You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. Still to come, Dave and Tom continue their weekly in-depth study of the doctrine of salvation, please stay with us. Now:
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call. Here is this week’s question: Dear Dave and Tom: One of the things that bothers me about Christianity and its exclusive way of salvation is all those people it leaves out. What about all those down through history who have never heard of Christ and the Christian gospel? Are they all condemned because of their ignorance?
Tom:
Dave, you’re been on the debate wagon of late, and these are questions that are coming up. It’s amazing, not only the atheists, but those who are really against Biblical Christianity with what they come up with, but what about this question? Did God just leave out those who didn’t know anything about Israel , Jerusalem , Bethlehem , things that we’ve been talking about and Matthew and so on….
Dave:
Well, you often hear it was just an accident of birth. I could have been a Hindu, or I believe what I believe because of where I was born. And does that mean that these people are headed for hell because they weren’t born in America where they could hear the gospel? Well, you could say what about the millions, many millions in America who have heard the gospel and rejected it? So, just because a person didn’t have the opportunity to hear the gospel doesn’t mean that that’s why they’re heading for hell or the lake of fire. Well then, why could they be? Because everyone—well, Romans chapter 1 says God has declared his eternal power and Godhead. The heavens explain that to you. You look at the universe around you; you know it didn’t happen by chance. And these atheists, they’ve adopted atheism to escape God. And Francis Collins, who is the head of the Human Genome Project, who became a Christian— at 27, he would have been an agnostic and the Human Genome Project, they’re matching the genome and so forth, and they had 2300 scientists under him. He became a Christian, but I’m a bit disappointed because he’s still an evolutionist. But nevertheless, he said the reason that he was an atheist was because that was his escape from God. If there wasn’t a God, then he didn’t have to give an account to anyone. And Dostoyevsky dealt with that, you remember in what is it, The Brothers Karamazov , I think? And one of his characters, I don’t remember which one, says well , if God exists, I have to do what he says, if God doesn’t exist, I can do whatever I want.
Tom:
Well, Dave, let’s get more specific. Let’s take the generations, for example, and the Bible doesn’t address China , Japan , these countries that would be outside of the Middle East with regard to Christ’s first coming, and so on.
Dave:
Right, I was about to get to that.
Tom:
Okay, I just wanted to move you along, and making sure that I we have time here….
Dave:
I need to be moved along, Tom, that’s one of my problems; I go into too many details. But they are all without excuse. Because everybody knows this didn’t happen by chance. Everybody knows—Isaiah mocks—God is mocking the idol worshipers through Isaiah. Well, they cut down a tree, part of it they warm themselves, part of it they roast their meat, and part of it they book to eat, and so forth. They give it eyes, they give it ears, it has eyes that can’t see, it has ears that can’t hear, and have feet that can’t walk. They’ve got to carry it wherever it goes, and then they bow down and say oh this is the god who created me. And God says these dumb idols; those who worship them are just like them. Now they know in their hearts, and the Bible says everybody knows. Okay? Now, in Romans chapter 2, everyone knows in his conscience that he’s violated the laws, he knows this! The law of God is written in every human conscience, and anyone who goes against it, or who goes against the witness of creation, God is not obligated to give them anymore life, it would only add to their condemnation, and He knows who would receive and who would not. So, that’s not really a valid argument, because everyone knows, and yet everyone rejects.
Tom:
Give me a scenario here. You have a man growing up under—let’s say he’s part of Genghis Kahn’s group at that time. How could he come to salvation?
Dave:
Well, let’s take someone close to that. He wasn’t in an army, he wasn’t killing people, but he was from Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham, and he grew up in a pagan society. And so, how did he hear? There weren’t any evangelicals there to give him the gospel, because God spoke to him in his heart. I believe that—the Bible says, first of all He speaks through the universe—
Tom:
So, a general revelation.
Dave:
Right, and then He speaks in the conscience. Now, if you understand this, you know you’ve broken God’s laws, you know you’re a sinner. You may not call it that, but your conscience condemns you. And you never heard of Jesus Christ, but if there is some God, this God created me, and I know I have broken his laws—He must have a way of escape for me. He must have provided some righteous means for me to be forgiven. And Peter tells it to us in Acts chapter 10; He comes into Cornelius’ household. Cornelius has been worshipping God the best he can, and angel appears and tells him to go and get Peter and he will tell you the real truth. And Peter gives us this amazing verse, he says; now I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he who fears God and worketh righteousness is accepted of Him. So, I believe that God can work in anyone’s heart through the universe, through conscience, and I believe that he will get the message of salvation to them. And we could tell many stories of miraculous ways God has given us
