What About Those In Non-Christian Lands Who Have Never Heard The Gospel?

[Willa]

On 7/8/2023 at 2:06 PM, NConly said:

just thought I would put this out there

Cols 1:23

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Many literal translations , including Young's, translate this differently.  

LIT:  proclaimed in all the creation under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister,

However, Romans 1 does indicate that God is clearly seen in His creation.  Perhaps He reveals the Gospel to those who acknowledge Him in His creation.  I suspect that those who deny Him as Creator will harden their hearts further upon hearing the Gospel.  

Whether viewing the solar system or the complexities of the living cell, all who are in awe will bow their knees to our Intelligent Creator Who is far beyond our comprehension yet is revealed in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.

[angels4u]

Revelation 20:12-13) The judgment of condemnation.

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

The unbelievers will be judges for not accepting the gospel (dead and Hades, born again believers will receive a crown for the things they do to Jesus,they will not be judged anymore .

There are different levels of punishment for unbelievers, according to their works .

Matthew 11:20-2

Woe on Unrepentant Towns

20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.  

Maathew 11:20-2421 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.[a] For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Quote

1) The Imperishable Crown – (1 Corinthians 9:24-25) “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate [disciplined] in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown” (NKJV). All things on this earth are subject to decay and will perish. Jesus urges us to not store our treasures on earth “where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). This is analogous to what Paul was saying about that wreath of leaves that was soon to turn brittle and fall apart. But not so the heavenly crown; faithful endurance wins a heavenly reward which is “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).

2) The Crown of Rejoicing – (1 Thessalonians 2:19) “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4 to “rejoice always in the Lord” for all the bountiful blessings our gracious God has showered upon us. As Christians we have more in this life to rejoice about than anyone else. Luke tells us there is rejoicing even now in heaven (Luke 15:7). The crown of rejoicing will be our reward where “God will wipe away every tear . . . there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

3) The Crown of Righteousness – (2 Timothy 4:8) “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” We inherit this crown through the righteousness of Christ which is what gives us a right to it, and without which it cannot be obtained. Because it is obtained and possessed in a righteous way, and not by force and deceit as earthly crowns sometimes are, it is an everlasting crown, promised to all who love the Lord and eagerly wait for His return. Through our enduring discouragements, persecutions, sufferings, or even death, we know assuredly our reward is with Christ in eternity (Philippians 3:20). This crown is not for those who depend upon their own sense of righteousness or of their own works. Such an attitude breeds only arrogance and pride, not a longing, a fervent desire to be with the Lord.

4) The Crown of Glory – (1 Peter 5:4) “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” Though Peter is addressing the elders, we must also remember that the crown will be awarded to all those who long for or love His appearing. This word “glory” is an interesting word referring to the very nature of God and His actions. It entails His great splendor and brightness. Recall Stephen who, while being stoned to death, was able to look into the heavens and see the glory of God (Acts 7:55-56). This word also means that the praise and honor we bestow to God alone is due Him because of who He is (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11; Galatians 1:5). It also recognizes that believers are incredibly blessed to enter into the kingdom, into the very likeness of Christ Himself. For as Paul so eloquently put it, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18 NKJV).

5) The Crown of Life – (Revelation 2:10) “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” This crown is for all believers, but is especially dear to those who endure sufferings, who bravely confront persecution for Jesus, even to the point of death. In Scripture the word “life” is often used to show a relationship that is right with God. It was Jesus who said, “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Just as things such as air, food, and water are vital for our physical lives, Jesus provides us what is required for our spiritual lives. He is the One who provides “living water.” He is the “bread of life” (John 4:10, 6:35). We know that our earthly lives will end. But we have the amazing promise that comes only to those who come to God through Jesus: “And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life” (1 John 2:25).

