What does the Bible say about this?

[Samer]

If remote tribes would go to Heaven without hearing the Gospel, out of ignorance, then why do we try to spread the Gospel? Isn't that sending people to Hell once they hear it and don't accept it? Best to not do anything if that were the case.

[Alen]

Samer is right, if they get out of it by ignorance, the worst thing we could possibly do to someone is tell them the gospel.

-Alen

[KJV1611AV]

Samer is right, if they get out of it by ignorance, the worst thing we could possibly do to someone is tell them the gospel.

-Alen

I see what you are saying. I suppose i was looking for a verse that guaranteed everyone would get at least that one chance in their lives. When it is all said and done im sure God has a fair and just plan in place to deal with this. If he didn't reveal it to us in the Bible then i can assume He didn't think we needed to know. It was just one of those questions that lingers, unanswered, and is a bit bothersome. It also comes up in conversation and leaves me a bit speechless when talking to the unsaved crowd. I haven't been the warrior for Christ that i should be, but i do try to interject Him into conversations at work and such to see if it will lead somewhere. Sometimes it does, sometimes not. Either way its nice to have answers ready for the common questions.

[Psalms18_28]

http://www.calebproject.org/infobytes/viewer4.swf <---I thought I might share this.

[Ryan]

I don't think there's any guarantee that everyone will hear the gospel in their lifetime.

For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; Romans 2:12

It's not just those who haven't heard the gospel today; just think of all the Gentile races before Christ who never had an opportunity to be saved. I think this relates to the first commandment:

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; Exodus 20:3-5

God specifically relates his visitation of the iniquity of the fathers upon the subsequent generations to idolatry. Why? Because the children of a man who knew God but rejected Him to serve idols will probably also serve idols. So will their children, and so on. This is what happened with Native Americans, Africans, and other idolatrous Gentile nations. They all go back to godly Noah. Someone in their ancestry knew the true God, rejected Him and thereby sentenced not only himself but most of his descendants to an eternity apart from God.

[Samer]

I see what you are saying. I suppose i was looking for a verse that guaranteed everyone would get at least that one chance in their lives. When it is all said and done im sure God has a fair and just plan in place to deal with this. If he didn't reveal it to us in the Bible then i can assume He didn't think we needed to know. It was just one of those questions that lingers, unanswered, and is a bit bothersome. It also comes up in conversation and leaves me a bit speechless when talking to the unsaved crowd. I haven't been the warrior for Christ that i should be, but i do try to interject Him into conversations at work and such to see if it will lead somewhere. Sometimes it does, sometimes not. Either way its nice to have answers ready for the common questions.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
(Romans 12:3)

Remember the Ethiopian eunuch, and Cornelius.

[Kubel]

Romans 10 is an interesting chapter, as it deals most directly with the issue of this thread. I know it's speaking of Jews particularly, but it can be applied to others as well:

Romans 10:13-14
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

But then there's these verses:

Romans 10:17-18
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

This part kind of confused me, as it sounds like everyone has heard the word of God. Who is "their" (their sound, their words)? And is the "ends of the world" (aka: all over the world) that this is going to figurative? Or literal. Everyone in every generation? Or just during one time?

If this is speaking about the entire world having heard the word of God, then one could argue that everyone has been given a fair chance.

How do you all interpret Romans 10:17-18?

[John81]

I believe what happened to the American Indians was a part of Gods judgement just as when he sent Israel to eliminate the tribes in Caanan and he sent others to execute His judgement elsewhere.

God knows when a peoples heart is hardened and when their sins have reached the point God must judge them. God also uses the nations to carry out His will.

This is something we should be very thoughtful of. How far into sin will God allow America to swim in before He sends someone to reap His judgement against America?

[Calvary]

Gen 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

That

[chev1958]

Nice and thorough, Calvary.

[KJV1611AV]

I believe what happened to the American Indians was a part of Gods judgement just as when he sent Israel to eliminate the tribes in Caanan and he sent others to execute His judgement elsewhere.

God knows when a peoples heart is hardened and when their sins have reached the point God must judge them. God also uses the nations to carry out His will.

This is something we should be very thoughtful of. How far into sin will God allow America to swim in before He sends someone to reap His judgement against America?

After reading this i felt like i had a new way of seeing this situation. There were lots of great responses to the question i put down....i wasnt sure what it would take to make me feel like the situation was fair, but i do see it for what it is now...i think. Anyway for me it was a scary thing to not be able to see how God was fair. It is one of those things that you know is in God's character......i don't really have a fancy way of saying this was just bothering me. This board is always a blessing, and due to the anonymous nature of the internet i tend to ask questions i might not ask otherwise. Thanks again everyone.

Calvary
Thank you for that thorough post. I can see how a whole sermon could be put together from that.

[Alen]

Just remember though, if we got what was fair, Christ would not of come down to Earth. We do not deserve salvation, nor the gospel showing it.

-Alen

[lettheredeemedsayso]

Just remember though, if we got what was fair, Christ would not of come down to Earth. We do not deserve salvation, nor the gospel showing it.

-Alen

Amen Bro

[Calvary]

Just remember though, if we got what was fair, Christ would not of come down to Earth. We do not deserve salvation, nor the gospel showing it.

-Alen
Just remember though, if we got what was fair, Christ would not of come down to Earth. We do not deserve salvation, nor the gospel showing it.

-Alen

I'm not sure why you would say that, was there any hint in this post that there was salvation avaliable to men because they deserved it? Not sure where you're coming from with that comment, but anyways, going forward.

Point # 2 -

__________________________________________________________________________

Yes, this was (is) a sermon.

Secondly, all men have been given light by God.

Romans 1 and Psalms 119 will be needed.

Before that, let

[Ryan]

Calvary,

Do you believe that there are people in this world who have never heard of Christ who are saved because they responded to this inner light?