These famous words come in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is addressing worry (litt. To be divided between two opinions vs. a singular trust in the Lord). If we trust and seek Him and His Kingdom and righteousness, we’ll have no reason to worry and can trust the promise of the Lord to provide.

When Jesus admonishes to ‘Seek Ye First’ He is commanding us in something foundational, which in my experience, is a lesson that perennially speaks volumes to the non-Christian and Christian alike.

What does it mean to seek? It means to intently strive or search for something with the intent of finding it (picture someone seeking for the perfect house to buy). The world seeks advancement, prestige, material things, wisdom, religious favour, relationships, etc. Jesus calls us to seek something even greater.

What does it mean to seek ye first? Something that is first occupies the first place, is a priority of importance (picture someone with OCD having to have a clean car). Philosophy, politics, empire, family life and certain virtues are all things that people put first, and so seek.

People don’t only seek (and so worry) about food and clothing but all kinds of bigger things in life too.

But what should we seek first? Jesus identified two things: His Kingdom and His Righteousness. This applies differently to unbelievers (crowd- Mt 5:1) and believers (disciples- Mt 5:1).

Unbelievers
Unbelievers are naturally separated from God, His enemies and outside of His Kingdom because of their unrighteousness. They need righteousness and entry into the Kingdom more than anything else. By renouncing the world and repenting of their sin and turning to and trusting in Christ, the unbeliever is counted just or righteous by faith. They are declared legally right with God and given the gift of the Spirit to actually impart righteousness in their daily living. Upon being born anew they are adopted into God’s family, or brought into God’s Kingdom. What a glorious salvation to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of His glorious light! If we seek and obtain these two things, food and clothing will pail in comparison and, by faith, be provided. It is a wonderful irony.

Believers
However, believers ought to seek first God’s Kingdom and righteousness but in a different sense. We ought to pursue personal righteousness by taking hold of the means of grace (prayer, ordinances, Lord’s Day, Scripture, fellowship and service, etc) and reliance upon the Spirit. This is how we grow in righteousness and become more like Christ. We ought also to seek His Kingdom, not entrance into it but its expansion. We do this through the means of course but more overtly through fulfilling the Great Commission, being members and serving in the local church’s ministries, personal evangelism, supporting foreign missionaries, etc. If we seek these two things as believer’s the Lord we can be assured that the Lord will take care of our other concerns. We don’t simply seek salvation from the penalty of sin and then stop seeking after our conversion. We go on seeking!
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Seek ye first can be helpfully demonstrated in this illustration:

​May this be a lesson to us, seek ye first the Kingdom of God!

The story of Joseph is not only a real story but one that is a picture of Jesus and wider biblical teachings. One such picture is of salvation, not only of conversion or becoming a Christian (being saved from the penalty of sin) but of our ongoing salvation (sanctification, being saved from the power of sin).
The 5 Rs of Salvation (c.f. Saving Faith) that we can see in this story are: Recognize, Remorse, Repent, Restoration and Renewal.

I’m a natural born planner. I love a good plan when I see one, I marvel at a great one. Plans speak to the brilliance and insight of the planner, the wisdom of the execution and the good wrought by the plan. Plans are glorious things.

When we look at the big picture of the Bible we inevitably speak of God’s plan of salvation. It sometimes is described like this: in response to the Fall God initiated a plan whereby His grace made possible a way of salvation that culminated in Christ, and awaits His second coming (Fall, Redemption and Consummation).

So far as plans go, it appears glorious but upon closer inspection is quite lacking. The plan makes salvation possible but not guaranteed. In fact, our total depravity dooms such a plan to fail. It is a plan dependent upon man, not God. We need salvation of the Lord.

There are true elements in this popular sketch, however, as a great and glorious God, we would expect a far grander plan, and this is precisely what we find in the pages of Scripture (Eph 1:4–6; Ro 8:30).

