12. Conclusion

The purpose of this work has been to investigate the question of whether salvation is possible apart from explicit faith in Christ for those who are unevangelized during this lifetime. Part I, surveyed the views held on this question among Christians dating back to the early church fathers. Part II, examined this question from a biblical perspective. In this section, we first presented the biblical evidence usually appealed to by proponents of inclusivism—the view that the unevangelized may be saved by responding to what light they have about God through creation and conscience, as well as by truth that may be contained in non-Christian religions. We then sought to evaluate the evidence used to support this view.

The first line of evidence was that people during Old Testament times were saved without any knowledge of Christ. While acknowledging that this was true in a comprehensive sense (since Christ had not yet come), nonetheless the salvation of these people was always based on faith in the revealed promises of God (which did include the promise of a coming Redeemer). These promises went far beyond anything that could have been gleaned from reflecting on God’s general revelation.

The second line of evidence was that people outside the covenant community (such as Melchizedek in the Old Testament and Cornelius in the New Testament) appear to some to have been redeemed apart from explicit faith in the God of Israel or in Christ. A careful examination of the texts, however, revealed that in no case were any of these individuals saved apart from knowledge of the true God.

The third line of evidence focused on a number of individual texts which seem to support the inclusivist view. The arguments based on these passages were found to be unconvincing—particularly that they support the idea that salvation may come through a person’s reflecting on natural or general revelation.

Having evaluated the evidence for inclusivism, the biblical evidence for the particularist viewpoint was then presented. After noting several classic passages which state that salvation comes only through faith in Christ (e.g., John 14:6; Acts 4:12), we examined a long list of passages which tell us that people are saved through hearing and believing the word of God. This list is impressive and extensive, and cannot be ignored. We then noted a number of passages in the New Testament that contrasted the condition of people prior to their coming to faith with their condition after salvation. We saw that the contrast is between being in a state of darkness and coming into the light, between death and life, between blindness and sight. There is no indication from these passages that people were redeemed by God prior to their believing in Christ. It is my conclusion that this represents the view taught in the New Testament, that people are saved only through hearing and believing the gospel about Christ, placing their faith in him as their Savior and Lord (Rom. 10:9–10). We saw that this is true even of people who are described in the New Testament as being “devout” or “God fearers” prior to their conversion. (People who had been redeemed under the Old Testament economy, and came to faith in Christ, were seen to have moved from a faith that anticipated God’s redemption through the Messiah, to one that rested in the fulfillment of that promise and its accomplishment through Jesus.)

This is not to say that the Holy Spirit is not at work in a person’s life prior to his hearing the gospel. We examined a number of passages which support this view. But the major flaw in the inclusivist position is that it fails to properly distinguish between God’s preparing work and his saving work. Though God is at work preparing the hearts of persons to ultimately respond to the gospel, convicting them of their need for salvation, and instilling in them a hunger and thirst for God’s grace, they are still alienated from God and without eternal life, until they come to know Christ personally. Cornelius, and the Ethiopian eunuch were seen to be examples of people whom God so prepared. It was only after hearing of Christ and believing in him that their sins were forgiven, they received the gift of the Holy Spirit and of eternal life, and their hearts were cleansed.

Though God often uses his word in preparing someone for faith, where his word is known, it is not at all inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture to believe that he also uses his general revelation through creation and conscience, as well as truths in non-Christian religions. But this preparatory work is distinct from his work in bringing someone to salvation through faith in Christ. As noted in the chapters above, God’s preparation of the heart is similar to that of plowing a field in preparation for the sowing of seed. God’s preparing work may instill a thirst for redemption; but only the gospel can quench that thirst. The Holy Spirit may work through general revelation to draw people to seek for God; but only in the gospel may he be found in a saving sense.

We also saw that God’s normal means of communicating the gospel is through a human messenger (Rom. 10:14–15). This is not to deny, however, that he may at times use extraordinary means of communicating with people in leading them to faith (whether through an angel, or through a vision or dream). But even then, his normal practice is to direct an individual to a person through whom the gospel can be communicated. This communication, of course, could come by means of the written word (or through other media), as well.

Finally, we saw that it is only during this lifetime that people may come to faith. It was suggested that God may communicate directly with people at the moment of death, at which time those whose hearts he had been preparing may come to saving faith. And we presented the testimony of others who have believed this to be the case. We obviously would have no direct evidence of persons to whom the Lord revealed the gospel at the point of death, and then took them immediately home to heaven. But that this may be the case with some people (perhaps many people) is entirely possible. And it is consistent with the goodness and mercy of God to believe that it may be so.

