What about people who have never heard of Jesus?

"What happens to the people who have never been exposed to Christianity? Do they go to hell?"

The question lingered in the comments section of a friend's Facebook post with no reply.  Then I received a private message.  "Hey Don, how do I answer this question my friend asked on my Facebook page?"

How do we answer that question?   Well, there is no shortage of thoughts and beliefs when it comes to this question.  Some would say that everyone will eventually be saved (Universalism).  Others say that all religions lead to the same God (Pluralism). Still, others take an easy way and just say "I don't know" (Agnosticism). 

The Bible says salvation is found in only one name, Jesus (Acts 4:12).  Jesus said of himself, "I am the way the truth the life no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).   The Bible mentions many, many times that in order to be saved, to have a right standing before God, to have sins forgiven, to gain entrance into heaven... a person must trust in Jesus alone and his work on the cross in their place.

But can they really be condemned for not trusting in Jesus if they haven't ever heard of him?

It seems like a legitimate question, but this is where things go a little sideways... Let me explain.  I've heard preachers say, "The only thing that keeps a person out of heaven, is rejecting Jesus."  That is a false statement.  

Our separation from God, our condemnation to hell is not because of our failure to trust Jesus. We are condemned well before we are ever exposed to the gospel.  Our condemnation comes from the fact that we are sinners.  We are not condemned because we fail to do one thing (trust Jesus), but because of the many, many, many things (sin) we do against God's character.

Unfortunately, further confusing the issue, many preachers and churches have made a special category out of "rejecting Jesus."  They consider it a factor of salvation when in reality, no such factor exists.  Let me explain.

Let's say there are 3 people.  The first one has never heard of Jesus or the gospel.  The second has been exposed to the gospel, but never really confronted to make a decision regarding Christ.  And the third has had the gospel presented many times and he has rejected it every time.  Even though the first and second did not "reject Jesus," all three of these will pay the penalty of their own sins in hell.* The question is not if they have rejected Christ, but if they have received him. Receiving, or trusting in Jesus for forgiveness is the only factor to be considered when evaluating one's salvation.

So, the reality is that Jesus is the only way to have sins removed and to credit us with the required righteousness to stand before God.  And the reality is there are many that haven't heard about Jesus.   But that is our fault, not God's.   As Christians, we have failed to spread the gospel as we should, and as unbelievers people have run further and further from Him isolating entire cultures, twisting and distorting the truth.  

Lastly, we must resist the urge to use the "f" word.   The "f" word I'm thinking of is "fair."  We must never stand in judgment of God to say that something isn't fair.  What truly isn't fair is that God would reach down at great cost to Himself to save people who were in rebellion against him.  That is not fair. That is Grace. Grace is what is not fair.


When we start from a point of our own sinfulness and keep a high view of grace, that question becomes a lot easier to answer.





*I do not speak of hell flippantly or irreverently. When I speak of hell, I do so soberly and with a heavy heart, wishing there was some other reality. But God is so holy that a hell is the only fitting punishment for sin.

8 Practical Prayer helps

We just concluded our sermon series in James.  James concludes his letter with a reminder and call to pray.  While I am certainly no expert and have a lot of room to grow in this area, I have come across several tips to help you pray more consistently and more purposefully. 

1. Pick a time
The reality is you won't find time to pray.  Every minute of our days will get filled with something if we are not intentional with our time.  So we need to be intentional about when we pray. Pick a time.  What time is best for you?  Are you a morning person?  Does your brain shut down after 8:00 PM? No one specific time is best, it depends on what time is best for you to be distraction free and able to devote your mind and heart to God.

2. Pick a place
While you can pray anywhere. It is important to have a specific place where you go to talk with God.  This could be beside your bed, in your office, on the porch, or at your table. Again, pick a place free from distractions where you can devote your full attention to the Lord.

3. Pick a posture
There is benefit in choosing a time and place, and also a posture.  The more purpose we put into our prayer, the more of a priority it will become to us over the course of time. While we can pray while we are walking, driving, or doing dishes (and we should) picking a specific posture will help you to focus your mind and heart toward God. Some prefer to kneel, others to stand. Some will choose to sit at a table with a bowed head.  Whatever you choose, make it your prayer posture. (I would advise against lying down, as prayer time can too easily become nap time.)

