How can God send people to hell that have never heard the Gospel?
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John 1:7-9
“The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, (Speaking of Christ) that all men through him might believe.” How many? All! Not just a few, but He came that all might believe. In verse 8, John the Baptist wasn’t that Light.
“He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, (Jesus the Christ, and here’s something that I had never seen before) which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
It says, “He lighteth every man,” and The Book doesn’t lie. Now I know a lot of us get all hung up when we realize that people down in the jungles of the Amazon valley, and in certain other spiritual dark places of the world have never heard the Gospel (Ref. I Corinthians 15:1-4). And we can’t comprehend a Righteous God sending them to an eternal lake of fire. But listen, The Book says over and over that for some reason or other they have received the Light. They have a certain amount of knowledge. I can’t explain it but that’s what The Book says, and that’s what it says right here, that when Christ came into the world, “His light lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Now that’s a future tense verb, so it wasn’t just speaking of those living at Christ’s time, but rather it was also speaking of those coming on the scene even today. They have received somehow or other the Light. Let’s go to Titus Chapter 2, and another verse that I’ve even struggled with myself, but I take it by faith. I believe it with all my heart, and mind because The Book says it. Here the Apostle Paul is at the end of his earthly ministry, he’s going to be martyred before much longer. But look at this amazing statement, and remember it’s Holy Spirit inspired. It’s The Word of God.
Titus 2:11
“For the grace of God (That unmerited favor that God has poured out on the whole human race) that bringeth salvation hath (past tense) appeared to all men.” Not just a favored few, but all men. Now let’s back up to Romans that has thrown a curve at a lot of people, and it’s hard for me to teach it because it just seems so impossible, but it isn’t because The Book says it.
Romans 1:18,19a
“For the wrath of God…” And remember we’re not under the wrath of God today, but rather the Grace of God. But His wrath is coming, it’s getting closer every day, and one of these days God’s going to have His stomach full, and He’s going to start pouring out His wrath. Now reading on:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may (Now watch this) be known of God is manifest in them…”
`Manifest’ is a multi-type term. There isn’t just one little segment of knowledge, they have a whole bunch, just like a manifold on a V-8 engine has 8 port holes. That’s one for every cylinder, that’s a manifold, and the same word is associated with this word manifest. A complete unveiling of knowledge.
Romans 1:19b,20
“for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood (See?) by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they (the whole human race) are without excuse:” That doesn’t mean we can just sit in our living room and let the world go to Hell. But the constant admonition is that we are to promote the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Absolutely we are.
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Romans 3:26b
“… that he (The Lord Jesus) might be just (or fair),…”
I remember sometime ago that someone presented the same question in a book or some material I was reading, and I’ve always had that question in my mind for as long as I can remember, just like everyone else. How will God justify sending someone to the eternal Lake of Fire when so far as we know they have never had an opportunity to hear the Gospel (Ref I Corinthians 15:1-4). The human response is this, “But God, that’s not fair, because they never had a chance.” Whoever presented that question said this, “You know the only way we can answer that dilemma is that God is never unjust, or unfair. So in His own higher way of thinking, God knows how He will take care of it. We can’t comprehend it. But remember that God can never be unfair. He is totally just in all of his dealings.