INTRODUCTION
The Bible tells us that no human being is basically good and willingly seeks after God and His holiness because of the sinful nature passed down through the DNA of Adam and Eve after the Fall (See Genesis 3 – also Romans 5:12,18-19). As a result, all of humanity is dead in their trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1). There are no exceptions - salvation comes only through Jesus Christ and not by any work or religious ordinance (Romans 10:17, Acts 4:12).
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV)
"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.’ (Romans 3:10-20 ESV)
The question that arises is, ‘Since Jesus is the only way to salvation, then what does that mean for those who have never heard about Him or the Gospel message that only through Him can a person find salvation?’ How can a person be guilty of the only unforgivable sin of rejecting Jesus if they have never heard the Gospel message?
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin” (John 15:22 ESV)
“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14 ESV)
It is one thing to hear and reject the Gospel truth, but to be condemned for rejecting a message you never heard does not seem fair. It seems unfair that God would hold someone responsible for something to which they are unable to respond. Why would He do that to those He loves and created in His image?
The Bible does not say anywhere that God holds people responsible for things they were never directly given the moral ability to respond to.
“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.’ (Psalm 145:8-9 ESV)
At the heart of Christianity are the beliefs that God is love, omniscient, sovereign, merciful, righteous, patient, good, and kind. He only does what is just, right, impartial, and fair.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)
OMNISCIENCE
Because God is omniscient,He has complete free knowledge of all logical truth in every situation, whether before the beginning, at the end, or in between, under all possible interpretations of any component. He has chosen to know all things, including all the potential effects of any choice made, whether it is actually made, and retains His divine providence without hindering the libertarian freedom of humanity (Genesis 50:20). He has infinite and perfect knowledge of the past, present, and future because He lives outside of the time-space continuum.
"By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything." (1 John 3:19-20 ESV)
God accomplishes His will perfectly in the lives of human beings through the use of His omniscience. Because God knows all things, He knew before He spoke Creation into existence the outcome of every possible creation scenario and also created human beings perfectly free with moral responsibility and individual liberty of thought and action to make whatever choices they desire and then foreordained the world according to His perfect sovereignty and foreknowledge. God also knows the outcome of every seemingly random event to bring about His ultimate will.
God can elect Born-Again Christians to salvation. Human beings can still have a choice to freely accept or reject His love without Him having already determined that a person cannot choose otherwise or resist His grace (See Deuteronomy 30:19; Luke 13:34; Acts 4:28; Ephesians 1:11). God knows, on multi-dimensional levels, everything that does or will happen and what a human being would freely choose if placed in any circumstance.
It is indisputable that God does not travel through time at the same rate as human beings, yet He remains engaged with them throughout history. The timeless God enters into time with His creations and continually works together with them to achieve His specific and ultimate plan. There is no 'before' with God. He exists in the eternal 'present' at the exact moment then as now and sees the past, present, and future from the same vantage point.
There are no limitations to God's divine omniscience, and He accomplishes His will perfectly in the lives of human beings through its use. He knew before He spoke creation into existence the outcome of every possible creation scenario. He also created Angels and human beings who were perfectly free with moral responsibility and individual liberty of thought and action to make whatever choices they desired. Then, He foreordained the world according to His perfect sovereignty and foreknowledge.
God knows, apart from observation, what choice a person will make independently from the actualization of that choice without it being contrary to fact. He knows the outcome of any possible event and of every free choice that could be made whether or not a certain event exists under specified conditions.
Before God spoke the world into existence, He knew independently every possible future and, in His infinite wisdom, has planned for every contingency. He knows what each person would choose and do if placed in any possible circumstance or situation and arranges the world in such a way as to bring about His will using their free choices.
God also knows the outcome of every seemingly random event to bring about His ultimate will. He knows what human beings would choose independently from the materialization of that choice. He knows the outcome of every possible decision that will or could be made. In other words, He knows what free decisions people will make independently of His controlling decree. He knows from eternity past what a person would have done or would do in any hypothetical circumstance or situation, but He does not necessarily pronounce what will happen.
