God’s Provision
To Those Who Never Hear The Gospel
A plan in
the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it
out. Proverbs 20:5
DISCLAIMER: It is not the intent of this study, in any way, to negate the absolute necessity of the cross of Jesus Christ for the redemption of mankind. No one should ever use this work to dismiss his or her need for Christ’s atoning sacrifice at Calvary. Rather, it is an answer to the unbelieving and often sarcastic skeptic seeking to justify himself by blaming God. Even more importantly, it is a ready answer, filled with truth, to the sincere and honest skeptic looking for answers that make sense. It is also a scriptural defense and reassurance to the believer who has been plagued with the unanswered question, “What will God really do with the millions and millions of souls who have never heard the gospel?”
The scriptural truths researched here are intended for one purpose: To declare that God, who created the heavens and the earth and all that is within them, is both just and loving. He will judge each man according to his or her own deeds, taking into account the faith they have in serving Him with a clear conscience. In other words, though many will never hear the revelation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, most often, because of the distant regions of the world they live in, God the Father will use the only law they have, their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.
NOTE: All underlining,
highlighting (or both), and any italicization of scriptures listed throughout this study has been
added for emphasis.
Knowing that there are multitudes justified by their faith, but ignorant of the revelation of God through Jesus Christ, we should be motivated to pray for them, and to go unto the uttermost parts of the earth preaching to them about the kingdom of God. Jesus cannot fulfill the Father’s promise to restore Israel until we, the body of Jesus Christ, have been his witness to them.
We begin our introduction with the honest and sincere, yet skeptical man. He is not an insidious or sinister individual, nor is his mind completely closed to the concept of a caring God. Time and time again he seeks for a productive conversation that will help him to reconcile two seemingly contradictory concepts…Gods’ goodness and Gods’ severity.
Unfortunately, all too often his search leads him into conflicting and unproductive arguments with born-again Christians. Their seemingly circular reasoning is interpreted as one more futile attempt to convince him of something he must simply take by “faith.”
Let’s suppose for just a moment in time, that the Spirit of God allows us to peer into the mind of this man. He is unaware that we have this unique opportunity. As you read on, try to put yourself in his shoes. Throw out every critical thought, bias, or preconceived notion. If you are able, see his reasoning from a perspective that makes him a candidate for the gospel.
Also realize that he is very analytical, and unless something makes good sense to him, he simply will not accept it by faith. This is only fair, and it is the scriptural thing to do. A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out (Pro. 20:5). If you are a man or woman who can draw up the plans within the skeptic’s heart, you are one who has been counseled by the LORD.
When we use the phrase, “the word of God” from the Greek New Testament, the term “word” originates as follows:
God has put within mankind the ability to reason, to compute, and to analyze. Often Christians expect the skeptic to throw out his God-given common sense and blindly embrace whatever they have to say by faith. A man of understanding however will be a good listener. He will seek to identify with the viewpoint of other people whenever he discusses the topic of God. He will wait for God to breath His wisdom into him before engaging his mouth.
Here are our skeptics’ thoughts, laid out in sequence for us to review. These thoughts will precede his forthcoming conversation with a born-again Christian:
The skeptic’s logic is based on a sound premise. His premise is that God is an all knowing and loving Deity who dispenses justice without partiality. He believes that such a Deity exists, and that those who follow Him will be of one mind and heart with His precepts. For example, a true follower of God is the kind of individual that would treat others the way he or she would want to be treated.
Time and time again born-again Christians have told this skeptic that anyone who has not accepted Christ as their personal Savior will spend eternity in the lake of fire, whether they’ve heard the gospel or not. This seems preposterous to his logical mind. He reasons, “There simply must be sincere God-loving people in the world who are merely unfortunate victims of ignorance. Why would God judge these folks, especially when their thoughts and actions reflect a genuine love for their Creator?”
He asks his Christian counterpart, “If someone has never had the chance to hear about Jesus Christ, why then should they be punished? How can one be so easily condemned if he fails to embrace a concept he has no knowledge of? It makes absolutely no sense to me, no sense at all! How can that be considered just and fair? Only a spiteful, mean, and tyrannical God would set up such a system for salvation.”
