What Happens to Those Who Have Never Heard the Gospel?
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Today’s Text: Romans 1:18-20
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness; they know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
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Thoughts from the Scriptures:
Sometimes the person who asks this question is not so much concerned about those who have never heard the gospel. Rather, this person may be more concerned about trying to put up a smoke screen to keep you – the Christian – from showing his or her need for God.
We might remind that person that God is a loving and compassionate, and that he will deal fairly and justly with those who have never heard the gospel. But the person who asks you this question needs to recognize that knowledge brings responsibility. Those who know the truth of the gospel will be held accountable.
As we know from the Bible, God will judge us according to what we know of Him (see Luke 12:48). We will not be held accountable for what we do not know. Still, that does not excuse us from all responsibility. Otherwise we might say, “Ignorance is bliss.” But this is not to say that person who has not heard of Jesus will never know of Him.
We, as humans, no matter where we live on God’s earth, were born with a soul, emptiness, a sense that life should have meaning and purpose. In spite of that spiritual longing, we have disregard God and His Word. But if we are truly seeking God, He will reveal Himself to us.
We find proof of this in Acts 10:1-48. There, a man named Cornelius, a religious man who constantly prayed to God, asked the Lord to reveal Himself to him. Although Cornelius may have heard of Jesus Christ, he did not know God’s plan for salvation. But that did not stop God from answering his prayer by sending the apostle Peter to preach the gospel to him. When Cornelius heard that wonderful message, he believed!
The Bible tells us that God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. If God heard Cornelius’s prayer, He will also hear our prayers and the prayers of those who do not know Him but desire to.
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