclusivist believes that the only way to heaven is through Jesus but there is a possibility that people can be saved through Jesus even if they do not call on Jesus or even know about Jesus. Example: a Native American before contact with Europe who never heard the gospel but seeks to be a good person and seeks after God can get to heaven through Jesus.
Universilits beleive that God will accept other paths to salvation when people are seeking God and/or seeking righteousness and justice.
1 comment:
I'm an inclusivist. We know that Abraham's faith was accorded to him as righteousness even though his faith was pre-Jesus. Likewise, we know from 1 Peter that Jesus' descent into Hell saved some from the generation of Noah--worse than pre-Jesus, pre-Old Covenant!
There's this great scene at the end of The Last Battle (the Narnia book) where Aslan separates the True Narnians--those bound for Aslan's country--from the false. He invites a Calormene, who worshipped the god Tash, into Aslan's Country. The Calormene is shocked, but Aslan explains that because he was virtuous, he proved he was truly worshipping Aslan--because Tash is so vile that no good deed could be done in his name, and Aslan is so good that no evil thing can be done in his name, so all good is to Aslan's glory.
Jesus is the only way to the Father, but we know that "if you do it to the least of these" means you're doing it for Christ! An orphaned child, a homeless beggar, a prisoner, an enemy at war--Christ.
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