James tells us that this crown of life is for all those who love God (James 1:12). The question then is how do we demonstrate our love for God? The apostle John answers this for us: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). As His children we must keep His commandments, obeying Him, always remaining faithful. So, as we endure the inevitable trials, pains, heartaches, and tribulations—as long as we live—may we ever move forward, always “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) and receive the crown of life that awaits us.https://www.gotquestions.org/heavenly-crowns.html

 

Salvation is not of works but by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

[NConly]

2 hours ago, DeighAnn said:

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so

Referring to this part I thought that would keep one out of Heaven bu it says they will be least

[NConly]

40 minutes ago, Willa said:

Many literal translations , including Young's, translate this differently.  

LIT:  proclaimed in all the creation under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister,

However, Romans 1 does indicate that God is clearly seen in His creation.  Perhaps He reveals the Gospel to those who acknowledge Him in His creation.  I suspect that those who deny Him as Creator will harden their hearts further upon hearing the Gospel.  

Whether viewing the solar system or the complexities of the living cell, all who are in awe will bow their knees to our Intelligent Creator Who is far beyond our comprehension yet is revealed in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.

the reason I put that out was because it said The Gospel was already preached to all. Are you saying some do not believe this verse is correct? maybe mis translated or something?

[Your closest friendnt]

3 hours ago, NConly said:

the reason I put that out was because it said The Gospel was already preached to all. Are you saying some do not believe this verse is correct? maybe mis translated or something?

You do not need anymore to think for you and decide whether the Gospel has been preached to all.

Because Jesus had to send his disciples to gradually go out and further way from the epicenter of the first believers in Jerusalem. 

The Gospel is to have our sins forgiven in the blood of the Lamb of God. 

The disciples has to be sent to the people and the Holy Spirit at the same time tries to help people understand...

The wonders of nature produced faith in God in the form of Idolatry. Having a God for the Sun and another God for the moon...and so on...

The message of the Gospel cannot be comunicated by nature...

The observing of the Nature produses believers in the Antichrist...because they will say that we believe in God who created all things..and use this as a platform to refuse to believe in the Jesus Christ death on the Cross for the forgiveness of their sins.

 

[HAZARD]

On 7/9/2023 at 5:14 AM, JAG** said:

Question: How is God good or just to abandon to Hell those who have never even heard the gospel?

JAG Writes:

Consider the following:

First, we Bible believing Christians start with the true proclamation that
God always does that which is right.

This means that the God who always does what is right, world-wide
and history-wide, is never going to abandon one of His elect to Gehenna,
but will find a way to save them and give them the gift of eternal life as
per John 3:16's "shall not perish but have eternal life."

Second, we Bible believing Christians MUST stay within the confines
of doctrinal orthodoxy and so we hold solid and fast to John 14:6
that correctly teaches: no man can come to the Father except through
believing in the Lord Jesus as his Savior.

Third, none of the above prevents us from considering the following:

Eternal Now. With regard to God's knowledge there is no past. present and future.
God sees everything in the Eternal NOW. God's Omniscience demands this position.
God now knows all that can be known, God does not learn new information and new truths.


So?

So the Eternal NOW knowledge is God's reality. And God's reality IS REALITY.

What YOU (we) can see is very limited and what YOU (we) can see IS NOT REALITY.

God has Middle Knowledge -- what that means is that God sees and knows fully
what every human being would choose to do under all possible sets of different
circumstances.


Let us take for an example a man named Akua Adisa, born in Africa in the year 1600 A.D.

Akua lived and died never knowing a single word of the gospel message.

God's Middle Knowledge knows precisely what Akua Adisa will choose to do in all possible
sets of circumstances --

-- for example if Akua Adisa had been born in, say, South Carolina in the year 1990 A.D.
and had traveled to hear Franklin Graham preach the gospel.

How is this ↓ conclusion NOT compelling?

If the Sovereign God knows that Akua Adisa would have accepted the Lord Jesus as his
Savior if he had been born in the year 1990 A.D. in South Carolina when he heard Franklin
Graham preach the gospel then in God's reality Akua Adisa has accepted the Lord Jesus as
his Savior and has therefore fulfilled the requirements of John 14:6 no man can come to the
Father except through faith in the Lord Jesus.

