When considering the necessities for salvation presented in the gospel, and the defense of such, the skeptic will often turn to hypothetical logic – Since the gospel message must be heard to receive salvation there must be exceptions for those who never hear. Yet, the inconsistency of such a thought is seen in the thought itself. If salvation is conditional upon hearing the word of God then it cannot be attained without said hearing. To suggest an exception is to deny any relevancy to the hearing of the message in the first place. I am troubled to say I have even witnessed Christians balking at such hypothetical logic for fear of condemning another, and even subscribing to said logic, having a terrible misunderstanding of God’s grace. So then, what about the man who is stranded on a deserted island, or even born and raised in such a place, who never hears the gospel message? Can he be saved? Will he “be found by [God] in peace, without spot and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14)?

The reason for such a question rests on the fundamental understanding of the condition of such a man. He is in need of being rescued. If no problem existed the man would need no salvation. He could not be saved, because he is already safe. However, the gospel reveals an important truth that remains despite individual ignorance – “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If there ever was a man that lived, save Jesus the Christ, who became an exception to this inspired statement Paul becomes a liar, and more of a travesty than that, so does the Holy Spirit! And so, the realization reached about the state of all men leads to the inquiry about a solution to the problem. Which, in this case, there is but one.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). The gospel is the means by which God has determined to save any man. The facts are stated, and remain in any situation. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). The gospel is necessary for salvation to be obtained, but only those who believe it can access the gift it offers (cf. Romans 5:2). If one hears the message but refuses to believe, he is condemned. Thus, we have the hypothetical – what if an individual, never having heard the gospel, does not have the opportunity to believe or reject the gospel? One must understand such thought is rooted in silence and assumption – Jesus did not speak of those to whom the gospel will not be presented, so this rule must not apply. This illogic simply ignores the place and purpose of the gospel message. It is the ONLY power to salvation from the pit of sin, and death because of sin. Has the man on the deserted island sinned? The inspired writer states the affirmative. How must he be saved? – “the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). We must accept this truth.

The Deserted Island Question, and others like it, are usually posed by unbelievers who seek to expose contradictions in God’s word. They will continue to fail. Christians need to understand the consequences of such thinking. The question suggests the possibility of the salvation of the ignorant. Therefore, as long as one remains in the state of not knowing, he is safe. This suggests that Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into the world and preach a troubling message – that whoever hears the gospel is plucked from the refuge of ignorance, and cast into the peril of knowing with the opportunity to reject. This is nonsense. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15), and those who do not know this will die in their sins (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; Acts 17:30-31).