Further reinforcing the skeptics’ conclusion is the response he gets. His Christian friend immediately shifts into a defensive posture. His muscles tense, the veins in his neck and forehead bulge as he tries to restrain his anger. He projects the kind of body language that says, “Watch out mister, that’s MY God you’re talking about here!” Our once persuadable skeptic, unaware that he has just touched another ‘holy grail’ of Christian theology, is taken back a bit by his countenance.
With his verbal sword drawn, the born-again believer is ready for battle. He is ready to pounce on this heretical thinking, and to cut off the ear the High Priest’s servant if necessary (remember Peter?). What he does not realize is this: If he slices off the man’s right ear with his sword, he will also cut off the man’s ability to hear his gospel message! Oh that Jesus were present to pick up the man’s bloodied and wounded ear of hearing.
In complete disregard for the skeptics’ reasoning, the fired-up Christian launches a valiant verbal assault to protect the reputation of his God, “No, God is not mean and spiteful. He does not hate anyone! But you must understand that God is holy, and He cannot fellowship with sin. The Bible says that everyone has sinned, and fallen short of His glory. John 3:16 says that God gave His only begotten son as a sacrifice for sins, and that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish, but have eternal life. This proves what a loving God He really is. Your problem is you are so worried about people in other countries, when it is really your own soul you should be worried about. Forget about what happens to people who never hear the gospel, and just decide what YOU will do with Jesus.”
The poor skeptic; all he wanted was some reality; a wee bit of logic. Instead he gets a thirty-second drill on the plan of salvation, and a tongue lashing at that!
“You haven’t adequately addressed my line of questioning,” he contends, “ If your God is so all-powerful, and fills heaven and earth, as you believe, why doesn’t He make certain that everyone has at least had the opportunity to hear about Jesus? Doesn’t God at least give consideration to those who may serve Him with sincerity of heart, even if they have not heard about Christ? What if, having never heard about the commandments in the Bible, they instinctively obey its teachings? You know, like, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.’ Doesn’t God at least take this into account, even if they never heard about His son Jesus?”
Instead of carefully listening, and weighing the skeptic’s argument, the born-again believer launches into his next set of memorized doctrinal replies, “It is not God’s responsibility to bring the good news of the gospel to people. He has given that responsibility to the church. Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and make disciples.”
Next comes the irrefutable question from the skeptic who
will soon find himself talking to another Christian robot, “Well, have you
Christians made sure that everyone has heard? I have read numerous statistics that there are still millions of
the world’s population who haven’t heard your message.”
At this point, the Christian fumbles for an answer that will convince the man, or at least appease his seemingly logical resistance, “Well, only God knows who has, or has not accepted Jesus. Only He can pass final judgment, but I know that He will always do what is right. I tell you again my friend, you only need to be concerned about one person…you. What will you do with Jesus?”
The conversation is now permanently terminated, and the born-again Christian walks away confidently reassuring himself that he has planted a seed of truth in the skeptics’ heart. “At least I never compromised with that guy, I told him the truth just like it is! Now it’s in God’s hands, and I’ll just water that seed with prayer.” Deep inside his heart however, the Christian knows he does not have the answer to this man’s questions, and it bothers him that the scriptures seem so obscurely silent on such a vital issue.
“Why doesn’t God address this subject in the Bible?” muses the Christian to himself, “After all, maybe that skeptic has a point. Oh well, I’ll never know, so I’ll just leave it in God’s hands. It’s not that important anyhow.”
Off goes Mr. Christian, unaware that if he were only to seek his answer through careful study of the scripture, he would see that God HAS addressed this topic. In fact, the entire Bible, from cover-to-cover speaks of this very topic! More important, it is imperative to understand God’s nature through what has been written and what He has revealed in the scriptures.
If Mr. Christian had studied the scripture he might have had a ready answer for the skeptic. Then instead of reassuring his wounded ego, he may have been successful in TRULY planting a seed from God’s word.
Meanwhile, the sincere and honest skeptic walks away from one more frustrating encounter with another born-again Christian. His disappointing encounter reaffirms his opinion that most Christians speak from a defensive position of personal bias than from common sense and logic.
