Salvation

Question:
The other day I was having a conversation with a friend and she expressed her trouble believing that Jesus is the only way to be saved. Her question/argument was regarding all the people who have already died or who will die without ever having heard of Jesus. She gave examples of the people who died before Jesus came and she pointed out that even today they occasionally discover previously unknown tribes deep in the forests of the world. It doesn’t seem fair, and I didn’t have an answer.

Answer:
This is an excellent question. There are three key passage that answer this question. They are John 14:6, Romans 1:20 and Matthew 28:19-20.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Matthew 28:19-20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

So, Scripture teaches that there is only one way to heaven and that is through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We are saved by God’s grace through our faith in Jesus as our personal Savior. God has revealed Himself to all mankind through His creation (General Revelation). Creation leads us to the Creator. For example, this happens while someone is sitting on a mountain looking out at the beautiful scenery. The Spirit at this point will begin a process of leading them to Jesus. The responsibility to tell people about Jesus belongs to the church. Jesus commanded us to “Go into all the world”. Elk Creek does this through our global missions program. We support missionaries who go to other parts of the world to proclaim Jesus.

Question:
How did people get saved prior to the cross? How are people saved today?

Answer:
People before Jesus were saved by looking forward to the cross. They believed in the coming prophesied Messiah. New Testament saints are saved by looking backward to the Cross.

Great questions!

I hope this helps,

- Pastor Eric