(true born-again Christians, please) do the ones who have never heard the gospel go to hell?

Question

I am a born-agian Christian and i am trying to find scripture proving one way or another. What do you believe, and PLEASE have scripture to back it up.

Does someone go to hell if they have never had the chance to even hear the gospel? Like if they live in a remote tribe in Africa that no outsider has reached? What about the babies that have been aborted, or small children that die before they are old enough to understand?

I have been researching this, and i have found many opinions, but no real concrete biblical answer. Pray that I will find an answer for this, even if the answer is just no one but God knows. I trust Him with my life, so I'll trust Him with this, too.

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

You ask a lot of questions.

People do not go to hell primarily because they haven't heard the gospel, they go to hell because they are primarily sinners. Jesus came because everyone was guilty of sin. The Gospel did not come to send people to hell, it came to save them from it, and that is why it is good news. The way you framed the question assumed that people would go to heaven if it were not for that pesky gospel thing of which they never heard. The first chapter of Romans (and chapters 2-3) makes it clear that everyone is without excuse and stands guilty.

As for those in remote areas, we send to them missionaries. I beleive if someone was responding to the light of creation and the light of conscience, God would get the light of Christ to them by all means. After all, it's God who draws people to Himself, and nobody is going to miss anything from God if He wants it made available. Remember, God is watching everyone.

The Bible speaks of a time when children do not know right from wrong (Isaiah 7:16). I believe the grace of God is sufficient to extend to them should they die prematurely. Yes, they have a sin nature, but it would not appear that they are necessarily eternally accountable at childhood when they don't know what's what. Jesus also said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

I hope this contributes something as you search for answers.

Answer 3

I am a Christian in the Anglican faith. The body is buried and decays. The spirit goes to be judged by our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have lived in repentance and faith will go to Paradise. They will enjoy refreshment and peace, with the spirits of the blessed.
Some day the world will come to an end and then there will be Judgement where those who tried to serve God and those who did not know God but tried to live a life that was right based on the knowledge they did have will sit on the right hand of our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ. The rest who will have had the opportunity to understand God but still did not want will sit at the left hand of Jesus and be sent away from God forever. God is a Loving God and He wants what is best for us. It pains Him to see us turn away from Him. God Bless you and I hope that this helps.

Answer 4

Romans 1:20 -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 men are without excuse.

It is a built in trait to know right from wrong. We will be judged according to our action whether we believe in Christ or not. Christ became the sacrifice for our sins, and that is a free gift of grace. One day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord. Romans 14:11

Answer 5

That is a good question. God is no respector of persons. I believe that everyone has a chance at one point in their life to choose. If they didn't I would think that the grace of God would be with them. Adam and Eve where not held accountable until they knew the difference between good and evil. If no one ever hears about Jesus how could they be held accountable for what they do not know?

Answer 6

I don't know of any scriptures (I really need to get a concordance), but my mother, stepfather and grandfather are all pastors and have assured me that unless someone specifically accepts Jesus Christ as their savior, they go to hell. I asked the same question you did and was told that is why it is so important to send out missionaries and to witness.

Answer 7

They might, though the word of God has not been revealed to all the truth of God has been revealed to all so that no man is with excuse.

Psalm 98
2The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. 3He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Answer 8

The Bible says that God makes Himself know in His creation. I believe those that search, but haven't heard of Jesus , will be judged accordingly. I'll have to find the scripture.

Answer 9

you well hear a lot of driffent be lives in the qusestion you just ask .my answer is no you well not go to hell we are all gods childern dreffent be lives or not .see i be live in god but i don,t go to church my church is my heart . i belive no matter what you be live in we all well go to heaven be cause god loves us. but like i said people be live in dreffent thing. loves us no matter what . like i said at the start you hear driffen,t opinions but most in portent thing is what you be livein ( sorry no scripture )

Answer 10

There is no hell. It's ridicious to believe it in. The bible isn't nearly as clear about the concept as many have been lead to believe. One verse says God would've never thought of torturing with fire, and another has him burning everyone in site.