What happens to those who have never heard the gospel?
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| Our Lord Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
We’ve all heard it—the objection to Christianity that asks, “What happens to the poor innocent native in Africa (or South America, or indigenous outback tribe of Australia, or elsewhere) who never hears about Jesus?” The simple answer is, all innocent people who die without hearing about Christ go directly to heaven. They don’t need to hear about Jesus because innocent people don’t need the Savior. Unfortunately, the testimony of Scripture is that mere are no innocent people at all, natives or otherwise. All people are guilty in the sight of God, for all have sinned. Thus, Romans 3:23 tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
But the question remains: How can God punish someone who never has the opportunity to hear the Gospel and turn to Christ? There are some who fit this description, for the church’s outreach efforts have not penetrated to every corner of the globe. Scripture says that God is just and will not punish anyone for failing to receive the Savior of whom they never have heard. But these people still will come under judgment, for while they may not have rejected the Savior sent by God, they have rejected God Himself.
Romans 1:18–22 teaches that God has revealed Himself clearly by what He has made. His creation is like a neon sign flashing to tell people that He exists, for it shows forth His “invisible attributes” of “eternal power and Godhead.” Thus, all people must do to learn of the existence of God is to look at the world around themselves, and everyone does so. But rather than seek the God to whom creation attests, they “suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” They try to ignore or reason away the inescapable conclusion of the existence of God. And though, deep down, they know He is there, they refuse to glorify Him or express gratitude to Him. They think themselves to be wise, but they are actually behaving like fools. Why? Because having knowledge of God and refusing to act on it leaves them “without excuse.” They will not be able to stand when God calls them to account.
If it were true that there were innocent natives out there, the church would do best to leave them alone. But that is not the case. The church is called to go to a world of guilty people who desperately need to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ. When we think of lost people, a primitive native is more likely to come to our minds than our sophisticated neighbors. But our neighbors may be doubly condemned, having suppressed the innate knowledge of God and the pervasive message of salvation in Christ. Pray for them and reach out to them, lest they perish “without excuse.”
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