Bible Text Interpretations: What Happens to Those Who Have Never Heard About Jesus?

All men are accountable to God, whether they have heard of him or not, because of the following:

God has revealed himself in nature:
"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." (Rom 1:20).
Moral laws are written in our hearts. They are in our conscience:
"For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus." (Rom 2:14–16). See also what is said about
a hardened conscience at time 6:12–7:12 in Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │ September 2023. It can be distorted by influence, see time 5:19–7:50 in
Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │March 2024. Also watch the following videos:

Can you be good without God? (animated)
Atheists Trying to Have Their Cake and Eat It Too on Morality
(not animated)

God has revealed himself in the heart of men:
"God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11b).
If we truly seek God, he will make himself known:
"But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him,
if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul."
(Deu (5 Mos) 4:29), see The Parable of the Persistent Widow.
God isn't limited by people to bring the gospel (although he mostly does it through people), he can use angels, visions, and dreams.
People are judged at the Great White Throne according to their works:
"I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the Earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." (Rev 20:11–12).

People are accountable to God, what God has already revealed to them. The problem is that people are sinful and have rebelled against him (Rom 1:21–23). Therefore, God gave them over to impurity (Rom 1:24–32). People don’t seek God (Rom 3:11). People worship a God of their own creation or no God at all.

We are called to spread the gospel to all peoples (Mat 28:19–20, Acts 1:8). If we assume that the people who haven’t heard the gospel go directly to Heaven, it would be better not to spread the gospel, because they may reject it if we do. Therefore, the people who don't hear the gospel are condemned unless they repent. It’s therefore important that believers share the good news about Jesus Christ.

I don’t believe that people who have never heard of Christ are judged on whether they put their faith in Christ or not. It wouldn't be just. One attribute of God is that he is just. Instead, they are judged in the same way that the people who lived before Jesus lived on Earth, such as Abraham, were judged. He wasn't saved by works but by trusting God, and Jesus is God, see time:

11:52–14:07 in 1 Peter 1:10-25 • Concerning This Salvation.
13:38–17:32 in September 2024 Bible Q&A.

The people living under the Old Covenant weren't saved by keeping the Mosaic Laws
(Rom 3:20). God never promised to save them if they kept these Laws. No one is saved or will be saved by keeping these Laws, see Jesus and the Law. These people were saved by putting their faith in the living God for the forgiveness of sins. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament merely gave the Israelites a graphic focal point to place their faith in God's goodness and mercy. It provided a clear example of a blood sacrifice involving the exchange of one life for another, all pointing to the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ yet to come. They looked forward to the final and ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. We look back at his sacrifice. They confessed their sins and put their faith and trust in the living God who forgives sins and delights in showing mercy. These people are judged based on how they reacted and are reacting to God's general revelation (nature and conscience, see above).
The benefits of Christ’s death can be applied to such persons even if they haven't heard of him.

"This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins." (Rom 3:25b). See this verse explained in
time 29:53–32:04 in Romans 3 – Righteousness Through Faith.

First comes Salvation and after that comes Sanctification.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

What Happens to Those Who Have Never Heard About Jesus?