“I want to believe in a God,” he thinks, “ but I want to believe in a God that makes sense. How can I entrust my entire life to a deity that would be so harsh and cruel? If I decided to follow such a God, would I become as harsh, rigid and unrelenting as the one I follow? Everyone has their own religion, and Christianity seems to be just as exclusive in its doctrinal prejudice as all the rest of the worlds’ religions.”
Let’s not be too hard on either the skeptic or the Christian. Both are doing the best they can, considering their varied backgrounds. The Christian is trying to share his faith with limited knowledge; but at least he shares it (unlike many who hide their light). The skeptic will continue his search, and it is our hope that, in part, this study of the scriptures will help him.
From the beginning of creation, human beings have
understood that there is an all-powerful and divine being who made the world,
the heavens, and all that is in them.
Across the globe many tribes and peoples have believed in the “great
spirit” (e.g. American Indians, African tribesmen and various nomads) and have
honored God in various ways. Some have,
in ignorance of the scriptures, or in defiance of the truth, distorted the
concept of the Almighty by making iconoclastic images of Him.
There is something within each of us that cries out, “Yahweh!” (He is). That “something” is our human spirit, given to each individual by God. He breathed His life into mankind at creation and has been doing so ever since that time.
Our human spirit is the part of our existence that identifies with our Creator. It is the part of us that gives life to the human body. When the human spirit leaves, so does the life.
When God gave man a human spirit, it was as though He gave him a sixth sense; He set eternity in the hearts of men.
Adam was not present when the Almighty one created the heavens and the earth; yet upon receiving the breath of life, there was an instinctive response to the Creator. Adam walked and talked with God in the cool of the garden. If you read the first and second chapter of the Book of Genesis, God speaks to man the moment He creates them. He tells them to be fruitful, and multiply, and commands the man to cultivate the earth (Gen. 2:15).
So the LORD God begins His human creation as agrarians (that’s a fancy word for a farmer). Today, we have, as a society, become far removed from the reality of tilling the soil, planting seeds, fertilizing and composting and watering it, and watching God grow a tiny seed into a fruitful plant from which we derive pleasure and nourishment. Most Christian folks that have done any gardening at all know all too well how truly spiritual it can be to tend crops.
There are, in most other parts of the world today, many societies that still toil for their food by planting and harvesting crops, picking fruits in jungles or native trees and vines. Furthermore, in these agrarian cultures, the people don’t have all the conveniences of modern society; no cars, washing machines, hot running water, electricity, and so many things we take for granted.
Many of these cultures have an advantage over the modernized Westerner. They spend much more time in communication with each other, and in reflection on the importance of God. While they are often uneducated by our standards, they possess an inner dependence on their Creator for the rain and sun to grow their crops, to protect them from famine, disease and danger, and to teach them His mighty ways. Often they are much closer knit in their relationships because of shared water wells, walking instead of driving automobiles, and frequent close contact with each other.
God instructs these uncomplicated people because they have a simplistic faith in an immense and beneficial Deity. Being so far removed from technology and the advancements of the 21st century, their faith seems almost archaic or prehistoric to our refined and intellectual Western minds.
When missionaries eventually reach these supposed “heathen” people in distant and remote parts of the world, they are oftentimes stunned at the sweet nature, and the strong faith that is already well established. Quite often the tribal people are very childlike in their trouble-free ways. If those who evangelize them use wisdom and cultural sensitivity, they readily embrace the sweet savior Jesus. They are the ones Jesus spoke of:
Why should the aforementioned missionaries be so surprised? It is because our deep-seated appetite for theology often makes us arrogant and puffed-up. We think that we have an exclusive market on this whole God and Jesus concept. How shortsighted we are! Our seminaries, universities and colleges (institutes of so-called “higher learning”) have done little more than pollute the minds of our youth with antagonism and skepticism towards the very One who gave them the minds they have to think with!
Even the die-hard atheistic evolutionist cannot explain the origin and intricacies of the human mind, and the essence of life itself. But the simple farmer in a distant and faraway land may be far more prepared for the coming of the Lord than the intellectuals of the universities and colleges.