4. Use a list
A list is very helpful to keep track of ongoing prayer requests, but most importantly to keep you from getting overwhelmed. I have sat down before to create a pray list and it just kept going and going, getting longer and longer. Quickly I felt overwhelmed thinking there is not enough time in the day to get through this, or if I did, it would seem rote and rushed. I suggest using a calendar styled list. Determine the number of days you are going to pray in a week (more on that below), then divide your prayer list between the days. For example you might pray for your kids everyday, but select a different aspect to pray specifically each day.  Or you might choose a different aspect of the church to pray for on each day (missions, leadership, outreach, children, teens, etc). A list like this helps you from getting overwhelmed. A list can also help you to organize your thoughts and remind you of important things to pray everyday. For example, each day your list should remind you to confess sin, give thanks, praise God for who he is, and remind you of your dependence upon the grace of Jesus. A list can also keep track of scripture that you will read each day as a part of your prayer time.

5. Read Scripture
Read selected scripture passages as a part of your prayer time. Read the Psalms to reflect on God's character. Read Proverbs to rehearse his wisdom. Read the epistles to remember the Gospel.  You can plan your reading out and add it to your prayer calendar.

6. Pray out loud
This one might seem a little out there...a little formal. Stick with me.  I realize that many people are not comfortable with praying out loud in front of a group of people, but what about praying out loud alone? Praying out loud causes you to be more deliberate in your words. Praying out loud also keeps your mind from wandering. Often is the case when I am praying silently, my mind wanders toward other thoughts; praying out loud helps keep you focused.

7. Set attainable goals
We can all pray more than we do.  It is important to set for yourself a goal of how many times for how long you are going to pray in a week.  A beginner should not set too lofty a goal. Better to set the bar a little lower and achieve it, than to set it too high and suffer from discouragement. Perhaps for you, 2 times a week for 10 minutes each is a good start. Perhaps 7 days a week for an hour is attainable for you. Whatever it is set it and go for it.

8. Get a partner
I'm not talking about someone to pray with, but rather someone to talk with about it. Share you goal with someone you trust and someone who loves you.  A partner is someone to keep you accountable as you develop a regular practice of prayer.

Identity Theft pt. 6

I don't know about you, but I don't buy things I have no purpose for.  I can't recall a time that I went into a store and just bought something that I had no intention of using.  If I am going to purchase something I have a reason for buying it.  I think that is true of God too.

Our final "lie" in this Identity Theft series has to do with our purpose, our usefulness in God's kingdom.  Unfortunately many people believe these lies...

LIE #6

I CAN’T BE USED BY GOD

I CAN'T DO ANYTHING

I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO OFFER GOD

I CAN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE
MY LIFE HAS NO PURPOSE

Scripture tells us that we have been purchased by God. He purchased us with the blood of His Son Jesus.  In Colossians 1:14 Paul uses the word "redemption."  To redeem means to "gain possession of something in exchange for payment."   Biblically these words redemption and redeem were used in the context of paying the price for the freedom of a slave.   

If we have been redeemed, it is important to know a few things about that.

• From what have we been redeemed?
• How have we been redeemed?
• For what have we been redeemed?

The Bible speaks of our redemption and gives answers to these questions all over the New Testament. God's plan of redemption and rescue is the theme of the New Testament and therefore all throughout it.  With a brief study of just three passages (Ephesians 2:1-10, Titus 3:3-7 and Galatians 4:3-7) we find several answers to these questions.

God's purchase of us through Jesus redeems us from sin, death, and the holy wrath of God against our sinfulness. It frees us from enslavement to the principles of the world. This redemption releases us from being driven by our desires and pleasures.

How have we been redeemed? God in his great love for us, entered our world as the person of Jesus and took upon himself the penalty and punishment of sin.  He died on the cross in our place, for our sins. By putting our faith (trust, reliance, dependence, belief) in his sacrifice, his payment is applied to us. His punishment can be our punishment. His righteousness becomes our righteousness.

