Pope Francis yesterday spoke saying, "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!"
This needs a explanation for Catholics and Christians alike. The following is given as part of our Catholic theology on this issue based upon the teachings of St. Paul and the Church:
Indeed, Christ redeemed all of humanity by his death and resurrection. Yes everyone even those who do not believe in God or Jesus Christ. St. Paul wrote, "For he says: 'In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.' Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2)." And he wrote in Romans 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Furthermore to make this even clearer St. Paul wrote, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8)." So it is very clear and valid that Christ redeemed everyone by his death and resurrection. But that is not the end of St. Paul's theology on salvation, only part of it.
So having been given redemption and faith as a free gift by Christ's sacrifice what happens next? What are we to do? St. Paul also gave the answer to this, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16)" So St. Paul notes that God expects something back from this precious gift of redemption. This is found in the words "justified through faith" and "everyone who believes." Clearly, St. Paul (and the Lord) want something from us. So St. Paul wrote, "Through it [the gospel] you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain (1 Cor. 15:2)." Indeed, we must hold fast to the gospel, or is the redemption given to us and to the call we each have received by Christ's death and resurrection been in vain. This living in vain is characterized by St. Paul clearly writing about those who will not be saved, "Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators [premarital sex] nor idolaters nor adulterers nor prostitutes nor homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-11)." St. Paul also said, "Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality [fornication], impurity, licentiousness [uncontrolled sexual behavior], idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God [heaven] (Gal. 5:19-21)."
So St. Paul does relate what we must do now that Christ has redeemed us. We must live our faith by living the gospel. He wrote, "Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me (Gal. 2:20)." And St. Paul was even more forceful about the gospel he preached writing to the Galatians, "I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by (the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed . . . Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin (Gal. 1:6-9,11)." Assuredly, it is the gospel of Christ that we are to follow, "Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ . . . standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel (Phil. 1:27)."
St. Paul continually pointed out the necessity to live by the gospel, "[You] he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am a minister (Col. 1:21-23)." So Paul encourages believers, "Let our people, too, learn to devote themselves to good works (Titus 3:14)." He also writes, "[God] will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness (Rom. 2:6-8)."
Theologically, the giving of redemption and the accepting of it represent the "now" and the "not yet" of salvation. Yes, salvation is here now for all, yet we are called to respond to it, this gift. We respond by loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves, which is the Great Commandment. So love is the meeting point where God has given his Son and where we meet him in love. St. John the Apostle wrote, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16)." And St. John also wrote these words of Jesus, "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself (John 12:32)." This "everyone" refers to believers who do not walk in darkness (John 12:35-36)." And so it is that love becomes the great virtue (1 Cor. 13:13). Importantly Jesus said this of love, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15)." There we have it. The answer: our response to his great gifts of redemption and faith is to live God's commandments and the gospel out of love. Love, love, love - more than ourselves and our opinions, and give up our selfishness. God has indeed blessed us, and we should love him wherever we go. There are lots of people on the roads, on the highways and by-ways, and Christ is there too. Love is where we meet God and our neighbor.
So to summarize, God has indeed given everyone a great gift. Its like Christmas everyday. Still, like all presents, God's gift must be opened and wanted. Simply stated, we are all called to respond to this wonderful gift for which Christ died to give us. If one does not want it or turns it away, they will not have it. Heaven is to be possessed by those who want it and are willing to LIVE the gospel of Christ.
Alan Meister
Catholic Biblical Scholar and Theologian
