nonsense....there have been hundreds of millions of people that have lived on this Earth who hed no conception of what God was....good people, honest people, people who loved each other and their families.....do you really suppose that an all loving God would condemn them to hell......pathetic!
You are talking about two different things and you probably know it. The pope is talking about people with a complete conception of God who still chose to ignore him and follow their OWN conscience, which makes them their own god. But the pope and apparently you think that’s just ducky.
...what an ugly word ‘pathetic’ is. To use it in an accusing fashion under false circumstances is truly pathe...ahhh, forget it.
re: “.there have been hundreds of millions of people that have lived on this Earth who hed no conception of what God was....good people, honest people, people who loved each other and their families.....do you really suppose that an all loving God would condemn them to hell”
I know that from our human perspective, we tend to compare ourselves with other humans - because we are human beings. But, the difficulty with that is that we are to compare ourselves to God’s perfect righteousness, not fellow humans.
If we only compare ourselves to other humans, well, we and others might not look that bad.
But, from what the Bible says about God’s judgement (and there is that side of His character), is that we all stand condemned as sinners against God’s perfect Law. All of us have “missed the mark” (Romans 3:23). Therefore, no one is righteous enough to enter God’s heaven on their own merit.
I encourage you to read Romans chapters 1, 2, and 3. I think you’ll see Paul’s argument that man is without excuse as far as knowledge of God. Man turned away from God and He is under no obligation to forgive or “save” any of us from hell.
But, He took the initiative in becoming a man - God in human form. He showed us what God is through how He lived and taught, He provided the way (not “a” way, but “the one and only way”) of salvation/the forgiveness of sins - to restore our fellowship with Him. He paid the price for our disobedience. He took our punishment/judgement on Himself. By His resurrection He destroyed the power of sin and death over us - but, we have to receive His forgiveness. We have to confess our sin and our need of Him and accept His free gift of mercy.
If there was any other way people could enter heaven other than through Christ, then Jesus did NOT need to die on the cross.
If Jesus is really who He said He was, God incarnate, then He is the ONLY one who could pay the price of sin’s judgment upon us.
Jesus said that He did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save it. But, He also said that:
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
John 3:17-19
The truth is, the one and only way to forgiveness and salvation for mankind is through Jesus Christ. Pope Francis is tragically wrong in his statement. Following one’s conscience does not remove sin. It cannot save. If it could, then Jesus died needlessly.
We are all condemned before we are saved.
Nobody is saved for being good.
Why did man fall from grace initially?
He ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. All humans today are distracted away from our available fellowship with God because we are too busy discerning or judging good from evil, then confusedly seeking good or evil as a counterfeit substitute for what God provides for us.
The evidence of God is everywhere around us both physically and mentally.
Please read Romans 1.
Good by WHOSE standards?
God's standard is perfection. Without it, NO ONE can see His face.
Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. There is no other name under heaven by which we MUST be saved.
Works don't save anyone, therefore no matter how good people think someone in the world is, they aren't saved unless they have repented and confessed and accepted Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.
Forgiveness is the ONLY way to be made righteous before God.