Pluralism, inclusivism and the gospel

The ‘tacit atheism’ of our age believes that there is no revelation from heaven, no word from Almighty God and all religions are therefore just matters of opinion, equally valid.

Many faiths and sects abound today. In Athens Paul found all kinds of ‘gods’ worshipped in the city. In that sense, since early times the world has been ‘pluralist’, with many rather than just one faith.

But now, under the pressures of philosophical relativism and political correctness, we see a change from this ‘descriptive pluralism’ to ‘prescriptive pluralism’. Every faith must accept every other faith as valid. No single religion has the right to call itself the truth and claim to be the only way of salvation. This is an affront to other people’s beliefs. The public questioning of certain faiths should be criminalised and Christian evangelism classified as a hate crime. This is a great threat to Bible churches, who proclaim John 14.6, ‘Jesus said: "I am the Way ... No one comes to the Father, except through me"’.

Two questions and three positions

Two questions have to be faced in the light of this.

1. Is Jesus Christ the only Saviour?

More fully: Is the sinless life of the God-man Jesus Christ and his atoning death and resurrection the sole means by which the penalty of human sin is paid and we are reconciled to God?

2. Is personal faith in Christ necessary for a person to be saved?

Is conscious knowledge of Christ’s death and resurrection, and explicit faith in him as our Saviour necessary for anyone to be reconciled to God?

On these questions there has been much waffling, even from people who call themselves evangelicals.

It is possible to give three different answers to this combination of questions. The pluralist would answer question 1 ‘No’ and question 2 ‘No’. The inclusivist would answer question 1 ‘Yes’ and question 2 ‘No’. The Biblical Christian (Exclusivist) answers question 1 ‘Yes’ and question 2 ‘Yes’.

So the famous John Hick (former Professor at Birmingham University) would be a pluralist. The American proponent of Open Theism, Clark Pinnock, would be an inclusivist, saying that faith in Christ is desirable but not necessary for salvation; so also would Brian MacLaren, a major proponent of the postmodern ‘emerging church’ movement. But someone like John Piper is an exclusivist (see his Let the Nations be Glad). We must ask what answers the Bible gives to the two questions.

Christ alone?

Scripture makes it quite clear that Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14.6; Acts 4.10-12). It proclaims this on the basis of five great truths about Jesus.

* His virgin conception — Isaiah 7.14; Matthew 1.18-25; Luke 1.26-38

The virgin conception lays the foundation for his incarnation as the God-man. The Holy Spirit replaced the human father in conception so that in his humanity Jesus is both son of Mary and Son of God. Also the virgin conception secures his sinlessness. Sin has infected the whole human race through Adam (Romans 5.12,18). But, for Jesus, though truly human (seed of the woman, Genesis 3.15), Adam is not his father and therefore he is without sin and so is able to carry our sin. This is true of Jesus only.

* His historical incarnation — John 1.1-18; Hebrews 1.1-3; Philippians 2.5-11

Only one who is both God and man can be our Saviour. He had to be God in order to accomplish our salvation. The penalty for sin against the infinite God is infinite. Only an infinite person could deal with it in a conclusive and final way. He had to be man, since only as man could he represent human beings and stand in our place (that is why the OT sacrifices could not achieve salvation). The question then is, ‘Who else is God and man?’ The answer is ‘No one’.

* His sinless life — 2 Corinthians 5.21; Hebrews 4.15; 1 Peter 2.21-24

Jesus had to live a sinless life so that he could present himself as a sinless sacrifice on our behalf. But also he had to live a sinless life in order to succeed on our behalf where Adam failed. The temptation of Christ in the desert parallels the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. But where they failed he was victorious over Satan. His active obedience is counted ours, so that we are positively justified and reckoned righteous in God’s sight. History shows us no one else who has lived a sinless life and therefore is equipped to be our Saviour.

* His substitutionary death — Isaiah 53.4-6; Romans 3.21-26; Galatians 3.10-14

Isaiah foretold that Christ would be ‘pierced for our transgressions’. The events of the Passion make it clear that Jesus died in the place of Barabbas, again picturing substitution. Paul tells us that Christ ‘died for our sins’ (1 Corinthians 15.3) and that ‘he who knew no sin was made sin for us’ (2 Corinthians 5.21). If this is not true there is no good news — we have to fall back into crippling and impossible ‘salvation by works’. But the question is, ‘Is there any other death like that of Jesus which atones for our sins?’ The answer is ‘No’. Jesus alone has done this.

