Questions About Salvation: The 100 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Salvation –
Have Questions, Find Answers on Otakada.org – Who can be saved? – Daily, people turn to the Internet to find answers to their questions about spiritual matters. Topics related to spirituality are the second-most searched subjects online. Sadly, websites that present false teachings far outnumber those that proclaim the truth of God’s Word. We will provide answers as the Holy Spirit leads us from a biblical perspective. You will also need to pray to secure answers to any question you may have because one of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into all truth – John 16:13. Today, we look at Questions About Who Can Be Saved and questions that relate to this with biblical answers.. Enjoy
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CONTENT:
Can God save me?
How old do you have to be to ask Jesus to be your Savior?
Do mentally challenged people go to heaven? Does God show mercy to those who are mentally retarded, disabled, or handicapped?
Can a child who is conceived out of wedlock be saved?
What happens to people who never have a chance to hear about Jesus? Will God condemn a person who has never heard about Him?
Does God forgive big sins? Will God forgive a murderer?
Question: Can God save me?
Answer: The question “Can God save me?” has been asked by millions of people over the years. Not only can God save you, but only God can save you. To understand why the answer to “Can God save me?” is “Yes,” we have to understand why we need saving in the first place. When Adam disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, his sin poisoned the rest of creation (Romans 5:12), and the sinful nature we inherited from Adam has separated us from God. Because of God’s great love, however, He had a plan to save us (Genesis 3:15). He would come to earth as a human being in the person of Jesus Christ and willingly lay down His life for us, taking the punishment we deserve. When our Savior cried out His final words from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), our sin debt was forever paid in full. Jesus Christ saved us from a certain and horrible eternal destiny.
But in order for us to experience the benefit of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, we must trust in Him and His sacrifice alone as payment for sin (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). God will cover us with the righteousness of Christ the moment we do this (Romans 3:22). Without this imputed righteousness, we would never be able to enter the presence of our holy God (Hebrews 10:19-25).
Even though we are only one heartbeat away from our eternal destiny, we tend to think of this eventuality as far off. Therefore, we are often more concerned with the adverse impact our sinful cravings have on our day-to-day living than
the impact they have on our eternal well-being. Whether our concerns of “being saved” are immediate or eternal, the good news is that Christ’s finished work on the cross saved us not only from eternal separation from God but also from the power of sin now. Once we accept Christ, His Spirit indwells us and we are no longer controlled by the sinful nature (Romans 8:9). This freedom makes it possible for us to say “no” to sin and defeat the sinful desires of this world.
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15)—and we are all sinners (Romans 3:23)— and not one of us is outside the reach of God’s saving grace. The apostle Paul is a great example. He spent his life hating, imprisoning, persecuting, and even killing Christians; but one encounter with Jesus Christ turned him into one of the greatest Christians who ever lived. Indeed, we are the crown jewel of God’s creation, made in His image (Genesis 1:26), and God wants all of us to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and none of us to perish (2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 18:32). Now, to those who believe in Jesus’ name, God gives the right to become His own children (John 1:12); and what He will do for His children is poignantly described in the book of Psalms: “‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, T will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him’” (Psalm 91:14-15).
Question: How old do you have to be to ask Jesus to be your Savior?
Answer: There is definitely no age requirement for salvation. Jesus Himself declared, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). As soon as children are old enough to understand that they have sinned (Romans 3:23), that Jesus died to pay the penalty for their sins (Romans 5:8; 6:23), and that they must place their faith in Jesus for salvation (John 3:16), they are old enough to be saved.
A child does not have to understand all the complex issues that are part of the doctrine of salvation. It is important that parents make sure their children understand the basic issues (as described above), but the promise of Acts 16:31 is equally true in regard to an adult or a child: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
Little children—whether born of believers or unbelievers—may be chosen of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, and know the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and so enter heaven. At what point in their lives they come to a
realization of these things will vary from child to child. Some young children have especially tender hearts and, upon hearing that Jesus died for them, are immediately aware of their sinful natures and are compelled to respond. Others may not come to this awareness until they are much older. Only the Lord knows the thoughts of the heart, and we trust Him “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) according to His perfect will and timing.
Question: Do mentally challenged people go to heaven? Does God show mercy to those who are mentally retarded, disabled, or handicapped?
Answer: The Bible does not specifically say whether or not mentally challenged people go to heaven. However, there is some biblical evidence that anyone who is not able to make a decision for salvation is covered by Christ’s death. This is similar to how it is commonly believed that young children, until they reach the point at which they are able to make a decision for or against Christ, are automatically taken to heaven if they die. David had a child who died, and he comforted himself with the thought, “Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:23). David knew that he would see his child in heaven one day. From that statement, we can assume that babies and young children are, by God’s grace, covered for salvation by Christ’s death.
We can postulate from this that those with intellectual disabilities are covered by Christ’s death as well. The Word of God does not specifically say this, however. Knowing the love, grace, and mercy of God, saving the mentally retarded would seem consistent with His character. Any person who is mentally challenged to the extent that he is unaware of his sinful state and cannot believe in Christ is in the same category as a child. It is not unreasonable to assume that such a person is saved by the grace and mercy of the same God who saves babies and small children.
As in everything, however, we must be careful not to be dogmatic about any issue the Bible does not specifically address. We do know that Jesus receives as His own all that the Father has given to Him and He will lose none of them along the way (John 6:39). Jesus said of these, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). We can take comfort in knowing that our God’s plan is always perfect, He always does what is right and just, and His love and mercy are infinite and everlasting.
Question: Can a child who is conceived out of wedlock be saved?