Jesus told Bethsaida that if He had come to Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. He knew this even though it did not happen because He knew what would happen and what could take place in any given circumstance (Matthew 11:21-24; Luke 10:13-14).
God knew what would happen if David remained in Keilah and what would happen if he did not (1 Samuel 23:1-14). God told Moses that the Israelites would forsake Him after they were delivered from Egypt (Deuteronomy 31:16-17).
God is a good God, gracious and merciful and He would never actively bring about overt acts of evil, suffering, pain, or sin even though He has foreknowledge of evil acts (Deuteronomy 28:51-57; Proverbs 4:11; Jeremiah 38:17-18; Ezekiel 3:6-7; Matthew 12:7; 17:27; 23:27-32; 24:43, 26:24; Luke 4:24-44,16:30-31,22:67-68; John 15:22-24,18:36, 21:6; 1 Corinthians 2:8). God does not unilaterally or causally determine every outcome of any unforeseen event, as that would be at the expense of human freedom.
God can see and interact with everything that happens in our multi-dimensional universe. He can act at any time He chooses. He is invisible and cannot be seen unless He elects to reveal Himself in a three-dimensional form that human beings can see. He definitively did that when Jesus "became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14 NIV).
"He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality." (Romans 2:6-11 ESV)
SOVEREIGNTY
God is the supreme judge of all things and the ultimate standard of what is true and false because He knows what is true and is the very nature of truth because truth is what He is (John 14:6). It is impossible that He could be wrong or not know about anything possible past, present, or future. Everything He does has an intelligent purpose and a definite goal. His power and knowledge are universal. He knows His intentions and everything in Himself, His creation, and throughout history (Isaiah 42:9, 29:11; Jeremiah 1:5, 23:24; 1 Samuel 10:2; 1 Kings 13:1-4; 2 Kings 8:12; Psalm 139:1-4,147:5; Matthew 10:30; John 21:17; Acts 1:24, 2:23, 4:27-28; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Corinthians 2:11; Hebrews 4:12-13; 1 John 3:20).
God possesses the absolute authority to enforce moral laws and judge accordingly and treats everyone according to their actions and the condition of their heart, which is the center of their emotions and actions (Romans 2:6). He has revealed Himself in universal revelations through creation, anthropology, nature, morality, emotions, human conscience, and most importantly, He has given Himself in the person Jesus as the only way to salvation. His judgment is completely fair, and His kindness is clearly communicated to all.
God foreknew before the foundation of the world that those who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior would be in Him, justified and predestined to be conformed to His image with all the benefits such as a personal relationship with Him (John 14:20; Ephesians 2:17-18), Eternal life (John 3:16), Forgiveness of sin (1 John 1:8; Ephesians 1:7), Freedom from guilt and the power of sin (Romans 8:1-2), and the Holy Spirit so that that can know Him intimately and receive gifts to serve the Church, His Bride (John 3:29,14:25; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 1:4; Romans 8:23).
When a person chooses to accept the gift of salvation, God instantly chooses them out of the world of lost, guilty sinners. This choice was already made in eternity past for those who would call upon Him (See Ephesians 1:4). The purpose of this choice is their perfect standing before Him because of what Jesus did on their behalf.
"If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:19 ESV)
As a result of the price Jesus paid for the release from the bondage of sin, the Born-Again Christian no longer belongs to the world; they now belong to Jesus! When a person becomes a child of God, they are predestined to be conformed or molded into the likeness of Jesus.
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:29 ESV)
The Born-Again Christian should naturally grow and mature as a child of God, so it is only natural that they reflect God's character and qualities - including love!
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4 ESV)
“For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20 ESV)
Every Human Being possesses an inherent conscience (i.e., moral compass) that differentiates right from wrong, that indicates there is a higher moral law, which is a tool the Holy Spirit uses to convict hearts and direct every person towards Jesus but it doesn’t necessarily lead to a saving knowledge of Jesus (John 14:6; Romans 2:15).
