Can people be saved without hearing the gospel? Are those who've never been exposed to the knowledge of God condemned? What about babies who die? What about mentally handicapped adults?
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. - Romans 5:12-14
First, this entire post hinges on the idea of Original Sin. This is controversial, but I believe there's no such thing as Original Sin being passed from Adam/Eve to us. There's nothing in the Bible that truly substantiates this. You can disagree, but I believe Paul's meaning was this: Humanity was displaced from a utopia where we COULDN'T sin to a corrupt world we CAN'T ESCAPE sin. We each are condemned by our own sins. We are condemned by our own rebellion. We are all destined to die a physical (first) death, but we can be saved from a spiritual (second) death.
However, we need to be perfect in order to be saved from the second death, the extinguishing of our soul (Revelation 20:14). We need to be righteous, not just sin free. We can't escape the second death unless we're perfect. Only One is perfect or as the Bible says, Good.
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. - Mark 10:18
Oh, was Jesus saying He wasn't perfect? Well, if He were, then His death meant nothing. He's asking the Jews, who didn't know He was God. He's saying, are you saying I'm good? Only God is good... He's trying to get them to come to the rightful conclusion. He is God.
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:48
The Father is perfect, as well. However, none of us are God. Therefore, none of us are good. We're all doomed... but wait! There's more!
And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. - Matthew 9:2-7
Did God give the authority to forgive sins to men? No, dear Soul.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” - John 8:58
This is one of many times Jesus revealed that He was God. The Jews nearly stoned Him there because they knew what He was implying. Only the God of Exodus would say I Am that I Am. Yet, here, Jesus is saying just that.
Babies and mentally handicapped adults, if they are mentally unable to accept God's salvation, are equally unable to rebel or sin. Therefore, they're not condemned to the second death. They are, unfortunately, in this corrupt world with us, however. So, they are subject to physical death but not spiritual.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live." - John 11:25
None of us are perfect, not even those who are babies or mentally handicapped. They're human, after all. However, not everyone is under moral guilt. They're not righteous but neither are they guilty.
Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let's focus on those adults who never heard about God.
"So will God condemn the innocent tribesman who has never heard the name of Christ? No, because there are no innocent tribesmen." (TGC)
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. - Ecclesiastes 7:20
This is a tough pill to swallow. No one is completely ignorant of God. Their path to Him may be harder, but God sees into the heart. Most people in the world would agree on certain morals and heart matters, namely that life is sacred, stealing and jealousy is painful, and there's a spirit that runs through the veins of the world.
If they live a life of love, not knowing who love is precisely, are they not walking in the right direction? Of course, there's that little issue of faith in someone they don't know, right?
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? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. - Romans 10:14-17
But, wait.
And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. - Revelations 5:7
So, there are people from EVERY tribe, language, people, and nation who are saved?? How? And, there will be a lot of people from every nation, not a handful.
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. - Revelations 7:9
God uses His creations to declare Him from one corner of the world to the other. Even though His people may not have reached everywhere yet, the winds, the mountains, the fauna, and the flora have reached them.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. - Psalm 19:1-6
The. world. is. God's. witness. everywhere. This isn't unique to our humanity. Everything is witnessing God's glory to His people. Do you see the way most creatures treat their young or mourn over death? There is God's wisdom everywhere.
We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." - Acts 14
Indeed, when Gentiles [i.e. non-Jews], who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Romans 2:14
Notice this: we are not judged by our exposure to the gospel. We are judged according to how much we accepted the light in whatever way we were exposed to it. Did we reject our conscience? Where does our heart stand? If they have faith in the holy spirit that comes to anyone who accepts it, whether they know God by "I AM" or by the compassion (given only by the Holy Spirit) they have for their fellow humans, they are saved.
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' - Exodus 19
God claimed the whole earth, but the Israelites were a nation of priests, set apart from His nations to be the light for them all. The rest of the nations did not need to be part of His priesthood to be saved.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep... My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me - John 10:14-15;27
His people know His voice, and He doesn't always speak verbally.
