Why did God entrust Christians to spread the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection for our sins? It is now over 2000 years since Jesus died and rose again and yet a majority of the people who have ever lived have never heard of the God of Israel or of Jesus. [1] God obviously knew Christians would not communicate to every person on this world in every age. So why did he structure his plan of salvation in this manner?
Most Christians do not ask this question. They just accept the standard Christian doctrine of salvation on faith. That is fine if you have already heard and accepted Christ, but what if you had never heard of Christ? Would you think it would be fair and just of God to send you to hell even though you had never heard of Christ or if your culture/religion told you Jesus was just a great moral teacher? Most people just accept what their culture/religion tells them; they do not have the time to fully question because they are too busy making a living. If we Christians expect our religion to be taken seriously, we must address this question.
Saying God is sovereign and can do whatever he wants is not an answer. It is true God can do whatever he wants but it would not be in keeping with God’s character—he is a God of love and justice—for him to condemn people who have never heard.
I have proposed a solution—Jesus death and resurrection for our sins applies to everyone who has ever lived; everyone’s sins are forgiven (see John 1:29, John 3:17, John 4:42, John 6:51, Romans 5:18, II Corinthians 5:14-15, Hebrews 2:9, I Timothy 2:5-6, I John 4:14, 1 Timothy 4:9-10, I John 2:1-2, Romans 5:6-10). However, the Bible teaches not everyone will be saved. So how are we saved? The Bible contains over 70 verses which state salvation is through belief in God, or through our conduct, motivation, repentance, persistence, and development of our abilities (see the tab on the home page of this blog titled “What the Bible Says about Salvation”). God requires that our soul be changed so it becomes like him; he requires the renovation of our soul.
So, where am I wrong? Let’s have a discussion.
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[1] John Sanders, What about Those Who Have Never Heard?, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995, p. 9.
