Do Non-Christians Have the Possibility of Going to Heaven?

[Basil the Great]

I am posting this same poll in other forums. Your vote is deeply appreciated.

 

[Mediaeval]

Voted 'Yes, and all will have a chance at Heaven, depending upon the life they lived,' as the option closest to my view, but I don't agree with the final clause.

 

[Basil the Great]

Your response is appreciated and your point is well taken. The problem is that I was limited to how many words I could put in each option. Perhaps a better way to phrase it would have been, "Yes, and all will have a chance at Heaven, based upon God's judgment of each soul."?

 

[ViaCrucis]

Voted 'Yes, and all will have a chance at Heaven, depending upon the life they lived,' as the option closest to my view, but I don't agree with the final clause.

Ditto on both counts. "depending upon the life they lived" is problematic because it points to works righteousness and the opinio legis.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Taom Ben Robert]

Voted 'Yes, and all will have a chance at Heaven, depending upon the life they lived,' as the option closest to my view, but I don't agree with the final clause.

I reject the second half as well

 

[Christian_Commenter_1234]

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬
How could any Lutheram not say no? Justification by FAITH alone was the catalyst for the whole reformation! Martin Luther passionately taught in accordance with scriptures that faith in Christ is the only way to eternal life. (John 3:16-18)

 

[Resha Caner]

This seems like just a semantics/definition thing. God doesn't care fly spit about how people might define what a Christian is. He's the judge. Those he accepts will be in heaven and those he rejects won't. That means there will be surprises. Some of the people we accepted won't be in heaven and some of the people we rejected will be there.

But that says nothing about "requirements". All of those in the future with whom we rejoice and worship in heaven will have faith in the Christ.

So, if this is a "Will there be Buddhists and Muslims in heaven?" question, the answer is no. If this is a "Are Lutherans exclusive?" question, the answer is also no.

 

[Tangible]

There is also the angle to this discussion that the only truly good works a Christian can do are those which are done through us by the Holy Spirit. Most probably we have no idea when we are doing them. Anything we would do as a good work voluntarily would certainly be tainted by our sinful desires and attitudes. If we were aware that God was doing a good work through us, we most likely would be quite proud of ourselves, thereby tainting the work with our sin of pride.

In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus makes a point of indicating that the sheep had no idea what good works they had been doing.

 

[Archivist]

I once got involved in a discussion over whether Anne Frank will be in heaven. My opponent said no way because she was Jewish. My argument was that she was a child when the family went into hiding, she never had the opportunity to hear the Word as an adult and--based on her diary entries--she forgave those who persecuted her.

 

[Resha Caner]

I once got involved in a discussion over whether Anne Frank will be in heaven.

The best answer would be: I'm not God, so I don't know.

 

[Kalevalatar]

No.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

 

[ViaCrucis]

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬
How could any Lutheram not say no? Justification by FAITH alone was the catalyst for the whole reformation! Martin Luther passionately taught in accordance with scriptures that faith in Christ is the only way to eternal life. (John 3:16-18)

The best way I've heard it put is that, fundamentally, Lutherans are agnostic in regard to who is "in" and who is "out"; that is there are certain things we simply don't and, in fact, can't know. I'm not saying all Lutherans would agree with that sentiment, but it's a sentiment that stems from the Crux Theologorum.

The Crux Theologorum is the question, "Why are some saved and not others?" Because if:

1) God desires that all be saved.
2) It is not by our will that we are saved but by God's grace who has, indeed, chosen and elected us in Christ since before the foundation of the world.

Then follows the question, "Why are some saved and not others?"

And there isn't a particularly satisfying answer to that question; because indeed damnation is ultimately a choice one makes; one is damned because they choose to be damned, not because God passes over them, ignores them, or has rejected them because--again--God desires that all be saved and Christ has died for all, everyone, without exception.

We know the revealed means of our salvation, we know that through Word and Sacrament God efficaciously grants us faith by the power of the Holy Spirit and herein we are united to Christ--His death and resurrection, and by this grace freely justified, reconciled, and made children and heirs of God and granted the indelible promises of the Gospel--that we, indeed, are forgiven all our sins and have eternal life on Christ's account. But what of those who have never heard the Gospel? St. Paul says, "How can they believe who have never heard?" Which is, of course, why the preaching of the Gospel is important, because "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" because "I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God to save all who believe" and "All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved". But, again, what of those who have never heard? What of those who may have heard a false gospel rather than the pure Gospel?

There arises a point that we must simply confess our trust in God to be good, gracious, and merciful. That His judgments are just, and the future shape of everything is in His most capable hands. We are not the ones who stand as judge of the living and the dead, that belongs to our Lord who alone is faithful and true, just and holy, truly good and most gracious.

Our God is unwilling that any should perish, so salvation and judgment belongs to our God and to Him alone.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[John Yurich]

I am posting this same poll in other forums. Your vote is deeply appreciated.

A Non Christian has the possibility of going to Heaven only if they accept Jesus as God, Messiah and Savior and give their life to Him and trust entirely in Him alone for salvation.

 

[Arcangl86]

A Non Christian has the possibility of going to Heaven only if they accept Jesus as God, Messiah and Savior and give their life to Him and trust entirely in Him alone for salvation.

So David and Solomon and Abraham are in Hell?

 

[John Yurich]

So David and Solomon and Abraham are in Hell?

No of course not.

 

[Arcangl86]

No of course not.

But they didn't accept Jesus as God or Messiah. If you are willing to admit that God is willing to save certain non-Christians, why not accept the possibility that He might save other non-Christians?

 

[John Yurich]

But they didn't accept Jesus as God or Messiah. If you are willing to admit that God is willing to save certain non-Christians, why not accept the possibility that He might save other non-Christians?

But they trusted in the promise of the coming Jesus by participating in the lamb sacrifice at the Jewish Temple.

 

[Jesus4Ever]

But they didn't accept Jesus as God or Messiah. If you are willing to admit that God is willing to save certain non-Christians, why not accept the possibility that He might save other non-Christians?

Jesus wasn't born yet...

 

[Jesus4Ever]

My hope is that God gives those who haven't had the opportunity to learn His Word a chance to repent from their sins and follow Jesus upon their Judgement Day.

Do I know if He will? Nope.