What About People Who Never Hear About Jesus?

This question is sometimes asked by people who have not yet received Jesus as their Savior when they are presented with the Gospel. For some people, this is a legitimate question as they try to understand the nature of salvation and the character of God while they consider their own standing before God.

For the Game Player

However, for a lot of people, this question only comes up to 'change the subject' when they feel uncomfortable when presented the need to receive Jesus as their Savior. The truth is that once you have heard the message about how all people are separated from God1, how all people are themselves unable to restore that fellowship with God2, how Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life3, how He died to restore that fellowship4 for all who would believe5, and how God accepted His sacrifice6, this question about 'people who have never heard about Jesus' no longer applies to you. This is important to understand because if you are simply asking this question as a means to avoid Christianity, your own excuse has vanished with the knowledge you now have. Put another way: you have heard. Therefore, if you now reject the gospel, you are no longer in this state of presumed innocence and unfortunately find yourself willfully making a choice to reject God's plan of salvation.

The Revelation

For the sincere inquirer, the answer is summed up by understanding that all people are accountable to God whether or not they have heard about a specific person by the name of Jesus.

  • The Bible tells us that God has revealed Himself in our consciences7, confirming there is a an absolute right and wrong, there is a difference between good and evil, and that good should be praised and evil should be punished. Our consciences tell us that God is absolutely holy and righteous and that we are not. This reveals a problem that demands resolution.
  • God has clearly revealed Himself in creation.8 Creation was intentionally designed to cause us to gaze upon it and wonder in amazement how this all got here. The order and complexity of the creation around us proclaim there is a Person that is the source of all that information. Add the fact that the universe is so vast and then we begin to realize that this Creator is beyond our full comprehension. Through creation, God has revealed Himself to be thinking, intentional, and very big and powerful.
  • But He has also revealed Himself in our hearts.9 Our hearts yearn to live forever in peace. And our souls never age. While our bodies age and decay, we become increasingly aware of the fact that our souls simply do not age. Eternity really is set in our hearts because we were created to live forever.

Combining what is revealed in our consciences, creation, and our hearts, we learn that God is holy and righteous and that there is a proper punishment for evil. Our consciences testify against us, revealing that we are not at the holy standard we need to be to be at peace with God. We learn that the designer of creation is exceedingly able to bear reward and punishment as His righteousness sees fit. And we learn that we are designed to live forever, meaning that our lives here will have eternal consequences. A brief contemplation of all this reveals that each one of us desperately requires help.

This is everything we need to have to seek to know who is this intelligent and holy and powerful God who created us and all we see. The problem is that the human race is rebellious and we all reject this knowledge of God and rebel against Him.10 So the actual problem is not that some people have not heard about God and His salvation; the problem is that people often reject and ignore the evidences that are laid out before them. Next, instead of seeking the God who created them and who loves them, people usually find other people to affirm their rebellion and tell them that the 'problem' really isn't that bad and no solution is needed.

The Solution

The Bible says that "if you seek the Lord, you will find Him."11 This teaches an important principle - everyone who truly seeks after God will find Him. God is not trying to hide Himself from those who desire to know Him.12 Jesus publicly stated,