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Salvation Then and Now

January 17, 2016
Copyright © 2001, 2007 Ronald W. Leigh
Bible quotations are from the New International Version

How were the earliest believers saved?  Was the plan of salvation different for people before the time of Christ?

A.  Jesus Christ, the Only Way to God

This paper takes the position that Jesus Christ is the only way to God, the only way of salvation.  This is an exclusivist view, the traditional view of historic Christianity, particularly biblical Christianity.  However, not all groups that call themselves "Christian" continue to hold this view.

In recent years, some Christian groups have become more open to religious pluralism; this has led to many cases of reconciliation between Christians and people of other faiths. The liberalization of the majority of Seminaries and theological institutions, particularly in regards to the rejection of the notion that the Bible is a divinely authored document, has facilitated a much more human-centered and secular movement within mainstream Christian denominations, particularly in the United States. Most mainstream churches no longer hold to exclusivist views on salvation.  …  A number of large Christian groups, including the Catholic Church and several large Protestant churches, have publicly declared that they will no longer proselytize Jews.  (Wikipedia article on "Religious Pluralism," section on modern Christian views)

In this paper, however, we hold that the Bible is a "divinely authored document" and we take its teaching as final.  The following passages make it clear that the Bible teaches the exclusivist position.

Jesus repeatedly taught that he is the only way of salvation.  For example, he told Nicodemus:

Whoever believes in him [God's Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.  (John 3:18)

And Jesus warned the Jews:

I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.  (John 8:24)

And Jesus told Thomas:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Also, Peter explained to the Jewish leaders:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved  (Acts 4:12)

And Paul wrote Timothy:

There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus  (1 Timothy 2:5)

Thus the New Testament is unambiguous.  Jesus is our only escape from condemnation, our only mediator, our only hope of salvation.  There is no other plan.  If you are going to find the way to God, you must come through Jesus.

B.  Enoch Found the Way to God

Enoch was an ancient prophet who walked with God by faith and pleased God.  Certainly Enoch knew God and was one of God's own, that is, he found the way to God.

Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. (Genesis 5:24)

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  (Hebrews 11:5-6)

Enoch lived before the time of Jesus, before Moses and the law, indeed, long before any of the scriptures were written.  He lived before Abraham and even before Noah.  Yet he knew certain basic spiritual truths.  The two passages quoted above inform us that he walked with God and pleased God by his faith.  Furthermore, in Jude we read that Enoch also knew and prophesied about sin and about God's judgment.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."  (Jude 1:14-15)

Based on the above passages, we can summarize Enoch's salvation in terms of his knowledge and his response:

(1)  Enoch knew there was a God (indeed, a mighty God who commands many "holy ones")
(2)  Enoch knew right from wrong and that God judges everyone and convicts sinners
(3)  Enoch responded by exercising faith (trusting God)
(4)  Enoch responded by walking with God

Considering each of these four points again, we note that Enoch illustrates the teachings of the New Testament.  This reveals a basic continuity between salvation of the earliest believers and salvation of New Testament believers.

(1)  Enoch knew there was a mighty God

This illustrates Paul's teaching that, since the beginning, all men have known about God for God has revealed himself to them through creation.

Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  (Romans 1:20)

Notice the words "clearly seen" and "understood."  According to the context, Paul is referring here to the unsaved – "men who suppress the truth by their wickedness" (verse 18).  The point is that even the unsaved understand certain things about God, "his eternal power and divine nature."  It is because all men possess this understanding that those who reject this light are "without excuse."  So Enoch, simply because he was a human being, knew there was a mighty God.  When Enoch prophesied about a powerful God, he may also have received additional light directly from God, but those to whom he spoke also clearly saw and understood God's existence and power.

(2)  Enoch was convicted

Enoch must have been convicted regarding his own sin, and knew that God convicts others as well.  Similarly, Jesus taught that God, the Holy Spirit, would convict all men.

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.  (John 16:8-11)

And this work of the Holy Spirit was not limited to the future (future to Jesus statement quoted above).  Steven reminded the Jewish leaders that they were like their fathers because they "always resist the Holy Spirit"  (Acts 7:51).

God has always convicted sinners of their sin and condemned them.  The pattern is clear in the context of the Jude passage quoted above.  Notice how Jude connects the fate of certain godless men (1:4) with others throughout history.  Starting all the way back before man, Jude refers to fallen angels (verse 6), Cain (verse 11), Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 7), and Balaam and Korah (verse 11).  In every case there is sin followed by judgment.  And this conviction was not merely God's pronouncement of their guilt, but also included God's gracious act of making the sinner aware of his guilt.  After all, there is no guilt without knowledge (Romans 4:15;  5:13), and indeed, guilt is based on knowledge (Romans 1:18-21).

This long-time pattern of conviction of guilt and condemnation leads us to the conclusion that Jesus was not speaking of a new activity for God when he described the work of the coming Holy Spirit.  Rather, God the Holy Spirit would continue to convict sinners as God had always done, but now sin, righteousness, and judgment would all be related to Christ.

• Sin – Sin is first and foremost not believing in Christ (John 16:9).
• Righteousness – The epitome of righteousness is Christ living a holy life, bearing our sin, then rising to return to the Father (verse 10).
• Judgment – Now, after the substitutionary death of Christ, even Satan, the prince of this world who brought sin to Adam and Eve, is judged and condemned (verse 11).

So there is a continuity in God's dealing with men in that, ever since the fall, he has convicted men of their guilt.

The fact that God initiates this enlightenment and conviction means that salvation is always a matter of grace.  Man is totally depraved.  Apart from God's work on behalf of the sinner, none would ever understand or seek God, for no one understands or seeks God on his own.