A four-hundred-year-old document articulates God’s biblical plan of salvation thus:

This elect number [i.e. those given to Christ in eternity past], though by nature neither better nor more deserving than others, but with them involved in one common misery, God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by Him, and effectually to call and draw them to His communion by His Word and Spirit, to bestow upon them true faith, justification and sanctification; and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of His Son, finally, to glorify them for the demonstration of His mercy and for the praise of His glorious grace. (Canons of Dort 1.7).
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Using modern planning language, we see every element of a great plan:

• The Planner’s Will/Purpose: to save a people for His glory;
• The Agent: Christ who saves or enables the project;
• The Guarantor: the Holy Spirit who builds: calls, grants faith, guarantees our sanctification & perseverance; who involves us in His church to join in the work as under-labourers, fulfilling the Great Commission and extending the Kingdom.
• The End: a bride presented to Christ to live with Him in the New Heavens and New Earth.

This is a plan that we can rest our faith and hope in; confident that as He is able to save, able to keep and able to finish the good work He began in us. Praise the Lord for His glorious plan of salvation! 

*To self-realize is to become who you want to become through mental envisionment.
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I recently came across two ‘interesting’ presentations of the Gospel from reputable evangelical ministries. (Sadly they are all too common as a bit of research revealed and common knowledge attests). They may be said to be a presentation of the ‘self-realized Gospel.’ They go something like this:

Example #1

[after a list of questions, including “Do you believe that Jesus is your lamb?”]

“Did you give the right answers to these questions? Do you believe your answers to be true? If so, then the Bible says Jesus has paid the punishment for your sin. He is your Saviour. You will never have to be afraid of the Second Death or the Lake of Fire…”

[then it adds there is “one more important thing to say” and provides what it calls a thank you prayer or a type of sinner’s pray]

Example #2
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Simpler versions of this would include ‘Jesus died for you, you just need to believe that to be saved’ or ‘God is love, you just need to accept His love to be saved,’ etc.

I have no doubt many who put forward these sorts of messages are well-intentioned. There is certainly much orthodox truth in what they say. There is belief that we must assent to in order to have something to believe in and be saved. (our sinfulness, Jesus' death and resurrection as historic, etc). The shortcoming is ‘what must I do to be saved?’ It is not to passively give mental assent to something. It is not to rely on your own work of mental understanding. It is not passive believe or presumptuous interest but saving faith.

This message is put forward and then we wonder why people don’t change or fall away—they’ve never believed! This message may have become popularized because of self-realization in broader culture (eastern religions), New Thought/Word of Faith, making the Gospel more palatable to a non-Christian public and doctrinal illiteracy. Whatever the reason, it sadly isn’t the full Gospel.

We know this is not the Gospel by knowing the Gospel itself and also by knowing heresy.

The Gospel in the Opening of Acts
“Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21)

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” (Acts 3:19–20a)

See What is the Gospel?

Heresy
The self-realized Gospel may be considered as a form of Socinianism. Apart from holding some very unorthodox views, Socinius (1539–1604) taught that one is saved merely through mental assent to certain doctrines. While the self-actualized Gospel is often very orthodox it shares this ‘assenting’ in common. But even the demons believe, James tells us, but they are not saved!

Socinianism in this broad sense is alive and well, embraced by many (like one I spoke to yesterday, last week, people who sit in the pews, the wider nominal Christian public).

In conclusion, a self-realized Gospel relies on self and mental assent. The Gospel comes with empty hands and relies completely on Jesus. It is a declaration that calls sinners to actively repent and believe. 

Let us help each other get the Gospel right and also to get it out in order that many may be saved.

‘Salvation is of the Lord’ is a common phrase found throughout the Bible to express that God is the author and primary agent in rescuing lost sinners (e.g. Jon 2:9; Ps 3:8, 62:1). Phil 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion…” Because salvation is of the Lord we can have confidence in faith and assurance in life. He planned it, provided His Son and applies this work by His Spirit who then keeps us and sanctifies us until the end. While God is the primary agent in salvation that does not negate that our faith (itself a gift, 2 Pet 1:1; Phil 1:29; Acts 3:16) is a real and meaningful choice or active trust in the finished work of God (otherwise faith is a work and adds to salvation).