God gives light to each person in the world to enable them to seek and find Him (Job 33:14-30, John 1:4-13, Acts 17:26-30, Romans 1,2,11:32). He has given humanity two types of revelation about Himself, general and special. He continuously makes Himself known generally through the natural world and moral conscience, and He has made Himself known through special revelation, which is His Word, the Bible, and through the promised Messiah, Jesus.
God holds people responsible for responding to all His revelation and their guilt for sin. His eternal power, divine nature, and all that may be known about His invisible qualities are plain for everyone to see and understand, which is referred to as God’s “general revelation,” that renders all people “without excuse” for their unbelief (Romans 1:19-20, Acts 14:17, Hebrews 3:4, Psalm 19:1). General Revelation does not consist of only what can be seen or heard. Solomon said that God has put “eternity” in the heart of every person. Still, it is not sufficient to lead someone to saving faith in Jesus, but it can lead to acknowledging the existence of God and opening them up to further revelation (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Luke 16:10-12).
THE AGE OF REASON/ACCOUNTABILITY
Human beings are not sinners because they sin; they sin because they are sinners from birth.
"The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” (Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT)
The Bible does not directly address an age of reason/accountability. However, there is one verse that speaks to the issue indirectly;
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20 NIV)
The guilt before God of every human being is partially based on a rejection of what can be "clearly seen" of God's omnipotence and eternal existence. The age of reason/accountability is considered 13 years old in Jewish tradition when a child is regarded as an adult. However, the Bible does not explicitly address that because the age at which a child can distinguish between right and wrong varies. Science has determined that logic, rationality, and moral conscience of knowing good or bad, right and wrong, begin at around six years old when they become more autonomous and make their own decisions to play by the rules and draw their conclusions.
The sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross is the sufficient and final payment for the forgiveness of all sin. It allows the possibility of applying it to anyone, including a child or anyone who was never capable of believing and receiving Him. The death of Jesus paid for the forgiveness of all sin, past, present, and future, because He is "the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:3 NIV). The way His forgiveness is appropriated is to become Born-Again by repenting of sin and receiving Him as Lord and Savior.
In the covenant relationship between the nation of Israel and Yahweh, a male child was brought into the covenant through circumcision, which was totally out of his control, being performed on the eighth day after birth. No other requirement was imposed on him (Exodus 12:48–50; Leviticus 12:3).
When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, it resulted in pregnancy, and the Lord sent the Prophet Nathan to tell David that, because of his sin, He would take the child in death. David responded by grieving and praying for the child. But once the child died, David's mourning ended. David's servants were surprised to hear this, and He said to them,
"While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:22-23 NIV)
The words of David indicate that infants who die are safe in the Lord. God can apply the sacrificial payment of Jesus to young children and others incapable of repenting of their sins and receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. God is eternally good, right, loving, holy, merciful, just, and gracious (Matthew 19:14).
WITHOUT EXCUSE
The ability to respond to God through general or special revelation does not solve the problem of sin and the need for redemption because no one stands as righteous before Him according to any work they could ever do (See Romans 1:20; 3:10-11). A person is declared righteous and justified when they become Born-Again by repenting of their sins and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead"… "For you have been BORN AGAIN, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:3,23 – emphasis mine)
"IF you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9 NIV – emphasis mine)
Every person on the Planet has what they need to respond to God. No one in this world has any excuse for their unbelief because they are responsible for responding to all of what God has revealed about Himself through General Revelation, which is sufficient to lead anyone to know His Special Revelation. He makes Himself available to every person who seeks Him. It is the merciful goodness of God that leads a person to repentance (Romans 2:4).
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV)
Throughout human history, beginning in the Garden of Eden, God has given detailed and precise instructions in the record of His love and gracious nature. He deals with people according to the information they have and initiates a relationship with those who respond to them. He has used every method, including dreams, visions, Prophets, events of history, and the human conscience, to reach those who seek Him earnestly to communicate to His focus that is on how they are to welcome or resist the truth that Jesus is Lord and only through Him can a person find salvation.
His written Word, the Bible alone, can give life and freedom to those often uninterested or even openly hostile to Him. The Bible declares that every human being, regardless of their knowledge of the Gospel, is under the sovereignty of God, and “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The sin that was passed down through the DNA of Adam and Eve demands divine justice that is carried out in an impartial, just, and merciful way (Acts 10:34; Ephesians 2:4).
