Rays of Living Light on the One Way of SalvationPenrose, Charles W. (Charles William)
Religion
Rays of Living Light on the One Way of Salvation
Penrose, Charles W. (Charles William)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Doctrines; Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines
The question which naturally arises in the thoughtful mind on
hearing these declarations is, "How could people believe in Jesus
Christ when his name was not preached to them?" And coupled with
that comes the query: "What has become of the many millions of
earth's inhabitants who died without the opportunity of being born
of water and of the Spirit?" The heathen nations, worshipping false
gods, knew nothing of Jesus as the Savior of mankind. Even the
chosen people, Israel, who were under the Mosaic law, did not walk
in that way of salvation. Since the days when the apostles and other
authorized servants of Christ administered the ordinances of the
gospel, and during the times when "darkness covered the earth and
gross darkness the people," down to the present age when it is
claimed by the Latter-day Saints that the Church of Christ, the holy
apostleship, and the fulness of the gospel have been restored,
myriads of good people have passed away without receiving that new
birth in the manner that Christ declared to be essential. Have they
all perished? Is it possible that they are doomed to destruction?
Will the eternal Father reject all these his children because they
did not obey a law which was not made known to them?
Justice, mercy, reason, and common sense revolt at such an idea. As
Paul has it. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not
heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall
they preach, except they be sent?" (Romans 10:14). Yet the word of
God must stand. It endureth forever, and he is no respecter of
persons. And he is to "judge the secrets of all men by Jesus Christ
according to my gospel." It is for that reason that the gospel was
to be preached to "every creature." According to the notion
prevalent in modern Christendom, there will be many millions of
people shut out of the kingdom of heaven, because they did not
believe in a Savior about whom they knew nothing. And it is taught
that there is no possible chance of salvation for those who died
without faith in Christ. Sectarians sing, "There's no repentance in
the grave, nor pardon offered to the dead." The preachers of the
sects limit the mercy of God to this probation. They teach that at
death the soul goes either to heaven or to hell, and its state and
condition is fixed forever. If this awful doctrine were true, Satan
would gain the victory over Christ, claiming as his a vast and
overwhelming proportion of the human family, leaving to our great
Redeemer but a small and trifling troop out of the immense and
countless hosts of the armies of humanity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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