I highly recommend two books that have impacted my life and view of just such a people. The first book is called, “Eternity in Their Hearts,” and the second book is called, “Peace Child.” In ‘Peace Child,’ the missionaries who first brought the gospel to a civilization of cannibals in New Guinea had to almost completely redesign their approach in presenting the message of Jesus. Culturally, the Bible character named Judas, (who betrayed Jesus), was viewed as a great hero by the natives. I will let you find and read the book to discover how the missionaries overcame this hurdle; you will be forever changed when you experience the events that unfold in this true story.
While these simple folks have a working knowledge of a God, their mode of worship is often skewed, distorted, and frequently pantheistic. They are lacking a plum line of truth that can only be found in the scriptures. Many of them are as true to their Creator as they can be, having only their human conscience and finite minds to guide them.
That is why Satan can take advantage of them by implanting their minds and hearts with superstitious beliefs, and weave various forms of witchcraft into what pure faith remains. How immense a calling it is for those willing to lay down their lives in devotion to the descendents of Abraham; who are willing to leave the comfort of their monolithic Christian edifice, and live in a mud-floored grass hut for years, in order that they might disciple others.
It is by faith that we humans have the understanding of a divine Creator. True scientific knowledge will compliment such faith, contrary to what the so-called learned and “wise” professors of our institutes of higher learning proclaim. By faith we know that God used an unseen microscopic atomic structure to create the visible things on earth out of nothing.
There is an element of secular and religious civilization throughout the world that knows there is a God through His magnificent creation. Once I climbed the peak of a glacier high atop the Olympic Mountain range in Washington State. There, on top of the world, my breath was taken away by the awesomeness of God revealed in His beautiful handiwork. Everything in me cried, “Glory!”
The only words I could utter in that place were, “Yahweh” (He is). I had a foretaste of what Moses must have felt when God told him that he stood on holy ground. The only way I can explain what I felt, there atop the snowy peaks, looking straight down a shear drop of over one thousand feet, and feeling the power of the winds at such heights was, “There is too much of God’s presence here in this holy place for my puny physical human existence to handle.”
By using the example above I am not advocating pantheism (the worship of nature). I am simply pointing out what many people recognize and distinguish about God’s invisible attributes and divine nature discovered in and through His creation. For some, it is an occasion each day to be in awe of and feel affection for Him. Still others have rejected the divine Architect, and have worshipped and served the creatures rather than the Creator who is blessed forever.
The whole creation, from a tiny ant to the gigantic blue whale, from vast constellations of planets and stars to the tiniest meteors, from a babbling mountain stream to roaring of the waves that spray a cool mist as they crash upon the sands of the beach, from the intricate tunnels and burrows of the prairie dog, to the magnificent canyons and lush green jungle, from the pure artesian spring bubbling up from deep within the earth, to the mammoth Niagara waterfalls, from the tiny fingers and toes of a newborn baby to the complexities of the human vascular and neurological system operating within the human body; all these, as well as billions upon billions of other examples in creation testify of the Almighty. His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that every human being is without an excuse in acknowledging his or her Creator.
For those who have not embraced pantheistic ideology, and who revere the Creator they see expressed in His great and marvelous wonders, their faith is accounted to them as righteousness. Though they have yet to hear of the liberating message of the Christ, and many never hear, those who express their love for God by loving their neighbor as themselves are a law unto themselves.
These have yet to meet the mediator between God and man; the man Christ Jesus, who can bring them into oneness with the Father as sons and daughters of the Most High. That which is, “known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” Their human spirit comes from God and bears witness to a Creator. Once they have made a heart confession of Jesus, they can partake of the glories of salvation found only in him.
Have you ever read the “hall of faith” in the Book of Hebrews, chapter eleven? If not, before you continue, stop and carefully read this beloved chapter. It tells of the faith of men and women long before Jesus was born. In fact, the first part of the chapter introduces us to a faith that was demonstrated hundreds of years before God gave His Law through Moses to Israel.
