hey, i know that i may have come off as secular or a skeptic. but i am saved. i was just asking questions that a lot of people ask when i share the gospel with them. no hurt feelings. thanks for the help. i always get on this site for advice and spiritual lifting b/c of the great knowledge base God has created here. thanks

Hi Manyquestion,

I appreciate your honest desire to learn more about the ways of our Lord.

In regards to the question of what happens to the heathen who never heard about Jesus (I get that one alot when I witness, too), here's some thoughts I've gleaned over the years on the subject, particularly from reading and listening to guys like Paris Reidhead and Winkie Pratney. It's kind of long but you may find it beneficial:

In order to understand how God judges the heathen, I will attempt to lay some groundwork.

Knowledge = Responsibility

Responsibility rejected = Guilt

The Bible puts it like this: “And that servant, which knew his Lord’s will, but did not prepare himself, nor did His will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But the servant who did not know, but yet committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For to whomever much is given, of him shall much be required…” (Lk. 12:47, 48).

Now I ask you, who has the most knowledge of God, the heathen in Africa who never heard about Jesus or the heathen in America who has heard but rejected Christ? In other words, it would be far better to be a heathen from Africa in hell than one from America, because: a little amount of knowledge rejected = little guilt. But, a lot of light rejected = much guilt.

God says that there are some basic things about Him that are revealed to us by His creation all around us. So, all are without excuse in regards to having some knowledge of God:

“That (Jesus) was the true Light, which gives light to every person who comes into the world” (Jn. 1:9).

In the Bible, “light” means “that which is most wise.” The “Light” is Jesus. This verse is saying that God has revealed to each individual that which they need to know in order to please Him. Or in other words, He has given us all “light”-- from the heathen in Africa to the preacher’s kid in America.

The Bible makes it clear that God will reveal Himself to anyone who seeks Him with the slightest bit of honesty:

“And you shall seek Me, and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).

It is common knowledge that God is in all places at once, so what is it that separates a person from God—distance or relationship? It is obviously not distance because God is everywhere. The reason why a person does not know God is because they don’t want to know Him. For God has declared that we “should seek the Lord, in the hope that we might feel after Him and find Him, because He is not far from any of us” (Acts 17:27). The reason why most people don’t give their lives to God is not because they haven’t heard about God, rather it’s because they don’t want to live for God. Most people don’t find God for the same reason that a bank robber doesn’t find a policeman.

God says that everyone knows enough about Him to be saved—even the heathens in Africa. Every person could be saved (whether they ever heard of Jesus or not) if they would only be honest and walk in the light that they have. The problem is not that the heathen in Africa (or wherever) do not know enough already to be saved—they don’t need more light. The reason that a missionary goes to Africa (or wherever) to preach the Gospel is not to give the heathen more light. The reason to go and preach is to get them to start obeying the knowledge of God that they already have.

We’ve all heard it said, and some of us are even guilty of saying it, “You don’t go to hell for sinning; you go to hell for rejecting Jesus. But is this really true? That’s like saying that a person who has cancer is not dying because of the disease, but rather, they are dying because they refuse to take the treatment that could cure them. But the truth is, they are dying because they have cancer, not because they have rejected the cure. The question of their death has already been settled when they contracted the disease—the choice they now face now is whether or not they want to live. And so it is with the heathen and hell, they are not going to hell because they don’t know about Jesus; they are going to hell because they are sinners who refuse to walk in the light of the truth that they already possess. The missionary doesn’t come to create the basis for accepting Christ; he comes to remind the sinner about the truth that he has already been rejecting.

So, why does a person go to hell (even if they’ve never heard of Jesus)? It’s certainly not because they’ve rejected Him. How can they reject someone who they’ve never even heard about? The answer is that they go to hell for rejecting the truth that they did possess (And Truth just happens to be Jesus).

Now, on the other hand, if it is true that people go to hell for rejecting Jesus, and not just for sin, then if I go to a group of 100 happy heathens and preach the Gospel and 50 accept Jesus and the other 50 don’t, then I just sent 50 people to hell. However, that’s not how it works. Rather, God says, “There are 100 men who are already damned for their own sins. You go and bring them back from death and into life. For even though they know that they have wronged both themselves and others, and ultimately they have that nagging feeling that if there is a God, they have wronged Him too; you go and tell them that I do not hold a grudge against them. Tell them that they don’t have to kill chickens and sprinkle blood all over the ground, for blood has already been shed for their sins. Go and tell them about the sacrifice which My Son made for them, and just perhaps, it will convince them that I truly love them and that they can know and trust Me.”

The bottom line is that the reason the heathen (both in Africa and America) need to hear about Jesus is not to keep them out of hell, but rather, it is to bring them to God because He deserves the glory that He should be getting from their lives. They deserve hell—we all do. But God loves them, and He already endured the agonies of hell for them. Doesn’t Jesus deserve the reward of His suffering? Doesn’t He deserve the love of those for whom He died?

And finally, isn’t that what should motivate us to tell everyone about Jesus? It’s not about trying to prevent humans from going to hell and suffering a punishment that they deserve. Rather, it’s about showing and telling people about the love of Jesus (as demonstrated on the cross) in an effort to turn them from their life of sin to a life of love and worship and obedience to God, in order to relieve His suffering both now and when we die.

When men stand before God they will be judged according to the truth that they knew and whether or not they walked in it. Those who had no knowledge of Jesus Christ will be judged according to the revelation of truth that they did have, such as their conscience, their understanding of right and wrong, and the witness of nature. And rest assured that each will receive a just judgment. For instance, suppose a man stands before God and says, “I didn’t know anything about right and wrong. To which God replies, “Oh really—watch this.” And then, a perfect recording of his life is played right before his eyes. The man looks and sees himself doing something very dirty and hears his own words, “You dirty…”

“For by your own words you shall be justified, and by your own words you shall be condemned” (Matt. 12:37).

“For when the heathen, who do not know the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, who do not have the law, are a law unto themselves: because they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their consciences bearing them witness, and their thoughts either accusing or excusing them (Rom. 2:14, 15).

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment that you judge, you will be judged; and the same measure that you use to judge others, will be measured back to you (Matt. 7:1, 2).

God bless.

_________________
Billy Evans