Romans 2:18ff shows that there is at least a second path to God other than preaching the gospel. Johnjt: No John, there is just one way/door and this is through Christ and by repentance.
Romans 2:12ff (I gave the wrong reference earlier) is clearly talking about those who have nothing to fall back on other than their instincts for doing good. He is not talking of the new and divine nature because he, Paul, references those who have not the law of God, judyt. God saves through the sacrifice of Christ. For some that means an instinctive doing. For others, that means repentance. For still others, it means water baptism (the Jews on Pentecost Day). Maybe it is confession that saves, or a simple but poorly informed faith. Maybe it is pouring yourself out for the afflicted. I don't know. But I do know that judgment is not a simple thing. I cannot do it -- judge others to be saved or lost. We, in fact, are told not to commit to this type of judgment. The lesson is not that we are not supposed to judge. Rather, it is that we CANNOT judge in terms of destiny.
God considers our faith to be righteousness, even after receiving the divine nature. I mean, Romans 3 and 4 are written to those who have accepted Christ into their lives. But they are not necessarily closer to God in terms of right actions than before Christ became important to them, or, God, through Paul, would not have said that the need for the consideration of faith in the place of right acting remained a constant need.
You greatly oversimplify the human spirit and even ignore a great deal of scripture when you insist that we are all destined to discover 'God in exactly the same way. God did not say that. Neither should you.
In Christ and His Grace
John Smithson