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.  (Romans 3:10-12)

God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.  Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.  (Psalm 53:2-3)

Yet, from the beginning God has been doing things for men "so that men would seek him"  (Acts 17:26-27).

And some do understand and seek God.  They are among those whom God "rewards" because they "earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).  That is, their response is not like those who suppress the truth (Romans 1:18-20).  Rather, they admit the truth, seek God, and God responds by rewarding them.

The only reason anyone can understand or seek God is because of God's work in his heart, making salvation totally a matter of grace.  God initiates everything: enlightening all men (John 1:9), convicting all men (John 16:8), and drawing all men (John 12:32).  There is no personal status, no merit or good works which can bring salvation.  Salvation is completely dependent upon God's grace.

The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men  (Titus 2:11)

God's actions stem from his love for all men (John 3:16) and his desire for all men to be saved.

God our Savior ... wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth  (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

(3)  Enoch exercised faith

Enoch exercised faith  (Hebrews 11:5).  He pleased God, and was taken by God.  Again the New Testament writers remind us that faith is required to please God, and that salvation comes only through faith.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ....  (Ephesians 2:8)

Without faith it is impossible to please God ....  (Hebrews 11:6)

(4)  Enoch's faith was a way of life

Enoch's faith was more than a mere verbal claim or an incidental moment of trust.  It was a way of life, as implied by the phrase "walked with God."  Again, Jesus and the New Testament writers are explicit that genuineness is shown in consistently obedient actions, that is, a holy life.

If you love me, you will obey what I command.  (John 14:15)

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.  (1 John 2:6)

Don't merely listen to the word . . . do what it says.  (James 1:22)

Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life ....  (James 3:13)

Faith without deeds is dead.  (James 2:26)

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works  (Ephesians 2:10)

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."  (1 Peter 1:14-16)

Conclusion

In each of these four points, Enoch's salvation was like ours.

C.  Two Questions Regarding the Early believers

There are two questions regarding Enoch's salvation that must be considered.

Question 1

The answer to the first question must be "Yes."  The passages quoted at the beginning of this paper require this answer.  John 14:6 teaches that Jesus is the only way to the Father.  Acts 4:12 teaches that salvation can only be found in Jesus, not in anyone else.  1 Timothy 2:5 teaches that Jesus Christ is man's only mediator with God.

And other passages also require an answer of "Yes."  As the sinless Son of God, Christ died for the sins of all men, including Enoch.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.  (1 John 2:2)

The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)

In addition, the character of God requires an answer of "Yes" to this first question.  God is holy; he cannot abide any sin.  He is also just and must punish sin.  Since all men are sinners, none can enter God's presence while still in his sin.  The substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, stemming from God's love, is the only thing that satisfies both the holiness of God and the justice of God.  In Christ, who was personally sinless, our sin is punished, so God's justice is maintained (1 Peter 2:24;  Romans 3:25-26).  And God assigns Christ's righteousness to the repentant believer qualifying him to become God's child, so God's holiness is maintained (Romans 3:22, John 1:12).  Thus, God's character requires the very thing that only Jesus Christ has done – living a holy life and taking the punishment for the sins of the whole world.

Thus Enoch's salvation was completely dependent upon Christ.  There is no salvation for Enoch or anyone else apart from Jesus Christ.

Question 2

The answer to the second question, however, must be "No."  We have already noted that Enoch was aware of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and responded in a genuine faith that produced a godly life.  However,  he was not aware of the personal identity of the Savior, that is, that he would be Jesus of Nazareth.  Nor was he aware of the exact work which Jesus would do to provide salvation for all men, that is, his substitutionary death on the cross.

Information about salvation has been progressively revealed throughout biblical history.  Enoch knew certain things.  Later prophets such as Isaiah revealed additional details, such as the fact that the coming Messiah would have to suffer (Isaiah 53).  But even these prophets did not know the exact time and circumstances.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  (1 Peter 1:10-11)

Later, Daniel would reveal the time of the suffering of Christ in his vision of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:24,27).  But still the exact identity of the Savior was left to be revealed by the angel that appeared to Joseph (Matthew 1:21), by John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus (John 1:29), and by Jesus himself.

Over time, as God revealed more of his plan of salvation, he did not change the plan, but merely gave additional understanding of the details.  Thus progressive revelation added new details to man's understanding of his spiritual need and God's solution, but did not change anything basic that was revealed earlier.

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place  (2 Peter 1:19)

There is a remarkable continuity between the Old and New Testaments regarding God's interaction with man and his plan of salvation.

D.  Constants

Certain things do not change; they remain constant from the beginning (at least, since the fall) through the end.

• God's existence, power, creatorship
• God's holiness and justice
• God's love and grace
• Man's sin
• God's offer of salvation, including enlightening, convicting, and drawing all men
• Salvation through repentance and faith

This should be no surprise, for

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  (Hebrews 13:8)

The Father of the heavenly lights ... does not change like shifting shadows.  (James 1:17)

Some have thought that the following passage indicates a major change in God's dealing with mankind.

The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  (John 1:17)

They see in this verse a sharp contrast between the Mosaic Law and the New Testament period of grace, as though there were no grace under the law, and no law under grace.  However, God's consistency over time does not allow such an interpretation.  And the verse itself does not allow such an interpretation either.  If this verse were intended to indicate a sharp contrast, then we would have to conclude that there was no truth under the law because the verse says that both "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  Certainly this verse must be explaining a difference in emphasis.  God's truth and grace have always been manifest, but they are more clearly seen in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

E.  Elements of the Gospel

There are certain elements which have always made up the gospel message.  The gospel includes both the positive and the negative, for good news is only good news as it meets a bad situation.  The elements in the following diagram are part of salvation for all believers, from Enoch to today.  They are essentially the same "constants" mentioned in the previous section, but here they are arranged in logical order.

