What happens to those who never hear the gospel?

2. What happens to those who never hear the gospel?

3. Little old man in the middle of nowhere who is a good, kind, loving, gentile, humble man who loves his family and pets and takes care of the poor and helpless….

4. What Evangelical Christians believe

5. Those who hear the gospel and accept Christ as their Savior go to heaven when they die.

6. Those who hear the gospel and don’t accept Christ as their Savior go to hell when they die.

7. But What about those who have never heard?

8. If people die without hearing the gospel, are they lost? Would a loving God send people to hell if they never even had a chance to hear the gospel?

9. A related question that we will not have time to look at this morning is what about babies and those who are intellectually unable to understand the gospel? The Bible has gracious words about this.

10. The reality Is…. These are difficult questions without many direct Bible verses to answer them.

11. However, based on several passages, as well as an understanding of God’s character and His dealings with men, we can develop a good idea of how He works in such situations.

12. The plumb line

13. Illustration: Daddy and the plumb line and building our car port.

14. Amos 7:7-87 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand.8 And the LORD asked me, "What do you see, Amos?" "A plumb line," I replied. Then the Lord said, "Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel…”

15. Amplified Version of verse 8 “I am setting a plumb line as a standard…”

16. What really matters is notwhat you or I think or feel is right or fair or just about this emotional issue. What matters is what God says about it.

17. How often have we heard • I don’t think God would do that • I believe God will make exceptions about this • Story Talking with the JW at the San Diego Airport

18. The Bible is the plumb line of truth.

19. Alan Richardson Don’t believe anything anyone tells you about God’s Word unless they can show you chapter and verse. • Plumb line with my girls • Acts 17:11

20. 2 Tim 3:16-1716 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

21. John 17:17Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth.

22. I don’t really want to know someone’s opinion on what is or is not true. I want to know what the Bible says is true. • Objective VS Subjective

23. So, what does the Bible say about those who have never heard?

24. First, we should do our best to take the gospel to them! Matt 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.""

25. Story Bill Huse and the cleaning lady at the airport • PHP at Wal-Mart on the day of Coretta Scott King’s funeral

26. But what happens to those we don’t reach?

27. Some basic bible truthsthat we do know

28. Romans 3:23“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Every human being ever born has been a sinner from birth because of the sin nature that we all inherited from Adam.

29. John 14:6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” There is only one way to heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ.

30. Acts 4:12“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Salvation is found only in Jesus. Period.

31. Bottom lineKnowing Jesus as savior is the only way anyone gets to heaven.

32. So, what does that mean for those who never hear?

33. As harsh as it may sound,the Bible clearly teaches that only those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their savior, whether they have heard the gospel or not, go to heaven when they die.

34. Mean people • Nice people • Friendly people • People who love animals • Rich people • Poor people

35. John 14:6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

36. NO ONE!! • Not the Pope • Not the Dahli Lama • Not Billy Graham • Not the person who has never heard the gospel.

37. But that’s not fair!!

38. Fair?The issue is not what is and is not fair. If we got what was fair then we’d all go to hell.

39. EVERYONEdeserves to go to hell because we are all sinners. Even those who have never heard the gospel.

40. You deserve to go to hell.I deserve to go to hell.Those who have never heard deserve to go to hell.Everyone deserves to go to hell.

41. WHY? Because we have all inherited the sin nature from Adam. Therefore, we are sinners from birth, and deserve to suffer the full wrath of God’s holy and righteous judgment against sin. We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners by nature.

42. Rom 3:10As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one.”

43. Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.

44. The other side of this is that, because we are all sinners, nobody deserves to go to heaven.

45. So the question is not only…If God is so loving, how can he allow anyone to go to hell?

46. But also… If God is so justhow can he accept anyoneinto heaven?

47. “It is not difficult to understand why a just God does not save sinners…[but] how a just God saves any sinners.”B.B. Warfield

48. The greater question for me is not, “Why do some go to hell?” But, why do I get to go to heaven?

49. grace Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast.

50. John 3:16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.