* His triumphant resurrection — Acts 2.22-24; Romans 4.25; 1 Corinthians 15.3-8

Look at 1 Corinthians 15.3-5. The resurrection of Christ is not presented as a religious myth.

It is presented as a fact. He died and the empirical evidence for that is that he was buried. He rose again and the empirical evidence is that he was seen. And look at 1 Corinthians 15.17. Here is the connection between the efficacy of Christ’s death and the resurrection. His death is the payment, his resurrection is the receipt. His resurrection demonstrates that our sins have been fully paid for. Who else is risen from death? Once again we see that Jesus alone qualifies as our Saviour.

So it is that, while inviting all to come to Christ, the NT is exclusivist; it is clear that only in Christ can salvation be found (John 3.16-18,36). If this is true, then three things follow. 1. We personally must embrace Christ as our Saviour. 2. The only expression of real love for others must include telling them about Christ and his cross as the way of salvation. 3. We will only honour God as we proclaim Christ boldly and unashamedly. All else is pseudo Christianity.

Faith alone?

Many people would like to think that sincere people who follow other religions or none will also be saved even if they don’t trust personally in Christ. C.S. Lewis promotes this idea in The Last Battle. We understand the compassion behind this sentiment. But that is to believe that people are saved by their sincerity rather than by faith in Christ and his work.

The Bible spells out that personal faith in Christ is necessary for a person to be saved.

* The teaching of Jesus — John 3.16-18; Luke 24.44-49

Jesus declares that the nations need to hear, repent and believe in him to be saved. Look at Luke 24.44-49. Here we see four things. 1. The current condition of people is that they need forgiveness (v.47) — as they are they are not forgiven. 2. They must repent (v.47). 3. What must be provided for them in order to repent? A proclamation (vv.46,47) of the name of Christ and his death and resurrection. 4. How many people are in this condition and need such a proclamation? All nations (v.47). The conclusion must be that there is no forgiveness apart from hearing of and turning to Christ.

* The teaching of Paul — Romans 1.16,17; Romans 3.9,19-26; Romans 10.1-4, 13-15

Look at Romans 1.16,17. Notice that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation ‘of everyone who believes’. Paul is quite explicit that faith is necessary. Some people try to get around this by saying that this is just a general faith in God. But that cannot be because the Jews, for example, did have a faith in God, yet still Paul insists (with tears) that though many of them are zealous and sincere, they are lost apart from turning to Christ (Romans 10.1-4). The faith required is faith in Christ.

* The story of Cornelius — Acts 10.1-11.18

We are told at the beginning that Cornelius is a very sincere and pious man (10.1,2). And yet God sends an angel to him who tells him to send for Peter because he still needs to hear the gospel in order to be saved. God’s plans no longer favour just one nation, the Jews (v.35). He tells Cornelius that all who believe in him (the one who has been raised from the dead, v.40) will be saved (v.43). It was through the message that Peter brings, Cornelius was told, that he and his house will be saved (11.14) — the implication is that he was not saved beforehand. The conclusion is that pious non-Christians need the gospel. There is only one cure for sin — Christ. And we take that medicine through faith.

Good Christians struggle over the question, ‘What about those who have never heard?’ It is a poignant question, and perhaps we cannot have a final answer to it, but there are three things to bear in mind. First, God is just and he will deal justly with those who have never heard. Second, the fact that there are people who have never heard should cause us to redouble our efforts to make sure they do hear. But, thirdly, we must not think that any one of us ever ‘deserved’ to hear the gospel. Our sins are such that none of us deserve anything from God. So it is not a matter of God’s injustice if people do not hear. Beware of trying to put God on trial or accuse him in this way.

Our job is to accept the Bible’s simple teaching that Christ is the Saviour and personal faith in him is necessary for salvation. Therefore, three things again follow. First, mission to a lost world is vital. Second, inclusivism is an error and a deadly poison to the church. Thirdly, obedience to Christ demands our preaching Christ as Saviour and the need for personal faith in him.

This article is based on notes of two lectures given by Professor Bruce Ware of Southern Baptist Theological College, Louisville, USA, at this year’s Carey Conference.