While serving as a missionary in Neumarkt am Wallersee Austria, we tracted into the Andexer Family. They invited us in because their son, who was probably around 20 at the time of his death, had not been baptized as a child. The local pastor told them that, because their son was not baptized as an infant, he was condemned to hell. We shared with them our dogma, it gave them hope, and while they never embraced our Faith, they from that time forward were friendly towards us and would wave when they saw us in town. He gave them wrath; we gave them hope. And whosoever beleiveth in God might with surety hope for a better world. Another chance.
You see, the teaching that only those who are baptized as children can be saved means that God is a respector of persons. Only those appropriately baptized as youth while alive can be saved by Christ. This denies the Christ, not that He exists, but that He is the Christ came to rescue and redeem ALL men. The catholic dogma, and in fact most Christian religions, make no provision for posthumous ordinances despite the fact that Paul asked “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:29). This seems to imply that there was provision in the early church for those who had not the chance to accept Christ while alive to accept it once they passed out of the mortal realm.
It's not just Christians who are condemned to be cast by God’s wrath to hell by this heresy. This means that all people all over the world, either blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, or kept from the truth because they know not where to find it, are condemned, because they were BORN UNABLE TO HEAR ABOUT CHRIST. No Dane, nor Iriquois, nor Magyar, nor Selucid, nor Berber may be saved by Christ because they were not blessed by God to be born in a place and time to hear about Him. How can Christ be the Savior of Mankind if most of mankind is not allowed to be saved because they were not baptized Catholic, particularly as children? This is heresy. Worse, it is anti-Christ.
Regardless of where or when someone lived, all can hear and accept the message of the Redeemer and Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice through the sealing powers made possible in the Lord’s House. For Christ came not to destroy but to fulfill, and what does He fulfill, the promise that all mankind MAY be saved, if they wish to be. Now modern Christians teach how all you must do is accept Christ and let Him in, and then they shut the door and bar any of the Pagans from entry and don’t even give them a chance to hear and accept. This message gives men hope. This message brings the Good News of the Gospel. It also comforts Christians who are fearful, selfish, lazy or timid enough that they fail to either come to Christ themselves or invite others WHO ARE ALIVE to join us. Who are we to decide who gets to hear about Christ? Who are we to decide who gets to be saved by Christ because we decide NOT to preach of Him to them and thereby condemn them forever to hell by our bias? Through proxy ordinances, those who died not having the privilege of knowing about Christ may accept Him, follow Him, obey Him, magnify His name, and partake of His mercy, grace and love.
No man must be condemned by circumstance or choice forever to hell. That does not sound like a loving God to me. Rather, He made provision that all mankind may be saved and exalted by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, regardless of their location in space or in time, even those who are beyond the grave. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoso believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Even if they died before Christ or before they got a chance to hear about Him.
The simple fact of the matter is that we do not know who will be saved by Christ. Everyone CAN be, but that’s between them and Christ, and we have very little if any say in that. The catholic church has made it part of its dogma ever since anyone knows to deny the Christ and claim that they know who can and will be saved, but we don’t know that. In truth, I suspect myriads of Christians will awake on resurrection day not only surprised where they end up but also by those in whose company they find themselves.
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