Are 5.6 billion people lost?

The Holy Bible contains 66 books (39 in Old Testament, 27 for New Testament). It includes 66 books, 1189 chapters, 31,103 verses and 807,361 words. The Bible represents God’s inspired Word. II Timothy 3:16 declares, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Peter 1:20-21 appended, “No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but by men influenced by the Holy Spirit’s guidance.” God did not write the Bible per se, but He “superintended” the writing of its authors.

The world’s population currently stands at approximately eight billion people (7,794,788,739). Its major religions are Christianity (31% of population), Islam (25%), Hinduism (15%) and Buddhism (5%). Agnostics and atheists account for an appalling 16%–the top atheistic nation being China. Other major religions are Judaism, Taoism, Sikhism, Jainism, Baha’i, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, etc. There are over four thousand different religions.

Islam believes in one god named Allah. Jesus is considered a prophet and great teacher but not God in the flesh (John 1:14). Hinduism has many gods, but three supreme gods: Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (transformer/destroyer). Hindus believe in a continuous cycle of reincarnation (life…death…rebirth). Based on previous life, a person could be reincarnated as either a human or an animal. Buddhism has no god. It is an Indian religion based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha (563-480 BC). Buddhism seeks to eliminate the individual self through the attainment of Nirvana (cessation of bad karma). Only three religions believe in one deity: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

All major religions possess a Holy Writ. Christianity has its Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments), Islam follows the Quran, Hinduism is based on the Vedas, Buddhism has the Taipitaka, and Judaism adheres to the Old Testament, but rejects the New Testament.

Since “non-Christian religions” do not fulfill the prerequisite of believing in Jesus as Savior, does this mean that nearly 70% of the world’s population (5.6 trillion people) is lost. For those who reject Jesus, 1 John 5:12 states, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Why are there so many religions on earth? Romans 1:20-21 provides the best explanation. To paraphrase, God’s identity and character can be seen in His creation, but its people do not wish to believe in the God who demands righteousness and morality. So they invent a god who accepts people into heaven if they have completed certain steps, followed certain rules and obeyed certain laws. The existence of so many religions demonstrates humanity’s rejection of the one true God.

Undergirding the Christian doctrine are two declarations by Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life…No one comes to the Father except through Me” and “Whosoever believes in Me shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

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