Each level in the above diagram is dependent on the levels below it.  For example,

• The idea of right and wrong (level 2) is logically dependent upon the idea of God's existence and holiness (level 1).  Without an external standard of right and wrong, sin becomes very indefinite, a mere social convention.  And without that standard, what is wrong in one person's eyes could easily be right in someone else's.  In addition, any concept of sin loses its significance unless we are, in fact, creatures of the Creator and thus responsible to him.
• My admission of personal guilt and my understanding of my lost situation (level 4) logically depend upon an understanding of God's justice (level 3).  If I do not believe that God is just and punishes sin, then I cannot be convinced that my situation is very bad.
• Levels 5 and 6 are logically dependent on lower levels.  God would not have needed to provide anything (level 5) if it were not for the facts represented in levels 1 through 4.  The lower levels represent the facts an individual must understand and accept as true before he can even make sense of any spiritual good news.  And my response (level 6) makes no sense without God's provision, that is, Christ's substitutionary death (level 5).

The above diagram can be used to show the inadequacy of various belief systems.  For example, atheists (including atheistic evolutionists) don't even make it onto the diagram, since God's existence is foundational to everything else.  Religious liberals don't make it onto the diagram either, for although they engage in a lot of God-talk, they redefine all traditional terms and end up with a "God" that exists only as an idea and a Jesus who is merely an example of piety.  Deists might make it to level 1 on the diagram, but their disconnected "God" makes the rest of the diagram irrelevant.  Similarly, theistic evolutionists can't get past the first level because evolution does not correlate well with an historical fall, so the biblical notion of sin is rejected.  Then there are those who limit God to a God of love, so they cannot accept level 3 or anything above it.  And there are the neo-orthodox who over-emphasize God's transcendence and speak of a non-verbal encounter with God.  They end up attempting to exercise faith apart from historical facts.  But without an historical fall and an historical death and resurrection of Christ, their "faith" has only itself for its object and all so-called religious experience is reduced to the psychological.  Even the conservative wing of Roman Catholicism, although it accepts most of the diagram, wavers on the substitutionary nature of Christ's death, and adds baptism and other requirements making salvation involve a great deal more than simple repentance and faith.

Level 5 could be called "the gospel proper."  It is this level which Paul identifies when he defines the gospel using the phrase "Christ died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:1-3).  The gospel is not merely that God loves you, or that God can help you with your temper or your marriage or your drug problem, or that you can start over with God.  Nor is the gospel a promise of a wonderful life or of prosperity.  At its heart, the gospel is the answer to the sin problem.  If a person does not realize that he is a sinner separated from a holy God, whatever religious thing he does (even if it is called "gospel" by some misled evangelist) will not result in salvation.  A quick survey of the messages of John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, and Paul, demonstrates the importance of repentance from sin  (Matthew 3:1;  4:17;  Acts 2:38;  17:30).

The response of repentance and faith (Level 6) is timeless.  It is the individual's belief (faith) which is determinative, as is clearly taught in Hebrews.

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest, ... those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience.  (Hebrews 4:2-3, 6)

Two groups are in view in the context of the above passage – the children of Israel on their way to the promised land (just after the giving of the law through Moses) and the recipients of the book of Hebrews who lived after Christ.  The point of the passage is that both should respond in faith.  The first group did not, and they lost out on the promise.  The second group has responded in faith, and they must endure in that faith, never turning back.

… let us hold firmly to the faith we profess  (Hebrews 4:14b)

This same emphasis on faith, and the fact that faith determines one's spiritual fate, is found in Paul's analogy of the olive tree.  He explains that natural branches (Israelites) were broken off of the tree because of lack of faith, and wild branches (New Testament believers) were grafted into the tree because of their faith.

They were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.  (Romans 11:20)

It is the presence or absence of faith that is determinative both before and after Christ.  And what we know about Abraham and Enoch reminds us that this principle has been operating since the beginning.  Even as far back as Abel, faith was the key.  The writer of Hebrews mentions Abel's faith three times.

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.  (Hebrews 11:4)

Each of the elements of the gospel is based on the very things that remain constant throughout time.  None of them changes from period to period in the Bible.  It is true, of course, that God has new directives for different groups at different times.  For example, after the flood, God instituted capital punishment (Genesis 9:1).  And for the nation Israel, God set down very specific laws of conduct and ritual.  Members of the nation were expected to live by the directives and thus uphold both their status in the nation and the uniqueness of the nation.  However, for each individual, the principles that govern his personal relationship to God have remained the same ever since the fall.

F.  The Error of Older Dispensationalism

The older dispensationalism (popularized by C. I. Scofield during the first half of the 1900's) implied that the plan of salvation differed from dispensation to dispensation; that during the period of the Old Testament Law, salvation was attained by keeping the law.  For example, when Scofield contrasts the two dispensations of law and grace, he implies that it is possible to be good and earn blessings (salvation).

Law blesses the good; grace saves the bad. ... Law demands that blessings be earned; grace is a free gift.  (Scofield Reference Bible, footnote to John 1:17)

Scofield also, in emphasizing the importance of accepting Christ during the dispensation of grace, states that before the death of Christ the condition of salvation was obedience to the Law.

As a dispensation, grace begins with the death and resurrection of Christ. ... The point of testing is no longer legal obedience as the condition of salvation, but acceptance or rejection of Christ .... (loc. cit., italics added)

And in explaining the priesthood of New Testament believers, Scofield implies that, under the law, it would have been possible to achieve the same position through works.

