Can a Non-Believer Go To Heaven?

By: Omar Rushlive L. Arellano

In Adulting With Joyce Pring, “Unpacking Christianity ft. Wil Dasovic (Part 2)”, ¹ Joyce’s answer sparked an uproar from many Filipinos on the internet. This essay is a commentary aiming to clarify the ideas Wil and Joyce presented. Though not exhaustive, this is enough to give a general Christian response to questions possibly opened by their discussion. We will not discuss their entire conversation, but merely focus on the part that concerns the eternal destiny of unbelievers. We will start by giving the transcript for context, then we will give the commentary.

The Transcript:

“Wil: Do you believe a non-believer can go to heaven? (19:40)

Joyce: A non-believer, as in someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus?

Wil: Yeah.

Joyce: No.

Wil: Damn.

Joyce: Yeah (nods).

Wil: What will happen to them?

Joyce: They’re going to face judgment and go to hell.

Wil: Oh my gosh! (laughs) That is so brutal!

Joyce: What? You’re asking me honest questions. I’m giving you honest answers. (19:58)

Wil: Brutally honest. What do they do in hell?

Joyce: Suffer in eternity?

Wil: Forever?

Joyce: Forever.

Wil: You don’t think they should be forgiven and have, like given a second chance, right? Doesn’t God always give people second chances?

Joyce: Listen, listen. This is something that I really struggle with. This is something that I honestly really struggle with. (20:22) And I wished, I really honestly wish that there’s a different answer to this. That, “Oh, anybody can go to heaven!” But I think what makes Christianity beautiful is that you don’t have to work for heaven, Jesus already did that for you. And so the only thing that you have to really realize is, accept that gift. What is that gift? The gift is: We’re sinners, and God is a holy God, let’s say for example, that we are in a courtroom, right? And God is the judge and you’re the criminal. Would God be a good judge if He just said, “Okay, sige wag na. You’re free.” You killed someone and you’re like you’re free to go. But what Christianity says happens is Jesus comes in and says, “Okay, Wil deserves to be in jail. Instead of Wil going to jail, I’ll be in jail, for his sake.” That’s what Christ did on the cross. (21:22)

Wil: Can a murderer go to heaven?

Joyce: Yes.

Wil: As long as he’s Christian?

Joyce: If he honestly repents of his sin.

Wil: But like a person who’s just a saint, never did anything wrong in their life, they’re not Christian, they can’t go to heaven?

Joyce: If they don’t believe in Jesus, no.

Wil: (laughs) That’s brutal bro. That is so brutal, okay. (21:45)

Joyce: I’m so sorry (laughs).

Wil: That is so brutal.

Joyce: Okay, I just want to say again, I’m not judging anyone. This is just what I believe.

Wil: Personal belief?

Joyce: Personal belief (nods).

Wil: And I disagree with you.

Joyce: Yeah, and that’s totally fine.

Wil: And we still are great friends. (22:01)

Joyce: We still are great friends. And we can still have this kind of conversation.

Wil: And we don’t judge each other?

Joyce: We don’t judge each other or anybody.

Wil: Just a little, just kidding. (laughs)”

Commentary:

In general, I would say that Joyce gave an accurate explanation of what the gospel is about. Some things could have been articulated better to leave no room for misinterpretation, but it cannot be helped in a natural conversation. And in this commentary, we will do our best to add more light than heat to this discussion.

Let’s start with Joyce’s tone of voice. Her friendly and honest tone indicates non-condescension. To add, she was just sharing God’s standard for salvation, and not hers. Thus, I think that accusing her of being bigoted or hateful is out of line.

Next, let’s move to the content. Let’s start with Joyce affirming that those who do not believe in Jesus will face judgment and go to hell to be punished forever.

There are people who would misinterpret Joyce and say that she thinks she is better than others because of her faith, or that God is intolerant because He casts people to hell just because people believe differently, or because you are not a member of the Christian religion. But to insist on this is to be unfair and unfaithful to the spirit of what Joyce is saying. She is not claiming any of the three. She is not saying that she is better than others because of her faith. In fact, she has made a response to people that say this,

“So I just want to clear the air here and say this: some of you guys are absolutely right; I’ve been a bad person. Maybe even a worse person than you’d think. I’ve had the messiest history, I’ve made bad decisions, I’ve hurt people — I’ve done it all, and if I’m being honest, I still make pretty awful mistakes to this day.

