13
As a college 'minister', I thoroughly enjoy leading several different small groups. These are always such a joy for me as I get to hear and see students process the Scriptures. In the course of one of the studies I was leading, a student asked a very common question. It's a question that has often been raised over the years, "What about the man who is alone on an island, how can he be saved?" At that moment, I wasn't able to give the question the time it deserved. It is such a common question that I thought it deserved a more thorough response here. This is certainly not brief, but my answers tended to lead to more questions that I was certain would be asked . . . eventually. So, I tried to effectively cover what I thought might come forward. I have asked the student if I could publish my response to him on my blog and here on this one in hopes that it might be of some usefulness to others who have pondered this same question. He graciously agreed. My email and response to his question is below.
-----
Dear Student,
I've been thinking about our discussion in Bible Study today. I asked, "Is it essential to share the Gospel for people to be saved?" I answered the question 'Yes'. I primarily based that off of {Romans 10:14-15, 17}.
However, I felt your question deserved a more thorough answer than time allowed. Especially since the additional question was raised, 'What about the man alone on an island? Can he be saved without hearing the Gospel? This is a question that has been raised before. It deserves an answer. We all care for this one person alone on the island with no contact with the outside world. We all want to see him saved from his sin.
I think your question actually leads to more questions like: "Are people perishing? Is Christ necessary to save them? Do you have to hear the Gospel to be saved?"
I wanted to be clear that my response below is based on the assumption that you do not believe in Universalism. Which basically states that all men will be saved by God regardless. In other words, there is not a Hell and all men will be with God in the end. I am operating from the perspective that this is not something you see in Scripture and agree that men will be condemned for their sin if they do not repent and believe the Gospel. This is important to clarify because sometimes your question, "what about the man alone on an island. . ." can be a veiled defense for Universalism.
So, I wanted to offer a few insights I heard spoken by our friend John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have included the link below to his talk where many of these thoughts were originated. In addition, I have quoted a few sources that have been helpful for me as I have been studying this myself.
Lastly, before I begin my response to your question, I want to say that I am a student also. I humbly submit my thoughts to you and I do think they are in accordance with scripture. However, I leave room for error and correction as God gives me understanding of His Scriptures.
-----
What about the man who is alone on an island? What if he never hears the Gospel? Will he be saved? In other words, can a person today be saved by the work of Christ even if he does not have an opportunity to hear about it?
I have four main points:
1. Christ alone.
Is Christ's work {the death and resurrection of Jesus, his life of perfect obedience, his death in the place of sinners} necessary to save people who would otherwise go to Hell? Yes.
In other words, Are other religions and the provisions they offer sufficient for bringing people to salvation in God? No.
Christ alone, is essential to understand. There is no other way by which a person can be saved except through the work of Christ. The only way a person can be saved is for the death and resurrection of Christ count for you.
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time." {1 Timothy 2:5-6}.
Romans 5:12-21 explains that everyone who is a child in Adam {everyone} is fallen in sin. The second man {Christ} is the one mediator who rescues HUMANITY from sin. {1 Corinthians 15:21-23}. {John 14:6} There is no other WAY to God. There is no Hindu way, Jewish way, Muslim way . . . to the triune God.
If this is true, which I believe it is, Jesus Christ is the Only way to God.
2. Suppression of the Truth is what Condemns.
Must they hear and believe the Gospel in order to be saved? My answer is Yes.
{Romans 1:18-21}
vs. 19 "What can be KNOWN about God is plain to them , because God has made it plain to them.
vs 20 " For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Therefore, they are without excuse." {There is no excuse for suppressing the truth}
vs. 21 "for although they KNEW God {every human being KNOWS God!}they did not honor him as God or give thanks to Him . . . "
So here is the BIG point:
Must a person hear the Gospel to be saved at all. Yes, absolutely.
However, . . . what I DO NOT mean is that, If that person doesn't hear the Gospel that person will be condemned for NOT hearing the Gospel. No, he is not condemned for NOT hearing the Gospel. He is condemned for suppressing the truth.
We are accountable to God according to the revelation that we KNOW. Scripture teaches that what every man ALREADY KNOWS about God is enough to condemn him. People will not be judged and condemned at the last judgment for not believing the Gospel if they haven't heard the Gospel. They are condemned for suppressing the truth. He has not owned the revelation that he KNOWS about God, but has suppressed it.
How does someone suppress the truth?
Scripture is saying that men KNOW the truth. Men KNOW there is a Creator. This fact is plain to them through observing creation. Demonstrations of God's divine nature, invisible attributes, and eternal power are seen everywhere in creation. These truths can be seen in created things like the stars, the mountains, the change of seasons, the eruption of volcanoes, and even the intricacies of the human eye. These created things demonstrate day after day that there IS A GOD and He is all-powerful.
