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Do People Who Don't Believe in Jesus Go To Hell?

By Michael Lane, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries

Article Summary
Everyone, in their own time and in their own way, will hear the Gospel and will have an opportunity to make their choice to respond. God loves us all and will make sure that no one is lost without having had a chance to give their lives to Christ. We can trust in His plan of salvation.
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"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 1:20

A very good friend of mine was born in Africa where his parents were missionaries most of their lives. His father was among the first to work with the Bassari tribe and to his surprise, he discovered that the Bassari already had a very vague idea of Jesus even though no one had ever preached the Gospel to them. Certainly they did not know His name, that He lived in the Middle East 2000 years ago or that He died on the cross. But what they did know is that they were sinners, they could not save themselves and that God had provided a means for their salvation. In response, they had surrendered to God and accepted His plan for them. All of this happened long before the missionaries arrived. When presented with the Gospel of the New Testament, they accepted it with open arms and welcomed the opportunity to learn the details about their savior, with whom they were already acquainted in their heart.

God speaks to each and every one of us in different ways. He reveals Himself in the wonder and beauty of creation. He speaks to us through the voice of friends and family who witness to us and offer their testimony. He can speak through the words of preachers on television and radio. He can speak directly to our heart while we sit quietly under a clear sky during a warm summer night. He speaks to us in the love we feel for our husbands, wives and children.

Each and every one of us are born knowing the basic truths of the Gospel, but the longer we ignore it, the more faint it becomes. The chaos of the world will drown it out. By the time we are well into our twenties, if we have ignored the voice of God then it will take a great intervention by friends, family or the Holy Spirit to bring us back. Sadly, if we continue to ignore God despite all the exterior signs and interior desires, we will be lost. He will continue to speak to us quietly and gently but He will not force himself upon us. We must come to Him.

Am I suggesting that the Bassari were saved before the missionaries arrived? Only Jesus knows, but my guess is that they were. We know that Jesus is the only way to be saved, but to what extent do we need to know the details before we can accept Him into our heart? Do we need to know His name? Do we need to know that He was crucified by Roman soldiers on a cross on Mount Calvary? Or, more likely, is it sufficient to know that we are sinners who need God to save us and that we must place our complete trust and faith in Him, though we may not know His name? Children do this implicitly until we teach them differently or until they reach an age where they can consciously make the decision to turn away from Him.

So what becomes of those who never hear the Gospel? There can be no such thing. Although there are those who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, there isn't a person alive who has not seen the evidence and felt the call of the living God to repent and come to Him. There are, unfortunately, millions who have ignored the call or have followed it into mysticism, paganism or outright rebellion. If they do not repent and give their lives to God then they will be lost. Right now, they are living for themselves, not for God. These people desperately need to face the truth of the Gospel and surrender their lives to the God who created them. It is the job of Christians everywhere to lead them to this choice.

God is far more loving, fair, trustworthy and compassionate than you or I could ever be. He loves His people and does not want to lose a single one. With this in mind, do you not think that we can trust God with this important judgment? God is perfect and His plan of salvation is the best plan there could ever be. We need not worry that people are being punished or lost unfairly.


 

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Comments


This is a really fantastic and helpful article, thanks so much!
8/18/2007 7:01:44 PM - anonymous


I'm givin a uelegy for my first time ever. This article is helping me prepare for those who are unsure and in hopes to make a difference.
2/24/2008 10:13:00 PM - anonymous


cool stuff. it helped me with the question of whether people who had never heard or had a chance to hear the gospel were damned or not.
2/26/2008 12:25:21 AM - anonymous


This is a great principle , I too feel you can be saved on the basis of what you know, but we are still commanded to go into all the world--I am sure that giving the salvation message saves many who are confused. rcc
3/12/2008 10:13:29 PM - anonymous


RCC - You are absolutely right, is imperative that we, as the body of Christ, reach out into the world and proclaim the Gospel. I mentioned that in the second-last paragraph of the article, but let me elaborate. It is possible that some people will find Christ and will be saved on their own, having never heard the Gospel. But there are many, many others who will not. Far too many people ignore the evidence around them and ignore God's gentle call. They need someone to wake them up to the truth that is all around them.

We cannot sit idly by and let anyone perish for we are commanded by our Lord to do our part. Each of us needs to do what we can, whether it's missionary work, supporting missionaries financially, or witnessing to friends and loved ones. It would be irresponsible to just assume that people will figure it our on their own -- there is too much at stake. We hope this ministry will help is some small way. Thanks for your comment.
3/24/2008 12:12:49 PM - Michael Lane


Very helpful, this is a very clear article for me, God has blessed you with the gift of answering difficult questions. I have been struggling with this question for a while, I love the example you gave of the Bassari tribe.
4/20/2008 11:44:02 PM - JasonP, Member of Delve into Jesus since 4/19/2008


Ok I understand that people in their have the law engraved with their hearts but the devil is sneaky, he can make evil seem Good and may have in their lives only been told about their pagan gods. I believe that then we should pray for them to receive the knowledge. And now I feel I must pray for myself to trust that God loves those people far more than you and me or anybody.
7/22/2008 10:12:13 AM - anonymous


This is a fantastic article. I have pondered on this topic for years and nothing I have EVER read has answered this question so elequently. Thank you so much for posting this article. God bless x
9/6/2008 5:30:36 PM - anonymous


Having read your article,I therefore have a question.As a Bible student who believes that our Lord died on the Cross for me(and I may add for all humanity re His ransom/antilutron,price to correspond for the sin of father adam in which we all partake)Because I or Jehovahs witnesses or Christadelphians accept our dear Lord in their hearts,come to the most Holy Father through Christ in their prayers,do you believe even though we may have a false concept/idea of our dear Lord in His origin,we are as per the aforementioned tribesmen and are saved by our faith that Jehovah God reads/knows our heart condition.
May God through His grace bless you all,
In His most Holy name,phil.
12/12/2011 12:40:20 PM - phil, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/12/2011




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