In the dispensation of grace, all believers are unconditionally constituted a "kingdom of priests" ... the distinction which Israel failed to achieve by works (op. cit., footnote on 1 Peter 2:9)

To be fair to Scofield we must point out that he believes that Old Testament saints were not sinless, and he includes faith in their obedience.

The Old Testament righteous man was not sinless ..., but one who, for his sins, resorted to the ordinances, and offered in faith the required sacrifice .... (op. cit., footnote on Luke 2:25)

Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder, president, and professor of systematic theology at Dallas Theological Seminary, also gives us contradictory statements on this subject.  First, after quoting from two Old Testament passages which teach that salvation comes from the Lord (Jonah 2:9 and Psalm 3:8), he says that

every feature of man's salvation from its inception to the final perfection in heaven is a work of God for man and not a work of man for God. … man could contribute nothing whatsoever to its realization.  (Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Dallas Seminary Press, 1948, vol. 3, p. 6, italics added)

But later he says that

A distinction must be observed here between just men of the Old Testament and those justified according to the New Testament. According to the Old Testament men were just because they were true and faithful in keeping the Mosaic Law.  [Here Chafer quotes Micah 6:8]  Men were therefore just because of their own works for God, whereas New Testament justification is God's work for man in answer to faith (Rom. 5:1).  (op. cit., vol. 7, p. 219, italics added)

The same dispensational error is found in the articles on "Dispensations" and "Grace" in Unger's Bible Dictionary (Moody Press, 1960).

But it is not just dispensationalists who have made such statements. The great reformed theologian, Charles Hodge, in his discussion of the atonement says that

We are no longer bound ... to render perfect obedience to the law, as the condition of salvation.  (Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol 2, p. 493; quoted in J. O. Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, Zondervan, 1962, vol. 1, p. 317)

Even Calvin, in his explanation of justification in Romans 10:5-9, states

Do you see how he [Paul] makes the distinction between the Law and the Gospel to be, that the former gives justification to works, whereas the latter bestows it freely without any help from works?  (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Beveridge translation, Book III, Chapter XI, section 17)

And in his discussion of Galatians 3:11-12, Calvin states

The Law, he [Paul] says, is different from faith. Why? Because to obtain justification by it, works are required; and hence it follows, to obtain justification by the Gospel they are not required.  (loc. cit., section 18)

It may be fitting to classify such statements by reformed theologians as inadvertent (as does Buswell, op. cit., p. 318-19). This is because of the nature of covenant theology, which asserts continuity throughout the covenant of grace (which extends from the fall through the present). However, it may be more difficult for dispensationalists to claim that their similar statements are inadvertent because their system emphasizes changing elements in each successive dispensation, namely, (1) new divine revelation, (2) a different divine administration, and (3) different human responsibilities and tests. Although these changing elements do not in themselves require a different plan of salvation in each dispensation, an overemphasis on such changes can open the door wide to the error of different plans of salvation over time.

In contrast to this erroneous teaching, the Bible clearly teaches that keeping the law saves no one.

… by observing the law no one will be justified.  (Galatians 2:16)

Such a plan of salvation, salvation by keeping the law, loses its vital connection to the death of Christ.  If it were really possible to gain salvation by keeping the Law, the death of Christ would be unnecessary.

If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!  (Galatians 2:21)

This error of the older dispensationalism has been corrected by later dispensationalists.  For example, Charles Ryrie says the following regarding salvation during the different dispensations.

The basis of salvation in every age is the death of Christ: the requirement for salvation in every age is faith; the object of faith in every age is God; the content of faith changes in the various dispensations. ... This last point ... is not a point to which the charge of teaching two ways of salvation can be attached.  It simply recognizes the obvious fact of progressive revelation.  When Adam looked upon the coats of skins with which God had clothed him and his wife, he did not see what the believer today sees looking back on the cross of Calvary.  And neither did other Old Testament saints see what we can see today.  There have to be two sides to this matter – that which God sees from his side and that which man sees from his. ... One must see two aspects to this entire matter – the unchanging basis of salvation in the grace of Christ and the changing content of revelation which affects the conscious object of faith.  (Charles Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today, Moody 1965, pages 123-125, italics in original.  See also the note on John 1:17 in the New Scofield Reference Bible, Oxford, 1967)

See also the discussion of this issue under the heading "Grace in the Theology of Dispensationalism" in Robert Culver's Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical (Mentor / Christian Focus Publications, 2005) page 663.

G.  Progressive Revelation

God's character has not changed.  The plan of salvation has not changed.  What has changed, however, is the amount of detailed information regarding certain aspects of salvation.

Over time there has been an increase in the information God has revealed about each of the elements in the gospel.  For example, consider level 1 in the chart shown earlier.  Although God's existence as the creator does not change, what God has revealed about his existence has increased over time.  Romans 1:20 indicates that man has seen and understood something about God's existence and power "since the creation of the world," that is, even before any written revelation.  Later, through the writings of Moses (Genesis 1-2), many more details are added regarding God's creative acts, and more significantly, regarding the creation of man in God's image.  Still later, Jesus instructs Philip that he has made the Father known.

From now on, you do know him and have seen him. ... Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  (John 14:7, 9)

And John concurs.

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.  (John 1:18)

In addition, Jesus and the apostles speak of the three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, enlightening us regarding the trinity.  So God has progressively shown man more and more about himself.

