What About Those Who Have Never Heard the Gospel?
There are plenty of difficult questions Christians must answer regarding how God acts in this world. Perhaps the most often asked is, “If God is good, why is there evil in the world?” Another difficult question is, “What happens to people who have never heard the gospel?”
Christians generally acknowledge that people who reject the gospel are eternally condemned. But what about those who do not hear the gospel? What about people who have been cut off from Christianity and have never heard the name of Jesus? Are they condemned, or does God give them some kind of pass and allow them into heaven?
Believers need not speculate on this matter. God has not remained silent.
No excuses
In a recent post, I talked about how God has revealed Himself in both general and special revelation. Revelation means that God has not remained silent. People of every language and tribe can recognize His existence because of creation.
The hard question comes in the space between general and special revelation, those caught in the information gap. Are they condemned?
Paul addressed this situation in Romans 1, saying, “For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them” (vs. 18, 19, HCSB). The result of this revealed truth, Paul continues, is that “people are without excuse.” So while it is easy to think of innocent people who have never heard the gospel, God says no such innocent people exist.
What then?
God has made a way for them to hear the gospel! He called and commissioned His people – first the nation of Israel, then the church – to bear witness to His light. God has placed missionaries the world over.
A recent lesson in Bible Studies for Life noted, “Whether we are members of a pagan tribe in the isolated depths of another continent or managers of great wealth in a bustling city in America, the Bible declares us to be without excuse before the throne of a holy God. This is definitely bad news. But there is good news. The gospel of Jesus Christ offers hope to all of us who are without excuse.”1
The burden is on us
The simple fact is this: there are some people who die without Christ, eternally separated from God, not because God does not care but because we do not. God did something only He could do (provide a sacrifice for sin) and empowered us to do what we must do (take the gospel to the ends of the earth). The burden is no longer on God; the burden is on us.
Perhaps this is why the Bible describes those who bring the gospel as having beautiful feet (Isaiah 52:7). Rather than being content to have millions die without Christ, we will live in the power of the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to them. What a blessing it will be to see those who are in darkness come to know Jesus, the Light of life, in this life and the next.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
I have just finished reading the Power of Prayer and Fasting. Our pastor Jay Huddelston mentioned it in his sermon a week ago and I got it and your wifes book for our daughter who has ovarian cancer and has been struggling with it for 5 years and has decided not to take anymore chemo. She and her husband are Christians and live in St. Paul MN. We used to be at First Baptist in Clinton with Brother Tom Shaw and then under Brother Bill Saxby until he went to Texarkana. I became ill and our family wanted us to move to N.C. and we found Jay Huddelstons church and we have been blessed. When I read your book I found that you had been on 700 Club in 1996 I believe it was. My husband heard it and said he was going to fast for 30 days and I said that I would too. We did but did not have the right focus but God was gracious to us at the time. I have sent your wifes book to our daughter Ann Jones and hope that she will receive a blessing to hear of the times that she has gone through some of the same problems. Our daughter that lived here died two years ago and it has been difficult.but God knows the answer as to why and we do not question him. I will b e 84 and my husband 88 in February. We have been saved since 1948 and 1949. We had a Mathew home here in our apartment and a friend 82 accepted Christ and we are going throu the Billy Graham study with our Prayer Group on Thursdays. We attended Mooday Bible Institute in 1951 and God has led us all the way and will until we see him. I believe that the Lord will be coming soon and we will tell all we can about Him until that time. God bless you. The Dawsons go to your church, James and their son and I have been in India and I have been in Honduras and Mexico many times. God is so good we praise him continually. God Bless, Lorraine
[…] As Ronnie Floyd, General Editor of Bible Studies For Life, pointed out in a recent blog post, believers don’t have to speculate on this question. The Bible speaks to this very issue. Read more… […]
I would like to get more information on the Mature Living article, “Changing Lives in Beautiful Kenya” that is in our Senior Adult Bible Studies for Life for the February 2, 2014 class.
Peggy, you can find that article here.
http://blog.lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife/what-about-people-whove-never-heard-of-jesus-changing-lives-in-beautiful-kenya/
Ronnie, I found your Sunday school lessons last year but haven’t been so fortunate so far this year. I don’t know a lot about computers but how can I find the lessons now. I used them to help me teach my class. Thank you very much.
BC
You can find the Bible Studies for Life curriculum at LifeWay stores or at http://www.BibleStudiesForLife.com
Thank you, Betty.