Answer: In Deuteronomy 23:2, the Mosaic Law says, “No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation.” This law was meant to curb sexual sin among God’s people and to show that such sin does lasting damage to the family unit. However, some today mistakenly use this verse to say that a person born out of wedlock cannot be saved or be used greatly by God. Such an idea contradicts what we know of God’s mercy and grace through Christ.
Anyone who trusts Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior will enter the kingdom of heaven. John 3:16-18 says it all: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
God does not see our nationality, our color, or the legitimacy or illegitimacy of our birth; He only sees the righteousness of Christ in us (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9). We are not saved because of who we are at birth; rather, we are saved because of who we become at the new birth. We become new creations in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). When a child born out of wedlock receives Christ, he or she is born again, becoming a son or daughter of the living God (John 1:12).
The Old Testament Law prohibited persons of illegitimate birth from participating in “the assembly of the Lord.” This does not mean they were treated as outcasts or excluded from worshiping God. In fact, many commentators believe the “assembly” refers to the elders, judges, and leaders of Israel—those who “assembled” to execute judgment. These people were excluded from leadership positions, nothing more.
Praise the Lord, we are not under the Old Testament Law. We “have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm”(Hebrews 12:18). Rather, we have come “to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 12:24). The Lord loves all, no matter the circumstances of conception, and has through His grace provided a home in heaven for all who will receive His free gift of salvation. In Christ, it is not physical birth that matters; it is the spiritual rebirth.
Question: What happens to people who never have a chance to hear about Jesus? Will God condemn a person who has never
heard about Him?
Answer: All people are accountable to God whether or not they have “heard about Him.” The Bible tells us that God has clearly revealed Himself in nature (Romans 1:20) and in people’s hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The problem is that the human race is sinful; we all reject this knowledge of God and rebel against Him (Romans 1:21-23). If it were not for God’s grace, we would be given over to the sinful desires of our hearts, allowing us to discover how useless and miserable life is apart from Him. He does this for those who continually reject Him (Romans 1:24-32).
In reality, it is not that some people have not heard about God. Rather, the problem is that they have rejected what they have heard and what is readily seen in nature. Deuteronomy 4:29 proclaims, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” This verse teaches an important principle—everyone who truly seeks after God will find Him. If a person truly desires to know God, God will make Himself known.
The problem is “there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). People reject the knowledge of God that is present in nature and in their own hearts, and instead decide to worship a “god” of their own creation. It is foolish to debate the fairness of God sending someone to hell who never had the opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ. People are responsible to God for what God has already revealed to them. The Bible says that people reject this knowledge, and therefore God is just in condemning them to hell.
If we assume that those who never hear the gospel are granted mercy from God, we will run into a terrible problem. If people who never hear the gospel are saved, it is logical that we should make sure no one ever hears the gospel. The worst thing we could do would be to share the gospel with a person and have him or her reject it. If that were to happen, he or she would be condemned. If people who do not hear the gospel were not condemned, we would have no motivation for evangelism. Why run the risk of people possibly rejecting the gospel and condemning themselves when they were previously saved because they had never heard the gospel?
Instead of debating the fate of those who have never heard, we, as Christians, should be doing our best to make sure they do hear. We are called to spread the gospel throughout the nations (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). We know people reject the knowledge of God revealed in nature, and that must motivate us to proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Only by accepting
God’s grace through the Lord Jesus Christ can people be saved from their sins and rescued from an eternity apart from God.
Question: Does God forgive big sins? Will God forgive a murderer?
Answer: Many people make the mistake of believing that God forgives “little” sins such as lying, anger, and impure thoughts but does not forgive “big” sins such as murder and adultery. There is no sin so big that God cannot forgive it. When Jesus died on the cross, He died to pay the penalty for all of the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2). When a person places his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, all of his sins are forgiven. That includes past, present, and future, big or small. Jesus died to pay the penalty for all of our sins, and once they are forgiven, they are all forgiven (Colossians 1:14; Acts 10:43).
We are all guilty of sin (Romans 3:23) and deserve eternal punishment (Romans 6:23). Jesus died for us, to pay our penalty (Romans 5:8). Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ for salvation is forgiven, no matter what sins he has committed (John 3:16). Now, a murderer or adulterer will likely still face serious consequences (legal, relational, etc.) for his evil actions, more so than someone who was “just” a liar. But the sins of a murderer or an adulterer are completely and permanently forgiven the moment he believes and places his faith in Christ.
It is not the size of the sin that is the determining factor here; it is the size of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. If the shed blood of the sinless Lamb of God is sufficient to cover all the sins of all the millions of people who would ever believe in Him, then there can be no limit to the size or type of sins covered. When He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He gave full atonement for sin, obtained complete pardon from God, established our peace with God, and achieved our redemption. Salvation was sure and certain and complete; nothing needs to be, or could be, added to it. Further, Christ’s saving work was done entirely without the help of man and cannot be undone.
Links to Other Q and A on Salvation
Top Questions About the Plan of Salvation with Biblical Answers
Top Questions About Jesus and Salvation with Biblical Answers
Top Questions About Who Can Be Saved with Biblical Answers
Top Questions About Assurance of Salvation with Biblical Answers
Top Questions About Salvation and Works with Biblical Answers
Top Questions About Salvation Terminology with Biblical Answers
Top Questions About Life After Salvation with Biblical Answers
Top Questions About Election and Predestination with Biblical Answers
Top Questions About Salvation and the Old Testament with Biblical Answers
Top Miscellaneous Questions About Salvation with Biblical Answers
Originally posted on March 7, 2020 @ 8:29 am
