ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
All semantics aside, you did understand the meaning of the question and any slant that may be claimed is unintentional and irrelevant to the purpose of the question, because the point of the question was not in relation to whether salvation is possessed by human effort or given as a gift. I used the word 'obtain' as noted in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 and translated 'obtain' in the KJV, NKJV and the NAS. The NIV translates as 'receive', which could also be claimed is slanted, because a person can also receive a thing as a result of a payment or as a gift. A thing can be acquired or obtained by exchange or by gift, but that is not the point of the question.

It is quite true that salvation is granted, not on the basis of works, defined as human effort to obtain standing before God by acts defined as meritorious in effect. However, man is not outside of the equation, which is the assumption in Universalist belief. The rejection by God of self-proclaimed meritorious works by man does not erase the reality that there are certain responses that must be made by man in order for salvation to be effectual. The responses can only be made by the individual and not by any other person on their behalf.

Those responses are:
1. Belief - Romans 10:8-11, Hebrews 11:6 - although enabled by God, it must be exercised by the individual.
2. Confession - Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8, Romans 10:8-11, 1 John 1:9.
3. Repentance - Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38, Acts 20:21, Romans 10:8-11, 2 Peter 3:9.
4. Faith - Romans 10:8-11.

These responses are not works, because they do not change the view of God in relation to the nature of mankind in general or the nature of any specific individual. As such, they are not meritorious in the sense of gaining acceptability by which they claim merit for some inherent goodness, which those works are said to impart, that justifies a person before God.

What I find so intriguing is that you have difficulty in providing an answer to the question, and assume there is no answer that can be known. You propose an answer to the alternative, being those who hear the message, but that answer is a given in relation to the question. The question presumes that a person can obtain salvation through the gospel, but the difficulty is that certain persons claim it can also be obtained outside the parameters of the gospel message, so the question is seeking a confirmation or denial of that claim. There are only two alternatives; either a person can have salvation without hearing the gospel and/or knowing Jesus Christ, or they cannot. Salvation is the primary message of the gospel; all other elements being secondary. But, even almost 2,000 years after the death of Jesus Christ, Christians are still confused over the elements of salvation and of the primary definition of how a person becomes a Christians. If Christians cannot define salvation for themselves, how can they proclaim a message of confusion to the world and expect that it will be effectual or pleasing to God?

I assumed that there would be basically three answers to the question: (1)Yes, (2)No, or (3)I don't know. But, possibly there is a fourth, indicating that the question is irrelevant, because a person does not believe in a theology where salvation is necessary. Of course, that answer is meaningless to the discussion. Your answer essentially falls into the third category, since, if the answer cannot be known, then it is unknown.

I also assumed that there would be an explanation for those positions based on a biblical foundation or a secular foundation in the case of the fourth. If we assume the question cannot be answered and provide no Scriptural foundation, then the assumption is that the Scripture is silent on the subject, which it is not. If we assume that the answer is NO, then the Scripture must provide a foundation for that belief since an opinion carries no authority. If the answers is YES, then there are two or more ways to be saved, and again, the Scripture must provide a foundation for that belief and a definition of any alternative manner of salvation or else the conclusion is an opinion not based on fact. The secondary question in relation to the answer being YES, is in relation to the gospel message itself. If there may be another way to be saved, other than through the gospel, why is the gospel commanded exclusively to be preached and not some other way, and why is the possibility of an alternative salvation never mentioned in the Scripture?

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
You have quoted a very interesting portion of Scripture, but it has nothing to do with salvation being obtained by Gentiles by means of some law or process that is unique to themselves. The passage presents a teaching by the apostle Paul that is opposite to what you claim. The passage is a comparison of Jews to Gentiles and the application of the Law of God; (1) the Law of God given to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament and (2) the law of God written in heart, given not only to Jews but to Gentiles also.

Unfortunately, you assume that the performance of the Gentiles in relation to the law in their heart is capable of bringing about salvation, which nullifies the comparison that the apostle Paul presents. The point that the apostle Paul makes is that the Law of the Old Testament was incapable of providing salvation for Jews, just as the law written in the heart is incapable of providing salvation for gentiles - both applications of laws result in condemnation, not salvation. That is the point he makes in relation to the performance of the Gentiles, " which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law," which shows that they have "the work of the law written in their hearts. . ."

"Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of god, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. . ,"
Romans 3:19-24.

The apostle Paul's comparison is quite clear: whether you acknowledge the Law of God given at Mt. Sinai or you acknowledge the law written in the heart, the attempt to perform the duties of those laws will lead to condemnation apart from faith in the redemption provided by Jesus Christ. The Law of the 10 Commandments and the law written in the heart reveal sin; they do not provide forgiveness for it. The main point was made in chapter 1 of Romans:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. . . . For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the law . . ,"
Romans 2:12-13.

