Romans 2:12-16
12 All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. 15 They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all.
So, those who
do not possess the law, but do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves, would mean even non Christians could be saved on the day of judgement. Is that what you are saying?
That's really what the passage says. Some translations are a bit more direct than the one you quoted, but read the part in red carefully. They will be accused or excused ... in the judgement.
It's not a direct statement about Christianity, or non-Christians - at least not completely explicit. But it presents a principle of God's mercy, and it isn't too much of a stretch to understand that non-Christians are in the same category as those "not having the law".
If a person is inclined toward God, or wants to do good, God is at work in him even if he doesn't explicitly realize it or know the Gospel message. After all, creation itself testifies of God, and some come to believe through contemplation of creation.
It goes back to whether a person can "accept Christ" after death. That's sort of a Protestant view of salvation, so the question is a bit slanted. But a person can live their lives inclined toward God, with a varying level of understanding about the existence of God and/or the basic goodness of God/Truth/etc. ... and such a person when dying WILL meet God. If st that time they recognize in Christ what their soul always loved ... the good and pure ... then why should God reject them? The souls in Hades prior to Christ's Incarnation had the opportunity to look to Him for salvation after He was crucified. If God is no respecter of persons, why would He not give those after the Cross who never had a true opportunity the same chance as those before the Cross had?
I think that was part of your question?
It's hard for me to imagine anyone encountering the real Christ wanting to reject Him.
But perhaps there are people so evil, or full of hate, or whatever twists them away from God and love and truth and purity that they truly would despise any of that and WILL reject God. And God will allow them, though He loves them. The torment they experience will be of their own making though. Yes, they will hate God and be tormented by His very Presence. But only because they truly desired the utter opposite of God.
Still, none of this really answers the OP's question, as I noted in a previous post,
I've read through this thread. I still haven't actually seen a direct answer to the OP's question. If it's here, I apologize. Maybe I'm just not getting it (that is a real possibility.)
Also, please provide sources, including Holy Scripture to support the answer. That would really be helpful, to me anyway.
(According to Orthodox beliefs) God created some when he knew they would experience hell because____________________?
So why did God create such people? Maybe we can't fully answer that to anyone's satisfaction, because I think the truth is that God creates because He loves, and He gives freedom because He loves.
I think (and this is me, not the Church that I'm aware of) - that whatever might in any way lessen their torment, God would do/allow. I'm thinking of the Scriptures that speak of "outer darkness" where the condemned will be. Of course God is everywhere and they can't escape His presence, but perhaps it is somehow possible for them to retreat from - where those who are sharing communion with God are, perhaps, and so experience a lesser intensity somehow? I don't know.
Have you ever read CS Lewis' The Great Divorce? It's highly allegorical but it does sort of suggest God in His mercy allowing the best possible condition for those who hate Him, while giving them all freedom. I think that seems more in line with the character of God as I have come to understand Him.
I don't think we know the details of how or why ... but I DO believe in God's love and mercy, and trust that it will be reflected in however things turn out to be.