In light of that consider how Paul saw his conversion:

“But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me” (Gal 1:15–16)

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Phil 3:2)

Compare this “the Lord saved me” lingo with how conversion is often described today:

I got/was saved; I accepted Christ; I made a personal decision for Jesus; I gave my life to the Lord; I welcomed Jesus into my heart…

Again, this is not entirely untrue but do you see where the emphasis is=ME.
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If salvation is ‘of the Lord’ let us honour Him in our gratitude by giving credit where credit is due.

Acts is known for its conversion narratives, the most famous of which is Saul’s. These teach us what to look for in a genuine conversion: belief in Jesus, repentance, faith in the Gospel, forgiveness and new life (change) by the Holy Spirit and baptism. This essence of conversion is part of the Gospel we proclaim. It helps us know what to expect in conversion, to know what to do and it continues to give understanding to our spiritual journey.

Once we’ve believed Scripture makes this more specific.[1] It offers us an order of salvation (ordo salutis in Latin). What appears instantaneous (and even man-centred) to the naked eye is actually noted as a dividable God centred process. For examples in Ro 8:30 says, And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Likewise, Titus 3:5–7 says, And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Many other passages speak of various steps along this order.

It is important to study this as a believer: a) because it is in the Bible, b) because it gives us a greater appreciation of God’s work in salvation, c) it creates humility, and d) it fosters praise.
Many have parsed the order of salvation to a great degree (e.g. William Perkin’s Golden Chain). Below is a simple version for quick reference.
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[1] We don’t preach the order of salvation but the Gospel, however, we teach the order of salvation to believers for their benefit.

In this we can see the Father willing salvation; the Son accomplishing salvation; the Holy Spirit applying salvation.
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May we stand in awe of the God who works such a marvellous salvation.

​This is not a question unique to today (though emotionalism and universalism perhaps make it more difficult to address). Infants died in Bible times, pioneer Ontario, and indeed still today. Although infant mortality has decreased, still children die, particularly the unborn (miscarriage, abortion[1], the disposal of embryos in fertility treatments, etc).[2] So long as there are children and so long as there is sin and death this question will be relevant.

Before I begin to give a basic and introductory response, I want to emphasise that I do not embark on seeking to answer this question as if from a distance. My wife and I lost numerous children through miscarriage and we have had close friends and family members suffer the loss of both unborn and newborn children. Something else that I must stress before I proceed is that this question is often approach through emotionalism. While our affections have a role to play we must submit ourselves to Scripture, conceding that our ways are not God’s ways (Isa 55:8–9). Generally when we are uncomfortable about something in the Bible God is correct and we are wrong. If you proceed in reading this blog please pause, pray and be open to reason [or reasoning] (James 3:17). Christianity is like a train and the order of that train is important. First must come the train, then the car and finally the caboose. Put another way, first must come fact (or the promises and truths of God), then faith (or belief in those) and then feeling. Get the order wrong and the train soon runs off the track to wherever we want it to go. Get the order right and it runs smoothly along.

The question centres around salvation and namely, if the Bible teaches original sin and the need of salvation (which it clearly does), what about children? It also touches upon our beliefs about what the character of God should be in relation to this question, either leaning toward His love (how could a loving God allow…) or His justice (God is soft on sin if...).

Numerous passages and verses in the Bible teach original sin, but three are perhaps most pertinent to this subject.[3]

The first is Psalm 51:5 where the Spirit says through David: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. This verse teaches that not only from birth but from conception we are sinners.

The second is Ro 5:12, which addresses why we are born sinners. Here the Spirit says through Paul: Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. This means that because the head of the human race—Adam—sinned, all humans are born sinners (original sin). Not only are we born guilty sinners but we also co-opt into sin through sinful choices throughout our lives.

Thirdly, and perhaps the most challenging, come passages like Deut 20:16–18 and 1 Sam 15:2–3 where the Spirit says the following about the destruction of the Canaanites:

2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

We must remember that these passages speak of judgement because of societal sin of a great magnitude (with simply a different means to address it being commanded than against say Sodom and Gomorrah). It does not spell genocide. Traditionally this total judgment has been understood by Christians as a real event backed up by archaeology, but also as a picture of hell.

