According to what Jesus says in Matthew 25:31-46, belief in Jesus is not required for eternal life. In fact, this passage makes it clear that it is not even necessary to know Jesus to inherit the kingdom of heaven. One is rewarded with eternal life based on whether or not one feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, take care of the sick and visits those in prison.
Matthew 25:31-46: But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 “And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? 38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 ‘And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
The theme is echoed elsewhere, including Jesus' well-known parable of the Good Samaritan.
Why then are there biblical passages such as John 14:6, where Jesus declares, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No ones comes to the Father except through me.
-- Jay Sakashita, Midweek, February 10, 2016, page 17
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