Will All Non-Christians Go To Hell?

WILL ALL NON-CHRISTIANS GO TO HELL?

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Fulfilling Prophecy

1. Harry and his neighbor Joe often borrowed things from each other. One day, Harry asked to borrow Joe’s ladder. Joe said, “Sorry Harry, I’ve lent it to my son.”

2. Remembering a saying that his grandma often used to tell him, Harry said, "Joe, you should never lend anything to your children because you'll never get it back."

3. Joe replied, "Don’t worry, it’s not my ladder. It's my dad's."

B. RELIGIOUS EXCLUSIVISM & THESIS

1. First, let it be known that “religious exclusivism” - the belief that one’s own religion is true and following it is necessary to go to heaven – is practiced by every major world religion, not just Christians (see Wikipedia).

2. The media always slants its stories to make Christian’s appear to be bigots, racists, dogmatic, etc. It’s the spirit of the world which opposes God’s Spirit.

3. The truth is that all religions have exclusive views -- believing theirs is the only true religion and that all outside are not going to their heaven.

4. All religions can’t be right; only one can be. All of them except Christianity are based on works. Paul said, “By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

5. It doesn’t matter how sincere you are or how hard you work, if you’re wrong you’re still wrong. God is the One who’s chosen the price of our justification. No other price will do.

6. The title of tonight’s message is “WILL ALL NON-CHRISTIANS GO TO HELL?”

I. OUR PROBLEM: SIN

A. ALL CAN’T GO TO HEAVEN

1. The Bible’s very clear that everyone has sinned (Rom. 3:23), that the penalty of sin is spiritual death (Rom. 6:23), and that the whole human race is condemned before God (Rom. 5:18).

2. Even one sin makes us unworthy of heaven (James 2:10).

B. THAT’S WHY JESUS DIED FOR YOU

The Good News is, that’s why Jesus came and died for us on the cross; there was no other way for us to be saved from sin.

C. HUMOR: QUALIFICATIONS FOR TRUST

1. A young lady was sunbathing on the beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?"

2. She was surprised by the question but she replied, "Why, yes, I do." Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?" Again, her answer was "Yes!"

3. He then asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray every day?" Again she said, "Yes!" By now her curiosity was very much aroused.

4. The little lad sighed with relief and said, "Will you hold my money while I go swimming?"

II. WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT? How could they be saved before Christ?

A. O.T. PEOPLE BELIEVED IN CHRIST

1. In Romans 4, Paul proves that salvation was always through "justification by faith," whether during the N.T. or O.T. times.

2. Even O.T. persons were justified by their faith in Christ. To Adam and Eve was made the promise of the SEED (Gen. 3:15) which Paul said was Christ (Gal. 3:16).

3. Noah knew of Christ (1 Pet. 3:20-21), as did Abraham (John 8:58), Isaac (Gen. 22:2,8), Jacob (Gen. 49:10), Moses (Deut. 18:18), David (Acts 2:25), all the prophets (Lk. 24:44) and the whole nation of Israel under Moses (1 Cor. 10:4).

4. All the people of the O.T. were saved by putting faith in the Christ of the future, just as we do the Christ of the past.

B. WHY GOD CHOSE THE ISRAELITES [HUMOR]

Here is why God gave the Jews the Ten Commandments.

1. God first went to the Egyptians and asked them if they would like a commandment. "What kind of commandment?" they asked. "THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," replied God. The Egyptians said, "No way. That would ruin our weekends."

2. So then God went to the Syrians and asked them if they would like a commandment. "What commandment?" God said, “THOU SHALT NOT STEAL." The Syrians replied, "No way. That would ruin our economy."

3. So finally God went to the Jews and asked them if they wanted a commandment. "How much will you charge for it?" God said, "They're free."

4. The Jews said, "OK. We'll take ten!"

III. BEING TRUE TO THE WORD OF GOD

A. CRATERING TO “UNITY” PRESSURE

1. The world community has put pressure on the world religions to give up their exclusive teachings. Some Protestants and Catholics have bowed to this pressure.

2. The Catholic Church’s Vatican Council II yielded to this, saying that some could be saved without Christ:

3. “They also can attain to everlasting salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His church, yet sincerely seek God, and moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.”