How Can God Condemn Those Who Have Never Heard the Gospel?

Now, Contending for the Faith. 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 Mr. Hunt and Mr. McMahon, I’ve noticed that you gentlemen aren’t afraid to tackle some rather tough questions on your program and I admire you for that. Even so, I’d like to press you on that by submitting one that has pushed me to doubts about Christianity. When it comes to salvation it doesn’t seem as though what evangelical or biblical Christianity teaches covers everyone. So here is my question. On what basis will God fairly judge those who have never heard what is necessary for salvation or are incapable of understanding it and therefore cannot believe the gospel. What of those who are in cultures and religions both foreign and antithetical to Christianity, or die in childbirth or have never reached an age where they can respond to external evidence or their consciousness of God? I look forward to your non-Calvinistic answer.

Tom:

Well Dave, I know bits and pieces of this. Probably all Christians have though about or maybe the questions have been posed to them and so on and I don’t want to jump ahead because there is a lot here to answer in just a few minutes, but they must be saying, non-Calvinist answer because to a Calvinist this is a done deal, God has predestined some to hell and some to heaven and that’s the end of it.

Dave:

Right, and the Calvinist would say everybody is worthy of eternal punishment and God is gracious to some, so let it go at that. Now you couldn’t say that about, say a Down Syndrome, someone who does not have the mental capacity to understand. First of all, Tom, I think we would begin with the premise, the scripture says, shall not the judge of all the earth do right.

Tom:

Right, Genesis:18:25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
See All....

Dave:

So part of this is beyond my capacity to comprehend or to answer. So I begin first with the premise that God will do what is right. Now I follow that up with the fact that I believe the Bible teaches that God is not willing that any should perish. He has no pleasure—I have no pleasure, saith the Lord, in the death of the wicked but that the wicked should turn to me and live. So I can understand then that God wants everyone to be saved. He would have all men to come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Timothy chapter 2 tells us. Then, 1 Timothy:4:10For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
See All... says, he is the savior of all men but especially those that believe. So that would tell me that he has, as John:3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
See All..., I believe, says, he has provided salvation for everyone. Now, what about a person who has never heard the gospel. Well Tom, we don’t have time—we could give you examples of people who lived in cultures where they never heard the gospel.But when that message came to them, they believed immediately, they understood already in their hearts. But Peter tells us in Acts chapter 10, he says, Now I perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every nation he who fears God and works righteousness is accepted of him.I believe that every person, from Romans chapter 1, who is competent, now we are not talking about insane people, people that are mentally incapable. I believe that the blood of Jesus would cover them. They are not sinners, they have not willfully rejected the gospel and I believe that they will be in heaven, that’s my personal belief. I don’t think that God could send someone—

Tom:

Yeah, but Dave, can you say they are not sinners? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, right?

Dave:

Well, that would mean all who are capable of sinning. In other words, I couldn’t say that a two-month old baby has sinned, that dies, or an aborted fetus has sinned. In other words, when the Bible says all have sinned it is talking about, I believe, all people who are capable of sinning.There is none perfect, there is none that resist sin if they have the opportunity to do it, but I personally believe they are covered with the blood of Jesus as I would say of aborted babies and so forth. But we know from Romans chapter 1, every human being knows in their hearts that God exists. They know this from the creation. I have talked to too many people, maybe Muslims, they didn’t believe Islam. People who were raised as Hindus, they didn’t believe Hinduism, they knew that somewhere there was a God who had created this universe and they got that from the universe. Now, secondly, Romans chapter 2 tells us what we all know, that the conscience of every man tells him what is right and what is wrong. God’s laws are written in every human conscience. Every one of us knows that we have violated our conscience, that we are sinners.Every one of us knows that you can’t make up for breaking the law in the past by keeping the law in the future. This is the only hope for a Muslim. In the last day, the day of judgment, his good deeds will be weighed against his bad deeds—we’ve dealt with this many times. There’s not a court of law on this earth, even in a Muslim country that would go by that rule. I was speeding the other day but I have driven more times within the speed limit than I have exceeding it, so my good deeds would outweigh my bad. I’m sorry, that’s nonsense! Not a court of law would accept that and no parent would accept that from their children, so we know that’s not true and everyone knows that in their conscience. Now then, every person must know God must have some righteous, some just way. If I’m going to be forgiven, God has to do it. Somehow, he must provide a salvation for me. And I believe, you can say, Well what about the people in an African culture a thousand years ago or the South Pacific or in America—American Indians, they never heard of the gospel. Well, what about the millions of people in America who have heard the gospel and have rejected the gospel. So I believe that every person who would accept the truth, God will make that known in their conscience and to whatever extent I do not understand, but the Judge of all the earth will do right. It’s a tough question, Tom, but I’m going to have to leave that in God’s hands.

Tom:

Yeah Dave, along this line there are many verses such as the one you quoted, shall not the Judge of all the earth do right, but I’m thinking of Exodus:34:6And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
See All..., 7, it says: And the Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty. One other verse—

Dave:

So God isn’t—He doesn’t do a whitewash job. Christ had to pay the penalty for our sins.

Tom:

This is not a universal salvation here. All right, and then, Deuteronomy:32:4He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
See All... it says: He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are justice: a God of truth and without injustice. We have to trust him.

Dave:

And he loves everyone and he wants all to be saved.

Tom:

Well, he has backed all of this up by sending his Son to die for the whole world.

Dave:

Amen.