Consider this: Jesus was not born until 4000 years after the creation of man. With this in mind, why does Yahweh include in His covenant of eternal life the believers in Hebrews eleven? Why are they referred to as, “men of old” who gained God’s “approval” through their faith? Let us briefly analyze the list of people mentioned in Hebrews chapter eleven:
All these mentioned above, and many more “men of old,” were justified by their faith; living, breathing, ‘active in their everyday life’ faith. Not the wishy-washy Christian faith that breeds apathy, self-righteousness and contempt for those who do not conform to their brand of hypocrisy. We do well if we take to heart their simple example of trust in a loving Creator who loved and communicated with them as friends.
Because God demands justice, there is a law He has
instituted to insure that no partiality is shown to any group of people, or
individual person. Often in scripture
when the word “law” is mentioned, our attention is focused on the Ten
Commandments, and the other statutes given to Moses by God.
Being properly informed, a believer should have a healthy respect for God’s laws written in ink. However, God has made provision for all men, whether knowledgeable or ignorant of His written code of regulations, commandments and statutes.
God makes no distinction between those who have the Law (of Moses) and those who don’t. By this we mean that He impartially judges the Jewish convert and Gentile convert based upon the individual law they have. For the Jew, there is accountability to the written commandment. For the Gentile, there is accountability to his or her sense of right and wrong, however accurate or however misguided it may be.
On the day that God uses a man to judge the world, every individual person will give an account to Him. We often wonder, “Just exactly how will God judge those who don’t have the word of God?” Romans 2:14-16 gives us the answer. It is only those Gentiles (or “heathen” as we Westerners often identify them) who instinctively practice the things written in God’s law that can properly be labeled by the Almighty as, “a law unto themselves.”
We can demonstrate by giving the example of a clan of nomads that are a “law unto themselves” and by contrasting them with a similar clan who is NOT a law unto themselves. For our example, we will use an ethnic tribal group living in the uttermost northern region of Mongolia. They have no central religion like Buddhism, or Islamic belief in the Koran, nor do they follow a shaman or spiritual sage.
While both clans in this tribe have the same genetic characteristics, their behavior is as polarized as two magnets facing each other with reverse polarity. Clan number one is a kind, gentle, and benevolent people. They are willing to share what is theirs, without complaint, without hoarding, even in the toughest of times. When food is scarce, or clothing hard to come by, they divide what they own, and distribute it among themselves and the even another clan if necessary.
On the other hand, clan number two is more selfish and unrestrained. Theirs’ is a motto of, “Do unto others before they do unto you.” They would just as soon see clan number one perish in the freezing cold than to share their extra furs and blankets. They hoard their food, and would cunningly pilfer or defraud clan number one out of its goods and possessions at every opportunity.
Both clans have a faith in the Great Spirit. Both know Him as their Creator and Provider. However, clan number two is considered to be the more “spiritual” of the two clans. They have more tribal “elders” (sound familiar?) and “wise men” than clan number one, and so have greater authority in civil and spiritual matters.
Both clans are Abraham’s descendents, though neither has ever heard or known anything of the Law of Moses, or the gospel of Jesus Christ. Which one do you think will stand justified before God? If you said, “Clan number one,” you have answered correctly. Clan number one shows, “ the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness.” (READ Luke 7:40-50)
God is more concerned with the heart’s response to Him than He is with the letter of the Law. To Him, the one who shows mercy will always triumph over the one who judges another by the law.
I have a dear friend who once bore her heart before a congregation of Christian believers (so-called). This impoverished woman, (who is rich in God!), entered a church with one broken shoe, and left with one broken heart. She had graciously pointed out how blessed these people were to have one another’s fellowship.
Nevertheless in the course of her testimony, she used some street language that offended these whitewashed sepulchers. Like boisterous gongs they tossed out the essence and significance of her testimony, and unmercifully flagellated her for weeks with their tongues set on fire by hell itself. Focused on the letter rather than the spirit of God’s law, they spewed forth death. Like the Jew who boasts in his or her knowledge of the scriptures, too many Christians exhibit a self-righteous hypocrisy that violates every aspect of God’s commandments.
These and many other congregations are like the unrelenting Jews of Jesus’ day who claimed to follow God, but failed to reveal His character in tenderness and compassion. The apostle James’ words shall surely sting their ears on the Day of Judgment lest they repent in sackcloth and ashes (so to speak).