Just as isolated tribespeople may have never heard the gospel, in human words, neither did most of the world before Jesus. The Israelites spread much of the knowledge of God, but they were fairly secluded when compared the expense of the Earth. This doesn't mean everyone was condemned before Jesus nor that all of the isolated tribes are now.
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. - I Corinthians 4:4
I really hope to hear praise from God for the condition of my heart, and I hope that I hear the praises He gives to all of His creations.
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” - Romans 17:22-31
The Greek people didn't know God's true name, but they knew He was out there. There was something within them that called out to this God, and they feared angering this unknown being by not worshipping Him. So, they erected an altar for Him just in case. This is amazing. However, this isn't unique.
There are countless stories of missionaries coming upon tribes on various continents who instinctively knew of God and recognize His ways when they are explained to them. They'll generally point to nature as being what taught them initially.
There was a tribe of Kwaio people in Fiji who were violent and defensive, but after years of attempting missionary work, missionaries were finally allowed in when they told the Kwaio their God could save their dying chief. Haribo, the chief, listened and said,
"I have waited my entire lifetime to hear this story," the tribe chief said. "I have always felt there was some sacred message like this. But no one ever came to bring us such words. How can I receive this Jesus into my life?" (gospelherald)
Other times, one tribe will hear from another tribe that people come with this good news, and they beg for missionaries to visit. They are hungry for God.
“The men and women of Isahu village we are very hungry for this talk that it will be in our bellies. Please have pity on us. In all other places of the ground we have heard that they have the talk of God but us ones of Isahu are still standing without, we have nothing. I have heard of others hearing this talk in other villages but this talk is not in Isahu yet. So please send some to learn our language and teach us this talk so we can know it too. (godreports)
You'll find the belief in a god, especially a father or sky god that reigns supreme even over other gods, is an almost universal experience no matter what culture or country you visit. It'd be stranger to find a country that didn't ever have a religion, historically.
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 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 1:18-20
No one is truly innocent. No one is perfect enough to escape a second death of the soul without God. Not everyone is morally guilty, but most adults are. God has and does save isolated or ancient tribespeople who have never heard the gospel in human language. The reason is God exists in our hearts, even if not on our tongues. Everyone knows God, even if they've never heard His name. They have the choice to follow the light of their conscience (which is the Holy Spirit) or not. All this isn't to say that you don't need to spread the gospel. That was a direct command by God.
And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.' - Mark 16:15
Also this:
And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. - Luke 12:47-48
I'm not including this verse to assure you that the ignorant will be dealt with less severely (remember that none are ignorant of God, in the end). It's here to ensure you understand that, like that Spider-Man line, "With great powers come great responsibility," God has given you a whole lot. You know the gospel. You have hope. Just because there are some tribespeople who are saved without missionaries' help doesn't mean those tribal people have hope. They may not know the greatness of the holy spirit within them. You are here to spread that light, and because you have that within you, God expects more from you.
No worries. He's always by your side. That's where the great power comes from.
Thousands are waiting for your good news, the hope and joy you carry within you. Are you ready?
Sources other than the Bible:
https://www.samstorms.com/enjoying-god-blog/post/will-people-have-a-second-chance-after-physical-death-to-repent-and-believe-the-gospel
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/can-a-sinner-be-saved-after-death
http://orthochristian.com/101202.html
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/becoming-a-christian/is-christ-the-only-way/what-about-those-who-have-never-heard
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-happens-to-those-who-never-hear-gospel/
http://drmsh.com/romans-512-part-4/
http://christianthinktank.com/hnohear.html
https://www.gospelherald.com/articles/70280/20170428/tribe-chief-heard-gospel-before-dying-raised-back-life-testify.htm
https://blog.godreports.com/2016/02/when-tribes-beg-for-missionaries-to-come-and-share-the-talk-about-god/
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