Do people of different faiths/religions go to Heaven?

General Faith
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“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.”

This verse is talking about showing love and respect, over traditions and laws that could cause one to stumble.

“Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”

If this is the verse you are talking about, it is not saying what you think. The heart of that verse is indeed powerful. It ties peace and holiness together as essential parts of a life aligned with God’s kingdom.

As His children, we should be trying to be peaceful. Humble. Refusing to let bitterness take root. Choosing reconciliation, even when it’s uncomfortable. Turn the other cheek and such. Peace isn’t always possible with every person, but the call is to do your part.

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Romans 12:18

We are to do our part. The verse isn’t saying peace earns salvation. Instead, it points to something deeper. A life shaped by God naturally produces peace. Holiness and peace are evidence of a heart transformed. Without that transformation, we miss the experience of God’s presence and character.

We should be examining ourselves. Are we holding grudges? Are we quick to argue? Are we avoiding reconciliation? Are we cultivating holiness in our inner life?
Peter

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Lol You have not presented anything….more like disagree from the air.

I agree with Willard…so I use His ideals.

There aren’t too many people I know who share ideals that directly come from themselves alone.

As the trinity, osas, and even on heaven and hell itself.

Ai does a good job of expressing my thoughts…especially where mine might be the same as Willards.

Point is I didn’t even know you had an argument@peter. Just thought you were :sleeping_face: bored and disagreeing for disagreement sake.

You haven’t shared anything where Willard’s thoughts are wrong…so why pretend as you have?

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Again I only read your first 2 responses because if the first have no pause in the discussion. I’m sure the other one does not either. You dont even know why I made the statements that you are responding to.

For example if through Christ you pursue peace with all man as scripture says….and we know the Kingdom consist of righteousness, peace and Joy in the holyghost.

Then that is how you come in contact with the actions of God.

You are in Christ participating in what the kingdom is…. hence, the scripture: pursue peace with all man for without it you cant see the kingdom.

Another words- Jesus as not merely the Historical Christ, the one that entered into the world, or into His own story……is also outside of His-story as the “word”

And anyone the word comes across that exhibits the character of God, as selflessness can be saved by Christ. For Willards thought is the fires of heaven is hotter than the fires of Hell, so anyone else who is transformed by The word to exhibit the character of Christ is being transformed by the word. So if they can stand the :hot_face: heat because their hearts have been or are being transformed by the word then it would be by Christ that would bring them in.

Another’s words if through the word one does what is in the kingdom, they could be saved by the word too. Because the name is God’s presence, I am that I am. He can become what ever gets His goal done.

The evidence is Peter statement: When He said that He preceived God is no respecter of person that anyone that does righteous is acceptable to Him.

Don’t quote me..but you can look up exact wordings…

What matters is faith worked by Love

Who is love? GOD IS love, and who is God? God is His word. And How did God’s word come to you?

In Christ it all boils down to be Holy because God is Holy

Our transformation is in the image of Christ so that we can unite with the Father.

Example: become like the Sun..so that you can be near it and won’t burn up.

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Hi Johann

I figure Im playing the otherside, trying to argue from Willards thoughts to see if they are true myself.

Trying to grasp his thoughts as I argue from them.

But here is what I found regarding regeneration, as far as other faiths entering that is what I’m arguing from and have already entered:

For Dallas Willard, regeneration is not merely a legal transaction or a “decision card” for heaven; it is the supernatural, inward transformation where God’s nature and life enter a person’s real existence. He preferred the term “born from above” rather than just “born again,” emphasizing it as the starting point that enables sanctification.

Here is a breakdown of Dallas Willard’s view on regeneration:

1. The Core Definition: New Life from Above

  • Entrance of Divine Life: Regeneration is the entrance of God’s nature and life into our real existence and identity, effectively making us alive while we were previously “dead” to God.

  • Born from Above: Willard frequently emphasizes the translation “born from above” (John 3:3) over “born again” to underscore that this new life is a supernatural intrusion into the natural human life.

  • The Inward Shift: It is a radical, inward re-orientation of the human spirit.

