Inclusivism vs. exclusivism - what does the Bible say?

The state of the heathen is brought forward by many to discredit the Scriptures. They foolishly imagine that because they have had no testimony of the grace of God presented to them, they cannot be held amenable to the judgment of God. But this conjecture arises from the erroneous idea that men shall be judged for the rejection of the Gospel only. That men shall be judged for the rejection of the Gospel is true regarding those to whom it has been preached, but all men are amenable to the judgment of God, whether they have heard the Gospel or not.

The state of the heathen is brought forward by many to discredit the Scriptures. They foolishly imagine that because they have had no testimony of the grace of God presented to them, they cannot be held amenable to the judgment of God. But this conjecture arises from the erroneous idea that men shall be judged for the rejection of the gospel only. That men shall be judged for the rejection of the gospel is true regarding those to whom it has been preached, but all men are amenable to the judgment of God, whether they have heard the gospel or not.

But in Romans 2:12-16 we have a very plain statement made by the Apostle referring to this very question. He says, "As many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law … in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ." The Gentiles sinned "without law," the law was never given to them. They shall be judged by the light given by creation, natural conscience, and the goodness of God manifested in His providence. They shall perish: they have been altogether unfaithful to the light vouchsafed to them. The Jews to whom the law was given shall be judged by it. Christians are not supposed to come into judgment. If they were truly that which they are by profession they would not come into judgment, for in Christ the believer is already justified from all things. Still because of the unfaithfulness of those favoured with such abundant light, the time has already come when judgment must begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).

But in Romans 2:12-16 we have a very plain statement made by the Apostle referring to this very question. He says, “As many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. … in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.” The Gentiles sinned “without law,” the law was never given to them. They shall be judged by the light given by creation, natural conscience, and the goodness of God manifested in His providence. They shall perish: they have been altogether unfaithful to the light vouchsafed to them. The Jews to whom the law was given shall be judged by it. Christians are not supposed to come into judgment. If they were truly that which they are by profession they would not come into judgment, for in Christ the believer is already justified from all things. Still because of the unfaithfulness of those favoured with such abundant light, the time has already come when judgment must begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).

And likewise there is no respect of persons with God. The Jew may boast of a higher place than the Gentile, but God deals with all alike. The Gentiles had not the law and therefore sinned without law and they cannot escape the righteous judgment of God. They had the witness in Creation, as seen from the first chapter, and besides this there is conscience and that witnesses of what is sin; they have the knowledge of good and evil and are therefore morally responsible. They turned from God and they will be judged apart from the law; but it is more than that "they shall perish without the law." That completely answers the teaching that the mercy of God covers in some way the heathen world and that the heathen are not lost. And the Jews had the law and did not keep it. Could the possession of the Law make them just before God? Certainly not, "for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the law to do them" (Galatians 3:10). And theirs will be the greater judgment, for they knew His will and did not according to His will and shall be beaten with many stripes (Luke 12:47). The entire passage deals with the judgment of a righteous God and that neither the Gentile without the law nor the Jew with the law is righteous before God, but that both classes must fall under the judgment of God. And there is a day appointed when this righteous judgment will be executed by the Son of Man, our Lord. And that none can be just by doing is seen in Paul's defense of the Gospel.

(V. 12) The fact of not having the law will be no excuse for the Gentile who has sinned without it: and the fact of having the law will not shelter the Jew who has sinned under it. Those who have sinned without it will perish without it: those who have sinned under it will be judged by it. This brings out the important principle, that, in rendering to every man his deeds, God takes into account the measure of light a man has had. We have already seen that when it is a question of the sin, God measures it according to the truth of what He is; but when it is a question of measuring out retribution to the sinner, God takes into account the privileges he may have had under the law, or otherwise. This will become manifest in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men.

(Vv. 13-15) Verses 13-15 form a parenthesis showing, Firstly, it would be useless for Jewish moralists to plead they have heard the law; the question is are they doers of the law? "Hearing" would not justify, but "doing"; and none have kept the law. Secondly, it would be useless for the Gentile moralists to plead they have not the law, for, as a matter of fact the Gentile requires no law to tell him not to murder, nor steal, nor bear false witness. His own nature tells him these things are wrong, and therefore he is a law to himself. The fact that we know these things to be wrong shows clearly that the "works" that the law requires are written in our hearts. This is the knowledge of good and evil acquired at the fall and that all men possess. This knowledge may vary, but all men possess some measure of light as to good and evil.

I need not say how they did violate the terms of that covenant. So the sin of those who have had a revelation from God is far greater than of those who live in heathen darkness. "As many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law." There is no such teaching in Scripture, however, as that those who are ignorant of the Bible are therefore guiltless before God, as simply unfortunate. Every man by virtue of his creation is a responsible being; and because responsible, he must give account to God for everything he has done; but it will be on the basis of his knowledge. The Gentile will not be judged for violating the law as the Jew will; still less will he be judged for having rejected Christ.

And let it be well remembered that the sinner's responsibility flows out of what is revealed, and not out of what is secret. God's decrees are secret; His nature, His character, Himself is revealed. The sinner will not be judged for rejecting what he had no means of knowing. "This is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)

The execution of judgment, on those found to be His enemies when He appears, is different from the time when God will judge the secrets of men's hearts - that will be for the heathen as well, who have not had special testimony about Christ, but are judged by law's work written on their hearts.

In the judgment of all the nations there is no such scrutiny as Romans 2 speaks of for the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by our Lord Jesus before the great white throne. Then it will be that as many as sinned without law shall also perish without law and as many as sinned under law shall be judged by law. Still more terrible will be the doom of those who rejected the gospel or even neglected so great salvation, as other Scriptures declare.