Expired before Evangelized!

By -
"How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Rom 10:14)

If Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven and there is no salvation without Him, what is the destiny of those who die before they hear about Him? (Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12).

God is a Saviour and because of His very nature He does not desire anyone to be lost. He desires "all" men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:3,4; 2 Pet 3:9). He shed His blood not for a selected few but for the sins of the "whole" world (1 Jn 2:2; 1 Tim 4:10). God loves all men and women equally. He plays no favoritism. If a person has not heard the Gospel, it is not his fault. It is the failure of the Church. Even before Cornelius became a Christian, his prayers had been heard and alms remembered in the sight of God. Apostle Peter, though he had been biased by his exclusive Jewishness, testified, "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him" (Acts 10:31,34,35).

Man will be judged only according to the light he has received. God is a righteous Judge (Gen 18:25; 2 Tim 4:8). Judgment for those who have never heard the Gospel will not be the same as for those who have rejected it (Rom 2:11,12). In Heaven we will have three surprises: Some people we expected will not be there; Some people we did not expect will be there; The uppermost surprise — We will be there!

Eventhough God has revealed Himself fully in the Person of Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-3), He has also other means of revelation of His grace and goodness— One is nature and the other is man's conscience (Acts 14:17; Rom 2:14,15).

Some suggest that those who die without hearing the Gospel will get a chance to hear it in the spirit world. Such an interpretation of the text of 1 Peter 3:19 quoted to support this view is not consistent with the general teaching of the Scriptures that "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Heb 9:27). It is not right to use an obscure passage to establish a doctrine. The destiny of the unevangelised is too high a subject for our finite minds distorted by fallen nature. Those who die without hearing the Gospel enormously outnumber those who die after hearing it. Instead of arguing over what is not clearly stated in the Bible, let us accelerate our efforts of reaching the unreached with the Gospel. It is late, but not too late!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bold Voice

By -
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches"  (Rev 3:13)  Precious Child, I want to bring you out of your apprehensions to witness for Christ. You are afraid that people might mock at you. Your throat chokes every time you want to open your mouth to share the Gospel. The fear of ridicule silences you. Don't feel bad about it, My child. This was the problem of the disciples of Jesus also even though they had walked with Him for over three years. Can you imagine how a key figure like Peter could ever deny and disown Christ? Their weakness overpowered their willingness. The problem was solved by My coming. That's why Jesus wouldn't let them go out until they got filled with My power (Acts 1:4). When I came upon them, the cowards became challengers! Be filled with Me. Don't consider your timidity or boast of your oratory skill. Depend on Me. I will grant you boldness in all situations to speak forth the message of the Cros...
Read more

Utter Confusion!

By -
"They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  But you keep your head in all situations" (2 Tim 4:4,5) I am an ardent fan of John the Baptist. There is no harm in admiring him because all who started as John's fans became Jesus' followers. A comparison of John with many Christian ministers of today makes me hang down my head in shame and sorrow.  John was filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb (Lk 1:15); but the modern prophets communicate with the spirits of men who have gone to the tomb.  The Word of God came to him (Lk 3:2); but many of their revelations contradict the written Word of God.  He was a desert-dweller, dead to the lust for popularity (Mt 3:1); but they are city-lovers, hunting for recognition and lusting limelight.  John was a voice from God (Jn 1 :23); but the modern preachers are an echo of someone of similar brand.  He did not seek pulpits but people sought him and...
Read more