What about those who have died before the plan of God has thus reached its fullness?

There have lived on earth since creation (a little over seven thousand plus years), over a hundred and fifty billion human beings. Of these the very broadest estimate that could be made with reason would be, that less than one billion were Saints of God – (prospective members of) the Church – the bride.

What of the hundred and fifty plus billions who died out of Christ? What is their condition?

Atheism answers: They are eternally dead. There is no hereafter. They will never live again.

Calvinism answers: They were not elected to be saved. God foreordained and predestined them to be lost – to go to hell – and they are there now, writhing in agony, where they will ever remain without hope.

Arminianism answers: We believe that God excuses them on account of ignorance, and that if they did the best they knew how, they will be as sure of being a part of the “Church of the First-born” as is Paul himself.

To this last view the great majority of Christians of all denominations hold, from a feeling that any other view would be irreconcilable with justice, on God’s part.

But, we inquire, what do the Scriptures teach on this last point?

That ignorance is a ground of salvation?

No; the only condition known in Scripture is FAITH. “By grace are you saved, through FAITH.” Justification by faith is the ground-rock of the whole system of Christianity. When, on the day of Pentecost, Peter was asked, “What must we do to be saved?” he answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized, and thou shalt be saved.”

Again, he says, Acts 4:12, “There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,” than the name of Jesus.

Paul reasons that a man must hear the Gospel before he can believe: “How shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard?” This – God’s plan – that men shall be saved on account of faith, Paul says was to the Jews a stumbling block (because they expected salvation as a reward of keeping the law) and to the Greeks (the worldly wise) foolishness. But, nevertheless, it has “pleased God by the foolishness (in the eyes of men) of preaching to save them which believe.”

I want to Scripturally close you in to the thought, that all who have NOT heard could not believe, and not believing, could not be a part of the Church.

But, you object, Paul, in the first two chapters of Romans, teaches “that these having not the law are a law unto themselves,” and that this law which their conscience furnishes, is sufficient to justify them.

No, I answer, you understand Paul differently from what he intended. Paul’s argument everywhere is, that “all the world is guilty before God.” “For if I had not known the law, I had not known sin. For by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law given to the Jew revealed his weakness, and was intended to show him that he was unable to justify himself before God. “For by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His (God’s) sight.”

As the law thus condemned the Jews, so Paul says it is with the Gentiles also. Though ignorant of the law, they had light enough of conscience to condemn them. “That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God,” Rom 3:19, in order that eternal life may be seen to be “the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord,” to everyone that believes.

Well, you answer, the Bible to the contrary, I believe and insist that God won’t damn the world for ignorance. Now, let us see. Do you practice what you declare?

Why do you assist in sending missionaries to the heathen, at a cost of thousands of valuable lives and millions of monies?

If they will all be saved – or even half of them – through ignorance, you do them a positive injury in sending a preacher to tell them of Christ, for we know that only about one in a thousand believe when the missionary does go to them. If your idea be correct, it would be far better that no missionaries should ever be sent. Before, nearly all saved; now, because of knowledge, nearly all are lost. In the same way we might reason, that if God had left all in ignorance, we would all have been saved. Then, instead of the Gospel being good news, it would be more properly named bad news.

No, my brethren; you do believe that “there is no other name given whereby we must be saved.” Your actions speak the loudest, and speak rightly.

Now, suppose we look at these things just as God tells us of them, and leave the clearing of His character to Himself.

What Has Become of the 150 plus Billions of humanity that has gone down into the pit?

First, we answer, that you may be sure they are not now in hell suffering; because not only do the scriptures teach that full and complete reward is not given to the Church until Christ comes, “when he shall reward every man,” but likewise that the unjust are to receive their deserts (their full reward) then also (NOT now, not at the present, but THEN). Whatever may be their present condition, it cannot be their full reward, for Peter says: “God knows how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished,” and he will do so.

But the thought of so many of our fellow creatures at any time being lost, without having had the knowledge which is necessary to salvation, seems terrible, indeed, to all who have a spark of love or pity. Then, too, there are a number of Scriptures which seem hard to harmonize with all this. Let us see in the light of his dealings how shall we understand the statement, “God is Love,” or “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish.”

Ah, Lord, it seems to poor, frail humanity that if you loved the world so much, you might have made provision, not only that believers might be saved, but also that ALL might hear,(given the chance to believe).

Again, we read: “This is the true light that lights every man that cometh into the world.” Lord, all our reason seems to say, not so. We cannot see how Jesus lighted more than a few of earth’s billions. Yonder so-and-so gives no evidence of having been so enlighten, neither did the Sodomites and myriads of others.

Once more we read: “Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man.”

How, Lord, we ask? If he tasted death for the over one hundred fifty billion, and from other causes and it becomes efficacious only to one billion, is not his death comparatively a failure?

Again: “Behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

Surely it is to but a little flock to whom it has been glad tidings, and not to all people.

Another is: “There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.”

A ransom, then why should not ALL have some benefit from Christ’s death?

Oh, how dark, how inconsistent do these statements appear when we remember that the Gospel (or True) Church is but “a little flock.” Oh, how we wish it would please God to open our eyes that we might understand the Scriptures, for we feel sure that did we but understand, it must all seem clear, it must all declare in thunder tone, “God is Love.” Oh, that we had the key!

Do you want it? – Are you sure you do?

It is in the last text we quoted, “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

We will expand on this in our next post.