Psalms 19:1-3 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."
This 'general revelation' about God is given to all men. This revelation is not sufficient to save, it can only condemn. Men suppress the truth about God by their sins. No one can say that they were not aware of God. There are no innocent natives anywhere. Everyone is guilty before a holy God. If God is going to save them from their sin, they must hear the Gospel, repent and have faith in Christ. Like Cornelius {Acts 10} or the Ethiopian Eunuch {Acts 8:26-40}, God always sends someone to those who want to know the truth. We have zero reason to believe that if there is a Cornelius or a man like the Ethiopian Eunuch anywhere in the world, God would not give someone a vision to go there and share the truth with him.
3. Gutting Missions
If you say, "even if someone never visited the guy alone on the island to share the truth with him; he would still be saved." No. You would be wrong. Remember point one, Jesus is the only way to God. All men stand condemned before God apart from Jesus {Romans 3:10-11}. If you believe that the man alone on the island doesn't need to hear the Gospel to be saved, you are claiming that either he is born righteous (which we know is not true) or you are claiming that there is another way to be saved apart from hearing the Gospel (beware of Universalism). This view completely guts missions. What would be the point of missions if that were true? If people could be saved apart from hearing the Gospel there would be no need to share the Gospel (which we are commanded to do, Matthew 28:18-20). If we could be saved apart from hearing the Gospel, we would trust God to do that work supernaturally through some special revelation or dream for all men. Ultimately that is the view of a 'hyper-calvanist' which, by the way, is a very different view from that of a 'Calvinist'. A hyper-calvanist believes that sharing the Gospel is not necessary, missions is not necessary because God will elect, choose and save those whom He will's without the need for that person to hear the Gospel.
Romans 2:12, "all who have sinned without the law will perish without the law."
There will be those who do not hear the truth and are condemned and those who hear the truth, reject it, and are condemned. They are condemned because they suppress the truth, not because they didn't hear the law, not because they didn't hear the truth.
Once Christ came into the world, everything changed. The times of ignorance {time before Christ} God overlooked, but now God calls everyone to repentance. {Acts 17:30} The great commission {Matthew 28:18-20} doesn't exist until Christ comes. In the Old Testament, God doesn't tell the prophets to go everywhere, God focuses on Israel. However, NOW, we are told to go everywhere, because nothing is veiled any longer. The truth is KNOWN.
The fact that God 'overlooked' the times of ignorance does not mean that he ignored sins so as not to punish sinners {Romans 1:18, 2:12}. It refers to giving men over to their own ways. The reason why men have wandered from the truth for so long is that God did not stretch forth his hand from heaven to lead them back to the way . . . Ignorance was in the world, as long as it pleased God to take no notice of it." - John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad (Baker Academic, 1993) Pp.130.
What is the Mystery that Paul referred to in {Ephesians 3:4-10, Romans 16:25-27}?
"Before his coming (Jesus) a grand 'mystery' was kept secret for ages. With the uncovering of this mystery, the 'times of ignorance' ended, and the call to repentance now sounds forth with a new specificity; Jesus Christ has been appointed Judge of all peoples by virtue of his resurrection from the dead. All appeals for mercy and acquittal must now come through him and him alone."- John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad (Baker Academic, 1993) Pp.126.
4. What About the Old Guys?
The response above may lead to another question: If hearing the Gospel is essential, what about the saints in the Old Testament? How were they saved?
They were saved by believing what God had revealed to them. Acceptance from God comes from trusting in the promises of God and having God apply the work of Christ on the cross to the individual. So, Abraham, David and all Old Testament saints were saved by grace through faith, in just the same way believers living in the New Covenant era are saved. Abraham had the gospel communicated to him {Galatians 3:8}.
However, "the Bible nowhere even hints at the idea that Abraham had the knowledge that we do now. He lacked knowledge that we consider essential to the Gospel, and yet God saved him. . . . At different points in the history of God's saving work with men, He had revealed different parts of His plan and His promises. Revelation is progressive. At each point in salvation history it was essential for any person who would become a believer to understand and believe what God had revealed up to that point in history." - Steve Lehrer, New Covenant Theology (2006), Pp. 207-209.
Abraham, David and any other Old Testament believers believed what God had revealed to him. For Abraham, the faith he had in God, the obedience he demonstrated; It was credited to him as righteousness and he was saved through the blood of Christ which was to come. Jesus' death was applied to Abraham retroactively.
But NOW {in present day}, Christ has come. The full revelation of God is KNOWN.
". . . He commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." {Acts 17:30-31}
God has oriented that all saving faith comes through Christ, and Christ alone. {Acts 4:12}, ". . . there is no other NAME given among men by which we must be saved." There are no longer any incognito Christians. "What can be KNOWN about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." {Romans 1:19}.
