One of three theological proposals regarding the salvation of unreached peoples, along with pluralism and exclusivism, inclusivism is the belief that God through Jesus Christ saves individuals who have never heard the gospel. It is distinct from pluralism in that it does not teach a universal salvation or the possibility of salvation apart from Christ for adherents of other world religions. It also stands in stark contrast to exclusivism, which teaches both that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation and that all people must respond to the message of the gospel in faith and repentance to be saved. The primary arguments of inclusivists rest on their understanding of concepts such as general revelation and the conscience, the justice of God and eternal punishment, and sincere repentance and seeking. Historic Reformed theology is thoroughly exclusivist and explicitly opposed to all arguments advancing various forms of inclusivism.
Inclusivism teaches that God saves individuals by Jesus Christ even though they have never heard the message of the gospel. Inclusivism is distinguished from pluralism in that it teaches that people who follow other religions are saved by Christ and not by those religions. Both inclusivism and pluralism, however, agree that people are saved apart from conscious faith in Christ. Inclusivism and pluralism both stand in sharp opposition to exclusivism. Exclusivism affirms that God has appointed faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ to be the exclusive means by which He saves His people. It follows the biblical teaching that Jesus is the only Savior and says that apart from trusting in Him as He is offered in the gospel, there is no hope of salvation. Repentance and faith are the necessary evangelical responses to the preaching of Christ crucified and risen for salvation.
The arguments raised by adherents of inclusivism vary. Overall, the majority of inclusivists believe that God saves individuals who have never heard the gospel by means of general revelation working on their consciences. Appealing to Romans 1:18–32, inclusivists propose that God’s revelation of Himself in nature leaves men without excuse and that it offers them the hope of salvation. However, it is contrary the historical understanding of the role of general revelation. Romans 1 and the other biblical passages on general revelation teach that general revelation leaves man without excuse because all mankind suppresses the truth of what may be known of God. Scripture also teaches that special revelation is necessary to bring men to a saving knowledge of God in Jesus Christ.
Inclusivists also argue that it would be unjust for God to send those who had never heard the gospel to hell. The problem with this proposal is that Scripture does not teach that people are sent to hell merely because they never heard the gospel. Fundamentally, people are sent to hell because of their sin, which sin is held against them by God unless they trust in Christ. Everyone sins and thus is deserving of hell, but not everyone commits the sin of consciously rejecting the gospel. If one never hears the gospel, one is not held accountable for rejecting it; nevertheless, the same person who never hears the gospel has many other sins that are counted against him if he has not trusted in Christ and received God’s forgiveness.
In considering the issue of inclusivism, it is vital to remember Scripture’s teaching that God would be just in sending everyone who has ordinarily descended from Adam to hell on account of original sin and actual sin. God is not obligated to save anyone. God is obligated to Himself, according to His justice, to punish all unrighteousness. God chooses to reveal His mercy and grace in the gospel for the salvation of the elect. At the cross, Jesus satisfied the justice of God by taking the punishment due to His people on Himself. Because of what Christ accomplished by His death and resurrection, God is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. By satisfying God’s justice, the mercy and grace of God is secured for His people. But one must trust in Christ to benefit from this work.
Some inclusivists suggest that God saves certain individuals who have never heard the gospel but who express sincere desire for repentance and who seek after Him within the boundaries of their religious experience. While this idea is similar to pluralism, inclusivists would not posit a way of salvation in other religions. Instead, certain inclusivists appeal to old covenant saints such as Melchizedek and Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, as examples of those who came to saving faith without having had the true religion revealed to them. In response, we have every reason to accept, on the principle of good and necessary consequence, that God revealed Himself to Melchizedek and that He had done so to Jethro through Moses.
Most inclusivists appeal to individuals in the New Testament for support of their proposal. For instance, some suggest that Cornelius, in Acts 10–11, is an example of one who was exhibiting sincere repentance and a desire to seek after God even though he had not heard the gospel. The problem with this appeal is that Cornelius was a God-fearer, a gentile who had already accepted the theology of the Old Testament and had believed that the promised Messiah would be the Savior of the world. God had already accepted Cornelius on account of this faith in the Messiah, and He sent Peter to Cornelius’ house to preach the gospel to him so that he and his family would know the Messiah’s identity and become part of the new covenant (Acts 10:34–43). Conscious belief in the Messiah was necessary for the salvation of Cornelius and his family; Peter simply filled out the content of belief by preaching the gospel. Today, long after the coming of Jesus and the ministry of the Apostles, the only way to believe in the Messiah is to believe in Jesus. It is impossible to believe in the Old Testament Messiah and to reject Jesus as that Messiah.
The historic Reformed understanding that the Scriptures teach exclusivism is found in the Westminster Larger Catechism, which decisively refutes any form of inclusivism:
Q60: Can they who have never heard the gospel, and so know not Jesus Christ, nor believe in him, be saved by their living according to the light of nature?
A60: They who, having never heard the gospel, know not Jesus Christ, and believe not in him, cannot be saved, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, or the laws of that religion which they profess; neither is there salvation in any other, but in Christ alone, who is the Savior only of his body the church.
In Romans 10, Paul raises a series of questions that speak directly to the matter of our responsibility. Having affirmed that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (v. 13), he then asks:
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (vv. 14–15)
No one can call upon Christ to save them if they don’t believe in Him. Paul puts his finger on the challenge and the responsibility of the church: to send, so that people might hear about Christ, and upon hearing, might believe and be saved.
R.C. Sproul
What Is the Great Commission?
The Apostle Paul gives us no reason to think that those who never hear the gospel—the so-called innocent natives in Africa, Asia, or elsewhere—will be saved. Romans 10:9–15 tells us that the necessary condition of salvation is calling upon the name of the Lord, but the questions raised about preaching indicate that calling upon the Lord’s name is impossible unless people hear of Him and His work. If people get an automatic ticket to heaven because they never hear the gospel, there is no reason to send missionaries to disciple the nations—but Scripture does command us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. The book of Jonah, Matthew 28:18-20, Paul’s church-planting work, and more indicate that the church must send gospel preachers into the whole world. So, one must hear the gospel to be redeemed. Having said that, our just God does not send people to hell simply because they never hear the gospel. Such people are condemned because, like all people, they suppress the truth about God that they do know, refusing to worship and thank Him (Rom. 1:18-32).
Ligonier Ministries
Tabletalk magazine