If children had no sin, children wouldn’t die, because death—generally speaking—comes from sin (Ro 6:23b).

In light of these three passages, we return to the question.
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There have been at least 8 ways that Christendom has sought to answer this question.

1. Eastern Orthodoxy and heresies like Pelagianism.
   1. Both have in common that humans have a predisposition to sin but are not actually born sinful, they are “an undefiled infant.” This clearly stands in opposition to the verses noted above.
2. All children go to heaven (liberal universalism: that God ultimately accepts everyone because He is “love”).
   1. This has been the death knell of ‘liberal Christianity.’ The basic teaching of the Bible is that sinners are saved through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Jesus’ death did not save everyone but only made that salvation possible. Jesus died to save those who would believe in Him, He died to save His own (Jn 10:14).
3. Christened children go to heaven (Roman Catholicism).
   1. Roman Catholics believe one is saved by faith+sacraments+works. One of the sacraments is to christen children. In a sacrament the church is seen as having the authority to dispense God’s grace on earth. As such those children who are baptised are saved (known as baptismal regeneration, see 1052 Catechism of the Catholic Church). Hence why Roman Catholics are so quick to want to baptise their children after birth. The clear teaching of the Bible that we are saved by faith and not by works (whether personal or ecclesial [by the church]) discounts this view.
4. No children go to heaven.
   1. Based on the above passages and that young infants cannot believe some do not think any young children who die go to heaven.
5. Children who die before the “age of accountability” go to heaven.
   1. Another popular view that seeks to balance accountability for sin and the need for faith in salvation is this one: that children are only subject to the penalty of hell if they reject Christ after some arbitrary or subjective “age of accountability.” If they haven’t reached that age they go to heaven. But what is this age? Is it 4, 6, 8, 12, 20, 40, 80? The Bible doesn’t say, because it doesn’t exist. Anyone who has worked with children knows that children wilfully choose sin from a very early age and should be held accountable much earlier than 18! Though verses such as 2 Sam 12:23 are often used in support of this view, such vague verses at best should not be used to overturn the clear (The verse more likely refers to death, David too will die. It is also unwise to build an entire theology on one verse).
6. In His mercy God applies the meritorious work of Christ to children because He is a God of grace.
   1. In this view children do not exercise normal faith in Christ that is needed by those who can choose, but rather He has mercy upon whom I have mercy (Ro 9:15). While it is true that God has mercy upon whomever He will (in this passage as it relates to election), the consistent teaching of Scripture associates receiving this mercy with faith. The strength of this view is it fights universalism by appealing to the need for the work of Christ. The downside is that nowhere in the Bible is this clearly stated.
7. Only elect children go to heaven (or children of the elect are saved).
   1. This is the view held by many early Puritans and Evangelicals. Article 10.3 of the Westminster Confession (similar to the Savoy and 1689 Baptist) says this: “Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit, who works when, and where, and how He pleases: so also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.” (The Scriptural proofs for some of these show that even the most robust theologians of the past needed to bend Scripture to address this question). In this view infants who are elect are saved without faith shown on earth[4] according to the mercy of God. A similar view believes children of believing (elect) parents are saved on account of the faith of their parents. This view would account for why not all children (like those of the Amalekites) are saved and why some possibly are, but no one could know who an elect child was or was not, because the elect are only justified through faith on earth.
8. This is a mystery best left to the Lord (my personal view).
   1. I do not stay awake at night wondering about the eternal state of my unborn child. Why? Because I entrust its soul to an all wise, good and sovereign God and accept His will, whatever it may be. Because the Bible does not even remotely touch upon this subject clearly, it therefore must not be a subject God wants us to concern ourselves with, otherwise He would have told us.

There are two things, however, that the Bible does clearly teach: 1) personal comfort grounded in the promises of God (vs. speculation) for those who mourn the loss of a child, and 2) the personal need to respond to the Gospel.

1. For those who have suffered the loss of a child comfort is available in the face of such loss but it does not come from speculating about your child’s salvation but hoping in the promises of God such as, Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted (Matt 5:4).
2. The Lord commands all people everywhere to repent… (Acts 17:30).
3. Remembering that children our sinners, we need to soak them with the Gospel from an early age. We often fool ourselves into thinking that even older children are still not advanced enough to believe the Gospel. I believe they can and so we must minister the Gospel to them.

