Can Atheists Be Redeemed by Good Works?
On May 23, 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (aka Pope Francis I) announced in a recent sermon at the Vatican that atheists who do good works are redeemed by the blood of Christ. The top Catholic cleric quoted from Mark 9:38-40: John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40For the one who is not against us is for us.”
The pope explained, “‘If he’s not one of us, he cannot do good; if he’s not in our party, he can’t do good,’ the disciples were a bit intolerant, closed in the idea of possessing the truth, in the conviction that ‘all those who do not have the truth cannot do good’… The Lord has redeemed us all with the blood of Christ, all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone. Some may ask, ‘Father, even the atheists?’ Them, too. Everyone.”
Pope did not say that Jesus offered himself as sacrifice for everyone. We would agree. Jesus is died as the propitiation for the whole world (1 John 2:2). However, the Pope said that Jesus has redeemed everyone, including atheists who do good works.
However, what does the Bible teach concerning those that those who do not believe? Hint: Mark 16:16. Jesus said that even those who called Jesus “Lord” and did many good works in His name but who did not do the Father’s bidding will be lost (Matthew 7:21-23). Besides, good works do not merit us salvation (Titus 3:5). The conclusions from Pope Francis I are an example of what happens when we abandon the Scriptures.
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Incidentally, some in our brotherhood have used Mark 9:38-40 as justification for the New Testament church to have fellowship with denominations, as if it were also a denomination. However, when you read the passage more carefully you will notice what Jesus does not say. What would Jesus have said if the individual doing the good works were a false teacher? Did he not call false teachers “ravenous wolf,” a bad tree that bear bad fruit and a tree worthy of being cut and burned (Matthew 7:15-20). Jesus did not say that this worker in Mark 9 was a false teacher. The man was casting out demons Jesus’s name. The man was acting in line with God’s will. If he had not been, he would have been told “depart from me, you workers of iniquity,” even though he had done great works in Jesus’ name (Matthew 7:21-23).
Jesus once purged a man of a legion of demons. When Jesus was about to leave, the man asked to be with him. Instead, Jesus told him to stay there and tell others what good the Lord has done for him (Mark 5:18-19). Not everyone who believed in Jesus was able to follow him everywhere He went. For example, the Seed was sown among the Samaritans (John 4) and later workers returned to reap the harvest (Acts 8:5-25).
The twelve, on the other hand, did travel with him. However, they were already vying for the top positions in the kingdom (Mark 9:33-37) and therefore, competing even with each other. Do you remember how indignant the others were at James and John when their mother requested high positions of authority at Jesus’s side (Mark 10:41)? Do you think that they would have allowed an outside encroach on their turf? Understanding the context in which the complaint against the unknown disciple was made will help us to avoid erroneous conclusions about fellowship.
Eric Welch
