Is The Name of Jesus REALLY Necessary?

So I was in a Pastoral Care and Counseling class at NOBTS when the professor asked a question, and I paraphrase:If people in distant lands have never heard the name of Jesus and His gospel will they go to hell when they die? He allowed us to give our opinions.

"Of course, they would go to hell," was the prevailing opinion.Not so fast, he quipped, how can you say that when God saved people out of the Old Testament times who'd never heard the name of Jesus and His gospel.He continued, The Old Testament saints looked forward to the time of the Messiah but never heard the name of Jesus or understood His gospel, and yet, because they had responded appropriately to the light that had been given them their sins were taken care of at the cross.

So, I ask, what of other people in other lands who've never heard the name of Jesus or a clear gospel message? If they believe in a higher being according to the limited light of nature ("natural revelation", as some might call it) will God go ahead and take them to heaven when they die...even if they've never heard the name of Jesus and His gospel?

The rationale used to believe that "heathen pagans" who've never heard the gospel or the name of Jesus could still be saved is based, at least in part, on Romans 1:18-20. But context reveals that this interpretation is inaccurate. Note the following points:

• 
  The point of 1:18-2:1 is that no one is without excuse. Far from teaching that someone can go to heaven by responding only to natural revelation Paul is actually driving home the opposite argument that all are condemned unless they hear and respond to the gospel. People who read more into the text are doing just that...reading into the text their bias.
• 
  Chapter 1:16-17, which obviously immediately precedes the aforementioned passage specifically states very clearly that it is the gospel itself that "is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek..."
• 
  Notice the inclusiveness..."the Jew...the Greek". That's everyone in the world.
• 
  Notice the narrow parameters: "for everyone". That's a personal need issue...to hear the gospel and to respond to it.
• 
  The wider context of other passages in the New Testament.

Consider the following:

• 
  What's the point of the Great Commission if people have a chance to respond savingly to natural revelation? Why, anyone could pray to any concept of any god and believe as much as they possibly can...and the blood of Christ would cover them because of their sincere response to the limited light they had? If that's the case, why is Jesus so direct in commanding His followers to go?
• 
  What about Romans 10:17 which says that saving faith only comes from hearing the word of God? The context here, once again, is showing that people, specifically Israel in this passage, are responsible and without excuse. In Israel's case they did very much have the word of God...but rejected it (v.16). And, they not only rebelled against the specific word of God given through the prophets...they also rebelled against the witness of nature. They are doubly responsible in other words.
• 
  I'll save the best for last: What about Romans 10:13-15a, which specifically says that salvation comes to the one that "calls on the name of the Lord..." (Only...only those who call on His name!)
  

The Romans 10:13-15a passage goes on through a quick progression of thought, which is as follows:

• All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved v.13
  
• But how will they call on Him if they don't believe? v.14
  
• And how will they believe if they haven't heard? v.14
  
• And how will they hear if they are without someone to tell them? v.14
  
• And how will a messenger go to those who haven't heard unless they're sent? v.15

Thus, the missionary cry. Souls!

One weak argument that some will use on the other side goes something like this: Well, if a person dies without ever having heard the name of Jesus and His gospel...God will do what is right...after all, He is a just God.

Yep! God is just! But that's not the argument you want to make if you disagree with my point of view. You certainly don't want your default position to be the justice of God. God's justice demands that sinners receive their just punishment. The Father took great pleasure in crushing His Son and in putting Him to grief because of sin (Isaiah 53:10). He doesn't take pleasure in the death of the wicked...but He surely did in the death of His beloved Son. Why? Because Jesus made provision for salvation for all those who would call on His name.

God meeted out His justice upon His own Son for all those who are in Christ.
Who are those who are in Christ? "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12)
You've got to hear the name of Jesus and believe His gospel to be saved.