Salvation in No One Else

Despite what God’s Word says, you can get to heaven apart from faith in Jesus Christ. How? By obeying your conscience. So says the supreme pontiff.

In a recent letter to Eugenio Scalfari, founder of La Repubblica newspaper, Pope Francis wrote the following:

You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don’t believe and who don’t seek the faith. I start by saying—and this is the fundamental thing—that God’s mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience. [source]

Are the pontiff’s words faithful to Holy Scripture? No! Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone.

What does God’s Word say about our obedience? Our works? Our merits?

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” [Romans 3:10-12] 

“By works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” [Romans 3:20] 

“No one is justified before God by the law.” [Galatians 3:11]

What does God’s Word say about salvation and Jesus Christ?

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” [John 14:6] 

“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4:12] 

“We hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” [Romans 3:28] 

“We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” [Galatians 2:16] 

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” [Ephesians 2:1-10]

Don’t go searching for salvation in your heart, your conscience, your obedience, or your works. Look instead to Jesus Christ and Him crucified for you. Find His grace in Word and Sacrament. Hear and believe His word of forgiveness to you. Jesus alone is your salvation!