By Samuel Schmitt
Salvation is through faith in Christ. The Bible is clear that Christ is the only way to a relationship with God (John 14:6) and that man cannot be saved through his own good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). This is true and what the Bible teaches. It does, however, lead to a very common question by both skeptics and believers: what about those who have not heard of Christ.
The common church response is that everyone has rebelled from God (true: see Isaiah 53:6), and that everyone deserves punishment for this (also true: see Romans 6:23). Also generally added is a reference to Romans 2:15 which mentions that the law of God is written on people’s hearts; meaning that He has provided a way for people to know that He exists and that rejection of Him, even apart from hearing the Gospel, is justlydamnable.
All this is true. It is not, however, a sufficient answer to the original question, it leads to another question.
The Next Logical Question: What about those people who want to know God and still haven’t heard the gospel?
It’s here we often go astray. Quick pat answers are given: no one truly seeks God, this person is still sinful, these cases are few and far between, etc. In addition to being shallow, these answers technically don’t answer the question.
A Look At Faith
What is faith?
This is a large question. In short, it’s a decision of the will to trust God for something. Since it is from the will, it effects both one’s thoughts and one’s actions. Belief, like action, is an element of faith,but at it’s core, faith is a decision.
How was Lot saved? Abraham? Rehab?
By their faith, answersthe writer of Hebrews 11.
Was this faith a faith in Christ?
It must have been, if it was salvific, for we are only saved through Christ.
Was it cognitive of all the Gospel?
No, but it must have been a true, if not comprehensive, faith to be effective.
Lot, Abraham, and Rehab did not have codified systems of doctrine about God. They knew nothing from Scripture about Christ.They did not even know about the ten commandments, but they put their faith in God as He revealed Himself to them at the time. God did not bless their faith in false idols as close enough, nor did He dismiss their faith as not complete enough. He blessed them for responding to Him at whatever level they understood Him. This understanding was a true understanding, though incomplete.
My understanding of cars is this way. I don’t know how it works, but I know that if I turn the key, put my jeep in drive, and press the accelerator, it will go. And I choose to do this every day when I go to work. I put my faith into action.
All of our understandings of God are incomplete (1 Cor. 13:12). Not a single mortal human can fully understand God, for God is infinite. We can have a true understanding of Him, but it is not the whole truth.
Again, faith does not justify falsehood. If I turn my keyhaving legitimate, authentic faith that my jeep will grow wings and fly, I’m going to be sorely disappointed. Likewise, sincere faith in a god (or gods) that are not true does not save.
If there is enough evidence for God’s existenceto permit a just condemnation of those who have not heard the gospel, it would logically follow that there is enough evidence for someone to have at least a basic faith in God apart from hearing the gospel (see Job, Rehab, and Lot). God is not a casual observer; He will bless this humble faith one way or another (possibly through revealing Himself to the person further, such as in the case of Cornelius in Acts).
Likely Objections
Doesn’t the possibility of salvation apart from evangelism put the urgency of missions in jeopardy?
No, for three reasons. First, Christ is our Lord, therefore we are required to obey His commandment to preach the gospel.
Secondly, if God is good and beautiful, then the more people know about Him, the more likely they should be to respond to His love. Therefore, we should always seek to know Him more and bring others to know Him by sharing the story of His love with them.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, is that God’s responding to those who seek Him and our work in missions is not contradictory. If the church is the body of Christ, then it is not prideful or foolish to believe that missions is partly God answering the prayers of those who honestly seek Him. The idea that God responds to the basic faith of those who seek Him is not contrary to missions; it is complimentary.
Isn’t this universalistic?
NO. Universalism is a heresy. I am not saying that faith in another god can be mystically transferred to the true God. Christ is God; Zeus and Apollo, not so much. What I’m saying is IF someone has never had access to the gospel, but understands that there is a Creator who wrote right and wrong on the human conscious, and if that person humbly had faith in that Creator and called out to Him, then that person could be counted as having faith in Christ (since Christ is God). That’s what happened to the likes of Job and Lot in the Old Testament, and since God is eternal, I don’t see why it would change after Christ came. Getting into heaven is about Who you know, not what you know. There is no entrance exam in theology at the holy gates.
Does this mean that most people who haven’t heard about Christ are saved?
No. Humans are usually too wound up in their own personal concerns to spend serious time and prayer seeking after God (see human history, the Bible, and your own life). There’s no doubt from Christ’s statement that the way to Him is narrow and few find it. But some do find it, in fact, all who seek do find, according to Him. The key is to seek, humbly, persistently, and sacrificially.
For an excellent summary of the many stances on this issue, check out: http://thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-about-those-who-havent-heard
Forum of Athens 