One factor which was not extensively examined, but which is of significant importance, is whether the behavior of the apostles (even apart from their explicit teaching) gives any indication as to what they personally believed about these matters. The following statements of the Apostle Paul are particularly significant. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). Paul here states his conviction that it is through the gospel that people are saved. In his first letter to the Corinthians he states: “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me” (I Cor. 9:16–17). Paul felt a personal responsibility to proclaim the gospel message, having been commissioned to do so by the Lord—having a “stewardship entrusted to” him. As he states in his letter to the Romans: “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; but as it is written, ‘They who had no news of Him shall see, And they who have not heard shall understand’” (Rom. 15:20–21). Paul’s passion was to make Christ known where he was not yet known. This obviously was the result of his conviction that the gospel was essential to people’s salvation. As he wrote in his second letter to Timothy: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” (II Tim. 2:8–10). Paul not only believed the gospel was essential to people’s salvation, and that he had a personal responsibility to proclaim it where it was not yet known, but he was willing to suffer extreme hardship so that the elect could receive the gospel and through it obtain salvation.

Geivett and Phillips have stated this fact well: “(I)t is difficult to account for the evangelistic mandate, and for the sufferings God’s witnesses are called upon to endure, on the supposition that the unevangelized do not need to hear in order to be saved. To be saved, a specific confession has to be made, and a specific set of truths must be believed.”¹

A reading of the Book of Acts tells us that God himself directs his messengers to place them in touch with those whom he has prepared to receive the gospel. Consider his sending Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26–40), and Peter to Cornelius (Acts 10–11), as well as his sovereign direction of Paul and his companions to the places where they ministered (Acts 13:1–3; 10:7ff). As Buswell states: “Christ brings conviction and prepares the hearts of His elect, and He also superintends the steps of the missionaries as they go forth seeking to save the lost, and brings the two together.”² God is the “Lord of the harvest” (Mt. 9:38; Lk. 10:2), and he is the one who “sends” his messengers to preach the gospel (Rom. 10:15). The verb used for “send” in the Matthew and Luke passages is ekballo. It is a strong word that is often used of “casting out” demons (Mt. 7:22; 8:16). It seems to be stronger even than the word used in some other contexts, such as Romans 10:15 (apostello).³ The Lord is the one who sends his messengers where he wants them to go.⁴

But it is also true that we are responsible to take the gospel to the nations (Mt. 28:18–20). The Apostle Paul confessed before King Agrippa that he had not been “disobedient to the heavenly vision” in which he was commissioned by the Lord to preach the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 26:19). And he wrote to the church at Corinth: “for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (I Cor. 9:16). Both of these truths are taught in Scripture, and must be held in balance—the truth of God’s sovereign direction of the gospel ministry, and our responsibility to obey his commission to be his messengers to all nations. In the words of Christopher Little:

God’s redemptive program can be compared to a coin. On one side is divine sovereignty and on the other human responsibility. Both are necessary and mysteriously linked so that people can hear the gospel concerning Christ, exercise faith, and be saved. God does what he desires according to his sovereign will established from the foundations of the world, and we do what we have been called to do in view of our love for and dedication to him. As a result, his redemptive program is carried on and brought to fulfillment.⁵

Others have noticed the balance between divine sovereignty and human responsibility in the account of the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck at sea (Acts 27). At one point during the voyage, an angel appeared to Paul, telling him that God had determined to save all those who were sailing with him in the vessel (Acts 27:24). Yet, on a subsequent day, when some of the sailors attempted to abandon the ship, Paul said to the ship’s leaders: “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved” (Acts 27:31). God had sovereignly determined that they would all be saved. Yet, their salvation would not be realized apart from their compliance with the command to remain in the ship. And Paul’s warning to them was very real. It was the means God used to restrain the sailors from abandoning those who remained on the ship.

How these two realities may coexist is beyond our complete understanding. But they are both true, nonetheless. I believe that God will see that salvation will come, through faith in Christ, to every person who genuinely seeks him, and is prepared by God to receive him. But it is also true that we are responsible to obey Christ’s command to take the gospel to every creature. And his command is very real.

Andy Chambers speaks of the importance of holding these twin realities in balance in these words:

This mystery calls the church to humility before God. On the other hand, it does not excuse the church from obedience to Christ’s command to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19). We should agree with Scripture when it tells us that people will not believe unless we go to them with the gospel (Rom 10:14–15) and plead with them to repent and be saved (Acts 3:19; 17:30). The message we preach is the means by which God saves those who believe (I Cor 1:21). Yet, we should also humbly confess with Scripture that God draws and opens the heart of sinners to hear and believe the gospel (John 6:44; Acts 16:14). The church that accepts this mystery without having to understand it fully will have a high view of God, and it will be possessed with an urgency that compels it to take the gospel to the ends of the earth by any means available.⁶

Though God may use extraordinary means of communication in the process of bringing the gospel to some people, the fact remains that even in the examples we have in Scripture of where this was the case (the experience of Paul comes to mind), a human messenger was still an essential link in the chain of communication. The same seems to be the case also in accounts we have of similar experiences outside of the biblical record. Even though it is possible that God may communicate the gospel to people apart from any human involvement whatsoever, we know that for good reasons it is his desire to use a human messenger. This is true, even if at times he uses other extraordinary means to communicate the gospel. We should be motivated to obey the Lord in taking the gospel to the world, not only by our love for him, but by our love for people who still need to enter into life.