[1] In 2020 there were 1622 infant deaths under the age of one (or 4.2%), 74,155 abortions and untold deaths of embryos in fertility clinics.

[2] I believe it is possible to differentiate between the immorality of abortion for instance and issues of infant salvation. One is a moral issue and the other spiritual.

[3] Jesus saying, “let the little come to me” has as little to do with salvation as it does baptism, rather Jesus is breaking down barriers in the apostles hearts, because the Gospel was not meant for “us” (the disciples or the Jews) but for them (Jews and Gentiles and all who believe).

[4] This is very similar to forms of universalism where it is believed people will get a second chance before entering heaven to believe (but see Heb 9:27).

What did the Thief Believe to be Saved?
Recently in our 5 Minute Moments we’ve been thinking about “theological triage” (see Jan 16, 23 and 30). Last week we considered what a primary (salvation) matter was and how you could tell. That got me thinking, what did the thief, or criminal,[1] on the cross necessarily believe that resulted in His salvation?

Read the story from Luke 23:32–43:

32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 

[vv. 34–38, the criminals witness great mockery against Jesus, including the criminals, Mk 15:32b]

 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

What did the thief believe? Though in ordinary circumstances there is much fruit his faith would have borne (e.g. baptism, fruit of the Spirit, service in the Church), this passage is a helpful window into the bare necessity of belief in order to be with Jesus in Paradise—a real death bed conversion:

1.     There was a change in the way he viewed Himself
At the outset of the story he heaped up insults upon Jesus for claiming to be the Christ, the promised King sent from God. Even as he faced the sentence of death for his own crime he still found the time to think of himself as better than someone else. Humans like to alleviate their own guilty consciences in this way! Yet as His standard of perfection moved from himself to Jesus, as He perceived Jesus’ innocence, he became painfully aware of his own sinfulness as a convicted criminal. When we move the standard of perfection from our own to God we necessarily see ourselves as sinners in need of saving.

2.     There was a change in the way he viewed Jesus
At the outset he demeaned Jesus along with the crowd and his fellow criminal. As time passed and he gazed upon the Lamb without blemish who opened not His mouth, upon the blood, the anguish, as he listened to the different views about Him that the crowd expressed, , his view of Jesus radically changed.

From the crowd’s he’d learned of Jesus’ claim to be the Christ. He may have even been aware of Jesus prior to being crucified alongside of Him. Reading between the lines it is clear he perceived Jesus’ divinity and innocence such that he came to fear God.
He began with a high view of self and a low view of Jesus. He ended with a low view of self and a high view of Jesus.

3.     He trusted in Jesus for entrance into Paradise (God’s presence)
Initially he’d joined the mockery of Jesus, yet through witnessing how he responded to this mockery, how he hung there—innocent, perhaps even something of Jesus’ persona, the criminal was led to believe that Jesus was truly the Christ, a King who offers salvation from sin and death, and a place in His eternal Kingdom to all who believe.

It is true this goes against what we now know of verses such as Ro 10:9, yet we must remember this was on the other side of the Cross, the side that no one could see.

Fearful of his own impending death and aware of his own sinfulness, believing that Jesus was the Christ who had power over sin and death (despite the circumstances which might suggest otherwise) He trusted in Jesus. In the bleakness of that crucifixion scene, with no other alternative for help, he asked Jesus to have mercy upon Him. Ultimately it was not just what the thief believed but who the thief trusted that he was saved.

Jesus’ response is telling, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
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If we put this all together we can simply affirm that to be saved one must:
·       See themselves as a sinner in need of saving and fear God;
·       See Jesus as the perfect Saviour from sin and death;
·       Trust in Christ alone for salvation.
Christianity is simple but not simplistic and the thief helps us to see this on the very primary issue of the Gospel.


[1] Criminal or insurrectionist. Romans reserved crucifixion for the worst of crimes.

