Some seem to get bent all out of shape if they even think someone would believe God would give some humans a second chance at being redeemed and granted eternal life. “The Babylonians and Apaches already had their chance and blew it,” they argue. Most who raise that mindless argument assume Romans Chapter One teaches that mankind is without excuse for rejecting salvation through Jesus Christ – the ONLY name given among mankind whereby men can be saved. They fail to see the context of Romans 1:20, “they are without excuse,” clearly reveals Paul is making reference to the Jews – those who had the oracles of God, who abandoned the truth for a lie, who broke covenant with God, etc. Read the entire chapter and forget the chapter break and continue reading through the 17th verse of chapter 2 in order to see the context clearly. At any rate, how many chances does God give the average person before they finally surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ???
The apostle Paul realized that it doesn’t take a genius to figure out “how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (See Romans 10:14). Paul went on to say, “So then faith (in Jesus Christ) comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God” (See Romans 10:17). And without faith it is impossible to please God! (See Hebrews 11:6). It is a shame more preachers don’t think as deeply as the apostle Paul thought.
It is “whosoever believes in Him shall receive remission of sins” (See Acts 10:43). The “witness of nature” cannot provide this! The Inca Indian, the Assyrian soldier, the ancient Chinese peasant might conclude creation demands the existence of a Creator but nature and creation cannot identify that Creator or suggest to the creationist that the Creator desires a relationship with them and would like to impart eternal life to them!! How absurd to even think so! “Neither is there salvation in any other (other person, method, avenue, etc.), for there is none other name (or method) under heaven given among men (of any nation, generation or era), whereby we must be saved” (See Acts 4:12).
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley