Christ, The only path to salvation
Those putting their faith for salvation in a universal unnamed loving god often make the argument that if a person never heard the name of Jesus, how could they be saved? This belief conflicts with the requirements below that only by the name of Jesus is salvation possible.
Rom 10:9 Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference both of Jew and of Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call on Him.
Rom 10:13 For everyone, “whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Act 4:10 be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in this name does this man stand before you whole.
Act 4:11 This is the Stone which you builders have counted worthless, and He has become the Head of the Corner.
Act 4:12 And there is salvation in no other One; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
That same question is brought forth by scripture to encourage deciples to preach the good news to all the world.
Rom 10:14 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? And how shall they hear without preaching?
In reality, we realize that some people, who try to do good, have died and will die without hearing of Jesus as a savior. God is not surprised by this, and proved that He desires that all people have a chance to accept the lordship of Christ. Those that died before Jesus came as a man were given a choice after Christ died on the cross.
Eph 4:9 (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, indeed being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit;
1Pe 3:19 in which also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,
1Pe 3:20 to disobeying ones, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared (in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through water);
1Pe 4:6 For to this end the gospel was preached also to the dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit
Of course, scripture stopped being written after the death of the apostles. However, God already made His point that He desires all people to know of the love and sacrifices of Christ for them. There should be no doubt that the same choice will be given to those who have never been reached with the good news of Christ. That choice may be given again, as a group, or individually on each person’s day of judgement. Once the choice is presented a decision is required. That decision will remain for eternity.
Assuming that all people must come to accept Christ by faith, then we know that Satan will also be allowed to present a lie, even as he did in the garden of eden. “Surly, you will not die!” However, lies and distractions will not prevent God’s truths from happening. That is why it is so important that people make the right choice. There is no second chance after death.