2. Regeneration vs. “Sin Management”

Willard heavily critiqued the reduction of the gospel to “sin management,” which focuses solely on forgiveness and going to heaven later.

  • Beyond Justification: While recognizing the necessity of forgiveness, Willard argued that salvation is not just about what happens after death.

  • The Kingdom Now: Regeneration is intended to bring the life of the Kingdom of God into the present, allowing for real, current transformation into Christlikeness.

3. The Functional Result of Regeneration

  • A “Regenerate Will”: Regeneration enables our will to interact with God’s grace, leading to the transformation of all essential dimensions of the human being.

  • Enabling Sanctification: Regeneration acts as the impetus for sanctification; it is the foundation upon which the Holy Spirit works to bring about internal change.

  • New Identity: It establishes a new identity where the individual is, for the first time, capable of loving God and loving others with joy.

4. Regeneration and the “Golden Triangle”

Willard argued that regeneration does not happen in a vacuum. It is often part of a process he described as the “Golden Triangle” of spiritual transformation:

  1. Spirit/Grace (God’s Action): The life of God acting on us, initially through regeneration.

  2. Spiritual Disciplines (Our Action): Using our bodies to follow Jesus into his practices (solitude, prayer, study).

  3. Moment-to-Moment Life Events: The circumstances where grace and discipline meet to produce change.

Summary of Key Teachings

  • “You are an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe” is a central tenet of his philosophy.

  • Regeneration allows our “inner self” to be renewed day by day, even as the outer self decays.

  • It is the doorway into the Kingdom of God that makes “ordinary holiness” a natural expression of a renewed inner nature

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There are false faiths. Islam is a perfect example. There is no salvation in Islam. Only Salvation in the Sacrificial Death of Jesus Christ will cover your sins. Scripture says The wages of sin is death, It also says Without the sledding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Justification came from that blood that was shed. Salvation is a common name for the process of justification because what happened on the Cross was God extracting the just penalty for the sins of everyone elected. Please note that in this process God making a redeemed man from a sinner, God does all the acts in the process and man does nothing. You don’t chose you had no ability as a sinner to make that choice. Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Rom 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Rom 8:30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. NASB95

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We CHOOSE to repent. “Without repentance there can be no salvation” - Jesus

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This is the complete way a sinner becomes a Christian. Please note God does all the work, man does nothing. First the reason:
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

Heb 9:22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Now the solution:

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Rom 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Rom 8:30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Conclusion:

Man does nothing in his salvation, he is acted upon by God. Everything in those verse are acts of God.

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Thank you for that. Being honest is good. You do not read responses, because you humously think somehow you are more intelligent, or that you have convinced yourself that you are right, regardless. This is juvenile and no longer worthy of debate.

I gave you the actual verses and proved Willard wrong, or you wrong, in your interpretation of what Willard believes. Hint. It does not say what you think. I agree with the Word, you argue Willard’s interpretation that is eisegetical rather than analytical; he is reading his own views into the passage.

So in light of this, I will simply say live on, be blessed. I do not have time to waste on nonsense. Like this.

Where does Peter ever say that? He doesn’t. But you do not even take the time to look it up to prove your point.

So God bless. Be well. Live and learn.
Peter

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Again, Man Chooses. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. If you choose to NOT believe, you don’t receive, and I’m talking about the gift. Man must accept it or reject .

Why God CHOSE to give us this Grace offering is because man could not produce an unblemished first born son, in accordance with Gods law for redemption, to satisfy the requirement for casting our sins as far as the east is from the west, not just passing over them once per year. Man could not produce an unblemished first born son because mans blood was blemished, “…all have sinned…” So God “Chose” to take it upon Himself to offer unto sacrifce His only begotten son to be born from man so that man could produce an unblemished first born, pleasing to God, after his own kind, that would satisfy the law, and the debt…thus, the Son of Man. Also, the Son of GOD.

Salvation however, though Jesus said “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”, and thereby brought forgiveness and pardon unto every human being, nevertheless requires repentence to receive that gift. It is a gift because as you said, Jesus did the heavy lifting. But again, there is a cross that we must bear, not as one would consider work, but as one who chooses to walk in humility before GOD Almighty. Peter didn’t die, the way he did, to earn his way to heaven, but since he was executed on the cross, he “CHOSE” to die in humility before God.

