The Authority of Scripture Part 1: Salvation With and Without Christ written by Rev. Dr. Tim Ehrlich

Without doubt the most divisive issue, one that has caused multiple fractures and divisions within Protestantism, is the question of the authority of Scripture. Protestants are divided into two camps: evangelical or non-evangelical. Evangelicalism is identified by two key beliefs – that the Bible is infallible and inerrant, and that only belief in Jesus can get a person salvation and entrance into heaven.

These two beliefs are both scripturally incorrect and are based on a lack of actual Biblical knowledge. In this first of two articles, I will talk about salvation with and without Christ and show, through scriptural exegesis, why the common belief that you cannot get into heaven unless you believe in Jesus Christ is not entirely accurate and explain what the correct belief is.

Salvation Through Christ

I am a retired Christian pastor, and more than believing, I know that Jesus is the Son of God. He suffered a cruel scourging, the crown of thorns and a horrific death by crucifixion to pay the price for our sins, just as he said: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).  If we accept him as our Lord and Savior the forgiveness and grace of God is extended to us, and despite our human sinfulness we are forgiven and accepted into heaven. The following passages of scripture make clear what Jesus did for us so that we may have the gift of assurance: that we may know that we are forgiven and accepted by God the Father into His eternal home.

John 1:12 (NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

John 3:16 ^“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 16:30-31 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”

Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Ephesians 2:8-10 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

These passages make it clear that salvation is obtained through faith in Jesus as Lord and in his death and resurrection.

Salvation Without Christ

But does it truly make sense to anyone that a loving God who created all people would make it so that only those who are lucky enough to have been born in places where they can know Jesus, can obtain salvation? Not only does it not make sense, but it is also not scriptural: God is the God of the whole world not just the lucky few as these passages point out.

Daniel 7:13-14 (NLT) As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Psalm 47:2  For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.

Acts 17:26-28  From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. ²⁷ “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

The Bible several times emphasizes that God is a God of perfect justice; it would not be fair or just for billions of people to live and die without ever hearing about Jesus and thus be denied a place in heaven, just because of where they were born. So, it is not surprising that God has made a way for all people on earth to know God and obtain salvation.

The Evangelical position, that only Christians can get into heaven, comes from a single passage of scripture (John 14:6):  ^“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” But as with many passages of scripture their true meaning and importance can only be realized when taken in the context of the totality of scripture. In this case another passage from scripture gives fuller understanding to Jesus’ statement:“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too” (1 John 5:1). If you love God the Father then you also love the Son even if you do not know the Son.

There is a simple algebraic formula that demonstrates how that works: if A = B and B = C then A must also = C. Jesus stated that He is one with God: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!..Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:9, 11). If Christ is one with the Father than obviously if you love the Father, you also love Christ even if you don’t know Him because God and Jesus are inseparable.

Here are some further examples from scripture that salvation is possible without believing in the man Jesus Christ.

Faith in God credited as Righteousness before Christ:

Gen 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.

Luke 16:22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.

Examples of those in heaven before Christ:

2 Kings 2:11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.

Mark 12:26 Now about the dead rising–have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27  He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

Faith in God credited as Righteousness without Christ:

Romans 4:16  So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.

Salvation possible through the Holy Spirit without Christ:

John 6:63  It is the Spirit that gives life;

Rom 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Salvation possible for people without knowledge of Christ:

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

1 John 4:16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

Acts 10:34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

God can be known through nature:

Acts 14:16  In past generations he allowed all the nations to follow their own ways; 17  yet he has not left himself without a witness in doing good–giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.”

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. 19  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20  Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; 21 for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him,

A Loving Life Satisfies God:

Rom 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:8-9 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Some have asked me, “If all this is true, if non-Christians can get into heaven, then why did Christ have to die on the cross?” I reply, “He didn’t! His self-sacrifice was an act of God’s grace.” It is plain to see from the scriptures above that God has made salvation possible through Christ but also, He has provided other ways so that all people on earth can have access to eternal life.

Christ died so that we may have the gift of assurance – so that we can know that our sins are forgiven and we are acceptable to God. Christ knew that Elijah was in heaven; in his transfiguration he spoke with Elijah and Moses (Matthew 17:3) and he spoke about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob being in heaven (Mark 12:26), and they obviously didn’t know Christ. If you don’t believe in Christ, and you are a good-hearted person you can have hope that you will get into heaven, but you can never know for sure, and that lack of assurance can trouble you deeply. Christians alone can know they are forgiven and accepted because of their faith that God sent His son to earth in an act of compassion and grace.

Rev. Dr. Tim Ehrlich has two books available on Amazon. His book, The Long Road to Eternity, is about the 40+ miracles he has experienced and what they tell us about God, ourselves and about the relationship between us and God. His book, Building Your Spiritual Palace is a handbook for building a super relationship with God.