The law of liberty is the conclusion and fulfillment of the written code. Many are those who have never entered the door of a church building, yet behave more like a believer is supposed to than most Christians do! How will God judge them? Is not He who gave the Law also the One who will dispense it in justice and mercy?
If someone fulfills God’s righteous requirements, but never perceives a true revelation of Jesus Christ in a living written epistle, will God take this into consideration?
Have you ever wondered what will happen to all of the millions of people who have never had an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ? Statistically it can easily be proven that there are many parts of the world where the gospel of Jesus Christ has never been preached to every individual.
There are Muslim nations that are so rabidly antichrist that missionaries have never had an opportunity to share the good news there. There are very remote parts of the China, vast hills and prairies of Kenya, and jungle country of the Amazon and Congo, along with massive continent of Africa, and there are the millions and millions of square miles of the region known as Siberia, where isolation from the rest of the civilized world has made communicating the good news impossible.
Stop and think for a few moments; contemplate these examples. Do you honestly believe in your heart that the small clans of Siberian people living in a harsh and cruel wilderness, where the risk of death is ever-present, have no faith in God? And what about tribal cultures throughout the islands of the Pacific Rim?
All mankind came from just two people, Adam and Eve. Isn’t it quite possible that nomadic tribesmen in all parts of the globe today worship the great Creator God of their ancestors? Their ancestors learned of the Great Spirit from their forefathers, and so on, until their lineage is traced back to Adam and Eve. Isn’t it also possible that this Creator they serve is to them, the same God who made Adam and Eve?
In Genesis we read that Adam lived to be 930 years old and he had other children other than Cain, Abel and Seth. How many children and grandchildren did he have in a nearly one thousand-year period of time? By comparison, the United States of America is less than three hundred years old and has grown to a population of less than 240 million.
To illustrate from scripture, we will start with the first generations descended from Adam and Eve in the fifth chapter of Genesis. While it is the descendents of Noah from which the current population of the world subsists, this account is given to open our understanding of the diversity of people that can come from one man. From Adam to his furthest descendent would be passed the oral history of the creation of the earth and its’ Divine Architect.
Genesis 5:1-32
1. This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.
2. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man."
3. When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.
4. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
5. Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
6. When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh.
7. And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
8. Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.
9. When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan.
10. And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
11. Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.
12. When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel.
13. And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
14. Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.
15. When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared.
16. And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.
17. Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.
18. When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch.
19. And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
20. Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.
21. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.
22. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
23. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years.
24. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
25. When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.
26. And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
27. Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
28. When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son.
29. He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed."
30. After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
31. Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
32. After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth. (NIV)
It is likely these generations of people never knew God by His covenant name Yahweh. God revealed Himself by this name to Moses, in order that he might to lead Israel out of Egypt and through the arid wilderness for forty years. We know from the Old Testament that the Hebrews were not the most prolific or abundant of the nomads and other civilizations living at this time. One example of this is the account of ten spies that crossed over the Jordan River and into Canaan and found many other people in the land, including the “giants.”
There must be people all over the world whose hearts are towards the One true and living God, and who, if confronted with the gospel would readily embrace Jesus as the Christ of God. If not, why send missionaries and evangelists to such peoples?
New discoveries are being made every year by archaeologists and paleontologists. They have discovered many ancient civilizations that have recorded mention of a great flood. Evidence has been revealed in the wood, stone and parchment inscriptions, the walls of caves, and atop of massive stone pyramids. Isn’t it extremely probable that some of these inhabitants loved and served the God of Noah? And yet, for reasons unknown, the Great Commission has never reached the hungering hearts of their descendents living in proximity to these archaeological discoveries.
The examples given above of peoples, tribes and nations who have a recorded historical belief in God are but a drop in the bucket when compared to the thousands unmentioned here. While the New Testament makes it very clear that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), and his blood shed at Calvary is the only means by which a person can have access to God as his or her heavenly Father (John 14:6), it is time to give a scriptural answer regarding the eternal fate of those God-fearing peoples who will never hear the gospel in their lifetime.
