No Other Way, No Other Name -- By: Kenneth C. Fleming

Journal: Emmaus Journal
Volume: EMJ 04:2 (Winter 1995)
Article: No Other Way, No Other Name
Author: Kenneth C. Fleming


No Other Way, No Other Name

Kenneth C. Fleming1

Introduction

One of the assignments in my course at Emmaus called Introduction to Missions is a class debate about the fate of the heathen. The proposition reads, “Adult, sane people who have not put their faith explicitly in the finished work of Christ are all eternally lost, even though they have never heard the gospel.” Without fail it becomes one of the liveliest classes of the semester. To some of the students it is a “cut and dried” proposition that all people who have not specifically trusted in the atoning work of Christ are doomed to be cast into Hell.

Others will argue that a God of love ought to allow at least some exceptions; especially people who are sincerely seeking for God and are living up to the light they have. Still others will raise the “fairness” issue; is it fair for God to judge people who have never had a chance to hear of the Lord Jesus Christ? Some find it hard to think that God could send a person to a perdition which is everlasting when their sin has only occurred in the short period of his/her life. Occasionally some student finds it difficult to believe the doctrine of eternal punishment under any circumstances. In this article we shall consider these issues in the light of holy Scripture. It alone, not human reason, is our authority.

The Exclusivist Position

The question simplified is this. Is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ necessary for salvation? Most of my readers will immediately answer, “Definitely yes.” These may be subdivided in to those who say “Yes for people in this age”, and those who say “Yes, for all people in all ages.” All in this group are called exclusivists because they exclude from saving faith all those who have not personally and specifically put their faith in Christ. Among them there is a group on the fringe who believe

that unbelievers are given a second chance after death. That position is known as post-mortem evangelism.

The Inclusivist Position

Still others will answer the question, “Yes, but.” They widen the scope of “saving faith” to include those who have faith in God, even though they have not specifically heard of Jesus Christ. They believe that people may be saved by the redemptive work of Christ without ever knowing that God provided a sacrifice for sin, because a “God of love will count their faith as effectual.” Such people are called Inclusivists. They include among the redeemed many who have not actually known of Christ. To them, Jesus is the only Savior, but it is one’s faith in God, not one’s faith specifically in Christ which is c...

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