I won’t call this a series. I think of it more as a department. Whenever there is space and time, I would like to answer some of the questions I’ve been given over the years. The questions will be a paraphrase of what I’ve received. They are very often queries that are presented repeatedly by a number of people seeking to understand their faith as well as those not quite convinced Christianity is true. A lot of them will involve theology and apologetics. Some of them may stray into related areas. Today, we’ll open with a fairly common theme.
Question: This line of questioning comes with several aspects. What happens to people who have never heard the Gospel? They didn’t reject it. They never had the chance. Is God fair in sending them to Hell? And what about the people who died before Jesus came? Often times the question is often asked: ‘What about the people of Borneo who never heard the Gospel?’
ANSWER: [To start off with: Why is it ALWAYS BORNEO? I bet half the people who ask that couldn’t find Borneo on a map! And by the way, the Gospel has now reached Borneo and there are Christians there. But let’s get serious now.]
First, let’s frame this differently. As a starting point, Scripture teaches that we are all sinners and therefore condemned to hell. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Hank Hanegraff put it this way. People “are already condemned because of their sin. Thus, the real question is not how can God send someone to hell, but how can God condescend to save any one of us?”
But is God being fair in His treatment of mankind? The Bible teaches that God has given all mankind a witness of His existence and presence. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) That’s the witness of creation. God holds us responsible to look at His creation and figure out there had to be a super-intelligent, caring Creator that made all of this. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1) (KJV)
Then there is the witness of conscience. The Bible teaches that we have an internal moral compass – and so we are responsible to act on the truth we know. “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law unto themselves, even though they do not have the law. So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them.” (Romans 2:14-15) So, there is our responsibility!
Now, the issue switches. We….the ENTIRE human race….are indicted for our rebellion. We all bear that guilt. Every human being has sinned against the moral truths they do know, against their conscience – and ultimately against God. So, everyone’s starting point is the same. We are all under sentence of death. There is no human solution to this problem.
But God has the answer. And that answer is rooted in His love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) There is the definition of love. But understand this clearly. Jesus is NOT just A path to God. He is the ONLY PATH OFFERED. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) (NLT)
This is not discriminatory to Muslims, or Buddhists or Hindus or any other people. All are welcome to come. As one writer put it: “God is not distant from those outside historic Christian cultures.” St Paul preached to the pagan philosophers of Athens. “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”
(Acts 17:26-27) Considering the dilemma, Matt Smethurst offers this. “Will God condemn the innocent tribesman who has never heard the name of Christ? No, because there are no innocent tribesmen.”
God is a perfectly just God. Genesis 18:25: “Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” So, how do we square this circle? As people seek Him, as they react to the light they are given, God will create the circumstances to bring them into His Kingdom. He has given us this promise. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
The truth is, human beings resist the revelation of God. We willfully reject the witness of nature. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus: “And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) (NASB) [Jesus here is the Light He refers to.] Scripture tells us that we need the Gospel.
In Acts 10 we here of a Roman named Cornelius. We read that he knew about God, he was devout and even gave charitable contributions to the Jewish people. But his limited knowledge did not save him. However, it did seem to open a door for God to act. God sent an angel to instruct Cornelius to send for the Apostle Peter, who subsequently shared the Gospel with him. Cornelius and his family believed and were saved. He wasn’t saved by being ‘good,’ or by believing in the existence of God. He was saved through his belief in Jesus and his surrender to him as Lord. Jesus is the only way! But God did honor his searching. We find Him when we seek Him with all our hearts.!
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