And then your verses 14 and 15 are noted, after every person has been condemned by the Law of God. If a person does those things that are in the law, thinking they are right or proper, then, although that person does not have the Law as found in the 10 Commandments, they will be judged by that Law and by the law written in their hearts, because by their actions they reveal that they know what is right to do in relation to the law of God, and that there is a God who exists and demands accountability from them. The law only condemns, because it has no power to provide salvation:

"For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit,"
Romans 8:3-4.

"For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law; but through the righteousness of faith. for if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there is no violation. For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants , not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all," Romans 4:13-16.

Without the law of God, whether it be the revelation given in the Old Testament or that which is placed in the heart, then there is no violation of law and guilt is not assessed. However, there is a law given in the Old Testament and there is a law written in every heart, so guilt is real for all human beings because the law reveals the guilt, but provides no means of salvation. Performance of the demands of the law will not result in salvation.

Hear the words of Jesus:
"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day,'"
John 6:35-40.

"So Jesus said to them again, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep,"
John 10:7-11.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,'"
John 14:6.

"'For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost,'"
Luke 19:10.

"'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,'"
John 3:16-18.

Hear the words of the apostle Peter:
"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12.

". . . and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross. so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed,"
1 Peter 2:24.

Hear the words of the apostle Paul:
"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of god in Him,"
2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time,"
1 Timothy 2:5-6.

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
This answer is a very good example of a man-made doctrine added to the gospel which has no foundation in the Scripture. The person has adopted a belief that the only valid name for the Savior is His Jewish name. This ignores the fact that the writers of the New Testament used the Greek name for the Savior which is: Jesus [Iesous in Greek - Jesus in English - Y^ehôwshü'a in the Hebrew] Christ or Anointed or Savior or Messiah [Christos in Greek - Christ or English - mâshîyach in Hebrew]. Apparently the language spoken by God is Hebrew and He has decreed that only Hebrew names are valid. There is no Scriptural foundation for the claim that the Savior must be referred to by His Jewish name rather the His name as a translation into any specific language. The criteria for salvation is that the right person as a Savior be called on for salvation, which has no relation to His name as a national linguistic title. The person refers to the Holy Spirit by His English title, skipping His Greek title, Holy [hagios in Greek - qôdesh in Hebrew] Spirit [pneuma in Greek - rûwach in Hebrew]. Apparently the Holy Spirt can be addressed in any language without consideration for the Hebrew description. So, if you do not know the Jewish name of the Messiah, you might miss salvation on a technicality. These doctrines are part of a cultic religious group called "The House of Yahweh," and they have their own "translation" of the Scripture called the "Book of Yahweh." The group claims Jesus Christ was only a human being and not divine, and denies the doctrine of the Trinity. The group claims to have discovered the true pronunciation of God's name noted in the Old Testament and have the only translation of the Scripture that restores God's true name. The absurdity of human additions to the gospel message continues.

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
Thank you for your visit and message on the On Doctrine Current Question ANSWER page.

You must deal with a number of biblical criteria in regards to your belief that there is another path to heaven based on human ignorance:

1. The Scripture does not allow for a claim of ignorance of God, Romans 1:18-32
     a. God is evident to every human being, vs. 19, cf. Acts 14:17.
     b. God's existence is revealed by what He has created, vs.20.
     c. The truth about the knowledge of God is deliberately suppressed or ignored, vs. 18.
     d. God has not been honored even with the knowledge that human beings have, vs. 21, cf. Job 21:15,
         Job 22:15-18.
     e. Knowing that they were accountable to a real God, human beings created their own false gods to which
         they became accountable through their own created doctrines, vss. 22-23, 25, 32.
2. Jesus Christ stated that He was the only standard for salvation:
     a. John 8:23-24 ". . . unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
     b. Matthew 7:21-29 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven . . ."
3. Human beings are judged and go to hell because of their sins, not because of a self-proclaimed ignorance
    of the existence of God or the gospel message, John 8:21, 24. Jesus Christ indicates that there are 4 reasons
    why a person can be assured of dying in their sins:
    a. Self-righteousness, John 8:20-22.
    b. Being of the earth, John 8:23-24.
    c. Being unbelieving, John 8:24.
    d. Being willfully ignorant, John 8:25-29.

It is easy to by-pass the issue of the sins of humanity in relation to salvation and skip directly to that of going to heaven. The reality is that God had no obligation to provide a means of salvation for humanity. He would have been justified if He had carried out the sentence of condemnation against every human being, or if he had carried out the judgment against Adam and Eve at the time. Lack of hearing the gospel message does not absolve a person of condemnation for sins committed against God.

