Question

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Can one attain salvation through genuine repentance without Christ?

 

[xcbxcb]

My uninformed guess: One can attain salvation with neither repentance nor Christ.

 

[Abbadon]

I tend to lean towards "no," but with the condition that there are many who come to Christ without actually knowing it (Socrates and Zoroaster are the folks usually cited as 'proof' of this).

 

[mdaniel]

Can one attain salvation through genuine repentance without Christ?

No. You can reference John 3:16 and 14:6 are on-point, as are many others.

 

[TheManeki]

Right on! Very clever -- I'm going to have to remember that one.

I've known too many fine people -- atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Muslims, Mormons, Jews, and a Wiccan -- to accept that God will consign them to eternal perdition because they did not recite the magic incantation called "The Sinner's Prayer."

Besides, I've gotten too many insinuations from the fundamental fringe that I'm not Real True Christian enough to escape the fiery pit myself.

 

[Izdaari Eristikon]

Can one attain salvation through genuine repentance without Christ?

I only know of one sure way of salvation, and that's through faith in Christ. And, so far as I understand, no one is saved except through Christ's intercession on their behalf. Would He do that for someone who wasn't one of His followers? I think He might well do just that for someone of saintly character who's not a Christian, and I suspect perhaps even for some not quite so saintly but who still have it in them to be good heavenly neighbors... but I don't know, haven't been told, am not in on the secret. Some things of God are on a 'need to know' basis, and I guess that's one of them. And since I know of no sure method except faith in Christ, I think that's the one I'd better count on. Seems logical, don't you think?

 

[Higherplane]

Having faith in Christ means believing and following what he taught. Love your neighboor and eachother, help the poor, turn the other cheek, etc. I think that anyone who follows what Jesus taught, whether a Christian or not, attains salvation. The idea of hell as a place where all unbelievers go for eternal punishment for a temporary life of sin is irrational to me.

Maybe hell is a place on earth where we no longer feel God. That would work, because we have all been without God before, we have all suffered. Just a thought.

Or maybe, just maybe, we reincarnate until we reach salvation. This would make hell unneccesary. Before anyone goes "reincarnation and christianity?!, you must be outta your mind!!," think of when Jesus was questioned about being the messiah. People said he couldnt be because Elijah had not come back yet. Jesus replied " I assure you, Elijah has come back, in the spirit and power of John the Baptist." Hmm... the spirit and the power? isn't that the general idea of reincarnation?

Btw, earlier someone wrote that it is impossible to attain salvation without christ, using John 3:16-21 as a basis. I think this is flawed because Jesus does not say people who don't believe in him go to hell, he says they are "condemned." Condemned to what? I truthfully dont know, but I have an idea .

That's why Christianity is such a great religion: There are a million ways to interpret almost every single sentence.

 

[FLANDIDLYANDERS]

No one attains salvation. God desires all to be saved and graciously works to this end in all things.

My question is "can anyone not be saved, regardless of acceptance of anything or anyone?". Will we get to "heaven" to find Bush, Gandhi and Hitler having a threesome on a bench?

 

[Abbadon]

My question is "can anyone not be saved, regardless of acceptance of anything or anyone?". Will we get to "heaven" to find Bush, Gandhi and Hitler having a threesome on a bench?

I'd rather see Sigmund Freud and Aleister Crowley together having a discussion; or Abraham, Zoroaster, Lao-Tzu, and Socrates.

 

[UberLutheran]

Can one attain salvation through genuine repentance without Christ?

In orthodox Christian theology, no.

Of course, the Muslims believe that if you have been exposed to Islam, and reject it, you go to Hell; some religions believe in reincarnation, others believe that the good go to a Paradise and the evil are sent to a detachment from God -- and all these beliefs apply only to religions on this planet.

Assuming one billionth of one percent of the hundred billion galaxies, each containing one hundred billion solar systems, can support life as we know it -- well, ultimately we don't really know WHO is right and who is wrong; and who gets in and who doesn't ultimately God's domain, anyway.

I have a feeling most of us are going to have quite a few surprises in our afterlife. On the one extreme, there might not be an afterlife (it's conceivable); on the other extreme, lots and lots of people, including those we think could not POSSIBLY have made it in, are going to be in Heaven.

 

[Rev. Smith]

Can one attain salvation through genuine repentance without Christ?

a man asked Jesus, "Master what must I do to have eternal life"

Jesus told him:

"Love God with all your heart,all your sould and all your mind

Love your neighbor as you love yourself

Keep the commandments"

So show me a human who loves God, serves and loves his neghbor and lives a moral, upright life and I will show you the person you will share a diet coke with in Paradise, regardless of what name they call Him by. (and regardless of your actual beverage choice)

 

[Im_A]

Can one attain salvation through genuine repentance without Christ?

i hope so.

i think salvation comes through the behind scenes. so whether it comes or not, i think the only way to know it is by making a judgement. i don't believe i'm saved, and i don't really believe anyone really knows beyond their mental perception.

point being, we only define people as being "saved" by what we perceive by either knowledge of what we know of the other person or witnessing the event/moment.

so i do hope that Christ is working behind the scenes to bring reconciliation to all. from our perception it may seem that it isn't with Christ involved. but if Jesus is what we say He is, sometimes i wonder if our experience of Jesus the Christ will vary, and if holiness can be found outside of the modern church.

i mean in an odd statement, if salvation can be found in thousands of denominations, why can't Jesus be found in other places?

 

[Adammi]

Can one attain salvation through genuine repentance without Christ?

I really don't view salvation as something that one can attain. I view it as something that is given to those who need it. I believe it is given to the broken, hurting, and helpless by Christ regardless of our christology.