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 ESV)
God’s active love and mercy are so great that He sent Jesus to atone for the sins of every human being in the world (John 3:16).
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8 ESV)
The Bible is very clear that salvation is by grace through the faith of Jesus and not by any work that could ever be done or through any ritual, and a person becomes eternally justified when they repent of their sins and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior (James 2:24; also John 3:36; Galatians 2:16, 3:1-29; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Romans 3:22-24,28,4:1-25,5:1; Philippians 3:9; Ephesians 2:8-9). If it weren’t for the grace of God, human beings would have to earn salvation, which no one can do.
The knowledge of God is present throughout creation and in the human heart. Every human being has the knowledge of good and evil at a sub-conscious level (See Romans 1:19-20). Every person stands responsible to God for what He has revealed about Himself throughout creation, science, mathematics, biology, conscience, the Bible, and Born-Again Believers.
God “is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV).
CONVICTION
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44 ESV)
It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to convict a person and show them that, without Jesus, they are spiritually dead and separated from God because of sin and are incapable of saving themselves and must put their trust in His work on the Cross and not by their effort/works.
Every human being will have a moment(s) when they hear the convicting voice of God through His creation in one form or another and will recognize their sinfulness and need for a Savior. They have the freedom to choose to either harden their heart and resist God’s grace or seek the Creator of all things and receive it by coming to the place of believing in Jesus and repenting of their sin.
“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5 ESV)
Every person, whether they have heard the Gospel message, is accountable for how they live their life, which includes both thoughts and actions. No one is without excuse when they stand before God (Romans 1:20)
There is no other person, religious leader, or deity that can bring salvation and forgive sins. A person cannot be restored to a relationship with God apart from the work of Jesus on the Cross. He is necessary for a person’s salvation and proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV).
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NIV)
“God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past” (Romans 3:25 NLT)
Those without knowledge of the Gospel will not be judged based on what they did not know but rather on the revelations they did receive – via creation and conscience – and their response to those revelations (Romans 2:12). God’s justice and mercy are active even for those unaware of Jesus.
Individuals are judged based on the divine revelations they have received and not what they have not received. Although the specifics of how God applies the atoning sacrifice of Jesus to the unreached remain a mystery, we trust in God’s fairness and love, believing that His ways are beyond our understanding.
CONCLUSION
A person cannot believe in and call upon the name of Jesus unless they have heard the Gospel message. Every Born-Again Christian is called to spread the Gospel throughout the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). This is why the Great Commission is so vitally important and must be emphasized in every church meeting that Christian are to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15 NLT). This is the Scriptural reality and teaching. Indeed, it is because of this that we can say with Paul,
“And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15 NLT)
God actively works in every person to encourage them to seek and find Him (See Job 33:14-30, John 1:4-13, Acts 17:26-30, Romans 1,2,10:18). Even if a person has not actually heard the Gospel or doesn’t have a Bible, God has revealed Himself in nature and can also reveal Himself to a person through a direct thought or in a dream.
Jesus “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4 ESV)
“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” (Ezekiel 18:32 ESV
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV)
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17 ESV)
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’” (John 15:22-25 ESV)
God desires mercy over justice (Matthew 5:38-48,12:7). He desires that all come to a saving knowledge of the truth because He is love and is just. People must hear the Gospel to accept it, and by default, they must hear the Gospel to reject it.
God is all-loving, gracious, and perfect in every way and does not want any to perish but for everyone to come to repentance. He will always do what is right, even when a person does not understand (2 Peter 3:9; also Ezekiel 18:30-32).
Those who have never heard about Jesus desperately need to hear, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16) The ultimate eternal reality is that no one who intentionally rejects the person Jesus, the Creator of all things, as Lord and Savior [and not some distorted misrepresentation of Him], cannot spend eternity with Him and will face an eternity separated from love Himself in a place known as Hell (See Luke 10:16; John 1:1-5,13:36; Romans 2:8).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 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. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:16-21 ESV)