Are we not compelled to reach this conclusion?

Thoughts?

__________________________

PS
God's Omniscience demands we hold that God has what the philosophers call
Middle Knowledge.


JAG

[]
 

 

 

There are probably millions of people living now, and in days gone by who have never heard of God, Jesus, the Bible, God's Word, who will be judged by God, not according to the Law or commandments, but by the way they lived their lives in the society they were born and raised in.

 

Paul wrote in Romans 2:11-15;

Romans 2:11, For there is no respect of persons with God.
12, 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;
13, (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14, For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15, Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;

V. 16, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. 16, In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

[NConly]

14 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

You do not need anymore to think for you and decide whether the Gospel has been preached to all.

Because Jesus had to send his disciples to gradually go out and further way from the epicenter of the first believers in Jerusalem. 

The Gospel is to have our sins forgiven in the blood of the Lamb of God. 

The disciples has to be sent to the people and the Holy Spirit at the same time tries to help people understand...

The wonders of nature produced faith in God in the form of Idolatry. Having a God for the Sun and another God for the moon...and so on...

The message of the Gospel cannot be comunicated by nature...

The observing of the Nature produses believers in the Antichrist...because they will say that we believe in God who created all things..and use this as a platform to refuse to believe in the Jesus Christ death on the Cross for the forgiveness of their sins.

 

The first sentence I do not understand. Everything else in your post I am familiar with and understand the New Covenant.

[Your closest friendnt]

1 hour ago, Your closest friendnt said:

You do not need anymore to think for you and decide whether the Gospel has been preached to all.

Because Jesus had to send his disciples to gradually go out and further way from the epicenter of the first believers in Jerusalem. 

The Gospel is to have our sins forgiven in the blood of the Lamb of God. 

The disciples has to be sent to the people and the Holy Spirit at the same time tries to help people understand...

The wonders of nature produced faith in God in the form of Idolatry. Having a God for the Sun and another God for the moon...and so on...

The message of the Gospel cannot be comunicated by nature...

The observing of the Nature produses believers in the Antichrist...because they will say that we believe in God who created all things..and use this as a platform to refuse to believe in the Jesus Christ death on the Cross for the forgiveness of their sins.

 

The first sentence it was not in the singular you, it was as when someone is speaking to a gathering of people. 

And it included the knowledge we have by reading the scriptures. 

Jesus speaking to his disciples he said to them  that the Gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ will be preached by his disciples starting in Jerusalem first.

Of course a good crowd had believed in Jesus Christ from his disciples and their friends and relatives but the official day for when the Gospel was preached was in the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit empowered the words of the Gospel to those who heard it.

This is what I emphasized to tell what happened from the given known facts.

Even though not anyone who believed was from Jerusalem but those who believed they heard the Gospel preached in Jerusalem. Known facts.

To hear the gospel someone had to be in Jerusalem and in the specific place where it was proclaimed  

Philip later declared the Gospel to some villages in Judea and then in Samaria...

Someone had to speak the words of the Gospel for someone for someone else to hear and believe. 

We understand that someone can be informed from a letter about the Gospel and believe.

While the Gospel was speard many people died without having heard the good news.

Is this the part you asked for clarification or there is something else.  

Still I have not replied to how Jesus will deal with them...I said Jesus if from Known facts we have come to understand that God is not going to judge anyone and He has given all the Judgement to Jesus Christ. 

The Scriptures also let us know that everyone will be judged according to his having believed in Jesus Christ or having died in his refusal to believe in Jesus Christ.  

[NConly]

35 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

The first sentence it was not in the singular you, it was as when someone is speaking to a gathering of people. 

And it included the knowledge we have by reading the scriptures. 

Jesus speaking to his disciples he said to them  that the Gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ will be preached by his disciples starting in Jerusalem first.

Of course a good crowd had believed in Jesus Christ from his disciples and their friends and relatives but the official day for when the Gospel was preached was in the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit empowered the words of the Gospel to those who heard it.

