And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea."Just when I think I've thought something through pretty well, another thinker asks a question I hadn't considered. One issue I have avoided with Acts 10 is a discussion on whether or not, and when, if so, was Cornelius "saved". In other words, had an earthquake hit Caesaria before the angel arrived, and Cornelius perished, would he have gone to heaven? The reason I ask is because the angel begins with, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God." How is that possible if he has no relationship with God?
When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. (Acts 10:4-8 NASB)
When I unpack that possibility, I thought that I had at least a partial answer for those asking about people in foreign lands who have never heard the gospel of Jesus. To be clear, any discussion at this point using this text is conjecture for any position. The text inspired by my Master does not address this point except to say, that my Master will draw those seeking Him. Beyond that, we really know nothing because He hasn't told us. That being said, I did wander into the realm of conjecture, presented my particular view, and was asked a very important question.
My opinion is that God will initiate a relationship with unlikely people in unlikely places without His people being involved, and therefore knowing nothing about it. That means these people may have no contact with those who know the good news of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Instead these may simply relate to the One responsible for everything in the world to the degree they are aware of it.
So, the question asked me was about other religions and other "denominations" within "Christianity". I hadn't really gone there in my thinking. So, the way I grappled with it was to point out that Cornelius left the religious beliefs he was born to, those popular in the Roman army, and instead adopted the one of an unruly people who hated him. He clearly sought the God of all, in spite of serious barriers to that quest. It's not about being sincerely devout to whatever religion, but rather leaving all other belief systems that worship someone other than the One having created all and seeking His creatures. Other religions don't really teach that.
The problem about other denominations had to do with the constant bickering and infighting among those claiming to be followers of Jesus in the world. The answer I came up with was that attitudes inconsistent with Jesus probably are not from His followers, regardless of what label they choose. Here's why: If I am convinced someone is going to spend eternity apart from God in hell (i.e. going to die an eternal death), why would I attack them? If I know someone is going to die of cancer, I don't start beating them and treating them like trash! How can I, being convinced of my own eternal life, turn and mistreat those whom I am convinced are dead and dying eternally? That's crazy! I'm supposed to be helping them live, not helping them die, not if I am truly a child of the One who gave me life!
The other part of my response to the "denomination" question pointed out that under persecution, differences are put aside. We bicker in the West because we're safe, at least for now. At some point we may not be, and church as we know it will begin to vanish. What will be in its place will be much less concerned with petty differences of Scriptural interpretation, and more concerned with spreading the good news of Jesus, and worshiping Him. It may not be so easy to do this in the future we're heading into. In countries outside the West, third world countries and so on, the focus of churches is much different that in the West. They have other more pressing problems than "legalism". Often they're fortunate to have any Scripture at all regardless of the "translation", and have no opinion at all about which translation should be used.
So, while I had assumed I had thought through the issue of my Master's work to save remote souls, it turns out I hadn't really gone far enough with it. No relationship with God, even in remote parts of the world, negates or denies the work of my Master in Jesus, reconciling His creation back to Himself. But I also suspect that the work of my Master in Jesus to reconcile His creation back to Himself is effective for some who have no idea of the details. But this also excludes those holding competing beliefs about God, salvation, and Jesus. We don't get to chose the path to our Creator, He chooses a path to us, and we must trust Him and His choice.