There are actually two separate issues: 1. condemnation, 2. salvation.
1. All human beings come under condemnation for their sins, and the judgment has already been pronounced, John 3:18, Romans 2:12-16. The condemnation is just, even if human beings have never heard a salvation message or even if God had not provided a means of salvation. No human being has the right to stand before God and claim that their condemnation was unjust or unfair.
2. Condemnation is a state of death that has already been pronounced against every human being, in which an individual has no ability to respond to God or to present a defense of their position, while Salvation is the cessation of condemnation and the impartation of life, John 3:17-21, John 5:24-29. God is capable of providing the gospel message to any true seeker under any circumstance. There are examples in the New Testament of that occurrence:

a. The Ethiopian and Philip:
    Acts 8:26-40
    Not only was Philip miraculously given the instructions of where to meet the man, when the encounter was
    over, he was miraculously transported to his next destination at Azotus.
b. Cornelius the centurion and the apostle Peter:
    Acts 10
c. The Macedonian vision of the apostle Paul resulting in the conversion of Lydia:     Acts 16:6-15.

Accepting a belief in an alternative method to obtain salvation will always lead to some form of Universalist doctrine, in which everyone will eventually make it there, but not based on the biblical doctrines of salvation.

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
Another twist on the Universalist argument that ignores the reality that no human being has an inherent right to salvation and that every human being has already been judged and is condemned to hell as a result of their sins. It is only by the grace of God that any person hears the gospel. The Universalist argument assumes a God who is incompetent in dealing with human beings in this life, and must rectify His failure in the next life, in order to bring salvation to every human being. The reality is, that Universalist beief is an escape hatch, whereby it is assumed that if the person does not get it quite right in this life, they can assure themselves that there is another chance after death by which they will not fail again.

See the answer directly above.

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
I suggest three articles on the On Doctrine website regarding infant salvation:

"The Salvation of Babies Who Die"
John F. MacArthur
Part 1
Part 2

"Infant Salvation"
Charles Spurgeon

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
The question about people who have never heard the gospel message has always been a sore point for many people, however, the Scripture does deal with the issue. There are two instances in which true seekers were rewarded by hearing the gospel message under miraculous circumstances. 1. The Ethiopian eunuch Acts 8:26-40. God miraculously provided the assistance of Philip in order to bring the gospel message to a person who had not heard about Jesus Christ. In fact, after the incident, at a point someplace between Jerusalem and Gaza, Philip was miraculously transported to Azotus in order to continue his ministry there, vs. 40. 2. Cornelius the centurion. Acts 10:1-48. He was miraculously given the information about where to find Peter who would give him the message of the gospel: "They said, 'Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you,'" vs. 22. I think that in the familiarity of those two incidents we sometimes fail to see the point that God is capable of providing the gospel message to whom He chooses without resorting to another means of salvation or a secondary presentation of the gospel after death. There are many resources on the On Doctrine website, so please come back again for a visit.

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
Welcome to On Doctrine.
Thank you for your visit and message on the Current Question Answer page.

Just a note for you to consider in relation to your answer.

If salvation is granted by God based on what He determines that a person would have done had they  heard the gospel, then the entire point of spreading the gospel message becomes pointless, because God can make that determination in relation to every human being.

Salvation is not just going to heaven and it is not granted in the afterlife but is received in this life. Salvation is reconciliation to God by means of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which is the message of the gospel preached in this life.

God is capable of providing the gospel message to any true seeker under any circumstance and He does not need to resort to making a decision based on the creation of a fantasy life for an individual which never exists.

There are examples in the New Testament where God miraculously provided the gospel message to those who were true seekers:
a. The Ethiopian and Philip:
    Acts 8:26-40
    Not only was Philip miraculously given the instructions of where to meet the man, when the encounter was
    over, he was miraculously transported to his next destination at Azotus.
b. Cornelius the centurion and the apostle Peter:
    Acts 10
c. The Macedonian vision of the apostle Paul resulting in the conversion of Lydia:    
     Acts 16:6-15.

Accepting a belief in an alternative method to obtain salvation will always lead to some form of Universalist doctrine, in which everyone will eventually make it there, but not based on the biblical doctrines of salvation.

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
Thank you for your visit and message on the Contact page.

I presume, because of the verses you have selected, that you believe that salvation is obtained by good works; doing those things that you believe will commend you to God so that He will find you to be acceptable.

However, you must deal with the issue found in Matthew 7:21-23, Where Jesus Christ states that there will be many people who will appear before Him to be judged, seemingly having done some very good things in the name of Jesus Christ (prophesied, cast out demons and performed many miracles), yet they were rejected because their works were evil. From a human standpoint, they were justified, but from the perspective of Jesus Christ they were condemned.

Jesus Christ also said:

"'Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins,'" John 8:24.

Jesus Christ is the expert authority regarding salvation, so I will remain with what He teaches about the means of salvation in relation to Himself.

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
You have applied your own personal definition of love to the God of the Bible by which you can present any conclusion that you choose.
I think you have actually answered the question.

ON DOCTRINE COMMENT:
It is true that the Old Testament believers did not have as much knowledge about the means of salvation and the person who would accomplish it because we have the record of the accomplishment while they had limited revelation as to the future fulfillment, howeer, Abraham knew much more about salvation and jesus Christ than any other person in the Old Testament. Abraham was given a unique view into the future and the incident was described by jesus Christ:

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad," John 8:56.