And that’s precisely why I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ — that salvation comes only through Him; not through our works, or by our own merit. Jesus died on the Cross precisely for hopeless, depressed, sinful people like me — because I’d have no chance at Heaven if it were just up to me.”²

Joyce does not believe in an intolerant god who casts people into hell just for believing differently. She shared the gospel to Wil, explaining that we are sinners and that God is holy. We can infer from what she said that we all deserve God’s punishment. This means God will do justly to punish all of us. Nevertheless, God’s sovereign will is to save sinners like us through the person and work of Jesus Christ. The only condition God gives is to believe in Jesus to accept His gift. And if we don’t believe in Jesus, then we are rejecting God’s only provision for our salvation. If we think about this, the ultimate reason why we are punished is because we are sinners and not simply because we believe differently. There are many Christians who believe differently in other matters but are still saved, so believing differently in itself is not the issue here. The crucial distinction is that when a sinner rejects God’s way of salvation, then there is no other way for them. There are different passages in the Bible that show this, and here are some of them:

• John 3:16–18: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
• John 3:36: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
• Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Romans 3:21–26: “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
• John 14:6: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
• Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

The problem in our culture is that we think we are good enough to merit salvation by our own good works. We like to define goodness or religiosity in our own terms, as if these amount to anything in getting God’s merit. But we fail to see what it is like being under the gaze of a holy and righteous God. I remember a quote from R.C. Sproul about Isaiah in the second chapter of his book, The Holiness of God (1998):

“”If ever there was a man of integrity, it was Isaiah ben Amoz. He was a whole man, a together type of fellow. He was considered by his contemporaries as the most righteous man in the nation. He was respected as a paragon of virtue. Then he caught one sudden glimpse of a holy God. In that single moment, all of his self-esteem was shattered. In a brief second he was exposed, made naked beneath the gaze of the absolute standard of holiness. As long as Isaiah could compare himself to other mortals, he was able to sustain a lofty opinion of his own character. The instant he measured himself by the ultimate standard, he was destroyed — morally and spiritually annihilated. He was undone. He came apart. His sense of integrity collapsed.”

Sproul commented that we are fortunate that God reveals our sinfulness one at a time and not like Isaiah’s like all at once. Many of us are not like Isaiah, we are not regarded in our nation as paragons of virtue. And yet, we have the audacity to think that we are good enough in God’s sight. But God’s holiness demands perfection. In fact, we need to surpass the righteousness of those considered to be paragons of virtue if we want to be saved, not just outwardly, but also inwardly. Matthew 5:20 says, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Another passage that shows God’s inward standard is Matthew 5:27–28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Because of this, Wil’s hypothetical perfect person who is not a Christian does not exist. Joyce does not need to agree with Wil’s question and say that a perfect person who does not believe in Jesus will go to hell. The only perfect being is God, and the person of Jesus is God. With that said, I think the perfection of Christ is beautiful, because we can connect it with what Joyce said about Christianity being beautiful because we no longer need to work for heaven. Jesus has obeyed the father perfectly for us. Since we are sinful people, whatever work we do to save ourselves will never make the cut, because it is tainted by all our corruption. But if Jesus is perfect, then Him taking the punishment meant for us, so that those who believe will share in Christ’s merits will be made possible.

Wil also asked about God giving people second chances. Joyce had already answered it when she shared that Christ has already given us the gift of salvation, and that we need to accept it. If we think about it, God has been really patient with us and he has given us more than second chances. When God does not punish us outright in the very instance of our sinning, it shows that God is being patient with us for our sake. This God is a very patient and tolerant God. In fact, it’s said in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

People are also not going to hell just because they are not a member of the Christian religion. Assuredly, there are many people who belong to the Christian religion but they will not be with God in heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22–23:

