What has become of this vast multitude? What is and will be their condition? Did God make no provision for these, whose condition and circumstances he must have foreseen?

Or did he, from the foundation of the world, make a wretched and merciless provision for their hopeless, eternal torment, as many claim? Or has he yet in store for them, in the heights and depths and lengths and breadths of his plan, an opportunity for all to come to the knowledge of that only name, and, by becoming obedient to the conditions, to enjoy everlasting life?

To these questions, which every thinking Christian yearns to see answered truthfully and in harmony with the character of God, comes a variety of answers:

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. They are now in hell, writhing in agony, where they will ever remain, without hope.

Arminianism answers, We believe that God excuses many of them on account of ignorance! Those who did the best they knew how will be sure of being a part of the "Church of the First-born," even though they never heard of Jesus.

To this last view the majority of Christians assent (notwithstanding creeds to the contrary). They feel that any other view would be irreconcilable with God’s justice. But do the Scriptures support this last view? Do they teach that ignorance is a ground of salvation?

No! The only ground of salvation mentioned in the Scriptures is faith in Christ as our Redeemer and Lord. "By grace are ye saved, through faith." (Eph. 2:8) Justification by faith is the underlying principle of the whole system of Christianity.

When asked, What must I do to be saved? the apostles answered, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. "There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Rom. 10:13

Paul reasons that a man must hear the gospel before he can believe. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" Rom. 10:14

Some claim that Paul teaches that ignorance will save men, when he says that "The Gentiles, which have not the law, are a law unto themselves." (Rom. 2:14) They conclude from this that the law which their conscience furnishes is sufficient to justify them. But such persons misunderstand Paul.

Paul’s argument is that the whole world is guilty before God (Rom. 3:19). The Gentiles, who had not the written law, were condemned, not justified, by the light of conscience. Conscience, whether it excused them or accused them, proved that the Gentiles were short of perfection and unworthy of life.

The Jews who had the written law were condemned by it; "For by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Rom. 3:20) The law given to the Jew revealed his weakness, and was intended to show him that he was unable to justify himself before God. "By the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his [God’s] sight."

The written law condemned the Jews, and the Gentiles had light enough of conscience to condemn them. Every mouth is stopped from claiming the right of life – all the world stands guilty before God.