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Just did.

Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “Now I really see that God shows no partiality,
Act 10:35 but in every nation the man who reveres God and practices doing right is acceptable to Him.
Act 10:36 He has sent His message to the descendants of Israel, by telling them the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.
Act 10:37 You know the story yourselves that spread all over Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached,
Act 10:38 how God consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and then He went about doing good and curing all who were overpowered by the devil, because God was with Him.
Act 10:39 We are witnesses of everything that He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. Yet they murdered Him by hanging Him upon a tree.
Act 10:40 But God raised Him to life on the third day, and permitted Him to be dearly seen,
Act 10:41 not by all the people but by witnesses whom God had beforehand appointed, namely, by us who ate and drank with Him after His resurrection from the dead.
Act 10:42 He also ordered us to proclaim to the people and solemnly to testify that this is the One whom God has appointed to be the Judge of the living and the dead.
Act 10:43 To this very One all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him is to receive the forgiveness of sins through His name.”

However…

You’re misusing Acts 10:35. Peter is not teaching works-based acceptance before God.

Read the context:

Acts 10:34–35 (ESV)
“God shows no partiality… in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

This is about ethnic inclusion, not justification by works. Peter is realizing that Gentiles are not excluded.

Just a few verses later he defines how someone is actually accepted:

Acts 10:43 (ESV)
“Everyone who believes (πιστεύων) in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

That’s decisive, forgiveness comes through faith, not by “doing righteousness.”

The phrase “acceptable” (δεκτός) in v.35 does not mean “justified by works”; it describes those who fear God, whose lives reflect it. The works are evidence, not the basis.

If you turn v.35 into works-based acceptance, you put Peter in direct contradiction with his own conclusion in v.43, and with the rest of Scripture (cf. Romans 3:28).

So no, Acts 10:35 is not teaching that doing righteousness earns acceptance. It’s teaching that God accepts people from every nation, and those who truly fear Him will live accordingly.

J.

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Scripture is explicit: no one can come to Christ unless God acts first.
John 6:44,65 (ESV) “No one can come… unless the Father draws… unless it is granted him.”
The natural man is not just unwilling but unable (1 Cor 2:14; Rom 8:7–8).
Faith itself is given, not self-generated (Eph 2:8–9; Phil 1:29).
Even “receiving Christ” is grounded in the new birth, not of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12–13).
So Scripture never presents salvation as autonomous “acceptance,” but as God’s initiative producing our response.

J.

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Belief does not come from the individual. The sinful nature inherited from Adam make man incapable of choosing good, righteousness, or God. It is only by divine interference can a human have his sins forgiven by the sacrificial death and blood of Jesus Chirst. Man is not active in this process, he is acted upon by God.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Salvation is an act of the Sovereign God, man does nothing. You shroud be happy and thankful it happens like that. If not you could never be secure that you have been saved.

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And…

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Better @Usmma62?

J.

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No one said He was teaching work base….

Dallas Willard interprets Acts 10:34-35—where Peter declares that “God does not show partiality but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right”—as a key, inclusive passage that highlights God’s grace and the universal availability of salvation through Jesus.

Willard explains justification within this context by emphasizing that while salvation is always through Jesus, it is not restricted only to those who have formally heard his name in this life, provided they are living in response to the light they have.

1. The Context of Acts 10 (Universal Availability)

Willard points out that Peter’s realization in Acts 10 that “God is not one to show partiality” (v. 34) means that God is actively looking for people who fear him, regardless of their background.

  • Welcoming the Righteous: Willard argues that anyone, in any nation, who fears God and acts rightly is accepted or “welcome” to him.

  • The Role of Jesus: Despite this universal access, Willard emphasizes that this acceptance is still secured by Jesus. “But anyone who is going to be saved is going to be saved by Jesus: ‘There is no other name given under heaven by which men can be saved’”.

Same thing I’ve been showing from the start. So what is it that you’re not getting?

