WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER HEAR? (Romans 1:18-21)

The Bible is not direct in answering this question but I don’t believe it’s silent.

In Acts we see Antioch as the launching pad to missions. In the first missionary journey they left and went north and returned to Antioch. In the second missionary journey they went north and then Paul got the “Macedonian call” to move to the unreached areas of Macedonia where he loops around and down to Jerusalem and returns to Antioch. The third missionary journey Paul went where he was before and visits Corinth, where he wrote the book of Romans, and goes down to Jerusalem but did not return to Antioch. There is a reason he did not return; he never planned to return. Paul had a desire to take the Gospel to Spain and had to pass through Rome from Corinth; and this is why he wrote the letter to the Romans. If people who have not heard the Gospel, or heard of Yahshua, then why was it so important for Paul to go to the unreached?

Everyone knows God at some level, but everyone has rejected true knowledge of God (Romans 1:18-25)

“What about the natives that were here before; the people who had no knowledge of God but they worshiped something, maybe the sun god, wouldn’t God be pleased in that?” What Paul makes clear is that you don’t worship the sun and call it god and that become pleasing to God (Romans 1:18-25).

We are all prone to worship creation, whether Gods or mans, rather than God. As a result, there are no innocent people in the world. Paul addresses the Gentiles in Romans 1:18-2:16. Paul addresses the Jews in Romans 2:17-3:8. In Romans 3:9-18 he brings it all together.

“What about the innocent guy in Africa who has never heard?” I believe, based upon Scripture that he would go to heaven. If he’s innocent he would go; but there is no such guy in Africa. To be innocent would be sinless. There are guilty people all over Africa, Asia, and the world who need the Gospel.

We often approach this subject with the question, “Would it be fair for God to condemn someone to hell for not believing in Yahshua when they have never heard of Yahshua?”. It does not seem fair but there is where the Christian community stands that those who have never heard will not be condemned. There are obviously different levels of knowledge of God; some who have never heard and some who have heard and more. In the hearing and knowledge of, we have a greater accountability. The problem is that those who have not heard about Yahshua still stand condemned because they’ve rejected God. If the person who has not heard of Yahshua gets a free ticket then the worse thing we could do is take the Gospel to them (Acts 1:8). As soon as we tell them about Yahshua they stand condemned but before they were going to heaven.

Think about it this way: If you were talking to a person and ask them if they ever heard of Yahshua, if they ever heard of Jesus, and they say “no”, what are you going to do at this moment; what are you going to say? If a person ever comes to you and tries to tell you about Jesus, put your fingers in your ears and start yelling and run because you're going to heaven right now. That does not work with Scripture.

If the person who has not heard of Yahshua gets a free ticket then we imply that there is more than one way to get to God (John 14:6)
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