Thread: Saved or Unsaved?

Most of the people still unreached by the gospel live in places stretching across the maps of northern Africa and Asia (10/40 window).
Two-thirds of the world's population, more than 4 billion, live in the 10/40 window. 90% of the people living in the 10/40 window are unevangelized. Many have never heard the gospel message even once.

http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/1040.htm

Billy Graham turned 99 years old last week. Do you remember the Robert Schuller interview between him and Rev. Graham back on May 31, 1997?

If not, please, let me refresh your memory.

Robert Schuller: "Tell me, what do you think of the future of Christianity"?

Billy Graham: "I think everybody who knows Christ, whether their conscious of it or not, they're members of the Body of Christ...God's purpose is to call out people for His name, whether they come from the Muslim world, Buddhist world, the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ, because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don't have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they are saved, and that they are going to be in heaven with us."

Robert Schuller: "What I hear you saying is that it's possible for Jesus Christ to come into human hearts and soul and life even if they've been born into darkness and never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you are saying?"

Billy Graham: "Yes it is, because I believe that. I've met people in various parts of the world...that have never seen a Bible, and never heard of Jesus, but they've believed in their hearts that there was a God."

This interview that was given by Dr. Graham 20 years ago has always intrigued me because it sounds that perhaps the world's most famous evangelist was saying that no one needs Jesus to be saved to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. As Mr. Graham stated, "They're already members of the body of Christ whether they know it or not"! All they have to do is believe in a God.

The reason I bring up the 10/40 window is because I have a heart for world missions. I support several world missions ministries with my finances and prayers to see unreached people groups in the 10/40 window have the opportunity to hear the gospel.

If these unreached and isolated people in remote places of the world are already saved without ever hearing the Name of Jesus, and are already members of the Body of Christ, as Rev. Graham declares, what's the use of supporting world missions? Isn't it time we just ended all our evangelistic effort's to reach the lost and stop all this foolishness of preaching?

Well quite frankly, I disagree with everything that Dr. Graham said in the Schuller interview.

Scripture says: "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? (Rom 10: 13-14).

Apostacy is generally defined as the determined, willful rejection of Christ and His teachings by a Christian believer. This is different from false belief, or error, which is the result of ignorance. Apostacy is not backsliding, but rather an about-face rejection of the faith that a person once professed to have in Christ. One of the influences that lead a person away from God and cause him to commit apostacy is false teaching. It is my belief that this sin was committed in the Graham interview, and it is a sin that the Bible severely warns about.

Originally Posted by Smitty

Most of the people still unreached by the gospel live in places stretching across the maps of northern Africa and Asia (10/40 window).
Two-thirds of the world's population, more than 4 billion, live in the 10/40 window. 90% of the people living in the 10/40 window are unevangelized. Many have never heard the gospel message even once.

http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/1040.htm

Billy Graham turned 99 years old last week. Do you remember the Robert Schuller interview between him and Rev. Graham back on May 31, 1997?

If not, please, let me refresh your memory.

Robert Schuller: "Tell me, what do you think of the future of Christianity"?

Billy Graham: "I think everybody who knows Christ, whether their conscious of it or not, they're members of the Body of Christ...God's purpose is to call out people for His name, whether they come from the Muslim world, Buddhist world, the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ, because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don't have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they are saved, and that they are going to be in heaven with us."

Robert Schuller: "What I hear you saying is that it's possible for Jesus Christ to come into human hearts and soul and life even if they've been born into darkness and never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you are saying?"

Billy Graham: "Yes it is, because I believe that. I've met people in various parts of the world...that have never seen a Bible, and never heard of Jesus, but they've believed in their hearts that there was a God."

This interview that was given by Dr. Graham 20 years ago has always intrigued me because it sounds that perhaps the world's most famous evangelist was saying that no one needs Jesus to be saved to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. As Mr. Graham stated, "They're already members of the body of Christ whether they know it or not"! All they have to do is believe in a God.

The reason I bring up the 10/40 window is because I have a heart for world missions. I support several world missions ministries with my finances and prayers to see unreached people groups in the 10/40 window have the opportunity to hear the gospel.

If these unreached and isolated people in remote places of the world are already saved without ever hearing the Name of Jesus, and are already members of the Body of Christ, as Rev. Graham declares, what's the use of supporting world missions? Isn't it time we just ended all our evangelistic effort's to reach the lost and stop all this foolishness of preaching?

Well quite frankly, I disagree with everything that Dr. Graham said in the Schuller interview.

Scripture says: "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? (Rom 10: 13-14).

Apostacy is generally defined as the determined, willful rejection of Christ and His teachings by a Christian believer. This is different from false belief, or error, which is the result of ignorance. Apostacy is not backsliding, but rather an about-face rejection of the faith that a person once professed to have in Christ. One of the influences that lead a person away from God and cause him to commit apostacy is false teaching. It is my belief that this sin was committed in the Graham interview, and it is a sin that the Bible severely warns about.

When I typed this OP, the transcript I read from left out the underlined words above in the opening Graham response to Dr. Schuller's first question.
Here is the interview:

I was wondering! What was "the only light they had" such as tribal Indians (apache, Crow, Blackfoot) before America was discovered and white's came to the plains of this country. The Indians seemed to be very spiritual people, but there were no missionaries to preach the gospel to them hundreds of years ago. Did God reveal Himself to them through creation?
This statement that Dr. Graham says "the only light they had" raises some questions in my mind. God is merciful and just to past remote tribal groups who never heard the Name of Jesus and the plan of salvation. "The only light they had" is a interesting quote that Dr. Graham says in the interview.

Originally Posted by curly sue

There is only one name given for salvation, Jesus. Could it be Dr. Graham came up with a poor answer for what will happen to those who have never heard the gospel?

But even though I disagree with Dr. Grahams theology in the interview, would God be fair and just to allow a people (tribe) to go to hell because they never had the opportunity to receive Jesus, or ever heard the gospel. Again, what did Billy mean when he said, "the only light they had"?