Originally posted by Dasa
My comment is to highlight an important point........................as follows.
Christianity rejects re-incarnation which means everyone born to the world is to get only ONE life.
I thought re-incarnation means it is possible for one to RE - somehow as
another life. That is more the impression I have been given.
Consequently, I hear of crossing over even from animal to man in
another life or from human to animal in
another life.
How on earth can a person be held accountable for his non commitment to Christianity,
Let me interrupt right there. Strictly speaking the passage that you referred to mentioned no religion. It mentioned
"the book of life".
God could have had John write - "and if anyone one was not found in Christianity ...". But it mentions
"the book of life" .
I don't know how this impresses any other Christians. But it impresses me that the passage really says that God has the absolute final word.
I may not know ALL the way in which one's name may appear to be written in
"the book of life" . What I do know is this -
" That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Rom. 10:9)
So I know for certain that confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in Him being the raised from the dead Lord will result in one's name being written in the book of life. I may not know exhaustively of all the factors which will cause God to write one's name in
"the book of life" . The one way in which He commands, believing in the Son of God, receiving Him as the Lord, is what we should obey.
I leave room for some unknowns that are known only to God, between
Romans 10:9 and ...
"And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.".
I also know that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. But "Christianity" is not mentioned in that passage either. Jesus is mentioned.
when many many people have never seen a Bible and who can't read or are retarded or are born into Muslim countries where to reject Islam means death etc?
I don't know all answers to these kinds of questions.
But I would be more concerned for someone like yourself.
You have heard the Gospel.
You have to come to grips with whether you will receive the Son of God or not.
Most of the people who point out situations like this are not IN that situation themselves. And rationalizing away about this should not be an excuse for you not to repent to believe in Christ the Son of God.
On the other hand why are others born into strong Christian families and are well educated and well off with every opportunity to accept and believe in Jesus.
The following passage may suggest that for one who has never heard of the name of Jesus, God knows or possibly responds to them believing in God the Creator.
"And to you who are being afflicted, rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power, in flaming fire,
Rending vengeance to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction ..." (2 Thess. 1:7-9a)
Some teach that there are two catagories of guilty persons here:
1.) Those who do not know God.
2.) Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I think there must be something to this because in Romans Paul speaks of people being without excuse to disbelieve [edited] that God exists.
I am Christian who believes that there are some unknowns to me.
What I teach is that we obey what we do know and not fight against that which God has made plan.
Your situation and my situation is that we should confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead. For no one comes to the Father based on his own merit. Without standing on the merit of the Son of God I don't know how we can be accepted by a holy God who is only please by the perfect life of His Son.
The answer is .............................that this verse in the Bible is nonsense because it was fabricated centuries ago by pedophile and meat eating ignorant fools.
This sounds like idolatry. It sounds like you have an idol of nonmeat and you are exalting that above God. This is vanity. Don't exalt vegetarianism above God.
Can you exalt vegetables above God ?
You should "eat" or take into your being Jesus for the real eating.
You should be more concerned to "eat" or take into your heart the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Definitely your name will then be written in the
book of life without question, without ambiguity.