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

This is why I really liked Joyce’s answer when Wil asked if a murderer can go to heaven as long as he is a Christian. Instead of answering directly in the affirmative, she just answered, “If he honestly repents of his sin.” This is important because if Joyce answered Wil’s question directly, people may misinterpret her by thinking that what she meant is that a murderer can go to heaven just by being part of the Christian religion. In the second chapter of Defending Your Faith: An Introduction To Apologetics (2003), Sproul talked about the elements of saving faith that the thinkers of the 16th century distinguished: notitia, assensus, and fiducia. Basically, notitia refers to a certain level of information or content that we must believe. We could not be saved if we believe that Jesus is a mere man, we can be saved if we believe that Jesus is God who came into this world as a man. There is also assensus, which is said to be simply the Latin word for intellectual assent. If I ask you whether you believe that Manny Pacquiao has ever been a champion, if you agree, then you are just agreeing that the proposition is true, but it does not necessarily mean that you are putting your personal trust in him if you agree. It’s logically possible that you would trust that there’s another person that is a better boxer than him. Regarding salvation, it is not enough that you believe the correct content and assent to it intellectually. It’s said in James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.” This shows us that demons know the truth about God but they do not submit to Him. And it’s possible that we can believe the right content and mentally assent to it. But it’s not enough. We also need fiducia in order for our faith to be saving faith. This is what Joyce said, “If he honestly repents of his sin.” And if you will honestly repent of your sin, then it shows that you have fiducia, or personal trust or reliance. As Sproul puts it, you have a genuine affection for Christ, which is done by the work of the Holy Spirit. What this shows us is that we could not deceive God that we are believers if we really are not.

Conclusion

A better way of phrasing the answer is that sinners who do not accept God’s provision or gift for salvation could not be saved. And it’s not unloving or bigoted to point out that Christ is the only way. I think that Joyce is doing this out of love for everyone whom she wants to hear God’s message of salvation. In fact, though the gospel of Jesus is exclusive, in a sense that He is the only way, it is also inclusive in another sense, which means that it is open for all sinners. You just need to agree on God’s terms!

I just want to end this with a quote from Derek Brown, in his essay entitled, “The Exclusivity of Christ: A Compassionate and Humble Doctrine (2018)”, to show that the exclusivity of Christ is something beautiful:

“Still, some might object and say that pressing the exclusivity of Christ upon non-Christians is unkind. How can you tell others that their religion or worldview is wrong? That’s just plain mean. Live and let live!

Yet, the exact opposite is true. The exclusivity of Christ is a compassionate and humble doctrine, for it guards people from seeking salvation in a place where it cannot be found. Think of it this way.

Let’s say we find ourselves in the midst of post-nuclear war fallout, and there is one and only one source in the entire world where people can acquire clean, drinkable water. All other sources, though similar to the genuine source in their appearance, are actually poisoned and non-potable. We certainly wouldn’t fault the claim that drinkable water can only be found at this one source; nor would we say that such a claim is unkind or arrogant. Actually, we would be thankful for this knowledge because it would keep us from making a fatal choice of drinking clean-looking but deadly water at a counterfeit location.

To hold up Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation among all other religions and religious leaders is not unkind; it is the most loving thing you can do. The “humble” person who doesn’t have a strong conviction on where to find clean water (even though they may have seen the source several times) is neither loving nor humble. Such a person is hateful and selfish, no matter how soft-spoken and deferential they appear.”³

References:

1. Pring, Joyce. “Unpacking Christianity ft. Wil Dasovic (Part 2)”, October 5, 2022, in Adulting With Joyce Pring, produced by Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/episode/2GnfS1iOjDt7IU0sIovJaI?fbclid=IwAR24fqyNPNp5Nb2WL96puCfXSdS63J8epZbljf-x6ZYagRQP5GYpWedjfIc.

2. Joyce Pring, “Joyce Pring’s response to haters”, Facebook, October 13, 2021, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2474481789365723.

3. Derek Brown, “The Exclusivity of Christ: A Compassionate and Humble Doctrine,” From The Study, April 3, 2018. https://fromthestudy.com/2018/04/03/the-compassionate-doctrine-of-the-exclusivity-of-christ/?fbclid=IwAR3rMhNDS21uJ0Kh-a83rPpTO_wFw1_ER5vfZvGS-KJH8UnfBUhCmQdDuzg#:~:text=The%20exclusivity%20of%20Christ%20is%20a%20compassionate%20and,world%20where%20people%20can%20acquire%20clean%2C%20drinkable%20water