Furthermore, since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ many centuries have past. During much of this time the Roman Catholic Church controlled the majority of the Western world, and where intolerance for any other faith outside of Rome was punishable by death. While the Catholic Church controlled the civic and religious domain of Spain, Portugal, Italy and other European countries, little was done to bring glad tidings of the true gospel to those hungering and thirsting for the bread of life. There was much proselytizing done to convert the masses to Catholicism, a clearly unscriptural religion at that.
Catholic priests, monks, friars, prelates, bishops, archbishops and an entourage of unholy men masqueraded as pious eunuchs for the sake of the papal pontiffs. These pressured the peasant and other commoners for indulgences, penance for sin, and every manner of avarice to build the ornate monolithic giant cathedrals of Rome’s religious empire.
These massive stone buildings were and are nothing more than spiritual graveyards that house evil spirits, even though they were represented as the house of God. We can only wonder what the average man or woman, whose meager life savings paid for such opulence, thought of the system behind it.
Certainly there had to be millions of people that could see through the hypocrisy of this superficial veneer, and who served the one true God in their hearts. However, outside of the groups of people we read in church history books, little is known of God’s personal dealings with mankind during the murderous reign of the popes. Whole cities and societies, such as the Lollards, the Anabaptists, the Waldenses and others, who found salvation in Jesus Christ, died as martyrs at the command of evil Popes and other officials of the Church of Rome. Therefore it is almost certain that only a small percentage of the populace knew the complete plan of salvation.
Imagine a world where only the Roman Catholic faith rules, with its many blasphemous doctrines and secret societies like the Jesuits and the Cult of Mary. In this environment of papal despotism and inaccessibility for the common man to own or read the Bible, surely the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ was cloaked in religious darkness.
There may have been millions of people throughout the Dark Ages who held to a sincere faith in God without having the full understanding of the good news of Jesus the Christ. Does it really make sense that our God, who is just and righteous in all His ways, would punish those God-fearing people who loved Him for the sole reason the word of God was not available to them?
It seems more just and fair that He would damn the wicked leaders of Catholicism’s’ century-old reign, for these were responsible for intentionally withholding the word of God from the people. These were driven and motivated by greed, lust for control and power, men for whom the judgment of eternal darkness had long been marked our beforehand.
How will God judge those in faraway lands, in remote areas of the earth where neither missionary nor Bible have ever been? Is it possible that Jesus’ “other sheep” include them? After all, we know that the other sheep spoken of in John 10:16 include the Gentiles.
The “other” sheep Jesus speaks of here are the Gentiles. Gentiles were ethnic peoples who were not included in all the provisions of the covenant that Yahweh had made with His chosen people Israel in the Law given through Moses. God has never based His relationship with man on the Law. The Law was given to Moses from the Highest Authority for the purpose of guiding the people.
The Law was not just a book of “do not’s” but also of commandments what to “do.” But the Law was only intended for obedience by those whose heart and motive for obeying it was love for God, and love for their fellow man. Otherwise, the Law became subject to misuse, especially in the hands of leadership. Such was the case with the Pharisees that Jesus had chastised.
In John chapter six, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of Israel. He accuses them of being “hirelings” (John 6:12-13) who were not “concerned” about the flock of God. A hireling is someone who shepherds a flock for the pay he will get, not because he loves the sheep. How familiar the parallels are with so many Christian ministers today!
In sharp contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus refers to himself as the “good shepherd.” Unlike the religious egotists standing before him, who neither knew nor really cared for the sheep, Jesus says, “I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father.” Jesus knows who belongs to him just like his Father knows that Jesus is His own child. What does this mean? Is there an application to the provision God has made for those who have never heard the gospel?
Jesus knows his own, and his own know him. They “hear” his “voice” and follow after him, because he calls them all by name. They will not follow the voice of a stranger, but will flee from it instead (READ John 10:1-10 at this point please).
Likewise, Jesus knew the voice of his Father God, and he could distinguish it from the voice of Satan and religious hypocrites. God the Father knew Jesus, because Jesus was his only begotten son. There was a unique relationship there, unlike any other. Jesus spoke face to face with God as Moses did, but without having to veil or hide his face. He did only the things that were pleasing to his Father, and for that reason, God always listened to him.
God has other son and daughters, although He cannot call them His “only begotten.”
