Those Who Have Never Heard

A question that is probably the most frequently asked of preachers and Christians in general is, “What about the person who has never heard of Jesus Christ? Will he or she be condemned to hell?” This is a question of everlasting importance and there is a clear biblical answer. This question is often raised as an objection to the claims of Christianity in regard to the exclusive way of personal salvation, namely, is belief in Jesus Christ the only way to heaven? Sadly, quite often when a Christian is asked this before an audience of unbelievers he chokes and begins to equivocate, leaving the impression that there may be other ways to heaven. To lead people to believe that there might be another acceptable way to God other than belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is a crime of major proportions.

The question about the exclusive nature of salvation through Jesus Christ is important because it addresses a person’s everlasting state. Where will the individual spend eternity and why? This matter cannot be dodged. It impacts other biblical teachings and the church’s commitment to world missions. Why do we believe it is important to send missionaries throughout the world to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ? One’s answer to this question will reveal much about how seriously the message of Christ and the Bible is taken. Tragically, certain well known theologians and pastors in our day are saying some very confusing and out-right wrong things about the plight of those who die without hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must look at what the Bible teaches.

The Lord Jesus Christ, because of His completed atoning work on the cross, is the only way to heaven. There is no other way to be saved but through Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6 - “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me.”). To offer a way to heaven other than the all-sufficient atonement of Jesus Christ is to make Christ’s death unnecessary. Tremendous responsibility is placed upon all of us who call ourselves Christians. We are under a mandate from Jesus Christ Himself to take the offer of salvation to those who have not heard the gospel.

It must also be made clear that adequate revelation has been given by God to hold everyone accountable to Him. No one has any excuse (Rom. 1:19, 20; Psa. 19; Rom. 2:12-16). The lost are condemned not because they have heard and rejected Christ. They are condemned because of their rejection of the revelation God has given about Himself. In the first place there is the witness of creation. The telescope and the microscope send a message. There is a Supreme Being. He is to be worshiped and thanked for who He is. God exists and all human beings know it, yet man has rejected God and goes his own way. Because of this the wrath of God abides on the creation. There is also the witness of conscience that holds us accountable to God. Man is responsible because he is able to draw enough conclusions about God to carry him further if he would go. But human beings are condemned for violating their own moral standard. It was Paul Little who said that “the whole world – every person, whether he has heard of the Ten Commandments or not – is in sin. Romans 2 clearly tells us that every person has a standard of some kind, and that in every culture, people knowingly violate the standard they have.” What is man’s response to God’s witness to His existence? He actually holds down the truth (Rom. 1:18). There is a mythical idea about the man who has never heard the gospel. He sometimes is represented as neutral about God or a seeker of God. But this is not the case. Instead of seeking after God, rebellious man invents false religions. It has been said that “men are not lost because they have heard the gospel and rejected it. They are lost before they even hear the gospel.”

Also to be considered is the justice of God. God, because of His perfect character, will judge the world fairly. God is just (Acts 17:31). We can have absolute confidence in His perfections of character. God judges by the standards inherent in Him as a person, not by the inadequate and superficial standards we may seek to impose upon Him. He is holy and in a class by Himself (Ex. 15:11). There is an infinite distance that separates Him from every creature. He is righteous which makes Him absolutely right in all that He is and does (Psa. 11:7). He is the definition of perfection. He is just which means He is absolutely fair in the treatment of His creatures. The just judge must punish evil (2 Thess. 1:8). God does not issue get-out-of-hell free passes without judging sin.

God, because of His great love for mankind, is prepared to bestow salvation on the lost (Matt. 11:28; Jn. 3:36). God is great in patience and desires the unsaved to come to repentance. John Calvin said, “So wonderful is his love towards mankind, that he would have them all to be saved, and is of his own self prepared to bestow salvation on the lost.” How true. It is the nature of God to forgive sins and grant eternal life. God will see to it that His sheep will hear His voice and follow Him and give eternal life to them no matter where they are in this world (Jn. 10:27, 28). Rahab, Naaman, and the Assyrians of Jonah’s day are examples of how the gospel can get to unexpected places (Josh. 2:9 Heb. 11:31; 2 Kgs. 5:15-19; Jon. 3:5). The gospel has gone out to the corners of the earth. Consider what happened in the first century. It spread from the British Isles to India by the end of the first century and well beyond that in subsequent centuries.

We know that a universal distribution of people will be redeemed and present before the throne of God in heaven (Rev. 5:9). It is correct to conclude from this that a wide distribution of people who are redeemed indicates a wide dissemination of the gospel. It also reminds us that a wide representation of people who are redeemed shows us that God is at work. We must not make the mistake of thinking that because mankind is in rebellion against God that His salvation purposes are frustrated in any way. God will see that His gospel reaches far and wide.

God is at work drawing His sheep to Himself. We can see this in His response to those who respond to the light of revelation He has given. He prepares the hearts of those who will be converted as He did with the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-30) and Cornelius (Acts 10:34, 35). God is sovereign in the drawing of sinners to Himself (Acts. 17:27). How does He do this? He uses the proclamation to His Word and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 10:17). This happens when the truth of the gospel is clear in the mind of the sinner. It is seen and acknowledged as the truth. Let me ask you dear reader. Has the gospel been made clear to you? Have you been reading the Scriptures and wondering what they mean? No one can be accepted by God and enter His heaven who does not personally believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Is this true of you? But you ask; what about that person who doesn’t know Christ and has never heard the gospel? God will provide further light if there is a desire to know the true and living God. The sinner in whose heart God is working will not be refused.

One very important truth remains to be stressed. The person who has heard the gospel will not be asked about those who have not heard when he faces God at the judgment. Every individual will have to account for what he or she personally has done with Jesus Christ. When we face God, the issue will not be the heathen. Perhaps you are one of those who has used the excuse of the heathen (the person without a Bible and a knowledge of the gospel) for changing the subject when you are faced with the necessity of believing on Jesus Christ for salvation. This could prove to be a spiritually fatal mistake. If you die without calling on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin, there will be no other way to enter God’s heaven. The late pastor, James Boice, has described the issue clearly, “….the native is condemned for failing to do what he or she actually knows he or she should do, that is, seek out, worship, and give thanks to the God revealed in nature. Everyone falls short there.” That is exactly right. We have all fallen short of God’s glory.

Our greatest concern should be our own standing before God. Are you under His judgment and bound for a Christless eternity in hell? What an awful prospect. Our next greatest concern should be those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. My Christian friend, are you alert to the opportunities in your own immediate mission field? Am I more concerned over people that I have never seen than those I see everyday? Become actively involved in world missions. Every maturing Christian should have a burden for the lost throughout the world. If you want to please God, be a world Christian. The question, “what about those who have never heard the gospel,” can be answered by another question. What have you done with the gospel of Jesus Christ that you have heard?

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church