Originally found here. Suspected source material found here.
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(There is a ferocity to those who view their job as "defenders of the true doctrine." They are always vigilant, prowling around looking for the slightest deviation from the faith as they see it, then pouncing with full force upon the heretical.
I'll be the first to admit that there is a lot of false teaching out there, and the forces of apostasy and compromise are clearly gathering against the Church. But our pure doctrine will not save us. Nor will these doctrinal policemen be necessarily commended by the Father. Ours is a life-giving faith, where by the power of the Holy Spirit we live lives of prayer, worship, and The Word.
In the below article we see that the author picks out some targets, and based on third-hand information issues condemnation against certain pastors. I doubt the author has actually done any substantial investigation himself. I doubt that he contacted the ministries in question for clarification. And I doubt that the author is interested in helping these pastors in any way.
I need to note that I am not posting this to defend these men. But notice the theme adopted by the author, that these men are in error for not knowing the hearts and minds of men.
Read on:
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The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way to heaven, the only way to have sins forgiven, the only way to be reconciled to God. Why do so many so-called Christian preachers deny this as the truth?
T.D. Jakes
Question to T. D. Jakes: "Do you feel only Christians could hope to enter Heaven?"
Answer: "When it comes to Heaven, I try to leave that up to God. I certainly believe that Christianity is right, but when it comes to the final test--who goes and who doesn't go -- Jesus said, Other sheep have I who are not of this fold. Them also must I bring. I'll let Him identify who those sheep are and I stay out of the conversation.
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.
Jesus says He is the only way to Heaven. Preacher Jakes say he has no idea if that is correct. (Pastor Jakes DID NOT say that. He made a very honest observation that it is God's job. Indeed, no one gets to decide who is Christian and who is not. We are not qualified! We might be very surprised at who we find in heaven. Mt. 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
And what are we to believe about Abraham? He was not a "Christian." but Paul tells us that same way that we enter heaven, "by faith," is what commended Abraham to God: "This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.' The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Rom. 4:22-24
It is clear that the nature and scope of salvation is not so cut-and-dried. Does one need to believe that Jesus died for our sins, and he is the only way to salvation? Yes. Does that mean that thinking you are Christian means you are saved? No.
One last thing. Jakes said this in 2007. Is there any possibility that Jakes has said something since that might clarify this remark, or show he has evolved on the issue, or perhaps, has changed is viewpoint? Well, we will never know this if the issue is left to the author to discover.)
He cannot say for sure if Jesus is the only way to Heaven. How can a preacher of the gospel not know what Jesus said concerning who is going to Heaven?
Who are the other sheep? (John 10:1-16) The sheep Jesus was talking about were the Jews who were believing and confessing that He was the Son of God. The other sheep are all Gentiles who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
The sheep of Jesus (Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.) The sheep of Jesus are all who accept Him as the Son of God, Lord and Savior. All converted Jews and Gentiles are the sheep of Jesus.
Joel Osteen
(I offer no defense of Osteen's squishy lack of certainty.) Larry King question: What if you're Jewish or Muslim, you don't accept Christ at all?
Joel Osteen: You know I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know...
Larry King: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They're wrong aren't they?
Joel Osteen: Well, I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe here's what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God will judge a person's heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know about their religions. But I know they love God. And I don't know. I've seen their sincerity. So I don't know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to a relationship with Jesus.
John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus said those who do not believe have already been judged. Joel Osteen says He doesn't know if non-believers will go to heaven or not. Joel says he does not know if they wrong in their unbelief.
Billy Graham
Robert Schuller: Tell me, what do you think is the future of Christianity?
Billy Graham: well, Christianity and being a true believer--you know, I think there's the Body of Christ. This comes from all the Christian groups around the world, outside the Christian groups. I think everybody that loves Christ, or knows Christ, whether they're conscious of it or not, they're members of the Body of Christ...I think James answered that, the Apostle James in the first council in Jerusalem, when he said that God's purpose for this age is to call out people for His name. And that's what God is doing today, He's calling people out of the world for His name, whether they they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ, because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don't have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they are saved, and that they're going to be with us in heaven."
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him"
The Apostle John said that the that wrath of God abides in those who do not believe in Jesus and who do not obey Him. Billy Graham disagrees. (That remains to be seen. Inelegantly expressed, perhaps, but it is clear that Graham believes that there are people who might not seem like Christians, yet they believe and are saved.) Who are you going to trust?
You will notice that preachers who deny that Jesus is the only way to heaven say. "I do not know if Jesus is the only way, but I think I know more of the truth than God."
John 8:24 'Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins;for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.''
Jesus said men will die in theirs if they do not confess Him. Some preachers say, I don't think so.
Mark 16:16 He who has believed and been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
A question remains, did those who proclaimed that Jesus is not the only way to heaven stop believing Jesus was the only way, first or did they declare that water baptism was not essential to be saved, first?
The gospel should be based on what the Bible teaches, what Jesus said, what the apostles taught. The gospel of what MEN think is no gospel at all!
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