Reference:John 1:8-10

That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made……

I doubt you were following …..too looking at what you wrote. BLB

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  1. There was never a debate between you and I.
  2. Everyone has an opinion
  3. And definitely your questions showed imaturity for you never grasp what was being said.
  4. And this was not about my intellect- I was arguing from Willard’s position…to see if I or anyone else could prove Him wrong….and no one has took the challenge.
  5. You can’t be in a debate unless you understand what the other is arguing.
  6. Hence, you are right to move on.
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Are you commenting to something I wrote if so its best to quote it, so as you my be alluding that I said something I did not.

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Well? Maybe. I get these passages.

“Jesus tells his disciples, 'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit.” John 15:16

“Paul writes that God ‘chose us in him before the creation of the world’ and 'predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:4–5

“Paul quotes the Old Testament, saying, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,’ concluding that it 'does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” Romans 9:15–16

However, then you have these. Many passages emphasize the necessity of a human decision to follow, believe, or repent. These are often highlighted in “Arminian” or “Provisionsist” perspectives.

“The famous call to the Israelites: 'Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Joshua 24:15

“Jesus says, 'I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” Revelation 3:20

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart… You will be saved.” Romans 10:9

I believe it is both. The belief that God is the sole agent in salvation. In this view, “choosing God” is possible only because God first changed the person’s heart (Regeneration), enabling them to respond.

Free Will says the belief that salvation involves a cooperation between divine grace and human freedom. God offers the “prevenient grace” (grace that goes before) to everyone, but the individual must choose to accept or reject it.

I believe that both are true simultaneously. From a “heavenly” vantage point, God chooses; from a “human” vantage point, man must choose.

In the original Greek and Hebrew, the terms for “choose” (eklegomai in Greek) often carry the weight of a deliberate selection for a specific purpose or office, which adds another layer to whether the “choosing” refers to eternal salvation or a specific task on earth. Yes?

I just honestly feel that without free will, there is no point to Jesus coming to die for our sins. God can simply list, John, Peter, Johann, Joanne, will be saved, Bill, Don, and Jenny will go to hell. If we do not have a choice but to die in our sin, then what was the whole point?
Peter

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Belief does not come from the individual. The sinful nature inherited from Adam make man incapable of choosing good, righteousness, or God. It is only by divine interference can a human have his sins forgiven by the sacrificial death and blood of Jesus Chirst.

Man is not active in this process, he is acted upon by God.

Hi, this is where I might disagree- seeing that “salvation is not just one moment in time, but everyday life we receive from God…”

Plus if that were true How does what you believe flow with 1 John 1:7, when we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

  1. Whose Faith or faithfulness…?
  2. Saved from what? Being dead now made alive
  3. If we are saved through Christ’s Faith or faithfulness…then how “through”

Salvation is an act of the Sovereign God,

So if God does it all then no one is doing it with Him, yet the wall of Jericho was done with the people, If they never obeyed the voice of Moses would they had been saved from the Egyptians.

So man need not respond to the call? “ Grace is not opposed to effort, but its opposed to earning” for who has given to God that He shall repay Him?

man does nothing. You shroud be happy and thankful it happens like that. If not you could never be secure that you have been saved.

Unfortunately That is not the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Let’s look at some Scriptural references where effort is involved: Philippians 2:12-13: “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure”.

  • 2 Peter 1:5-10: Stresses applying “all diligence” to add virtue, knowledge, and self-control to faith.

  • Philippians 3:7-15: Paul’s description of “pressing on” to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of him.

  • Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”.

  • Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” – Jesus’ invitation that requires the active effort of opening the door.

Willard emphasized that this effort is the natural, energetic response of faith, not a way to buy God’s favor.

@Usmma62

I see Salvation from this analogy

Noah ark is Salvation, but if no one gets in the ark, nor remains then they won’t be saved by the ark.

The ark was a faithful salvation source. It stood the watery wrath because it brought the people through the water. Water may have poured above it from the sky and out of the depths of the ground. Yet the faithful ark which stood the storms made it thriugh.