I hope these thoughts help you process this important truth in Scripture.
Sincerely,
Craig
Here is the link to John Piper's Talk.
-----
Dear Student,
I've been thinking about our discussion in Bible Study today. I asked, "Is it essential to share the Gospel for people to be saved?" I answered the question 'Yes'. I primarily based that off of {Romans 10:14-15, 17}.
However, I felt your question deserved a more thorough answer than time allowed. Especially since the additional question was raised, 'What about the man alone on an island? Can he be saved without hearing the Gospel? This is a question that has been raised before. It deserves an answer. We all care for this one person alone on the island with no contact with the outside world. We all want to see him saved from his sin.
I think your question actually leads to more questions like: "Are people perishing? Is Christ necessary to save them? Do you have to hear the Gospel to be saved?"
I wanted to be clear that my response below is based on the assumption that you do not believe in Universalism. Which basically states that all men will be saved by God regardless. In other words, there is not a Hell and all men will be with God in the end. I am operating from the perspective that this is not something you see in Scripture and agree that men will be condemned for their sin if they do not repent and believe the Gospel. This is important to clarify because sometimes your question, "what about the man alone on an island. . ." can be a veiled defense for Universalism.
So, I wanted to offer a few insights I heard spoken by our friend John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have included the link below to his talk where many of these thoughts were originated. In addition, I have quoted a few sources that have been helpful for me as I have been studying this myself.
Lastly, before I begin my response to your question, I want to say that I am a student also. I humbly submit my thoughts to you and I do think they are in accordance with scripture. However, I leave room for error and correction as God gives me understanding of His Scriptures.
-----
What about the man who is alone on an island? What if he never hears the Gospel? Will he be saved? In other words, can a person today be saved by the work of Christ even if he does not have an opportunity to hear about it?
I have four main points:
1. Christ alone.
Is Christ's work {the death and resurrection of Jesus, his life of perfect obedience, his death in the place of sinners} necessary to save people who would otherwise go to Hell? Yes.
In other words, Are other religions and the provisions they offer sufficient for bringing people to salvation in God? No.
Christ alone, is essential to understand. There is no other way by which a person can be saved except through the work of Christ. The only way a person can be saved is for the death and resurrection of Christ count for you.
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time." {1 Timothy 2:5-6}.
Romans 5:12-21 explains that everyone who is a child in Adam {everyone} is fallen in sin. The second man {Christ} is the one mediator who rescues HUMANITY from sin. {1 Corinthians 15:21-23}. {John 14:6} There is no other WAY to God. There is no Hindu way, Jewish way, Muslim way . . . to the triune God.
If this is true, which I believe it is, Jesus Christ is the Only way to God.
2. Suppression of the Truth is what Condemns.
Must they hear and believe the Gospel in order to be saved? My answer is Yes.
{Romans 1:18-21}
vs. 19 "What can be KNOWN about God is plain to them , because God has made it plain to them.
vs 20 " For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Therefore, they are without excuse." {There is no excuse for suppressing the truth}
vs. 21 "for although they KNEW God {every human being KNOWS God!}they did not honor him as God or give thanks to Him . . . "
So here is the BIG point:
Must a person hear the Gospel to be saved at all. Yes, absolutely.
However, . . . what I DO NOT mean is that, If that person doesn't hear the Gospel that person will be condemned for NOT hearing the Gospel. No, he is not condemned for NOT hearing the Gospel. He is condemned for suppressing the truth.
We are accountable to God according to the revelation that we KNOW. Scripture teaches that what every man ALREADY KNOWS about God is enough to condemn him. People will not be judged and condemned at the last judgment for not believing the Gospel if they haven't heard the Gospel. They are condemned for suppressing the truth. He has not owned the revelation that he KNOWS about God, but has suppressed it.
How does someone suppress the truth?
Scripture is saying that men KNOW the truth. Men KNOW there is a Creator. This fact is plain to them through observing creation. Demonstrations of God's divine nature, invisible attributes, and eternal power are seen everywhere in creation. These truths can be seen in created things like the stars, the mountains, the change of seasons, the eruption of volcanoes, and even the intricacies of the human eye. These created things demonstrate day after day that there IS A GOD and He is all-powerful.
Psalms 19:1-3 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."
This 'general revelation' about God is given to all men. This revelation is not sufficient to save, it can only condemn. Men suppress the truth about God by their sins. No one can say that they were not aware of God. There are no innocent natives anywhere. Everyone is guilty before a holy God. If God is going to save them from their sin, they must hear the Gospel, repent and have faith in Christ. Like Cornelius {Acts 10} or the Ethiopian Eunuch {Acts 8:26-40}, God always sends someone to those who want to know the truth. We have zero reason to believe that if there is a Cornelius or a man like the Ethiopian Eunuch anywhere in the world, God would not give someone a vision to go there and share the truth with him.