The issue of the fate of the unevangelized is far more than hypothetical in nature. It is not just a point of theological interest. But it is a matter of utmost importance. This can be seen, I believe, in the influence the teaching of Vatican II on the status of the unevangelized has had on the evangelistic efforts among Roman Catholics. Stephen Bevans writes: “And, perhaps more radically, with Vatican II’s acknowledgement of the possibility of salvation outside of explicit faith in Christ . . . , many Catholics—including missionaries—no longer saw missionary activity as an urgent need. If people could be saved by following their own consciences in the context of their own religions, why try to convert them?”⁷

John Lamont also observes:

The trouble with the Council’s approach to mission is that although it stresses that Catholics must seek to convert unbelievers, it gives no adequate reason for doing so. It does give Christ’s command to evangelize as a reason, but it gives no proper explanation of why that command is given, or of the good that the commandment is supposed to promote. This, of course, means that the command is unlikely to be followed; and it has in fact been largely disregarded since the Council.⁸

It takes little imagination to believe that the same may be true among many professing evangelicals who have embraced a similar theology regarding the fate of the unevangelized as that proposed in Vatican II. My prayer has been that this work might serve as a preventative against such an outcome.

We must never forget that the most significant need any person has is for a living relationship with God through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, and what he has done in our behalf. People may have all of their material, physical, political and social needs met. But if they do not know God in a personal way, and the salvation he offers, they really have nothing at all. Let us never forget.

In bringing this work to a close, I suggest the following practical implications of this study. First, to those who object to the fairness of God in requiring faith in Christ for salvation, we can confidently respond that God’s word assures us that God will see that Christ is made known to every person whose heart is prepared to receive him. The Scriptures tell us: “(F)or the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him . . . .” (I Chron. 28:9b).⁹ It is not beyond his ability to bring this about, whether through ordinary or extraordinary means.

Second, we must take seriously our Lord’s commission that we make the gospel known to every creature. And, as the example of the Apostle Paul reminds us, we must be prepared to suffer whatever hardships this may require of us. The proclamation of the gospel is not an optional activity for a few. It is the commission our Lord has given to us all.¹⁰

Third, we should take courage, knowing that the Lord himself has promised to go with us as we carry out his commission. He said, “(L)o, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20b).

Fourth, we can be encouraged as well, knowing that the Lord not only goes with us, but he has gone before us to prepare the hearts of many people to respond in faith when the gospel is made known. It is clear from the Book of Acts that the fact that the Lord had gone before his messengers to prepare the hearts of people to whom he had called them to preach the gospel, was a significant encouragement to them in their ministry (Acts 18:10). The same should be true for us. We can be encouraged in carrying out our witness for the Lord among the unevangelized, knowing that he has gone before us, and has been at work in the hearts of many people preparing them to be receptive to the truth of the gospel. As he said to the Apostle Paul, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9b–10).¹¹

Fifth, we should begin our endeavor by giving ourselves to prayer for those who do not yet know the Lord. Jesus told his disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Mt. 9:38). This is where world evangelization begins—with prayer. It is no coincidence that the first missionary journey of Paul was born in the context of prayer. It was while they “were ministering to the Lord and fasting” that the Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas to take the gospel to those who had not yet been reached (Acts 13:2–3). The same has been true throughout the history of the church. One thinks of the “haystack prayer meeting” of five students at Williams College in 1806, which resulted in the launching of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.¹² The same is true today.¹³

Sixth, we can begin by praying for those in our own personal circle of family and friends who do not know the Lord. But we can go beyond this, by learning about and praying for people groups throughout the world who are still in need of an effective Christian witness. One way to do this is by consulting the “Joshua Project” which has a wonderful website devoted to familiarizing readers with people groups who are as yet beyond the reach of the gospel.¹⁴

Seventh, we must take time to prayerfully and thoughtfully learn to communicate the gospel, and our own personal testimony of how Christ has changed our life, to those who do not yet know him. There are many resources available to help us do this.¹⁵ Many people have found it helpful also to always carry with them some printed resources that can be given to people who are interested in knowing more about the Lord.¹⁶ And let us not forget the numerous ways that the internet can be used to make the gospel known to people throughout the world!

Eighth, we must be faithful to help those who do trust in Christ to grow in their new faith, and to become part of his family through a healthy local church, where the Bible is taught. As many have pointed out, the Lord instructed us not simply to “make converts,” but to “make disciples” (Mt. 28:18–20).

Ninth, we must be diligent to cultivate our own relationship with Christ on a daily basis, through our own regular study and meditation on his word, through a life of prayer, and through worship and fellowship with God’s people. Only as we “abide in him” and trust in him can we know that he will be working through us, guiding us, and using us. As he said, “(F)or apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b).

The words of Paul to the church at Colosse are worthy of repetition in this regard: “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col. 4:2–6).