Salvation

edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
Is there salvation outside the Coptic faith?

Is there salvation outside the Christian faith?

Taylor

Comments

  • [quote author=desertnurse link=topic=5424.msg72294#msg72294 date=1181493946]
    Is there salvation outside the Coptic faith?

    To answer this question there are many things that needs to be explained which am sure other will reply with.


    Is there salvation outside the Christian faith?

    No. easily to say for one reason:
    John 3:16
    For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.


    Now there are many more concepts that prove that our faith in our God and Lord is the true God. But to me, that verse above puts everything in one whole picture.

  • Dear Taylor,

    Again, excellent questions for us all - and it is good to be asked them.

    Mina puts our position well; we believe that outside of the Church there is no salvation; that is not to say that everyone inside it is saved, or that everyone outside it is not; only God decides - and we cannot speak for Him. It is simply to say that we are taught, and believe, that inside the Church we have the best chance for salvation.

    Does that mean that we believe that all non-Orthodox Christians are damned? No it does not, for the same reason as given above; who are we to presume to know the mind of God? We know where the Church is and that those inside it can be saved; we do not know, precisely, where it is not, and what will happen to those who are outside its boundaries. If you go back to the image of the spiritual hospital, it is much more difficult to get cured outside the best one. Some people will take a harder line than this; they may well be correct - but none of us can know what the Lord will decide - only what He has said - and that is pretty clear; but He has not let us know the whole of His mind, so we should not presume to know it in detail.

    Outside the Christian Faith there is no salvation - again, with the proviso that the Lord God alone decides these things. If there were, however, for what reason would the Word have become Incarnate, and why would He have died upon the cross to redeem our sins? We believe that what was not assumed (i.e. our flesh) cannot be healed; so if you do not believe that the Incarnate Lord was both perfect God and perfect man, how can you believe that your flesh will be healed by His sacrifice? If you have not been received by baptism and chrismation, and if you have not received the other sacraments, and if you have not confessed and received the Lord in your heart, and if, through the Church you have not come to know Him as your living Redeemer, what could salvation mean to you?

    Through right belief, and right worship, we follow the right way and come, with Grace and Works and through Faith, to Him. It is not popular in the west to say that there is only One Way and One Truth - but this is what the Church confesses and bears witness to; it is what the Holy Martyrs died to confess: One Way, One Truth and One Life in Him. The first, and greatest step, is repentance - for we are all sinners, and we all need His forgiveness.

    I hope that those more knowledgeable here will correct me if I have erred; that others will add their words to these; and that you will grow in knowledge of the Faith once delivered to the Apostles.

    In Him,

    John
  • Fascinating! 

    Thank you!

    Taylor
  • I'm in a rush, so sorry if this is the same thing put above my mina and ang., but here is what I think, and i hope i'm right.

    Outside orthodox church in the christian beliefs-yes, but it is more difficult because their attempts and beliefs are un-original/vs. orthodox take the direct teachings of christ, his diciples and apostles so we know that we are right, but like i said before it is still possible in other christian den.
    (this is where i think criticism starts :-\)

    Our Coptic pope says that not all christian denominations will acheive eternal life. He specifically criticizes Mormons, and jehovah's witnesses because he says their beliefs are un-christian.


    Inside the orthodox church-if you believe and do the commandments of christ, partake in the eucharist, confess and repent then yes

    Outside christianity completely- no, because christ says

    Jesus answered them: "I solemnly declare it: before Abraham came to be, I AM." At that they picked up rocks to throw at Jesus... [John 8:58-59]

    "Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33)

    "But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death."

    I would like to comment on the verse above. If jesus is a false and all his teachings, why would he die on a cross? He knew quite well that these words would make caiphus the chief priest mad, right? If his teachings were false, they would only go up to a certain extent, not to death. The other thing is that, no lier would say something like this. It is pretty clear that he knows what he is talking about.

    Now that we have proved jesus is god, I can show you this verse.

    "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46)

    The verse above states that the wicked will go to hell obviously. Since Christianity contradicts all other religons in the world, eternal life isn't possible with it.

    Did i Help?
    PK

    P.S. Happy St. Abraam's feast!
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