What about all the people in the world who have never heard of Jesus?
Non-Christians often express indignation at the gospel message, thinking that it condemns innocent pagans in faraway parts of the world. If God could condemn such poor souls to eternal punishment "just because" they had never believed on His Son--whom they had never heard about--then He must be cruel and unjust.
At first, this seems a difficult question. However, it is based on wrong assumptions, and the answer is clearly written in the Word of God.
The first incorrect assumption is that of innocence. We are asked to believe that somewhere, in the darkest forests of Africa or the highest mountains of Nepal, is a man who has never sinned. Not knowing about God's law, he has, nevertheless, been faithful to his own moral code and does not deserve the torments of hell.
But God says, "There is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). In His omniscience, God is able to look into the heart and soul of every human being born since the beginning of creation to its end. Yet apart from Christ, He has found no one who is innocent before Him. Every one of us is a sinner, and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
But wait, says someone. Doesn't the Bible teach that we are BORN sinners? These heathen were born damaged goods. That wasn't their fault. Yes, says Paul in Romans 1, but we are worse than we have to be! It may be that there are many sins which ambush us on life's road, but there are some sins we go looking for. We step into them with our eyes wide open, knowing they are not right.
So we are not only sinners; we are guilty, rebellious sinners. We enjoy certain sins, and go back for more. In fact, says Paul, "...knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" (Romans 1:32). This describes so many movies, television, pulp novels, pornographic magazine, and now the internet porn industry. Enjoying other people's sins vicariously is big business!
The second wrong assumption is that of ignorance. The unbeliever will point out that our hypothetical bushman knows nothing of right and wrong. He does not have the Law, so, even if he is a sinner, how can he be judged?
Here is the Bible's answer to that: "...when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them" (Romans 2:14-15).
Every one of us is born with some knowledge of right and wrong. Without the Bible, we cannot know the whole will of God, but we are not left in total ignorance. We all have a conscience which rebukes us when we sin, but we choose to sin, regardless. Whether we have the written law before us or not, we are all deserving of God's judgment. "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law" (Romans 2:12).
Impossibility is the third erroneous assumption--that people cannot be led to a knowledge of Christ except through a missionary. However, Scripture shows us that this is not the case. Abraham received a personal call from God to leave Ur. and Rahab feared the God of Israel before the Hebrew spies came to her door. Even Balaam, who was a wicked man and a pagan, was used as a prophet of God among the Moabite and Midianite nations.
God can work in wonderful ways to reveal Himself to those who otherwise could never have heard of His salvation. It is important that Christians share the gospel with others whenever they have opportunity, but God's work in bringing people to salvation is not wholly dependent on the witness of His servants. "How shall they hear without a preacher?" Paul asks in Romans 10:14. His answer: "But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world" (Romans 10:18). The Holy Spirit has been sent into "the world" to convict "the world" of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
God has spoken to everyone through creation: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-23).
God has also spoken through conscience. Everyone is born with a God-consciousness (Romans 2:15). And this God-consciousness is stimulated by various means. First, the generosity of God to men in generally giving them food and other provisions: "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4). And when people forget God in their days of plenty, He often sends hard times to warn them and cause them to realize their dependence on the God against whom they daily rebel.
Examine the story of Cornelius in Acts 10. Here we find a man who had not yet been told about Jesus. He was a Gentile, brought up in a pagan, idolatrous society. As a centurion in the Roman army, he was surrounded every day by godless men. Yet he had been consistently faithful to the spiritual light he had, and, as a result, God was gradually leading Cornelius to Himself. By the time Peter came to visit Cornelius, the centurion and his family were already fully aware that there was one God who was to be feared and worshipped. Cornelius prayed regularly to the Lord and sought to do His will. God was the One who brought Cornelius to salvation; Peter just came in to witness and marvel at the completion of God's work in the centurion's heart.
God has promised us that, if we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). He is not eager for anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). "For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:12-13). We do not know how God is dealing with people in lands yet unreached by the gospel, but from Scripture we can see that He will never condemn anyone unjustly, but will be faithful to reveal Himself to anyone who looks for His salvation.
We also know that John saw in heaven "...a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Revelation 7:9-10). Not only every nation but every tribe will be represented in heaven.
Notice that they all sing the same song. We are not saying that sincere Muslims or Hindus, trusting in their religion, will make it to heaven. There is only one Saviour, and everyone in heaven will be there through the salvation provided by God's Lamb, the Lord Jesus.
The great tragedy, of course, will be that multitudes who have heard, who have Bibles, who could find the way of salvation if they were even a little serious about their eternal destiny, will perish, not in the dark, but in the light. "Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6).