Similarly, consider levels 2 and 3.  In the garden of Eden man was given simple instructions and prohibitions.  Then, after eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6), man's understanding of sin was enlarged.  Later, by means of Moses' inspired record of the fall (Genesis 3), God gives new revelation regarding the tempter, the motives of Eve and Adam, and God's punishment of each of the parties.  Still later, through the details of the Mosaic law (Exodus through Deuteronomy, notably Exodus 20) God reveals more information to the Israelites regarding specific regulations and sins.  Still later, Jesus expands our understanding of sin by focusing on its inner aspects (Matthew 5:21-48).  In particular, the law said it was wrong to murder but Jesus added that it is wrong to be angry with your brother; the law said adultery was wrong but Jesus added that lust is wrong, etc.

Before the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, God's justice could have been questioned.  How, for example, could he let an Israelite get by with mere repentance and a sacrifice?  Why was this sinner not destroyed?  But God was just all along even though his justice was not clearly demonstrated until the death of Christ.

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.  (Romans 3:25-26)

God, who planned salvation through Christ from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), knew all along that all those earlier sins would be punished in Christ when the sins of the whole world would be laid upon him (1 John 2:2).  Thus, God was just and he knew he was just.  But human observers needed the additional revelation of the gospel, the fact that Christ died for our sins, in order to see exactly how God's justice was maintained.  Newell comments on Romans 3:25 as follows:

At the cross was sin seen at its height; and also the righteousness of God in dealing in judgment with it. It was not until the gospel that all this was manifested. Although God had been dealing righteously in the past ages, it was first seen clearly when He judged human sin openly in the Great Sacrifice: where His own Son was not spared!  (William R. Newell, Romans: Verse by Verse, Moody Press, 1938, page 116, compare Romans 8:32)

This passage (Romans 3:25-26) speaks of God's justice being manifested at the cross of Christ and thus serves as another example of progressive revelation.  But it also strongly implies a single plan of salvation for those before Christ as well as those after Christ, for his substitutionary death paid for the sins of both groups.

Similarly, consider level 4.  Regarding the consequences of sin, the Old Testament appears to focus on this life when it comes to the consequences of sin and the rewards of faith.  There is only occasional reference to the next life, such as Daniel 12:1-2, 13.  But later Jesus and Paul add many more specific teachings regarding the next life (Luke 16:19-31;  John 14:1-3;  2 Thessalonians 2:8-9)

Also, regarding level 5, after Peter identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus explained details regarding his suffering which were obviously new and disturbing to his followers.

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"  (Matthew 16:21-22)

Actually, certain facts about Jesus' suffering and resurrection were revealed earlier in the Old Testament, but the Jews of Jesus' day (including his disciples) were blind to these teachings and Jesus had to re-teach them, as quoted above, and then finally open their eyes (Luke 24:44-47).  The point, however, is that these facts were revealed at a certain point in time – new information which was part of God progressive revelation.

So, even though the basic spiritual facts remain the same throughout time, God's revelation of those facts to mankind has progressively increased.

Level 5 is the level that is most pertinent to our discussion of salvation then and now.  In particular, two issues need to be considered:  the early believers' understanding of the solution, and the object of their faith.

H.   How Much Did the Early Believers Understand

How much did the earliest believers understand about God's solution, its exact nature, and the person who would be the solution?  From the New Testament we understand that our salvation is based on the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ – his taking our place and suffering the punishment for our sins (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18).  But how much did those before the time of Christ understand?

To answer this question we will consider four different time periods marked off by the following four persons.

We will move back in time by considering first those who lived between Isaiah and Christ, then those who lived under the Mosaic law but before Isaiah, then Abraham, and then those who lived before Abraham.  Finally, we will consider Genesis 3:15, the "protoevangelion."

Between Isaiah and Christ

Certainly Isaiah understood the substitutionary nature of the savior's suffering, and so did those who read his well known passage about the suffering servant (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12).  Substitution is clearly and repeatedly stated in this passage.

… he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ... Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  (Isaiah 53:5-6, 12)

Under the Law, Before Isaiah

What about those who lived under the Mosaic law, but before the time of Isaiah?  They would certainly understand the idea of the removal of sin, for this was presented in the imagery of the scapegoat, which was part of the ritual for the day of atonement.

When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.  He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites – all their sins – and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task.  The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.  (Leviticus 16:20-22)

Also, the sacrifices were intended to represent a certain type of substitution.  Moses gave clear instruction for the person presenting the offering.  He was to identify with the sacrificial animal by placing his hands on its head.  It would seem that this was a gesture designed to impress him with the fact that the animal was suffering death in his place.

He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.  (Leviticus 1:4)

This is certainly substitution – the innocent dying for the guilty.  However, it is animal substitution.  It is unlikely that those living under the Mosaic law understood from this act of identification that at some time in the future a person would take the punishment for their sin.

David lived under the Mosaic law, before the time of Isaiah.  He spoke of his personal salvation and expressed his repentance in a psalm.  Notice that the first 17 verses of this psalm are full of insight regarding sin and its consequences, and regarding God's love and ability to cleanse (remove sin) and save the individual, but lack any reference to the exact nature of God's solution to the sin problem, that is, salvation through the substitutionary death of God's suffering servant (as Isaiah knew him), that is, Jesus Christ (as we know him).

Psalm 51  [For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.]

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Did the sacrifices teach that the soul that sinned must die spiritually?  This is not apparent.  And it is this idea, personal spiritual death, that must be present before there can be any meaningful notion of a personal substitute.

The writer of Hebrews gives us the best interpretation of the significance of these sacrifices for those who lived under the law.  The sacrifices were indeed anticipatory, but not in the positive sense of shedding light on the future substitutionary atonement of Christ.  In other words, the sacrifices did not instruct the person making the offering that at some future time someone would pay the penalty for their sin.  Rather, they were anticipatory only in the negative sense that they demonstrated that the common man had not yet been shown how the final solution would provide everyone direct access to God.  This is the teaching of the author of Hebrews, who after discussing the physical layout of the tabernacle, states that

When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings – external regulations applying until the time of the new order.  (Hebrews 9:6-10, italics added)

The sacrifices also signified by their repetitious nature that they were not a final solution.  This, again, was a negative anticipation, an indicator that the sacrificial system of the law did not contain the answer and a better answer was still needed.

