Will God be just to condemn the thousands of people who never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel?

Question

This includes unborn (aborted) babies.

Answer 1

All people are accountable to God whether they have “heard about Him” or not. The Bible tells us that God has clearly revealed Himself in nature (Romans 1:20) and in the hearts of people (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The problem is that the human race is sinful; we all reject this knowledge of God and rebel against Him (Romans 1:21-23). Apart from God's grace, God would give us over to the sinful desires of our hearts, allowing us to discover how useless and miserable life is apart from Him. This He does for those who reject Him (Romans 1:24-32).



In reality, it is not that some people have not heard about God. Rather, the problem is that they have rejected what they have heard and what is readily seen in nature. Deuteronomy 4:29 proclaims, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” This verse teaches an important principle: everyone who truly seeks after God will find Him. If a person truly desires to know God, God will make Himself known.



The problem is, “there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). People reject the knowledge of God that is present in nature and in their own heart, and instead decide to worship a “god” of their own creation. It is foolish to debate the fairness of God sending someone to hell who never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ. People are responsible to God for what God has already revealed to them. The Bible says that people reject this knowledge, and therefore God is just in condemning them to hell.



Instead of debating the fate of those who have never heard, we, as Christians, should be doing our best to make sure that they hear. We are called to spread the Gospel throughout the nations (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). The fact that we know people reject the knowledge of God revealed in nature must motivate us to proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Only through accepting the Gospel of God’s grace through the Lord Jesus Christ can people be saved from their sins and rescued from an eternity apart from God in hell.



If we assume that those who never hear the Gospel are granted mercy from God, we will run into a terrible problem. If people who never hear the Gospel are saved…we should make sure that no one ever hears the Gospel. The worst thing we could do would be share the Gospel with a person and have him or her reject it. If that were to happen, he or she would be condemned. People who do not hear the Gospel must be condemned, or else there is no motive for evangelism. Why run the risk of people possibly rejecting the Gospel and condemning themselves – when they were previously saved because they had never heard the Gospel?

Answer 2

There is not such thing as an "aborted baby." Babies have been born. Before that they have the potential to be babies.

That aside, the only God worthy of honor and worship would hardly punish those who had never had the opportunity to hear a message of salvation. And Jesus clearly told us that there were "other sheep" and "many mansions" in God's domain, so while marvelous, the Gospel is not the only path to God.

Why would anyone even want to imagine a God who would condemn a child of anything?

Answer 3

First of all no one dies without the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ. This is told about in the Gospels and was proven years before in the Old Testament when God make the Donkey talk to Baalam. As for babies they do not have to hear the Gospel and be saved they are already secure as they have not reached the age of accountability. I read where someone ask about mental ill people. My husband has been preaching for 48 years and we have been married 20 years; you would be surprised at what the mental ill know and how God opens their eyes and minds when the time comes. Try going to an Old Time Gospel Meeting where the Power of God comes down. You may be surprised and blessed by what you see

Answer 4

Most Christians hate this question, don't they? I think it's because they haven't thought it through. No, God would not be just to condemn the thousands of people who never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, particularly unborn babies. A just God could not do that.

I am a Christian. In my humble opinion, God will not do that. I could go into details, but it would take up too much space. Just a bit of food for thought..."the wages of sin is DEATH...but the GIFT OF GOD is ETERNAL LIFE"

Answer 5

The Bible clearly states that all will have had an opportunity to have heard about Christ. When Christ returns, everyone who is mentally able to make a decision for Christ will have had the opportunity to do so. Now the unborn children will not be left on this earth. It is my belief that they will be taken right out of their mothers wombs. It is also clear that the mentally retarded some can and some can't make such a decision. for those that can't. I truly believe they will swept up with us. Aborted babies never had the opportunity to hear the word so no they are not going to go to hell. To imply that is the cruelest thing, and my God is not cruel. God would never harm a child he is very specific, "Let all of the little children come unto me." God actually has specific directions "Come to me with the faith of a child"

Answer 6

Children, in their immature minds, will not be punished. The mentally retarded as in those born or incur disabilities within the mind through accident will not be punished. The people who haven't heard the Word of God, that's a tough one. I guess if you were born into a family who lives with no tv or contact with the outside world, talking extreme cases, and honestly never were given the chance to hear God's Word, then I guess you can't be held responsible. But many many people have said that they were never taught the Word of God. Did they know there was a local church around the corner? Did they bother to read a Bible or investigate this God that they HEARD about? If not then I believe they may be held responsible.

I hope I have helped. In Jesus name. Amen.

Know this...There is only one true God and you will see the Son of God returning on the clouds.

Answer 7

Read the Book of Revelation. God will provide everyone the opportunity to come to Him. That is one of the purposes of the Tribulation Period. No one left on earth after the Rapture will miss that period. Everyone will be given the opportunity to know His power and His love and to choose to accept or not.

As for the "unborn (aborted) babies" and anyone mentally incapable of hearing the truth and understanding it, God is a merciful God and those people will be taken up to Heaven at the time of the Rapture.

To Tom H.: I have never seen air either, but I know it exists. (My breath on a cold day isn't seeing air, it is seeing the result of warmth against cold.)

Answer 8

God has not told us what His plans for those other people are. He never said they were all condemned. He said that only through Christ is there salvation, but He didn't say that only those who have heard of Him could be saved through Him. We have reason to believe that every human being will be given a fair choice, but they hows and whens of that issue I wouldn't venture to speculate on. In the meantime, our goal should be to make sure that as many people as possible DO have a chance to hear the Gospel.

Answer 9

The God I worship is a loving God. To say God would send those who never had the oppurtunity to hear the Gospel to hell would limit his mercy. I believe that those that don't have the opportunity to hear the Gospel will be judged on how they treated their fellow man. But I'm not the one to say how and when people will be judged, that's just my opinion.

Answer 10

I personally believe that God will be just with all people no matter their circumstances, and will not reserve rewards in the after-life to those who just happened to be alive in the right place and the right time in order to hear the Gospel. To believe that God would constrain him/herself to a rule that punishes the innocent is to believe in a finite God, one that is either not all-powerful, not all-loving, not all-just, or some combination of these.

I hope that such questions do not keep you from considering Christianity as an option for your life. There is room for logic in Christianity (even when the churches continue to do some illogical things.) ;)