Atonement, Hell, and the Presence of God

[drich0150]

If Enoch was without sin - does that mean that Jesus is not the only way, and that ordinary human beings can enter heaven without the blood of the Lamb? And if he was without sin, doesn't that render his achievement even more spectacular that Jesus's, who was fully God and thus, basically, incapable of succumbing to sin?

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Perhaps the account of Enoch, shows the Providence of God. In that, one in ultimate authority is not bound by the rules or laws that we have come to expect or understand. Meaning God is not bound by anything, and if He wishes to take away Enoch, Elisha, you, or anyone else He has the authority and power to do so. But because this incident seems to be the exception and not the rule it would be foolish to pin one's salvation to an event that has only been recorded a few times. Especially when so much has been sacrificed to allow all who wish to be saved away to do so without great expense to the believer.

Also know the scripture doesn't say Enoch was without sin, but it is evident that Enoch knew a righteousness that most of us will never know.

 

[freeport]

Now, this thread is aimed at Christians who believe that hell is "merely" the absence of God, and that people need to be saved by Christ in order to be able to be in the presence of the Almighty.
I suppose you know the drill: "No one is good but God", "sin cannot be in the presence of God, so the unsaved choose to be without him forever", etc. etc.
The long and short of it is: the ONLY way to avoid eternal separation from God is to appeal to Jesus as a replacement sacrifice, (or, if you happen to live in the times of the Old Covenant, to keep all of the laws, always). Else, God can do nothing for you.

Now, how does that fit in with what the Bible tells us about Enoch? He lived long before either the Old or the New Covenant was established, even prior to the Flood, which was pretty much God's first attempt at taking care of sin by means of a "tabula rasa"-strategy. And yet, this Enoch was not only in the presence of God, but bodily taken into heaven, never dying an ordinary mortal's death! How does that fit in with this particular Christian approach to hell, sin and atonement?
If Enoch was without sin - does that mean that Jesus is not the only way, and that ordinary human beings can enter heaven without the blood of the Lamb? And if he was without sin, doesn't that render his achievement even more spectacular that Jesus's, who was fully God and thus, basically, incapable of succumbing to sin?

Wow, a lot of assumptions... no one goes to Heaven but by Jesus who is God, so Enoch had the Spirit of God.

Anyone of the Spirit of God agrees with what Jesus said and did is right.