Monday, October 10, 2011

If conscious belief in Jesus is required for salvation, how is that fair to those who have never heard the gospel?


Responding to the skeptic, there are number of possible answers to this question from the Christian perspective:

1.  As a Christian, I do believe God to have absolute perfect knowledge and, therefore, knows who will repent. For these people, I am confident that God gives them the opportunity, at some point in their lives, to respond to the gospel message.

2.  God has revealed His existence, and even some of His attributes, in and through nature. For those who accept this revelation of God, and seek Him out as a result, I believe they will be led to the truth of the gospel as well. However, if they reject even this general revelation of God that has been provided to all people, I think God can claim (with clear justification) that they have rejected the message of the gospel. 

3.  If you study Christian history, you will find that millions of believers who could have shared the gospel message had their life cut short. Countless Christians (largely missionaries) have been martyred because of their faith. We find this to be true in ancient Rome, China, India, and numerous other places. How many more people would have had access to the gospel had it not been for the extermination of Christians that has taken place all over the world since the first century?
 
4.  Truthfully, I cannot confidently say that there is even one person who has not had a chance, at some point in their lives, to respond to the message of the gospel. I am aware there are many people who have never heard the name “Jesus Christ” uttered from the lips of anyone or who have never even come across a Christian. Nevertheless, and I know this might sound cliché, but I do believe that God works in mysterious ways and that His Holy Spirit is not bound by borders or language barriers. Is it possible that God works in visions, dreams, or many other ways for those unreached people groups? As a Christian who serves a limitless God, I am definitely open to this possibility.

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