This is the second part of my two-part article describing our fellowship of suffering and rejoicing. In Chapter 12 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, he talks about spiritual gifts and how we should use them for the building up of the body of Christ (:7). Paul also describes how the Holy Spirit, the bestower of these gifts, unites the Church, who function like a human body. Each believer is a part of the body and has something unique and important to offer the other believers in the church body. This teaching applies to each local church, but I think it also applies to the Universal Church (all born-again believers everywhere on the planet). Later in the chapter, Paul writes something important that I think we should remember. He writes, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it ,” (1 Corinthians 12:26). This text teaches us two important things that are especially important during this seas...
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Good topic and a very insightful question by the young man who got this discussion started.
To be sure, the concept of "good" and "evil" is ubiquitous across all cultures and much is typically made of being "good" and living a "good" life. But, it is very clear in the New Testament that being "good" is not good enough to ensure salvation. Salvation only comes through accepting Christ, which requires that you KNOW about Christ. There are millions upon millions of people in the world (since the time of Christ) that have lived and died and never heard anything about Christ. They may have lived good lives and they may have followed their culture's religious teaching to a "T", but this is not sufficient for salvation.
Now, most of us believe that God is a just God and a fair God. In MY mind, I cannot help but think that such persons will be offered salvation upon death. Will this offer be contingent upon how a person lived his life (i.e. good or evil)? I don't know.