The law ... can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ... Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  (Hebrews 10:1-4, 11)

Abraham

A. H. Strong makes this general statement:

The patriarchs, though they had no knowledge of a personal Christ, were saved by believing in God so far as God had revealed himself to them ….  (Augustus Hopkins Strong, Systematic Theology, Revell, 1907, page 842)

Based on their understanding of their own sin and lost condition, none of the early believers would have thought that they themselves would provide their own salvation.  Their faith was not in themselves, but in God.  They probably understood only that God would in some way provide the needed solution to the problem of sin.

Their hope was probably no more specific than that of Abraham when God commanded him to take his son Isaac to the mountain to sacrifice him (Genesis 22).  Abraham told his servants that both he and Isaac would return (verse 5) and said to Isaac that God would provide the needed lamb (verses 7-8).  At that point Abraham did not know exactly how God would provide, but he still had faith in God.

Here are Abraham's words to Isaac:

God himself will provide the lamb  (Genesis 22:8)

And here is the New Testament analysis:

Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead  (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Comparing the above two passages, we see that Abraham thought he would have to kill his son.  When he told his son that God would provide the lamb he was answering his son in the most gentle way a father could.  Rather than saying to Isaac, "You are the lamb," he gave the most general answer possible.  Even though he thought he would have to kill his son, he still trusted God.  Abraham did not foresee exactly what God would do, but he trusted God anyhow.  The type of faith Abraham had regarding the life of his son is the same type of faith all the early believers had to have regarding their own salvation – unable to foresee exactly how God would provide, but still trusting God.

Although we began this section with a quotation from A. H. Strong, it is necessary at this point to add a caution regarding Strong's application of what he calls an "implicit faith in Christ."  We can agree with the following statement.

A proud and self-righteous morality is inconsistent with saving faith; but a humble and penitent reliance upon God, as a Savior from sin and a guide of conduct, is an implicit faith in Christ; for such reliance casts itself upon God, so far as God has revealed himself ….  (Strong, op. cit., page 843)

However, Strong goes on to suggest that those who, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, understand the truths of nature and conscience may also have been saved.  He mentions Socrates as an example.  It is our opinion, however, that general revelation is insufficient for salvation.  Special revelation, the enlightening of Christ (John 1:9) and the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11), along with a positive response on the part of the individual (repentance and faith), is needed for salvation.

Before Abraham

Consider the record of Cain and Abel's offerings (Genesis 4:1-7).  Cain's offering came from his agricultural crops and was rejected by God.  Abel's offering came from the best of his animals and was accepted by God.  Some see a divine approval of blood sacrifice here.  While this may be the case, the writer of Hebrews identifies Abel's faith as a key factor in his sacrifice being accepted (Hebrews 11:4).  When it comes to making offerings to the Lord, heart attitude has always been more important than the exact details of the sacrifice, as David pointed out in the psalm quoted earlier (Psalm 51:16-17), and as Samuel had to remind Saul.

Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.  (1 Samuel 15:22)

This same principle was emphasized by Hosea (6:6) and on at least two different occasions by Jesus (Matthew 9:13;  12:7).

Similarly, some see in the killing of animals to provide coverings for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21) the notion of sin leading to death and the divine establishment of a blood sacrifice.  However, it is not explicitly described as a sacrifice.  Without explicit teaching from God, it remains a question whether Adam and Eve understood it that way.

Thus, how shall we evaluate the notion that the earliest believers were aware that at some future time a personal savior would come and die for their sins.  This notion appears to come from our tendency to read the New Testament back into the Old rather than directly from the Old Testament itself.

Genesis 3:15

Some see the woman's offspring, which God said would crush the head of the serpent (Satan), as a reference to a future, personal savior.

Genesis 3:15, NIV	Genesis 3:15, NASB
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.  (Genesis 3:15, NIV)	I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.  (Genesis 3:15, NASB)

Based on Revelation 12 (especially verse 9) we know that Satan was involved in the temptation of Adam and Eve.  It may be, as is commonly taught, that the clause "he will crush your head" refers to Christ's victory over Satan at Calvary.  However, the passage is puzzling for several reasons.  If this passage really is the first statement of the gospel, the "protoevangelion," why was it spoken to Satan rather than to Eve or Adam?  And in what sense did Satan strike Christ's heel, when Jesus said he laid down his own life (John 10:18)?

W. J. Martin, an authority in Hebrew and other Semitic languages, points out that Old Testament Hebrew makes wide use of the singular as a collective (Article on "Language of the Old Testament," The New Bible Dictionary, Eerdmans, 1962, page 711).  Thus, it may not be wise to place too much emphasis on the fact that "seed," "he," and "him" in the Hebrew are singular, as many commentators do.

Also, it should be noted that none of the Old Testament writers explicitly refer to the promised messiah as the offspring mentioned in this passage.  Nor do the New Testament writers pick up any such theme.

James Hamilton, in a paper entitled "The Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15," published in The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 10.2 (2006), pages 30–54, works hard to document the idea that the imagery, language, and concepts of the passage are found frequently through the rest of the Bible.  However, hatred, fighting, victory, defeat, death and even "crushing" are common themes in the history of any nation, so the frequent appearance of such things is to be expected.  It may well be that the many references which Hamilton produces come merely from the violent and destructive nature of life rather than from Genesis 3:15.  Hamilton's approach is a tacit admission that explicit references to Genesis 3:15 as a prediction of Christ are lacking from both testaments.

