What About Those Who Have Never Heard?

Question: What about those who have never heard the Gospel? Will they automatically be saved? Answer: Theres a growing trend in evangelical circles to thin! that those who have never heard the gospel will automatically be saved" #ome have even gone so $ar as to say that %esus isnt the only way to be saved & that God has other criteria that He 'udges these individuals by" Those who have adopted this !ind o$ $aulty reasoning appeal to a passage in (omans to bac! their position: (omans ):*+,- & .Tribulation and anguish upon every soul o$ man that doeth evil o$ the %ew $irst and also o$ the Gentile/ 0ut glory honour and peace to every man that wor!eth good to the %ew $irst and also to the Gentile: 1or there is no respect o$ persons with God" 1or as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be 'udged by the law/ 21or not the hearers o$ the law are 'ust be$ore God but the doers o$ the law shall be 'usti$ied" 1or when the Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the law these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the wor! o$ the law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another/3 In the day when God shall judge the secrets o$ men by %esus 4hrist according to my gospel"5 Theyll #ay: .#ee there" 6t says they were e7cused in the day when God shall 'udge the secrets o$ men" They didnt have the law but their conscience was a law unto them" 6$ they $ollowed their conscience theyll be 8e7cused in the day God 'udges 5" Theres no way around it9 Thats horrible 0ible interpretation9 :id you notice part o$ the passage is in parenthesis? 6ts there to ampli$y the previous thought" 6$ you !eep that in mind the passage becomes very clear" ;ets ta!e it a phrase at a time" (omans ):*+,- & .Tribulation and anguish upon every soul o$ man that doeth evil 2the unsaved3 o$ the %ew $irst and also o$ the Gentile/ 0ut glory, honour, and peace to every man that wor!eth good 2the saved3 to the %ew $irst and also to the Gentile: 1or there is no respect o$ persons with God"5 1or as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law """ Notice it said these people .sinned without the law5" That means in all their lives they never read a 0ible" They never had the ;aw o$ <oses to teach them right $rom wrong" 0ut =aul still says theyre without e7cuse because their conscience too! the place o$ the law and let them

!now when they were sinning" #o even though they never had a 0ible God still holds them accountable 2and notice & =aul says theyll still perish3" Now lets loo! one more time at the structure o$ the passage" He ma!es the initial point & .1or as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law5" Then he inserts a parenthesis 2describing what 6 said about the conscience ta!ing the place o$ the ;aw3" Then he $inishes the sentence" Now lets loo! at the parenthesis" .1or when the Gentiles which have not the law 2the 0ible3 do by nature the things contained 2$orbidden3 in the law 2the 0ible3 these having not the law 2a 0ible3 are a law unto themselves: Which shew the wor! 2principles3 o$ the law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witness 2condemning them3 and their thoughts the mean while accusing or excusing ONE ANOT E!"5 Notice the passage isnt tal!ing about anyone being e7cused 0>1?(> G?:" Hes tal!ing about people e7cusing 2or accusing3 .?N> AN?TH>(5" ;et me give you an e7ample: >very culture in the world !nows that murder is wrong" >ven the remotest tribes o$ the earth !now that" Not because they have the ;aw o$ <oses but because God has written it into their hearts" #o when someone commits murder their society 'udges it as wrong and punishes the murderer" 0ut =aul says not only is the murderer responsible to his culture hes also accountable be$ore God" And he wont be able to claim ignorance because even in the absence o$ a 0ible his conscience told him murder was wrong" #o even without a 0ible he stands guilty be$ore God" .1or as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without law"5 Notice he perished9 .Not hearing5 didnt save him9 And .not having a 0ible5 didnt save him9 He still perished" #uppose ,@@ @@@ people in A$rica have terminal cancer" 0ut today in the Anited #tates someone $inds a cure $or cancer" 6ts a $ool+proo$ cure9 6ts success$ul ,@@B o$ the time9 What tremendous news that would be9 An$ortunately because o$ their remote location those people in A$rica will never hear o$ the cure" :oes the $act they never heard o$ the cure mean they wont die? No9 6ts sad and its unnecessary but the $act remains: Without the cure theyre going to perish9 Now bring that over into the issue o$ sin9 =eople in remote cultures have a disease called sin" Two thousand years ago God gave the world a cure" 0ut i$ they live their whole lives and never hear o$ the cure does that mean theyre o$$ the hoo!? No"

When they violated their conscience God held them accountable" 6$ .not hearing5 was enough to ensure salvation then the best thing we could do is burn all the 0ibles and shoot all the preachers9 Then in one generation nobody would have heard and everyone would be saved9 0ut thats not what =aul says9 .1or as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without law"5 TH> 4?((>4T 6NT>(=(>TAT6?N This passage has nothing to do with being .e7cused be$ore God5 in the day that God 'udges mens hearts" (ead the passage without the parenthesis and youll see that" (omans ):*+,- & .Tribulation and anguish upon every soul o$ man that doeth evil 2the unsaved3 o$ the %ew $irst and also o$ the Gentile/ 0ut glory honour and peace to every man that wor!eth good 2the saved3 to the %ew $irst and also to the Gentile: 1or there is no respect o$ persons with God" 1or as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned with the law shall be judged by the law """ in the day when God shall judge the secrets o$ men by %esus 4hrist according to my gospel"5 The .e7cusing5 in this passage had to do with people accusing and e7cusing each other" =eople in remote cultures may not have the 0ible or even a written code o$ laws but they accuse or e7cuse each other based on what their conscience tells them" The day is coming when God will 'udge all men" 6$ people had the ;aw God will 'udge them by the ;aw" 6$ they didnt have the ;aw God will appeal to the $act that they violated their conscience and theyll still stand guilty be$ore Him" The $act remains: We need to go into all the world and ta!e the message o$ the #in 4ure to every creature" %esus is still the only name under Heaven whereby men can be saved"