What About Those Who Have Never Heard of Jesus?
Introduction
The Bible is clear. A plain reading of scripture tells us that to be made right with God and ultimately go to heaven, we must trust in Jesus alone. Jesus himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6).[1] So what about all the people who’ve never heard of Jesus? Are they forever lost and destined for eternity in hell? Not necessarily.
The short answer is that God knows who would repent. And he will make sure they have the opportunity to hear the gospel.
We Know More About God Than We Might Think
It’s interesting that according to the Bible, everyone on earth knows, at least on a fundamental level, that God exists:
“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.” (Romans 1:19-20 NLT).
That’s a pretty strong statement; but think about it. Take a good look at the world around us. Is it not reasonable to conclude that there must be some thing or some one responsible? Something very powerful and intelligent that must have started it all? We call this God.
But there’s more. God has given us a knowledge of his moral law—his standard of right and wrong. That is, we have a moral compass:
“They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” (Romans 2:15, NLT).
So if the Bible is right, every one of us, whether we admit it or not, knows something of God. We know deep down inside that God exists, and we know his moral standard of right and wrong.
This means that anyone who chooses to live in denial of this information is making a choice to reject God.
Now, if those who reject God in this way don’t get the message of Jesus or the gospel it’s not because they can’t. It’s because they’re rejecting the truth they already have, and they have no desire to seek further truth about God.[2]
But there’s good news. If anyone, anywhere in the world, does want to know more about God, they can and they will.
God Promises That All Who Search For Him Will Find Him
We see frequent promises throughout the Bible that if we search for God with all our heart, we will find him:
“But from there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.” (Deut. 4:29 NLT).
“In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you…” (Jeremiah 29: 12-14 NLT).
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9 NLT).
“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:27 NLT).
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” (Revelation 3:20 NLT).
Anyone of us, anywhere on earth, will learn more about God and his plan for salvation if we urgently seek him with all our heart. He will bring the good news of the gospel to us.
God Will Go to Great Lengths to Reach Those Who Would Repent
Consider Jonah. God told Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. When Jonah refused and ran the other way, God had him thrown off a ship. A giant fish swallowed Jonah, and later spit him up onto the beach near Nineveh. Jonah got the message. He preached the news of God’s coming judgment, and all the people of Nineveh repented, including the king.
Or consider the apostle Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-39). An angel told Philip to “go south, down the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza.” When Philip did, the Holy Spirit told him to go talk to the Ethiopian, who happened to be the Treasurer of his government and a man of great authority. The Ethiopian became a believer and Philip baptized him right there beside the road. Today, the church in Ethiopia considers Philip to be the founder of the church in their country.
Typically, God will use believers to bring the good news of the gospel to those who want to know more about him (Romans 10:14-17). But God is totally sovereign and will do whatever he wants. He’s not limited, and he will go directly to those who would repent if he chooses.
Jesus chose a direct and personal encounter with Saul, an enemy of the early Christians. As a result, Saul was dramatically converted and became the apostle Paul. And this was after the Resurrection of Jesus and his ascension back up to heaven.
Recent reports have been coming out of the Middle East of Muslims encountering Jesus in dreams and visions. Joel Rosenberg relates that:
“If you travel through the Middle East, you will meet many ex-Muslims who will tell you, as they have told me, that they have seen dreams and visions of Jesus, who personally told them to follow Him.”[3]
The Gospel Has Gone Throughout the World More Than We Might Know
Skeptics often criticize Christianity as primarily a white, male, Western religion. But this is wrong. Peter Marshall observes:
“Most Christians are not white. Christianity is non-European in origin. Christianity was in Africa before Europe, India before England, China before America. Three-fourths of world Christians live in the Third World… More people attended Christian services in China last Sunday than attended Christian services in all of Western Europe combined… The same is true of Nigeria, and probably true of India, Brazil, and even the world’s largest Muslim country, Indonesia.”[4]
Shortly after the Resurrection of Jesus, Christianity spread like wildfire.[5] Dr. Clay Jones explains:
“At Pentecost, Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Libyans, Romans, Asians, both Jews and Gentiles alike heard the gospel. Tradition has it that the apostle Thomas brought Christianity to India in AD 52. There are Christian tombstones in China dated no later than AD 86. Paul personally brought the gospel to Greece, what is now Turkey, and then to Rome, which was the center of the civilized world in his day. From there, the gospel spread throughout the empire and beyond.”[6]
If some regions or people groups in the world today do not have much of a Christian presence, it’s not necessarily because the gospel was never there. It’s more likely because of violent, past persecution of Christians in those areas. The basic gospel has been going out around the world. Sadly, many cultures have been killing the messengers.
Conclusion
If the Bible is right, we all know that God exists, whether we try to deny it or not. We even know God’s moral law—his standard of right and wrong. If any one of us wants to know more about God and who he is, we can. God promises that if we seek him with all our heart, we will find him. Again, God knows who would repent, and he will go to great lengths for them to be able to hear the gospel.
Maybe you’re reading this right now just because you’re interested in knowing more about Christianity. That’s great! And if this is you, then I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence. This web site contains information about God’s story as found in the Bible, the good news of the gospel, why we believe Christianity is true, and so much more. I encourage you to read these brief articles. Who knows? Maybe God is reaching out to you!
[1]Consider also Peter and Paul. Peter declared that, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name in heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The apostle Paul wrote, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
[2]John S. Feinberg, The Many Faces of Evil: Theological Systems and the Problem of Evil (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004), 437.
[3]Joel C. Rosenberg, Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson and Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2009), 369.
[4]Peter Marshall and Lela Gilbert, Their Blood Cries Out: The Worldwide Tragedy of Modern Christians Who Are Dying for Their Faith (Dallas TX: Word, 1997), 7-8.
[5]The explosive growth of Christianity is powerful evidence that the Resurrection of Jesus happened as claimed by the early Christians. The Resurrection was the heart of the gospel message, presented as the evidence for the truth of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). At that early date, without convincing evidence for the Resurrection Christianity would have quickly died.
[6]Clay Jones, Why Does God Allow Evil: Compelling Answers for Live’s Toughest Questions (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2017), 80.