Apologetics in the Lion City

The Fairness Question

One of the most common objections to Christianity is this: What happens to someone who has never heard of Jesus? If salvation requires faith in Christ, isn’t it unfair to condemn those who never had the chance? This question is not abstract. It touches real people — the villager in the Amazon, the shepherd in Mongolia, the child in a war‑torn land. Behind it lies something deeper: the character of God. If He is just, He cannot punish ignorance. If He is merciful, He must provide a way. Christianity does not shrink from this challenge. It has wrestled with it for centuries, and its answers reveal a God who is both holy and loving.

Three Christian Responses

Exclusivism insists that salvation requires explicit faith in Jesus. Without Christ, there is no salvation. This view emphasizes the seriousness of sin and the uniqueness of Christ as Savior. It explains why Christians have historically risked everything to spread the gospel: if Christ is the only way, then proclaiming Him is urgent.

Inclusivism affirms Christ as the only Savior but allows that people may be saved through Him without knowing His name. Those who respond faithfully to conscience, creation, or moral law are ultimately responding to Christ’s Spirit. This view highlights God’s mercy and answers the objection that He would condemn those who never heard.

Universal Opportunity argues that God ensures everyone has a genuine chance to respond to Christ — whether through missionaries, visions, dreams, or even at the moment of death. This view emphasizes God’s fairness: no one is condemned without a real opportunity.

The Challenges Each View Faces

Exclusivism can sound harsh, as if God condemns people for ignorance beyond their control. Inclusivism can seem to weaken the necessity of explicit faith in Christ. Universal Opportunity can feel speculative, since Scripture doesn’t clearly teach that everyone receives visions or post‑mortem chances. Each view highlights one aspect of God’s character — justice, mercy, or fairness — but struggles to hold all three together.

A Harmonized Defense

The apologetic strength lies in harmonizing these perspectives. This is not a compromise that waters down each position, but a synthesis that draws out their strengths and resolves their weaknesses. It’s like weaving three strands into one rope: each strand emphasizes a different aspect of God’s character, but together they form a stronger whole.

• Exclusivism as the foundation: Christ alone saves. Salvation is only through Jesus Christ. This is non‑negotiable because Scripture consistently affirms that Christ is the unique mediator (Acts 4:12, John 14:6). Exclusivism guards against relativism and ensures that the gospel remains the decisive truth claim.
• Inclusivism as the bridge: mercy beyond knowledge. While Christ is the only Savior, God’s mercy may reach those who respond to the light they have. Romans 2:14–15 suggests that Gentiles who follow conscience show the law written on their hearts. Inclusivism answers the fairness objection by showing that God does not condemn sincere seekers who never had access to the gospel.
• Universal Opportunity as the assurance: God ensures fairness. God gives everyone a genuine chance to respond, whether through missionaries, providential encounters, dreams, or even at the threshold of death. This reassures us that no one is condemned without a real opportunity.

Together, they present a God who is just, merciful, and fair — not one at the expense of the other.

The Force of Urgency

The harmonized view does not lessen evangelistic urgency; it multiplies it, because each perspective presses its own compelling reason to act.

Exclusivism: Urgency from Truth
If salvation requires explicit faith in Christ, then evangelism is urgent because without hearing the gospel, people remain lost. This urgency is sharp and sobering: eternity hangs in the balance, and the church must proclaim Christ boldly. It explains the historic missionary drive — believers risked everything because they believed the stakes were eternal.

Inclusivism: Urgency from Mercy
Even if God’s mercy can reach those who respond to conscience and creation, evangelism is urgent because it brings clarity, assurance, and joy. Without proclamation, seekers may walk in shadows, never knowing the name of the One they already seek. Evangelism transforms vague longing into explicit recognition: “This is the Christ you have been reaching for.”

Universal Opportunity: Urgency from Obedience
If God ensures everyone has a chance, evangelism is urgent because we are often the very means by which that chance arrives. God’s fairness does not cancel our responsibility; it heightens it. We are entrusted with delivering the invitation. Delay or silence risks withholding the opportunity God intends to give through us.

A Unified Crescendo

When combined, these perspectives create a threefold urgency:

• Truth — Christ is the only Savior.
• Mercy — people need assurance and joy in knowing Him.
• Obedience — God calls us to be His instruments of fairness.

Imagine salvation as a banquet hall: the door is Christ, the path is conscience and creation, and the invitation is the gospel. Urgency arises because without the door, no one enters; without the path clarified, seekers wander; without the invitation, guests may never arrive. Evangelism is the act of flinging open the door, lighting the path, and delivering the invitation — all at once.

This urgency is not fear‑driven but love‑driven. It is the urgency of a shepherd searching for lost sheep, of a host longing for every guest to arrive, of a Father who will not rest until His children are home.

Justice, Mercy, and Mission

The fate of the unreached is not a flaw in Christianity but a window into God’s character. He is perfectly just — no one is condemned unfairly. He is perfectly merciful — His Spirit reaches further than human effort. He is perfectly fair — everyone receives a genuine opportunity.

The fairness question, then, becomes an invitation: trust the Shepherd who knows every sheep by name, and join His mission of carrying the gospel to every valley, every tribe, and every heart. Christianity does not shrink from the challenge; it answers with a God whose justice and mercy meet in Christ.