- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on May 15, 2015 12:44:30 GMT -8
The dilemma of what happens to those who never heard of Yeshua has been a sticking point throughout church history. Detractors have used this question as an argument against the fairness of the Gospel. The church doesn’t help as most of their arguments for God giving a pass to those who “live up to the light they were given” are based on scripture pulled out of context and their own misguided belief that God must constrain Himself to their ideas of how this must be dealt with. How can God send someone to Hell who never had the chance to hear the Word? Their problem is God is not bound to do it their way.
When this question comes up, most Christians will give some sort of explanation amounting to God giving a free pass to those who haven’t heard. Things like Hell and eternal damnation are so horrifying, some would rather create excuses than accept the possibility of thse people being eternally separated from God. God’s condemnation of a “noble, innocent primitive” with no contact with believers, completely ignorant of what the Bible and/or Yeshua so appalls many people and they would rather believe their own fairy-tale than consider the possibility of these people being condemned. But Scripture is not mythology, open to the interpretation and whims of the storyteller.
The more honest apologists will tell you the Word doesn’t go into much detail concerning how God will handle this. It doesn’t really address our speculations about how God is to deal with others, but more how we are to live our own lives and how we are to reach the lost. It concerns itself with the destiny of those who have heard. God is good, fair, and just. We are to trust in Him that He will deal with all people fairly. As He told Peter:
John 21:21-22 (ESV) When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
We are to leave those who for whatever reason do not follow Yeshua (in this case Judas who appeared to follow Him). Our responsibility is to make sure we do follow Him.
1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (ESV) For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Leave those outside the faith to God to judge.
Romans 2:12-16 (ESV) For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
According to Romans 2:12, there are two kinds of sinners: those condemned without the Law, and those condemned under the law. Everyone is a sinner, whether or not a person had the revelation of the Law of Moses. Vs. 15 explains that those who are completely ignorant of the Law of Moses are still guilty of sin and their conscience bears witness to this. Those living under the Law sin by not keeping the Law; those not living under the Law sin because they fail to keep the Law written in their heart. Either way, all men fail to live up to the “Light that they have been given.”
John 3:18 (ESV) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
People do not go to Hell because they have rejected Yeshua, but because they die in their sins. Those who do not believe on Yeshua stand condemned already. They are only condemned due to rejection of Yeshua when and if they hear and choose not to trust in Him, and thus remain condemned. But they were already under condemnation before they heard. God’s justice is however absolute. He knows the hearts and minds of every person, and it is not up to us to question His plan.
We must trust that God is in control of all things, including that the time and place into which we are born.
Acts 17:26 (ESV) And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
Scripture tells of times when God reached out to bring the Gospel who had responded to the Light they were given them and He gave them more so that they would be saved.
Acts 8:26-36 (ESV) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
Acts 10:1-5 (ESV) At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.
Acts 16:27-32 (ESV) When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
Time and circumstance are no obstacle to God; if there is anyone willing to receive the Word, God will make it happen. The only obstacle God allows is our own hardness of heart. He won’t interfere with free will.
Look at it this way: if in their ignorance people are given a free pass to heaven, then the absolute worst thing we can do is spread the Word to them! In telling them about Yeshua, we facilitate the destruction of far more people than we help. The “Great Commission” would then be an act of truly monstrous proportions! Yet, given by Yeshua to His talmidim we know it to be both fair and necessary.
So do I know for sure that some who are not given the Gospel are not saved? The Bible doesn’t (to my knowledge) outright say yes or no on this, so no, I don’t. However it does tell me I am to trust in Yeshua as God, and to spread the Word that others may be saved. It is not for me to worry that I might be condemning them by informing them. It is for me to witness to those who God puts in my path and then let Him worry about the results.
Luke 12:47-48 (ESV) And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
We who are given much are required to share what we know to be true, the besorah of Yeshua- His message of reconciliation with God.
Dan C
When this question comes up, most Christians will give some sort of explanation amounting to God giving a free pass to those who haven’t heard. Things like Hell and eternal damnation are so horrifying, some would rather create excuses than accept the possibility of thse people being eternally separated from God. God’s condemnation of a “noble, innocent primitive” with no contact with believers, completely ignorant of what the Bible and/or Yeshua so appalls many people and they would rather believe their own fairy-tale than consider the possibility of these people being condemned. But Scripture is not mythology, open to the interpretation and whims of the storyteller.
The more honest apologists will tell you the Word doesn’t go into much detail concerning how God will handle this. It doesn’t really address our speculations about how God is to deal with others, but more how we are to live our own lives and how we are to reach the lost. It concerns itself with the destiny of those who have heard. God is good, fair, and just. We are to trust in Him that He will deal with all people fairly. As He told Peter:
John 21:21-22 (ESV) When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
We are to leave those who for whatever reason do not follow Yeshua (in this case Judas who appeared to follow Him). Our responsibility is to make sure we do follow Him.
1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (ESV) For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Leave those outside the faith to God to judge.
Romans 2:12-16 (ESV) For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
According to Romans 2:12, there are two kinds of sinners: those condemned without the Law, and those condemned under the law. Everyone is a sinner, whether or not a person had the revelation of the Law of Moses. Vs. 15 explains that those who are completely ignorant of the Law of Moses are still guilty of sin and their conscience bears witness to this. Those living under the Law sin by not keeping the Law; those not living under the Law sin because they fail to keep the Law written in their heart. Either way, all men fail to live up to the “Light that they have been given.”
John 3:18 (ESV) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
People do not go to Hell because they have rejected Yeshua, but because they die in their sins. Those who do not believe on Yeshua stand condemned already. They are only condemned due to rejection of Yeshua when and if they hear and choose not to trust in Him, and thus remain condemned. But they were already under condemnation before they heard. God’s justice is however absolute. He knows the hearts and minds of every person, and it is not up to us to question His plan.
We must trust that God is in control of all things, including that the time and place into which we are born.
Acts 17:26 (ESV) And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
Scripture tells of times when God reached out to bring the Gospel who had responded to the Light they were given them and He gave them more so that they would be saved.
Acts 8:26-36 (ESV) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
Acts 10:1-5 (ESV) At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.
Acts 16:27-32 (ESV) When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
Time and circumstance are no obstacle to God; if there is anyone willing to receive the Word, God will make it happen. The only obstacle God allows is our own hardness of heart. He won’t interfere with free will.
Look at it this way: if in their ignorance people are given a free pass to heaven, then the absolute worst thing we can do is spread the Word to them! In telling them about Yeshua, we facilitate the destruction of far more people than we help. The “Great Commission” would then be an act of truly monstrous proportions! Yet, given by Yeshua to His talmidim we know it to be both fair and necessary.
So do I know for sure that some who are not given the Gospel are not saved? The Bible doesn’t (to my knowledge) outright say yes or no on this, so no, I don’t. However it does tell me I am to trust in Yeshua as God, and to spread the Word that others may be saved. It is not for me to worry that I might be condemning them by informing them. It is for me to witness to those who God puts in my path and then let Him worry about the results.
Luke 12:47-48 (ESV) And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
We who are given much are required to share what we know to be true, the besorah of Yeshua- His message of reconciliation with God.
Dan C
We are all impatient and rushing Yeshua, but what a blessing time can be. 