This is what I emphasized to tell what happened from the given known facts.

Even though not anyone who believed was from Jerusalem but those who believed they heard the Gospel preached in Jerusalem. Known facts.

To hear the gospel someone had to be in Jerusalem and in the specific place where it was proclaimed  

Philip later declared the Gospel to some villages in Judea and then in Samaria...

Someone had to speak the words of the Gospel for someone for someone else to hear and believe. 

We understand that someone can be informed from a letter about the Gospel and believe.

While the Gospel was speard many people died without having heard the good news.

Is this the part you asked for clarification or there is something else.  

Still I have not replied to how Jesus will deal with them...I said Jesus if from Known facts we have come to understand that God is not going to judge anyone and He has given all the Judgement to Jesus Christ. 

The Scriptures also let us know that everyone will be judged according to his having believed in Jesus Christ or having died in his refusal to believe in Jesus Christ.  

I do not think we are on the same page. The op is about  "What About Those In Non-Christian Lands Who Have Never Heard The Gospel?" I posted the verse Simply Because It Says The Gospel Has Already Been Preached To ALL. My post has nothing about  how and when where the gospel started or who heard it first. Either the verse I posted is true the Gospel was preached to all or the verse I posted if false the Gospel was not has not been preached to all. Sorry you have me all confused.

[Your closest friendnt]

11 hours ago, NConly said:

I do not think we are on the same page. The op is about  "What About Those In Non-Christian Lands Who Have Never Heard The Gospel?" I posted the verse Simply Because It Says The Gospel Has Already Been Preached To ALL. My post has nothing about  how and when where the gospel started or who heard it first. Either the verse I posted is true the Gospel was preached to all or the verse I posted if false the Gospel was not has not been preached to all. Sorry you have me all confused.

Paul in Colossians 1:23 from the known facts to him made a comment...

His comment was based on known facts to him from the scriptures at hand. 

Paul was a student of the scriptures and he was a contemporary of Jesus and the disciples even though a young man when Jesus Christ died. 

The beleaving Jews and Pharisees began to searched the scriptures the Psalms and the Prophets and they found out that the Gospel was proclaimed to Abraham through the promises God made to him.

The promises included windows to something yet to come through Abraham and long time after Abraham's death.

The Gospel was also declared at the time God promised to provide the Lamb which will shed the blood for the New Covenant. Referring not to the blood of any animals used for that proposed but the blood of "the only Son of the promise ". 

Earlier it was known to them that the Gospel was proclaimed in Genesis 3: by the Lord himself when he said :that the seed of the woman will bring the end of the Serpent's reign over the human race. 

The Gospel was proclaimed to David and Samuel and Moses repeated times and to the children of Israel in the dessert was declared that the Gospel has yet to come when Moses lifted up the bronze Fiery Serpent who healed the people from their disobedience of sin...in other words he forgave the people from the sin the Law did not forgive...without asking nothing from them...without asking them to do any offering of blood just to believe that he was the one to heal them to forgive them from their sin. The sin they stand judged under the Law. 

To David the Gospel was declared when the Angel of death stand still when he met the "man" working his wine press..his cloths drenched in the red wine.

The Gospel was declared when Joshua asked the Priests to step in the Jordan River while carrying the Ark of the Covenant.  

And the waters were pulled up...a sign who will be the seed of the woman to end the Serpent's reign over the human race. 

Then the Gospel was declared in the prophetic in Esaiah and the stage was set with the one to come before him    "the voice in the dessert" who will waith for him..to identified him to the people. 

With the death of Jesus Christ the forgiveness of sins in the name and the blood of Jesus began at the Pentecost day...

This is what Paul is referring to in Colossians 1:23.  

From the facts known to him and the other disciples and to used them in their arguments when they preach the Gospel to the Jews..to point to the Shadows of things to come. 

The way it happened to Philip and the Ethiopian in the dessert referring to Esaiah 53:.