The other day I was talking to a friend of mine and he made a comment that he believed a good Jew or Muslim can make it to heaven the same as a good Christian could. He then points to Romans 2:11-16 which says:
"For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. " (NASB)
So herein lies the dillemma... The passage appear to say that those who naturally do what is good will be judged according to their conscience. OK... That sounds good and I'm sure many would agree with it... But (oh yes, there's a BUT) Paul a chapter later echoes a sentiment that is seen all throughout scripture and that is, "there is none righteous, no NOT ONE!" (Rom. 3:10) Likewise King David said, "there is NO MAN that sinneth not" (1Ki. 8:46). The psalmist asked who would stand if God marked iniquities (Ps. 130:3).
So then the picture is clear... even if we were to allow those who have never heard the gospel entrance into heaven according to their conscience, they will still miss the mark because they have all sinned. This brings me to my next point which makes me literally ill to think about, and that is that a Muslim could enter heaven. Why would such a thought repulse me? Simply because Muslims deny without apology that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, a position condemned by John throughout his first epistle. They also deny the deity of Christ which logically necessitates that Allah, their God, is a false god. To think that an idolator can enter heaven under any circumstances violates too many passages of scripture to even mention.
The last thing is this... If people could inherit the kingdom of heaven apart from Jesus' sacrificial death and substitutionary atonement, then WHY did he have to die? Why did he have to endure such extreme suffering at the hands of wicked men if we could enter eternal life with sin in our beings? Why would the Father subject the only perfect man to ever walk this earth to such a task if it wasn't necessary?
Such thoughts are sickening and bring no honor to our Lord Jesus or his infinite work. The notion is heretical according to scripture and I refuse to accept what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, or what any other so-called believer in Christ says on the subject. I still love my friend and it is my prayer that he will abandon such a grossly misplaced belief, but I will never tolerate such denigrating claims.
On a side note, after my friend made this comment a Roman Catholic began defending it claimign that Allah was the same God as the Christians worship. I demonstrated from accurate and reliable historical sources that this was not so, btu he persisted in his defense. This same man consistently downplays the scriptures and the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura, which I find interesting. It is interesting that one who claims to be Christian would defend and idol more than they would defend the very Word of God. My opinion of Catholics is rapidly declining!
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." [That name is JESUS!!!] (Acts 4:12)
