How many will be saved?

[McCulloch]

To say that anyone not hearing the Gospel is going to hell and therfore the plan is flawed is based on the assumption that God is unjust. But he is just and I'm sure there is a back up plan. He will judge those people that have never heard the Gospel in the manner in which they've lived their life against the moral values he has placed in us. Roman 2:11- 16

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.

Because of this, I assume there will be more people in Heaven than only the ones who have accepted Christ. I believe only those that have heard the Gospel, evaluated it, and ultimately rejected Christ will perish according to scripture. So if you look at the "numbers" of people going to heaven, taking into account Romans 2, there should be far more people in heaven than not. Assuming of course the people not exposed to the Gospel live a good moral life.

Questions for debate: According to the Bible, how many ways are there to get to heaven without explicitly accepting Christ in your lifetime?
According to the Bible, what proportion of humans will be saved? A small minority? Less than half? More than half? Most of us? Almost all? Everyone?
Or is it that the Bible does not address this question?

[McCulloch]

I am sure it does though I can tell you where right now. I will have to ask my preacher and get back with you or maybe someone else in this forum can help. My preacher is a firm Bible based preacher and I have never known him to preach or teach anything that cannot be backed up in the Bible.

If you don't know where to find it yourself in the Bible, how can you be sure that your preacher is a firm Bible-based one? Study to show yourself approved unto God.

Lighten up McCulloch, you'll scare the guy away!

OK, I'm talking to myself online. I'll turn this thing off and make supper. Take your time, check your facts. I'll check back later.

[weird7]

I grew up being taught these things. And I assure you that I have checked them myself at the time (I don't just take anybody's word for it) but as you know the Bible is long and I cannot remember where everything is though I am sure it is there. I may be able to find it myself but I can find it faster with some help.

[LightGrenade04]

Questions for debate: According to the Bible, how many ways are there to get to heaven without explicitly accepting Christ in your lifetime?
According to the Bible, what proportion of humans will be saved? A small minority? Less than half? More than half? Most of us? Almost all? Everyone?
Or is it that the Bible does not address this question?

When the disciples played the game of heavenly population statistics, Jesus replied to them with "strive to enter" (Luke 13:24). Which I think is a way of saying "mind your business".

[jasonm1848]

well, from what i can tell the bible says salvation is only through Jesus. However with regards babies, in Jeremiah God says before i formed you in the womb, i knew you. regardless of your belief of salvation being taken to heaven or resurrected or taken then put back it can be agreed that anyone god knows can be saved and since they never got the opportunity to really sin there is a distinct possability they have hope. also and the bible also teaches that in death sin is forgiven. Most likely God will judge people who never got the chance to know Christ based on their heart and the virtue he finds there. As far as the number of those who will be saved, revelation depicts the vast majority of people not surviving, however since matt. 24: 36 states not even Jesus knows exactly when the end will come it can only stand to reason that not even Jesus knows the exact number that will be saved. the bible does say that if God waited longer none would survive. so the number is probably a very small fraction of the population but being that Jesus probably doesn't ever know i suggest you ask God, but I wouldn't expect to be told something Jesus doesn't even know.

[beloved57]

Everyone Christ died for will be and is saved...It is a number that no man can number , it is the entire election of grace.

[jasonm1848]

not accurate. the most commonly know scripture in the world is john 3:16 and it says so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed not that everyone will not be destroyed because god is cool. there are requirements not just having faith but exercising that faith in order to be saved. the number of people exercising faith is very small when you think about it. how many people follow the bible to the code to the best of their ability without adding any dogma or indulgence or exception or excuse to something they do that the bible doesn't teach is ok?

[beloved57]

Oh yes very accurate if we are talking about the Christ of the bible, all whom He died for are saved, even before they know it by faith. Faith reveals salvation, it is not a requirement to get saved ! Are you crazy ?

[jasonm1848]

I would be curious to see you back up that statement with any scripture but you won't be able to since its not there. read matt. 7: 21 in your bible or here i will quote it in the king james for you. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Clear as day it says not even people who call upon jesus, never mind people who barely know of him, can be saved if they do not do the will of God. What in that verse or anywhere in the bible gives you the impression all will have salvation? I do not believe in hellfire or damnation because those doctrine are not in the bible, but to assume that all will be saved is in direct contradiction to everything taught by the bible and again I'd say come back with a scripture to prove your statement, but i know you don't have one, because one does not exist. Oh and for a side point to shoot down your last statement on faith, just for fun, read Romans 10:9 or again here in king james "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." read carefully the second requirement that you believe in your heart or have FAITH. faith in jesus sacrifice is necessary to be saved. salvation doesn't come pre-faith. or hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." without faith you can't please god. faith is more than a revealer of your divine right it is something god requires of us all. and to return and further clarify what is stated in john 3:16 about exercising faith you can turn to james 2:26 that states "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." faith is needed as is the actions that true faith motivates. do not come here calling me crazy spewing nonsense without a single scripture in you defense.

[WelshBoy]

So to conclude: No-one knows.

Some say:

"Whosoever believes in him (Jesus) will not perish but have eternal life"

Some say:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love, having predestined us to adoptions as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved"

Some even say:

"No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man"



So either anyone, someone, or no-one depending on which bit of the bible you care to believe.

[beloved57]

I would be curious to see you back up that statement with any scripture but you won't be able to since its not there. read matt. 7: 21 in your bible or here i will quote it in the king james for you. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Clear as day it says not even people who call upon jesus, never mind people who barely know of him, can be saved if they do not do the will of God. What in that verse or anywhere in the bible gives you the impression all will have salvation? I do not believe in hellfire or damnation because those doctrine are not in the bible, but to assume that all will be saved is in direct contradiction to everything taught by the bible and again I'd say come back with a scripture to prove your statement, but i know you don't have one, because one does not exist. Oh and for a side point to shoot down your last statement on faith, just for fun, read Romans 10:9 or again here in king james "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." read carefully the second requirement that you believe in your heart or have FAITH. faith in jesus sacrifice is necessary to be saved. salvation doesn't come pre-faith. or hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." without faith you can't please god. faith is more than a revealer of your divine right it is something god requires of us all. and to return and further clarify what is stated in john 3:16 about exercising faith you can turn to james 2:26 that states "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." faith is needed as is the actions that true faith motivates. do not come here calling me crazy spewing nonsense without a single scripture in you defense.

you are a fool whoever you are, you have no spiritual life in you whatsoever..You make up your own bible and pick and choose the portions that are palatable to your God forsaken mind..