3. Gutting Missions
If you say, "even if someone never visited the guy alone on the island to share the truth with him; he would still be saved." No. You would be wrong. Remember point one, Jesus is the only way to God. All men stand condemned before God apart from Jesus {Romans 3:10-11}. If you believe that the man alone on the island doesn't need to hear the Gospel to be saved, you are claiming that either he is born righteous (which we know is not true) or you are claiming that there is another way to be saved apart from hearing the Gospel (beware of Universalism). This view completely guts missions. What would be the point of missions if that were true? If people could be saved apart from hearing the Gospel there would be no need to share the Gospel (which we are commanded to do, Matthew 28:18-20). If we could be saved apart from hearing the Gospel, we would trust God to do that work supernaturally through some special revelation or dream for all men. Ultimately that is the view of a 'hyper-calvanist' which, by the way, is a very different view from that of a 'Calvinist'. A hyper-calvanist believes that sharing the Gospel is not necessary, missions is not necessary because God will elect, choose and save those whom He will's without the need for that person to hear the Gospel.
Romans 2:12, "all who have sinned without the law will perish without the law."
There will be those who do not hear the truth and are condemned and those who hear the truth, reject it, and are condemned. They are condemned because they suppress the truth, not because they didn't hear the law, not because they didn't hear the truth.
Once Christ came into the world, everything changed. The times of ignorance {time before Christ} God overlooked, but now God calls everyone to repentance. {Acts 17:30} The great commission {Matthew 28:18-20} doesn't exist until Christ comes. In the Old Testament, God doesn't tell the prophets to go everywhere, God focuses on Israel. However, NOW, we are told to go everywhere, because nothing is veiled any longer. The truth is KNOWN.
The fact that God 'overlooked' the times of ignorance does not mean that he ignored sins so as not to punish sinners {Romans 1:18, 2:12}. It refers to giving men over to their own ways. The reason why men have wandered from the truth for so long is that God did not stretch forth his hand from heaven to lead them back to the way . . . Ignorance was in the world, as long as it pleased God to take no notice of it." - John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad (Baker Academic, 1993) Pp.130.
What is the Mystery that Paul referred to in {Ephesians 3:4-10, Romans 16:25-27}?
"Before his coming (Jesus) a grand 'mystery' was kept secret for ages. With the uncovering of this mystery, the 'times of ignorance' ended, and the call to repentance now sounds forth with a new specificity; Jesus Christ has been appointed Judge of all peoples by virtue of his resurrection from the dead. All appeals for mercy and acquittal must now come through him and him alone."- John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad (Baker Academic, 1993) Pp.126.
4. What About the Old Guys?
The response above may lead to another question: If hearing the Gospel is essential, what about the saints in the Old Testament? How were they saved?
They were saved by believing what God had revealed to them. Acceptance from God comes from trusting in the promises of God and having God apply the work of Christ on the cross to the individual. So, Abraham, David and all Old Testament saints were saved by grace through faith, in just the same way believers living in the New Covenant era are saved. Abraham had the gospel communicated to him {Galatians 3:8}.
However, "the Bible nowhere even hints at the idea that Abraham had the knowledge that we do now. He lacked knowledge that we consider essential to the Gospel, and yet God saved him. . . . At different points in the history of God's saving work with men, He had revealed different parts of His plan and His promises. Revelation is progressive. At each point in salvation history it was essential for any person who would become a believer to understand and believe what God had revealed up to that point in history." - Steve Lehrer, New Covenant Theology (2006), Pp. 207-209.
Abraham, David and any other Old Testament believers believed what God had revealed to him. For Abraham, the faith he had in God, the obedience he demonstrated; It was credited to him as righteousness and he was saved through the blood of Christ which was to come. Jesus' death was applied to Abraham retroactively.
But NOW {in present day}, Christ has come. The full revelation of God is KNOWN.
". . . He commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." {Acts 17:30-31}
God has oriented that all saving faith comes through Christ, and Christ alone. {Acts 4:12}, ". . . there is no other NAME given among men by which we must be saved." There are no longer any incognito Christians. "What can be KNOWN about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." {Romans 1:19}.
I hope these thoughts help you process this important truth in Scripture.
Sincerely,
Craig
Here is the link to John Piper's Talk.
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Comments
Great post Craig! Well explained and thought through.
(09.24.09)This really helps clarify many questions I have had. Thank you for pointing to scripture over and over. It is a privilege to come to a deeper understanding of God and who he is. Thanks for sharing!
(07.28.10)