Have you ever felt like you were forgetting something but couldn’t figure out what you were missing? We have explored three main views on the destiny of evildoers, but we have missed something: Who are the wicked? Who goes to the everlasting prison, or the incinerator, or the refinery? (Yes, things get confusing when trying to answer this question using the different views of hell we have explored.)
I didn’t bring this up earlier because it’s a topic that could have derailed our journey. But now that we are nearing the end, it’s time to consider the identity of the wicked.
Agreement
The standard Christian answer is that we are all sinners. Paul says, “There is no one righteous, not even one,” (Rom 3:10) and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23). So who are the wicked? We are. All of us.
But the amazingly good news is that God “justifies the ungodly” (4:5). Think about that. God, the holy and righteous Creator, declares guilty people innocent. How? Through his Son. Those who have faith in Jesus are justified (3:26), and those who believe in the God who raised Jesus from the dead are credited with righteousness (4:24). On this much Christians agree: those who express faith in Jesus will be saved. Saved from what? As we’ve seen, that’s where Christians disagree. So who will not be saved? Here are four main views.
Those Without Conscious Faith in Christ
First, the exclusive view says that those who have not placed their faith in Christ will end up in hell (or the incinerator or refinery). Christ is essential because “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). The way to God is through Jesus. For that reason, when Paul and Silas were asked, “what must I do to be saved?” they replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). And Paul told the Romans, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9). In order to be rescued, we must express conscious trust in Jesus the Messiah.[i]
Question
What about those who could not express faith in Christ before they died? In particular, what will happen to Old Testament saints who lived before Jesus was born, infants and young children, the mentally disabled, and those who have never heard about Jesus? Will they not be saved because they were unable to hear the good news and accept Christ personally? These types of questions lead some to embrace another view.
Those Who Reject the Light
Second, the inclusive view asserts that the inhabitants of hell rejected whatever light they had. God has given everyone some light, such as the light of creation, and the light of conscience, so we must embrace the light we have. Before he had heard of Christ, Cornelius was told that his prayers and gifts to the poor were a “memorial offering before God” (Acts 10:4). And when Peter visited Cornelius’s house he concluded, “God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (10:35). While Christians affirm that we are only saved by Christ, this view stresses that by turning to the only light we have, we are turning to Christ.
Karl Rahner (1904–1984), a Roman Catholic theologian, used the term “anonymous Christian” to refer to people who live in Christ’s grace without explicit knowledge of him. During an interview with Robert Schuller, Billy Graham (1918–2018) surprised many with his affirmation of inclusivism:
I think everybody that loves Christ, that knows Christ, whether they are conscious of it or not, they are members of the body of Christ . . . They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their heart that they need something that they don’t have. And they turn to the only light they have and I think that they are saved and they are going to be with us in heaven.[ii]
Likewise, C. S. Lewis writes:
There are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it.[iii]
No one
Third, as we have seen, the universal view claims that no human will end up in the everlasting flames or the incinerator because those don’t exist. Many, however, will end up in the refinery.[iv] Before the ultimate and grand reunion in Christ, many will experience a painful refining process. Who will experience the refining process? Everyone because “everyone will be salted with fire” (Mk 9:49).
We Don’t Know
Fourth, the agnostic view states that we don’t know the identity of the human inhabitants of hell. Since God is the final judge, who will judge all of us, we must not venture to sit on the judge’s seat. As Paul said,
judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. (1 Cor 4:5)
According to the Catholic Church’s Catechism for Adults, “Neither Holy Scripture nor the Church’s Tradition of faith asserts with certainty of any man that he is actually in hell.”[v] John Sachs emphasizes this point, “the Church which reverences the saints refuses to say that even one single person is or will be in hell.”[vi] This includes Judas, Jesus’ betrayer.
Some are partially agnostic—uncertain about the destiny of specific groups of people but more dogmatic about the destiny of others. For example, a person can be agnostic about the fate of those who have never heard the gospel, while also affirming the salvation of infants.[vii]
Blurred Lines
Finally, some who affirm one view make exceptions. Many exclusivists, for instance, become inclusivists when babies are the topic of consideration. This shift is apparent in the Catholic Church.
Augustine taught that unbaptized babies who died would suffer mild punishment eternally because of the original sin they inherited. This idea was later mitigated by the doctrine of limbus infantium or the infants’ limbo, which promised young children natural happiness but not the divine bliss of the vision of God. And a recent examination of this question by the Catholic Church resulted in this conclusion, “there are theological and liturgical reasons to hope that infants who die without baptism may be saved and brought into eternal happiness.”[viii]
Likewise, Jonathan Edwards believed in infant damnation, but many Protestant leaders today would disagree. So proponents of one view sometimes make exceptions.
Summary
Who will not be saved? The exclusive view says those who don’t express conscious faith in Jesus; the inclusive view says those who reject the only light they had; the universal view says no one, but we will be refined; and the agnostic view says we don’t know. While there are different opinions on the identity of the wicked, all agree that everyone is a sinner and Christ is our Savior.
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[i] Christ means Messiah so Jesus Christ is the same as Jesus the Messiah.
[ii] “Robert Schuller and Billy Graham Speaking Wide Acceptance,” YouTube, accessed September 21, 2017.
[iii] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1942), 177.
[iv] Some have extended this universal salvation to Satan and fallen angels, but I will stay focused on humans.
[v] Cited in Balthasar, 13.
[vi] Sachs, 617.
[vii] An intriguing twist on this perspective is found in the writings of Neal Punt (1928–2016). Unlike the majority of Protestants who assume everyone is lost unless the Bible declares them to be saved, he assumes the opposite: everyone is saved unless the Bible declares them to be lost. He argues that salvation should be our default position because of the universal affirmations in Scripture. So, in the end, who will be lost? Punt says we don’t know. Neal Punt, A Theology of Inclusivism (Allendale, MI: Northland Books, 2008).
[viii] “The Hope of Salvation for Infants who Die Without Being Baptized,” International Theological Commission, 1/19/07, accessed September 23, 2017, https://bit.ly/2VPDcHI.
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.