If salvation is only found in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12), what about all of those people who lived before Him? That is a good question.

In Mk 12:26 Jesus spoke about the subject of a future Resurrection. He referred to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom the LORD said to Moses that He was the God of. Jesus said, “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (v. 27). The patriarchs, who lived long before Christ, are alive in Him. How is this possible?

Faith in the Lord and His promises and covenants, which since the Fall (Gen 3:15) have always pointed to Jesus, is how those of long ago could be saved long before Christ came. All of the OT was pointing to Jesus (Lk 24:44b). By virtue of these forward looking promises the people of old who trusted them were saved (That is what Ro 3:25b is speaking of).

Specifically, to reverse the curse of the Fall God chose (when He didn’t need to choose any) to do so through one man’s family, Abram (Gen 12). God would bring about a blessing to the nations through Abram’s offspring, Jesus (Mt 1). From this time, specifically, God’s Covenant promises of salvation became caught up with this people, the Jews, until Christ came when it was opened more fully to the Gentiles. This didn’t mean all Jews were saved, only those who had faith in the promises (Gal 3:7). This also didn’t mean that non-Jews, or Gentiles, couldn’t be saved either. The OT has a number of examples of Gentiles who came to fear God and join this Covenant community. People like Rahab and Ruth and the Queen of Sheba. God has been saving a people unto Himself ever since the Fall.

Just as salvation is exclusive to those who trust in Christ since the coming of Christ, the same was true before Christ came, but it was by faith in the promises of Christ that they too were saved.

A question that is often asked of Christianity is this:
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“What about all those who never hear about Jesus; is God just to sentence them to hell?”

The question is usually asked because someone wonders as to the ethic of such an exclusive claim of salvation.

So let’s begin with an example of an exclusive claim to salvation, Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The objection then often arises, but what about someone in a secular community or a remote island nation who has never heard of Jesus, doesn’t have missionaries or a church or a Bible to instruct them in the way of salvation, is that person eternally damned to hell?

Yes, they are “without excuse.” Why?

To understand this one must realize what the Bible says about humans, we’re fallen, sinful beings, cut off from God and incapable of any spiritual good that might please Him and therefore earn our salvation (read more here). This is why God graciously sent Jesus, to be the rescuer of all those who’d hear the Gospel message and put their trust in Him. This is the basis for an exclusive salvation. We’re sinners, God appointed a means for salvation, we must believe in Jesus in order to be saved.

But is that fair? (Another option would have been for God not to have saved anyone, we see His grace in that He choose to save some; something to think about). Yes, because people are “without excuse.” Why are people without excuse?

If I were born on a stranded desert island with no knowledge of Jesus I would be without excuse for not believing in Him for three simple reasons from Romans 1:

• Creation: I could look at creation, the beaches, stars, waves, etc, and undeniably know that there is an all-powerful God who created the universe and is worthy of my worship (Ro 1:20).
• Conscience: Further, I would know the difference between right and wrong and that my sin condemned me. I would know this because God had placed His law within me; it’s called our conscience (Ro 2:15)
• Innate Sense: Beyond all of this, as created in God’s image, as the creatures of our Creator, we each have an innate sense of God’s existence. There is no such thing as an atheist, only those who suppress the truth so we can be gods and live as we please (Ro 1:18b).

Well, okay, but isnt’ there a difference between knowing God exists and knowing him salvifically through faith in His Son Jesus? Yes. But knowing God existed and was worthy of our worship and that we’re sinful and incomplete without Him leads us to desire to seek Him. While we wouldn’t know this Biblical promise, as we sought Him in truth, the truth of this promise would hold true, that He promises to reveal Himself to all who earnestly seek Him this (Dt 4:29, etc). So, on that island, if I cried out to Him, through interaction with the wider world through a ship, or missionaries or a dream or a vision, He would ensure that I found out about Jesus so as to believe and be saved.

For these sorts of reasons Paul says that unbelievers, everywhere, are “without excuse” (Ro 1:20b); even if they’ve never heard of Jesus. Knowing of Jesus and rejecting Him only increases our culpability; not knowing of Jesus doesn’t diminish it.