Recently I was having a discussion with some friends (over a bowl of icecream and chocolate topping – the only way to discuss!) about whether Jesus is the only way to be saved. And if so, what happens to those who never hear about him and therefore never have opportunity to choose him? For example, when a child dies in infancy, before reaching a point of understanding Jesus’ message, do they go to heaven? Or what happens to someone who grows up in a Muslim nation, where they are not able to hear the gospel?

The Bible is fairly clear on the first question – Jesus is the only way to achieve salvation. Consider Jesus’ own words :

‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

- John 14:6

Similarly Peter says that:

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

Let me be clear: Christianity is not just one religion among many, all offering different (equally valid) ways of approaching God. Jesus was quite insistent that he was and is the only way of entering relationship with the Father. He is the only doorway into eternal life. This is not a popular stance in the world today, everyone’s ‘truth’ is equally valid, and noone can claim exclusivity in the area of truth without attracting the ire of all around them. Unpopular or not, though, I believe that we as Christians are called to speak and defend this truth.

The second question, however, is a little trickier. The Bible appears to be silent on the issue, and so we cannot say with any great certainty one way or another. There is no promise, for example, that babies will automatically go to heaven. There is certainly no promise that adults who don’t hear about Christ will automatically qualify for heaven.

Some might cite Paul’s letter to the Romans on this issue:

All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets, through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

- Romans 2:12-16

Their argument in doing so would be to suggest that even someone who hasn’t heard of Jesus will be judged on the basis of being a “law for themselves” (14) who “have the requirements of the law written on their hearts” (15) – and will be found guilty even in the sight of their own consciences. The problem with this is that this passage is that knowledge of the law, in my view, is not actually comparable to knowledge of Jesus. That is to say, the argument that “Ignorance of the law is no defence in court and so therefore ignorance of Jesus is no defence in his ultimate court” doesn’t really stand.

Here’s what I do know: God is characterised by his love, his mercy and his justice. I personally believe that, on the day of judgment, Jesus will consider each and every person according to their life and circumstances. In the same way that earthly judges are able to exercise discretion in sentencing, much more will the Judge of all the earth be able to judge “based on truth” (Rom 2:2).

I do not know what measure or method (if any) he might use in doing this.

I do trust him to do what is right.