If there would have been an appropriate place to refer to Genesis 3:15 as a promise of Christ's victory over Satan, it would have been in the gospels and epistles when they discuss the death and resurrection of Christ.  But no such explicit reference is found.  Another place where we might expect to find a reference to Genesis 3:15 is in Paul's discussion of the law and promise in Galatians 3:15-19.  Paul places the promise regarding Abraham's seed 430 years before the law.  What a perfect opportunity this would have been for Paul to refer to the woman's seed and thus place the promise much earlier, at the time of the fall, if that really were the intent of Genesis 3:15.  Hamilton cites Luke 10:18-19 as an allusion to Genesis 3:15, but this passage refers to the fall of Satan rather than the fall of man, and makes no mention of the seed of the woman.  Also, many see a reference to Genesis 3:15 in Paul's final warnings to the Romans (16:20), but the imagery in that passage involves, not the feet of the savior, but the feet of the Roman believers crushing Satan; and the crushing will come "soon," that is, after the death of Christ.

We must ask, what did Adam and Eve know?  Let's assume they heard God's judgment upon the serpent.  Let's also assume that they understood that Satan was in some way working through the serpent and would at some point in the future be defeated by Eve's offspring.  Even then the passage does not give any hint that the victory gained by that individual will provide benefit that is available to others.  Thus it is difficult to see how this so called "protoevangelion" provides any hope of salvation, particularly for those such as Adam and Eve living before the arrival of the individual.

If we avoid the temptation to place our post-New Testament insights into the minds of Adam and Eve, we realize that this promise explicitly states nothing more than that a human being will some day defeat Satan.  Taken at face value, without the aid of later revelation, prediction of defeat by a human being could even be taken to indicate a sort of salvation by the human's own strength (salvation by works).  It is only upon the basis of later revelation that we understand that salvation is not by works.  It is difficult to see why the church fathers and many later commentators refer to Genesis 3:15 as the protoevangelion when it leaves so many questions unanswered.  The nature of the offspring (that he will be both God and man), the method of defeat (through substitutionary atonement), and his identity (Jesus of Nazareth) are all left entirely for later revelation.  With our hindsight based on a completed revelation we can force this passage to serve us as a protoevangelion, but we should not assume that it was intended as such or that early Old Testament saints understood it that way.

In the last analysis the seed of the woman is Christ, who assumes human nature, and, being put to death on the cross, gains the decisive victory over Satan. It goes without saying that our first parents did not understand all this.  (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, Eerdmans, 1941, page 294)

I.  Is General Revelation Sufficient for Salvation?

Has there ever been a time, either today or during the earliest chapters of human history, when general revelation was sufficient for salvation?

The term "general revelation" refers primarily to nature (Psalm 19:1-4;  Romans 1:19-20).  Some also include history (particularly the history of ancient Israel) and individual conscience.

The term "special revelation" refers to the Word of God:

• the living word, Jesus Christ  (John 1:18)
• the written word, the Bible

As can be seen in the following chart, general revelation does not go far enough; it does not include the gospel and thus is not sufficient for salvation.  It becomes a basis for condemnation for those who reject nature's light; they are "without excuse" (Romans 1:20).  Special revelation does include the gospel and is thus sometimes called "redemptive revelation."

Topic	God's general revelation	God's special revelation		God's seeking			Our part
God's existence	Yes	Yes		E N L I G H T E N John 1:9	C O N V I C T John 16:8 -11	D R A W John 12:32	W I T N E S S
God's wisdom and power	Yes	Yes
God's holiness		G O S P E L	Yes (therefore, my sin)
God's justice			Yes (therefore, my separation)
God's love			Yes (therefore, substitution)
Repentance and faith			Yes (turning & trusting Christ)
The trinity			Yes

God's seeking activities are universal ("every man," "the world," "all men") and, although they build on general revelation, they focus on sin, the gospel, and Christ.  Thus, special revelation results in salvation for those who repent and believe.

The conscience, as an ability to monitor one's actions and produce certain reactive feelings, is God-given (Romans 1:32;  2:14-15).  However, the content of the conscience is subject to misinformation and thus weakness (1 Corinthians 8:4-13).  Also, the conscience can be corrupted (Titus 1:15) or seared (1 Timothy 4:2).  Thus the conscience is not a reliable guide for one's actions, or for one's salvation.

J.  What Was the Object of the Early Believers' Faith?

The essence of the early believers' faith was their trust in God as savior.  And repentance from sin had to be a vital part of that faith, else from what was one saved?

The early believers had more than a mere awareness of God's existence.  They repented of their sins and trusted (had faith in) God.  Just like Enoch, whose faith was discussed earlier, Abraham also had faith in God.

What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."  Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.  (Romans 4:3-5, italics added)

The early believers were saved in the same way we are.  In reference to the chart of elements in the gospel, the early believers understood the basic truths on each level just as we must.  And they had the same basic response that we must have.  We are fortunate that we have been given additional light on these various elements.  But it would be a mistake to say that they had no light on these elements.  Their response (repentance and faith) to what God had revealed to them was just as genuine as ours.

Speaking of Old Testament saints, A. H. Strong states that

… God cultivated in them a boundless trust – a trust which was essentially the same thing with the faith of the new dispensation, because it was the absolute reliance of a consciously helpless sinner upon God's method of salvation, and so was implicitly, though not explicitly, a faith in Christ.  (Strong, op. cit., page 667)

In commenting on Genesis 3:15, Vos states that

O. T. Revelation approaches the concept of a personal Messiah very gradually.  It sufficed for fallen man to know that through His divine power and grace God would bring out of the human race victory over the serpent.  In that faith could rest.  The object of their faith was much less definite than that of ours, who know the personal Messiah.  But none the less, the essence of this faith, subjectively considered, was the same, viz., trust in God's grace and power to bring deliverance from sin.  (Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments, Eerdmans, 1948, page 55)

K.  Four Caveats

In order to avoid being misunderstood we must emphasize four points.