In a very literal sense, every human being who survives childbirth has the breath of God in him or her. Although He has given human beings the ability to procreate, life itself is generated from God. The human spirit is what gives life to the body, and that human spirit comes directly from God.
Jesus knew that there were many God-fearing Greeks and other Gentiles whose faith in God was more acceptable than that of these religious Jews. Though these ethnic groups of people had no Divine Law given to them, they followed the precepts written down in the Law out by expressing their desire to please the One in Whom they had placed their faith. Not belonging to the flock of Israel as a religious sect, but more importantly, these God-fearing Gentiles were a part of the true flock of God. Why? Because their faith was identical to that of the greatest example of faith the people of Israel had…Abraham.
They had not completely lost the light of life given to them by God. In awe, in fear and in faith they are devout. Though they had no God-breathed scriptures to assure them that one day a Messiah would come and deliver them from the slavery of sin, with its’ punitive condemnation, they cling to the hope of seeing the One they long to please each day. Though never having heard the gospel, these are the people for whom God has made provision.
Today, there are still many parts of the global community that have yet to hear the good news of the message of Jesus Christ. There are still remaining millions of “other sheep” to which we must preach the gospel. While they are God-fearing, and their faith is accepted by the Almighty, they have yet to enter into the New Covenant, a better one, in which they can know their Creator as “Abba Father.”
You see, without Jesus, these “other sheep” cannot have a relationship with God as sons and daughters. Theirs’ is more of a ‘slave-to-his-master relationship. They are under the Law, albeit is not the Law of Moses. They are a “law unto themselves” because the life of faith they live before God is demonstrative of the works of the Law.
These peoples, though never having heard the Law, or the message of Christ, are fulfilling the summation of the entire Law.
Doubtless there are many villages in distant lands where the people live according to the dictates of Roman 13:8-10. This is not to say that because they sincerely love their neighbor as themselves that they are not in need of the atonement with God found only in Jesus’ blood sacrifice. We are merely pointing out that there is a faith that is outside of the Law that is in one accord with the spirit of the Law.
This is not to say that faith in the Muslim god ‘Allah’ or the Hindu gods and goddesses such as Vishnu, Siva and Brahma are acceptable as true worship. Buddha’s teachings will not lead one to a genuine faith in the Creator, nor will the witchdoctors of Africa and the Caribbean Islands. Those devout Muslims and Buddhists and Hindus who cling to the doctrines of demons are not the “other sheep” to whom Jesus refers.
To whom would Jesus command us to “go” into all the nations making disciples? Would it be to those who have no knowledge of God at all, and would only scoff at and deny their lord and Master Jesus the Christ? No! Jesus himself, the Head of the church and his body of believers came to be a light to the Gentiles.
Unlike so many in today’s Christian community who are condescending towards the faith of those “outside” of the churches, Jesus offered the Gentiles hope. He did not break off their battered and ruined lives, or snuff out the last smoldering bit of faith that they had. He brought grace and truth, and added it to their already worn down faith, and many came to believe in him as the Christ, the chosen one of God. Jesus did not avoid those steeped in sin; rather, he was called a friend of sinners.
How much more should we, as the hands and feet of Jesus’ spiritual body, be at work together with him as co-laborers! Instead of assuming that someone’s faith is useless because it does not conform to the four spiritual laws, or the doctrinal “correctness” of the legalistic and self-righteous church folks, why don’t we strengthen the feeble hands, encourage the downtrodden, and give the faith they already have in God a living revelation of the risen Savior?
It is certain that there will be those who read this study, and will become enraged and jealous. “Who does this man think he is? What right does he have to teach this new doctrine? Should not he first have consulted with the other pastors, ministers and Bible teachers in the area? He is teaching false doctrine! He is teaching that there are those who have no need for Christ!”
Oh foolish man or woman who would make such an accusation. You have become like the Jews that Paul rebuked because he taught a way of salvation outside of the narrow confines of Judaism. You are trying to make everyone conform to your brand of organized Christianity, instead of seeing this as a clarion call to believers to, “Go! Seek and save that which is lost!” You think that they can only be “saved” a certain way…yours. Listen to the apostle Paul’s words, and let them bring conviction and repentance.