Christianity has always been noted for its exclusivity. “No one comes to the Father except through Me,” Jesus declared (John 14:6). Similarly, Peter insisted that, apart from Jesus, “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Christianity is radically non-pluralist in its orientation: Those who believe in Jesus will receive salvation (16:31), and those who do not, will not. This may sound harsh to postmodern ears, but it has always been the historic position of the Christian faith.
This raises an uncomfortable question: What about the plight of the poor souls who either do not hear the gospel (i.e., the unevangelized) or cannot hear it (i.e., those who die in infancy or who suffer from severe mental or developmental disorders)? Doesn’t it seem unfair for God to send them to hell? Might He find some other method for saving these people?
It’s a good question worth exploring. In this article, I will address the fate of the first group (the unevangelized); and in a subsequent article, I will examine that of the second group (infants, young children, and the mentally or developmentally disabled).
When I speak of the unevangelized, I mean people around the world who have the mental capacity and developmental maturity to grasp concepts like right and wrong, holiness and sin, but who never have an opportunity to hear the gospel. According to the Bible, what will happen to these people? Will God condemn them to hell, or might He pull off a switcheroo at the last minute?
Contrarily, Scripture affirms unambiguously that there is no salvation outside of belief in Jesus and that this extends to the unevangelized.
This is one of those occasions when my feelings and my exegesis pull me in opposite directions. I would very much like to be persuaded that there is no condemnation for those who never hear. But fidelity to biblical authority forbids me from adopting such a view. Contrarily, Scripture affirms unambiguously that there is no salvation outside of belief in Jesus and that this extends to the unevangelized. It makes this point in several ways: by emphasizing the lost state of fallen humanity, by its teaching on natural revelation, and by the logic undergirding the missionary mandate.
Our Lost State
The Bible teaches that when Adam and Eve fell into sin, they thrust the human race into a state of lostness (Genesis 3). That lostness entails both estrangement from God and profound moral corruption, meaning we stand justly condemned by a holy God. This extends not just to particularly nasty or unpleasant people, but to all of us (Romans 3:9–18). Thus, we do not start out in a relatively neutral state and then accumulate corruption through our deeds, nor do we become condemnable in God’s sight when we make a positive decision to reject the gospel. Rather, we all stand justly condemned from the beginning. This is why Jesus said, “He who believes in Him [Jesus] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
Similarly, the apostle Paul referred to unbelievers as those who are “by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). The idiom children of wrath conveys the idea that, apart from the salvation available in the gospel, we are all destined to receive God’s wrath.
Natural Revelation
God has revealed Himself to humanity not only through the Bible or the preaching of the gospel but also through other avenues of self-disclosure. King David taught that a revelation of God is accessible to all people through the heavens—that is, simply by virtue of existing, the sun, moon, and stars communicate to us something about the existence and nature of their Creator (Psalm 19:1–6). Paul similarly explained that God is revealed through the avenues of nature, history, reason, and conscience (Acts 14:17; 17:22–29; Romans 2:14–16).
In other words, there are no genuine atheists—deep down, all humans recognize the reality of God’s existence and know something about His nature.
Now, here is the key point: Paul taught that not only have all human beings received the revelation of God through these aspects of nature, but they have also rejected it (Romans 1:18–23). In other words, there are no genuine atheists—deep down, all humans recognize the reality of God’s existence and know something about His nature. Instead of responding in faith and obedience, they choose to reject that knowledge and pursue their own sinful ends instead, resulting in their just condemnation before a holy God. This is the entire thrust of Paul’s argument in the first three chapters of Romans.
The Logic of Missions
Finally, notice the logic of Paul’s questions in Romans 10:13–15: “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lᴏʀᴅ shall be saved.’ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they [missionaries] are sent?”
In this passage, Paul established the need to proclaim the gospel to Israel in particular, but he grounded his argument in broader missiological truths that apply equally to Jewish and Gentile peoples alike (v. 12). His argument assumes that, apart from hearing the gospel and responding faithfully, all these people will be eternally lost. Thus, any theology that gives a second chance or offers a “get-out-of-jail-free card” to the unevangelized washes away the entire rationale and impetus for the missionary enterprise, which was at the heart of our Lord’s last commission to us (Matthew 28:19–20).
This is surely a somber and harrowing truth. But it should greatly encourage us in telling others about the life-changing and soul-rescuing message of Jesus. After all, if we don’t do so, then who will? And if not now, when?
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