Please watch this video from a recent Oprah Winfrey Show broadcast.
OK. So, the question is: How does someone who never heard the name Jesus, get into heaven?
We believe that Jesus is the only way – John 14:6. But, it’s obvious that it’s not the name of Jesus, but the person of Jesus. We know his name because we’ve been introduced to him through the New Testament. I think what people get hung up on is that there are many people who have never heard of the name Jesus and yet do many wonderful things and we want to believe that they are going to heaven because of what they do. But what Abraham and David and Noah and all the great men and women of Scriptures knew was not the name of Jesus Christ, but that there was to be a Christ. They knew that there was no way they could go to God, but they knew and trusted that God would come to them, and he did. They knew that there was no way that man could make it to God without God coming to man. That is what Jesus did! He was God on earth – Immanuel!!! God with us!!!
The woman in the audience, when posed with this question, would have been better to say – “You know, Oprah, that’s a really a good question and one I grapple with myself. I know that Jesus is the only way and I know this because I know him. I can see that you have put a great deal of time and effort in trying to find the answer yourself and that you struggle with understanding yourself. I don’t have the answer to your question and I apologize for not being prepared to answer it. I would be willing to continue this discussion later because it is something that I should have a better understanding. There is not a ’10-second soundbite’ answer. It requires a close examination of Scripture and that takes time.” Or something like that.