1.  Mere belief in God's existence

We are not suggesting that the early believers merely believed in God's existence.  There is an important difference between merely believing that God exists and believing God or believing in God.  Merely believing that God exists is purely intellectual.  Even the demons are aware of God's existence.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.  (James 2:19)

But for salvation a person must deal honestly and humbly with his own sin – he must turn from sin (repent), and turn to God trusting him as his only savior.  It is not surprising, then, that when the writer of Hebrews refers to the elementary and foundational truths, he mentions first this combination of repentance and faith.

Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God  (Hebrews 6:1)

2.  Good works

We are not suggesting that the early believers were saved by good works.  Works of the law can never save anyone.

No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.  (Romans 3:20)

By observing the law no one will be justified.  (Galatians 2:16)

3.  A different savior

We are not suggesting that the early believers were saved by someone other than Jesus Christ.  It was still Jesus who did in fact pay the penalty for their sins even though they were not aware of his identity.

4.  Sincerity

We are not suggesting that sincerity is enough.  Consider Paul's teachings regarding the sincere (zealous) Jews.  They were zealous for God, but still unsaved.

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.  (Romans 10:1-3)

Also consider those who thought they were working in Jesus name, but he denied knowing them.

Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"  (Matthew 7:22-23)

None of these – mere belief in God's existence, good works, another savior, sincerity – can ever be a basis for salvation.

Some have misunderstood Acts 10:34-35.  In this passage Peter is addressing those gathered at the home of Cornelius.  He states that God "accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."  But the passage must be referring merely to the fact that God is willing to accept the gentiles as candidates for salvation in the same way he accepts Jews as candidates for salvation.  If Peter's statement here meant that the heathen were saved based on their sincerity or good works, then the substitutionary death of Jesus would be unnecessary and Peter could have stopped speaking at that point.  But instead he went on to tell about the person and work of Christ.

L.  Those Today Who Have Not Heard of Jesus Christ

There are many who never hear the name of Jesus.  Some of them have rejected the truth that God has already revealed to them.  These fall under the condemnation of Romans 1:18-32.

However, some respond positively both to the light of the revelation they have received and to the seeking activities of God (enlightening, convicting, drawing; see chart above).  On the one hand, if they are truely seeking but have not yet repented and exercised faith in God, it seems that God would lead them to greater understanding as he did Cornelius (Acts 10).  It is interesting to note that, based on Acts 11:13-14, Cornelius was not saved merely by his seeking, but was only saved when he responded to the message Peter preached about Jesus Christ and placed his faith in him (Acts 10:24-48).

But this question still remains: Is it possible that there are some today who, even though they have not yet heard about Jesus Christ, they have responded positively to God's revelation and to God's seeking activities, have recognized their own personal sin, and have gone beyond mere seeking to the point where they have repented of their sins and are trusting in God to save them?  We cannot know for certain even if such individuals exist.  If they do exist, we cannot know whether God directly enlightens them so that their faith can rest specifically in Jesus Christ, or if God considers their faith in God sufficient, since in God's mind (though not yet in theirs) Christ's death is the basis for everyone's salvation.

If the latter is the case, there may be a parallel in Hebrews 11:24-26 in which the writer speaks of Moses' choice to identify with Israel rather than Egypt as "for the sake of Christ."  It is unlikely that Moses was thinking of a future Christ (messiah, or anointed one) at this point.  There had been no revelation up to this point (at least none that was recorded and preserved for us) regarding any anointed individual.  Later, Moses would write under inspiration about anointing Aaron and his sons, and there would be many anointed priests and kings, but these were all contemporary humans.  It would not be until hundreds of years after Moses that the prophets would begin to write about a future anointed servant, what we term the Messiah or Christ (for example, in Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2).  Thus, the reference to Moses' choice being "for the sake of Christ" must be the way the writer of Hebrews interpreted what Moses did, rather than what was in Moses' mind.  The same analysis may apply to the phrase "that rock was Christ" in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4.  If this is correct, then it would also be fitting for us to speak of Enoch's choice as "for Christ."

Does the following passage answer the above question?

… faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.  (Romans 10:17)

If this passage were applied in a rather mechanical fashion, one might conclude that today no one can get saved until he hears about Jesus Christ.  But it is important to notice that Paul immediately illustrates the passage with examples from the Old Testament rather than from the early history of the Christian church or from his own previous missionary journeys.  Thus, it is possible that the "word of Christ" is to be understood similar to the references to Christ in Hebrews 11 and 1 Corinthians 10 discussed above.

Another question remains: Are there some who die while in the process of responding positively and seeking God?  If so, what does God do with them?  Again, we cannot be sure that such individuals even exist.  And if they do exist, we have not been told how God would respond to them.

These are the sorts of questions we must leave with God.  These things are his responsibility, not ours.  Certainly he will act in both love and justice as he has always done.  And if God does accept such persons, he would do so on the basis of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.

One final thought: The fact that we must leave certain questions to God does not mean, however, that we should leave evangelism and missions up to God.  We have been told to preach the gospel throughout the world.  That is clear, and is our responsibility.  Whether we think of them as distant "heathen" or as our neighbors, they are confused and blinded.  They need to hear about Jesus.  They need to hear the full message about Jesus, which includes all of the other elements of the gospel as well.