what about them?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by AAG Netguy on November 19, 2009 at 1:23pm

Kaysha,

Here is a good answer to this question from: http://www.gotquestions.org/never-heard.html

Question: "What happens to those who have never heard about Jesus?"

Answer: All people are accountable to God whether or not they have “heard about Him.” The Bible tells us that God has clearly revealed Himself in nature (Romans 1:20) and in the hearts of people (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The problem is that the human race is sinful; we all reject this knowledge of God and rebel against Him (Romans 1:21-23). If it were not for God's grace, we would be given over to the sinful desires of our hearts, allowing us to discover how useless and miserable life is apart from Him. He does this for those who continually reject Him (Romans 1:24-32).

In reality, it is not that some people have not heard about God. Rather, the problem is that they have rejected what they have heard and what is readily seen in nature. Deuteronomy 4:29 proclaims, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” This verse teaches an important principle—everyone who truly seeks after God will find Him. If a person truly desires to know God, God will make Himself known.

The problem is “there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). People reject the knowledge of God that is present in nature and in their own hearts, and instead decide to worship a “god” of their own creation. It is foolish to debate the fairness of God sending someone to hell who never had the opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ. People are responsible to God for what God has already revealed to them. The Bible says that people reject this knowledge, and therefore God is just in condemning them to hell.

Instead of debating the fate of those who have never heard, we, as Christians, should be doing our best to make sure they do hear. We are called to spread the gospel throughout the nations (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). We know people reject the knowledge of God revealed in nature, and that must motivate us to proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Only by accepting God’s grace through the Lord Jesus Christ can people be saved from their sins and rescued from an eternity apart from God.

If we assume that those who never hear the gospel are granted mercy from God, we will run into a terrible problem. If people who never hear the gospel are saved, it is logical that we should make sure no one ever hears the gospel. The worst thing we could do would be to share the gospel with a person and have him or her reject it. If that were to happen, he or she would be condemned. People who do not hear the gospel must be condemned, or else there is no motivation for evangelism. Why run the risk of people possibly rejecting the gospel and condemning themselves when they were previously saved because they had never heard the gospel?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Leonard T on November 19, 2009 at 2:01pm

Kaysha,

Greg has given some good advice. I would like to add something. We often think of this question with an improper view of things. What does man deserve? How is it unfair that one who never hears would be condemned? The reality is that none of us deserve anything from God. We are all sinners deserving condemnation. God has no choice, it is in His nature, to execute judgment on sin. In His grace and mercy He established a way for us to come out from under our guilt and for His justice to be met. That way is through Jesus Christ. Our guilt is applied to Him and paid for by His blood, and His righteousness and holiness is applied to us. Those who reject Him do not become condemned, they remain condemned. Those who never come to Him for salvation for whatever reason do not become condemned, they remain condemned. The need to share the gospel to all nations is a clear call of Scripture. Matthew 24:14 and Romans 10.

God is not unjust if the condemned remain condemned. What is the wonder of it all is that the just and holy God would in His love show grace and mercy to any of us. For those who find it, they find Him and life.

Lord Bless,
LT

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by ScribeD on November 19, 2009 at 9:18pm

Kaysha, you are right on more than one point here:
1. It is amazing news!! The Gospel is the most amazing news ever.
2. It is a tragedy for those who do not hear it.

This is why Jesus commanded "go into all the world, make disciples of every nation (ethnicity)" and "teach them everything I have commanded you".

We must realize that this amazing news is for everyone, if they will receive it. We must be willing to make every effort to take this news to them, for it is tragedy if they do not hear it.

Many people think that we have to go somewhere far away to obey Christ in doing that command. We certainly have not been everywhere with the Gospel yet. So, there is work to be done. However, I was astonished this year to visit a mid-sized city in India and learn that there is a greater percentage of Indians attending Bible believing churches there than Americans attending church of any kind in my own city.

I have thought alot about my own conversion since then: and I have concluded that we are failing to take the Gospel to our own people in our own places right where I live. Maybe your city is different. Maybe your church does a good job of reaching people in your own town. Or, maybe we can do more.

While the points that Greg and LT have made are very important and true (that God is perfectly Just), that should not (in any way) diminish the fact that we see a great tragedy happen every time someone goes to the grave without hearing the Gospel. We have to live our lives in such a way that we overcome our lethargy about sharing the "amazing news". There is something that each one of us can do that has not been done yet to reach someone we have not reached yet.

What they do with it is up to them; but giving them the option is up to us. Someone went to great lengths to give me the option to hear the one thing I tried to ignore. For that, I am eternally grateful.

• ▶ Reply