And Christ was

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Are you asking for a debate, @PeterC for synergism? Plucking a Greek word here and there to construct a case for autonomous free will? What you feel or infer does not establish doctrine, what is biblical must be grounded in the full counsel of Scripture, not selective appeals or isolated terms.

All of Grace

With these foundations laid, Spurgeon goes on to demystify faith. Faith is a work of grace; it’s the conduit along which grace flows. It is not the means for saving us but it is the means by which salvation comes to us.

The power lies in the grace of God, and not in our faith. Great messages can be sent along slender wires, and the peace-giving witness of the Holy Spirit can reach the hearts by means of a thread-like faith which seems almost unable to sustain its own weight. (p.39)

Spurgeon describes true repentance as a change of mind, something that happens after we see Christ. He staggers at the idea that repentance may be measured in tears shed or groans heaved. He says, “Unbelief and despair are sins, and therefore I do not see how they can be constituent elements of acceptable repentance” (p.65).

Spurgeon_repentance

Confirmed unto the end

At many points in the book Spurgeon anticipates reader’s fears and questions. Near the end of the book he notes that some Christians are worried that they shall not persevere to the end. They fear that they shall stumble at the last hurdle and lose all. Spurgeon scorns this fear for what it is – trust in self instead of Jesus.

Beware of mixing even a little of self with the mortar with which to build, or you will make it untempered mortar, and the stones will not hold together. If you look to Christ for your beginnings, beware of looking to yourself for your endings. He is Alpha. See to it that you make Him Omega also. (p.104)

Given all the mixed-grace that is preached in this day and age, it’s refreshing to drink pure, sweet grace straight from the tap. In Spurgeon’s case it’s like taking a draft from a hundred-year old bottle of well-aged wine.

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Do not perceive this as me being “combative” brother.

Yes?

J.

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You’re right to see that Scripture presents both God’s initiative and man’s response, but the question is causality, not mere appearance of “both.”

Scripture never grounds salvation in autonomous human will. Man does choose, but always according to nature, and apart from grace that nature is bound.

John 6:44 (ESV)
“No one can (δύναται, dynatai) come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

That’s inability, not mere unwillingness.

Romans 8:7–8 (ESV)
“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot (οὐ δύναται, ou dynatai). Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

So yes, man must believe. But even that is not self-originating:

Philippians 1:29 (ESV)
“For it has been granted (ἐχαρίσθη, echaristhē) to you that for the sake of Christ you should… believe in him.”

Faith is granted, not autonomously produced.

On your “choice” texts:

Joshua 24:15 is covenantal exhortation, not a statement of innate ability. Israel is elsewhere told:

Deuteronomy 29:4 (ESV)
“But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand…”

Command does not imply ability.

Revelation 3:20 is addressed to a church (Laodicea), concerning fellowship, not an evangelistic appeal to autonomous sinners.

Romans 10:9 gives the necessary response, but not its ultimate cause. Paul elsewhere grounds that response in God’s action.

On ἐκλέγομαι (eklegomai): yes, it can involve purpose, but in salvation contexts it is decisive:

Ephesians 1:4–5 (ESV)
“he chose (ἐξελέξατο, exelexato) us in him… having predestined us for adoption…”

The object is persons, the result is adoption, this is soteriological, not merely vocational.

Your “two vantage points” idea needs tightening. It’s not two equal perspectives…

God’s choice - ultimate, effectual cause
Man’s choice - real, but derivative and enabled

God doesn’t merely foresee faith, He gives it.

And this is where your conclusion needs correction/tightening brother.

“Without free will, what was the point of Christ dying?”

Scripture never says Christ died to make salvation merely possible.

Matthew 1:21 (ESV)
“…he will save his people from their sins.”

John 10:15 (ESV)
“I lay down my life for the sheep.”

The cross is not hypothetical, it is definite and effectual.

So the issue isn’t whether man chooses, we all affirm that. The issue is whether that choice is αὐτόνομος (autonomous, self-originating) or the result of God’s regenerating grace.

Scripture is consistent:

Jonah 2:9 (ESV)
“Salvation belongs to the LORD.”

Shalom.

J.