Has the Gospel Been Preached to Every Creature?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here is this week’s question: Dear Tom and Dave, In Colossians:1:23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
See All... it seems to indicate that the gospel has been preached to every creature under heaven.When and how did this take place?

Tom:

Now Dave, I know this was addressed to Tom and Dave, and my name came first, but I am going to defer to you on this one.

Dave:

Well why don’t you read the scripture, do you have it there handy?Colossians:1:23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
See All..., “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;….”

Tom:

Now can we get tough on the past tense here?“Which has been preached?”

Dave:

It’s okay, we’re not going to quarrel with that.Titus tells us—I’m searching for it here Tom, we could just as well have quoted it—well why don’t we forget trying to find it—well, here it is.

Tom:

Yes, now that—

Dave:

Yes, now that—it says—this is Titus:2:11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
See All...,12, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”—Tom….

Tom:

Now there’s a difference there between those two.One of them speaks specifically about preaching the gospel and the other one implies (I would say) the gospel, but—

Dave:

Oh you’re—oh, I see, you are focusing on “…the word which was preached to every creature….”

Tom:

Yes, that’s the question.

Dave:

That’s what the question was about.

Tom:

Right.That the gospel has been preached to every creature under heaven.Why do you think I deferred to you on this one?

Dave:

Well, Tom how about Psalm 19;3 that says of the witness of creation, “There is no speech, nor language where their voice is not heard.”

Tom:

Now Dave, that’s God’s general revelation.

Dave:

Yes, I believe that’s what it is referring to here.Obviously it hasn’t been preached by human beings to every creature under heaven, but it has been preached by God in the conscience.Romans:2:14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
See All..., the law is written in every human conscience.When the Gentiles who have not the law, do the things which pertain in the law, they are a law unto themselves.They bare witness to the law of God written in their conscience.

Tom:

So they recognize that they are sinners.

Dave:

Absolutely.Everyone recognizes that and they know by creation that God exists, and we know that we have come short of the glory of God.We know in our conscience that you can’t make up for breaking the law in the past by keeping it in the future, you can’t appease God in spite of all the people that try to do this, they know better.

Tom:

They know they are separated from God.

Dave:

Absolutely.

Tom:

And they know only God can reconcile us to Him.

Dave:

Yes, you know it tells me Tom, that person anywhere in this world—I mean it says here in Titus:2:11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
See All..., “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”It doesn’t say that every man knows the details of the gospel of Jesus Christ.Because obviously that has not been revealed in their conscience.But they do know in their conscience that grace is necessary.They know they are sinners, if they are going to be forgiven; it’s going to have to be by God’s grace.I think they also know in their conscience, it would have to be justly done.And therefore—

Tom:

Because everybody has a sense of fairness and justice, or they wouldn’t say well that’s not fair.

Dave:

You wouldn’t let, for example Tom, again, and I don’t want to offend Catholics out there, but I sometimes, you get a point across, maybe that is a little bit sharp, and I sometimes say, I did 120 mph, in a 20 mph school zone with children present.I got a ticket.When I get back to that town next week I’m going to stand before the judge and you’re gasping, “They’re going to throw the book at you!”I mean I’m going to jail.And I say don’t worry about it, it’s okay, I know the judge’s mother.I know Catholics who feel that way.I mean I’ve tried to reason with them and they seriously say, yes but I go to his mother because she’s more sympathetic than Jesus.She’s easier to get to.Wait a minute!This is corruption.You would not allow that on a court, in a court on this earth and every one in their conscience, I don’t care where they are in this world, any time in history—we have a sense of just—you know the man that sits in the back of the court room and doesn’t like the judge’s decision, says there ain’t no justice in this world.What’s he complaining about the absence of something he’s never seen, that it doesn’t exist in this world.How does he know it’s missing?Because we are created in the image of God and we have that in our conscience.I believe this is what it is saying.You couldn’t explain it any other way.And so I think that every person Tom, I was talking with a man the other day.The first time he heard the gospel, he believed it, and he knew it was true.And I think you would have to.But those who resist the gospel, who reject the fact that God had to become a man to die for our sins, to pay the penalty we couldn’t pay.They want to offer their own good works, their own good deeds, their gifts to charity, their prayers, and so forth, I believe they are deliberately going against what their own conscience tells them and the witness that God has given them.

Tom:

Right.And I just want to close with Mark:16:15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
See All..., “And he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”It’s ongoing.We’re to reflect God’s light and his life.We are to share his word and his truth with everyone.