Groups who have never heard of Jesus?

Question

I do believe in God, but I am not held down to the book like many of you are. Can you explain to me how for instance : an unknown tribe in ....South Africa...who has never had the chance to learn of Jesus, be sent to hell for not accepting Jesus as their saviour? Great people, just never been taught anything of Jesus. That's not fair, they would never have had the chance. I think that would be unjust, and I think you get in heaven by his grace, not by your acceptance of his death on the cross.

PS. It is well known that their are still undisovered people and tribes in the world.

In response to moved on. I believe God is not to be held soely on a book. The book has been translated thousands of times to fit the needs and interpretations of so many others. That my friend is why I don't hold God to book, and quite honstly no I don't trust everything that is in it for those very reasons. There are several if not hundreds of instances where the bible has been mistranslated or misparaphrased - for who's gain I don't know. So at this point I don't hold my self to the book. I just try to do good, and hold my faith. And Christians need to stop being so condeming towards everybody, God is a God of love, not condemnation.

And I do believe the bible when it says to trust no man. I'm comfortable keeping my relationship with God personal.

Answer 1

I've always wondered the same thing. Or the billions of Chinese that never heard anything. I mean come on, Paul was just one guy, and he didn't have an internet. Or does God hate the Chinese? and the South pacific Islanders....and the Japanese....and the Australian Abirignoees.....

Answer 2

I think it would be unjust, too. But the Bible tells us that God's message is "written in the hearts of all men" and that Jesus will not return until everyone has had a chance (that's in the Gospels somewhere). I can't think of the verses off the top of my head but a pastor might be able to help you.
And about not being tied down by the book - if you believe some, you must believe everything. It's all or nothing.
And don't worry - God is faithful.

Answer 3

You have fallen into the trap of creating a God that you are comfortable with because the God of the Bible does not comply with your requirements, belief system, needs, wants, desires, preferences etc.

What makes you think that your version of God is more valid than the Bibles. My friend, it's not your call, it's God's and you're not Him.

I believe that God places in us all a desire to seek Him out, even remote African or Amazonian tribes people. Though they may not know His name they still have an in built knowledge of Him and they will still be presented with the same choice that you and I have. We can not know the full measure of God's Mercy & Grace toward such people. But the likes of you and I, most certainly know better. God's truth has been presented more clearly to us and we respond by seeking after Him or we do not. The more we know, the more that is expected of us.

Luk 12:48
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (KJV)

As for accepting Jesus death on the cross, it was there that your sins were paid for, it was there that God sacrificed His only Son so that you could be forgiven. You can not expect to be aware of these things, to willfuly reject them and then expect God to extend His grace, though you were not prepared to extend your faith. So then I hope you can see why believing in Jesus is oh so very necessary.

One final remark, the Bible does not "hold down" those that believe in it, on the contrary it free's and releases them from bondage to sin.

Answer 4

The Bible seems to imply that people who have never hear of Jesus will be judged by God based on what they know. Paul seemed to imply that everyone had a basic knowledge of good and evil just from nature. There is some hint that maybe people can be saved who never had a chance to know about Jesus if they responded to the limited knowledge that they had. Once a group has heard about Jesus, however, then they no longer have that excuse.

If that is true, then why evangelize? Why not leave people in ignorance? Because God did not give the church that option. Jesus commanded his disciples to spread the word to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

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Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?" Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
~John 9:35-41 (NIV)

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 all men by raising him from the dead."
~Acts 17:30-31 (NIV)

Answer 5

People who have never heard the gospel will not be held accountable, as those who may have heard it, and rejected Jesus. God is not unfair. Why would He hold a person responsible for believing in His son if the gospel was never presented to them?

The bible says, however, that "all of creation speaks of the existence of God, that no man has excuse". Therefore, no person will be able to deny that there is a God, whether or not they ever hear of Jesus Christ. We have to also realize that God's ways are much higher than our ways, that He is the perfection of mercy and justice, and that He will judge rightly.

You are right that we enter heaven by the grace of God, but it His grace through our faith in His son, as Ephesians tells us: "for it is by grace we are saved, through FAITH, not by works that any man should boast".

Answer 6

that is a tough question, one i am not sure i can fully answer. but i think a lot more people have heard of Jesus than we know. there are missionaries out there in deep, dark corners of the world, doing work we may possibly never know about. people may hear of Jesus, but not accept him. and what if they don't? in the Bible, it says people from EVERY tribe and tongue and nation will worship God. i agree you get into heaven by God's grace, but I think Jesus is the gate. if Jesus is not the fulfillment of God's plan for humanity, then what is? is there a fulfillment? and where does that leave us? anyway, hope this made sense!

Answer 7

Is the answer to your question the reason that churches send missionaries all over the world and why there was an Inquisition & the Crusades & Witch Hunts & the Invasion of the British Isles by the Normans? Because Christians took literally the idea that they were "saving souls" by conversion? Isn't that why few aboriginal religions are left intact after conversion, but integrated into religions by making the local gods saints?

Answer 8

Paul addressed this issue in his letter to the church in Rome. "For God does not show partiality. For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not merely those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight. No, it is those who do the law, who will be justified. For whenever Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written in their hearts, a fact to which their own consciences testify, and their thoughts will either accuse or excuse them on that day when God, through Jesus Christ, will judge people's secrets according to my gospel." (Romans 2:11-16)

You see, we all have a conscience, and God's law is written on our hearts, whether or not we choose to acknowledge it. We can suppress the truth, but that will not excuse us.

God's character is one of justice. Everything that God does is just. When Judgment Day comes, and people are judged, no one will ever be able to say to Him, "That's not fair!"

When a person who is ignorant of God, seeks God, He will give them more light by which to see Him. Here's an example of this:

In the Soviet Union, (an officially atheistic state) a young girl of about ten was sitting in her weekly mandatory atheism class. She was thinking about this God that the Soviets were teaching her that didn't exist. In her mind, she thought, "My parents told me once, maybe twice, that ghosts and monsters didn't exist. But the state tells me every week that there is no God. He must be very powerful for them to fear Him so much."

As this girl grew up, she sought this God, and even obtained a Slavic Bible, written in an ancient script, and learned the alphabet for that Bible, just to be able to read it. She knew that she had been acting on the faith that pleased this God. She knew that she was a Christian. She was later put to the test for this faith, being imprisoned for printing Bible Tracts.

If someone seeks God, they will find Him. As it is written: "And you will seek me, and find me, when you have searched for me with all your heart." (Isaiah 29:13)

Answer 9

There are two shools of thought.
Catholics believe in Pergatory or Limbo, an area where unbaptized babies and those who haven't heard of JC go.
Most of the other denominations don't beleve in that because it was never mentioned in the Bible. The unwashed go to Hell.

Answer 10

Not all Christians believe this. Some believe that people (who die without the chance to hear of Christ) will get the chance to hear about Him in the next life.