Wednesday 11 September 2024

Two kinds of Christian belief in the nature of God's provision of the requisites for salvation

Because God is the Creator and loves us each as His children; therefore, either:

1. Even if all trace of Christianity had been utterly forgotten, or was eradicated from the world; if the Bible was destroyed or corrupted; all Christian Churches annihilated; all Christian teaching and theology inverted to evil; or if somebody had never heard anything about Jesus Christ...

Then God would ensure there was a personal and effective path to salvation for every human being on earth.  

Or:


2. God would ensure that Christianity would never be forgotten; and would not be eradiated from the world. 

For instance: 

A: God would ensure that The Bible was written, collected and edited truthfully, preserved through all history, and made available to all those who could benefit from it - for as long as there are souls to be saved. 

And/or

B: God would ensure that the true Christian Church would survive spiritually intact and salvifically effectual no matter what - for as long as there are souls to be saved. 



What I am articulating is that all Christians would probably agree that God would ensure that - no matter what, and so long a Man continues on this earth - because He is The Creator and Loves us each as his child - God will be able to provide whatever is needful for every Man's resurrection and eternal life in Heaven

But there is a qualitative difference between, on the one hand, those who believe that this would and must be done by the preservation of the generically-available means to salvation (e.g. Bible, True Church)...

And, on the other hand, those who believe that God does not need any worldly means of salvation, and could and would provide the knowledge and guidance required for salvation directly* to each and every human being.

A distinction between the essential provision of the requisites for salvation being either by generic, group means; or direct and individual knowing. 


*Note: "Directly" meaning by some combination of the innate and naturally-known, acting within each individual; with external spiritual guidance apprehended by the soul.

Further Note: The two kinds of Christian belief can also be understood as between those believing that God works for the salvation of Men considered as groups (tribes, nations, church members, of civilizations) and with God primarily working at the group-level; and those who believe God works for the salvation of Men as individuals, one at a time: ultimately with each person an unique salvific "project". 

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