Through this we are redeemed for a purpose God has established for us. We are to pursue good works that God has prepared in advance for us to be involved in. We are purchased out of slavery to this world and into His family as a heir. We now live in the identity of Christ living for the purposes of God.

Many even after they have been redeemed (saved) deny the purposes that God has for them. They view themselves according to the lies that they are too broken, too sinful, not good enough, not talented enough to be used by God. Many view themselves similar to a rusty, old, broken down car.

They fail to realize that through Jesus they have been redeemed, bought for a purpose. And Jesus makes all things new. We have been given a new life, new purpose, new identity. He has qualified us, delivered us, transferred us, and made us new. In Christ, God doesn't view us as broken or beat up. He views us as whole, righteous and useful. Why wouldn't we want to take a drive in our new identity and be used by him?

Identity Theft pt. 5

God in His grace entered into our world to rescue us from what sin was doing to our lives and what it would continue to do and where it would eventually take us in eternity.  God entered our world in the Person of Jesus and saved us--buying us back from sin and death. While he did this primarily for His own glory and His great Name, He also desires for us to live lives of victory, love, hope, peace, joy, and purpose. Unfortunately many many people whom God has rescued through Jesus find themselves still stuck in old behaviors, old ways of thinking, and old habits.  This is often linked denying truth and believing lies instead.  One truth that we fail to embrace is that we have been "transferred into the kingdom of His beloved son" (Colossians 1:13). Conseqently the lies we believe are...

LIE #5

I CAN’T CHANGE

THINGS WILL ALWAYS BE THIS WAY

IT'S MY PERSONALITY

I NEED TO BE TRUE TO MYSELF
IT'S JUST WHO I AM

Believing these lies can keep us from experiencing the life God has for us, and keep us trapped in a cycle of returning to the same hopeless patterns of sinful behavior again and again. In order to experience this truth we first must understand what is our responsibility and what is God's.  We must identify what things God has accomplished and what things we must do.

What God has Done

Through the work of Jesus Christ, God has accomplished the following:

• He has made us qualified. We have a justified (righteous) standing before God.
• We are an heir. We share in the inheritance and our position in the family of God is secure.
• He has delivered from the domain of darkness. He has freed us from the authority, rule and power of sin.
• He has transferred into the kingdom of Christ. We now live under the authority of and in the kingdom of God.

These are spiritual realities--our spiritual identity--that God has made happen for you. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ by faith, this is true of you, without doubt. Unfortunately for many, this spiritual reality is never experienced as a physical or actual reality, because we miss one very important part. Our part.

What We must Do

Romans 6:1-11 describes how God accomplished all He as done for us. It was accomplished in Jesus Christ. Jesus took upon himself the punishment that we deserved. As we identify with Jesus, the Bible calls that placing your faith in Jesus, then we can share in his identity. His punishment serves as our punishment. His Crucifixion is our crucifixion. His death to sin is our death to sin. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. His life is our life.

Verse 12 begins with "therefore". In other words, "because of all this, here's what you should do," or "if you believe this, you should act like this." This is where our part begins.

1. We must believe this to be a spiritual reality. 

We must accept it as true. We must accept and embrace that Christ has qualified, adopted, delivered, and transferred us. We must renew our minds to this truth that our old life to sin is dead and our new life we live to God.

2. We must not cooperate with our old life of sin.

Romans 6:12 says that we must "not let sin have rule over our bodies."  We must "not offer the parts of our bodies to be used as instruments of unrighteousness". Verses 12-14 use words like "let" and "offer". These aren't words of captivity, authority or oppression (because we are dead to sin and it no longer has power over us), but rather words of cooperation. So the instruction is to not cooperate with our sinful desires. That's our part.

What We can Experience

In the kingdom of Christ bad habits are overcome, struggling marriages are healed, broken relationships are restored, and depression finds hope. This can happen when our physical realities begin to match up with our spiritual reality, when our behavior begins to reflect our spiritual identity. These two realities must work together. As we embrace what God has done for us--the new identity He has given us--we then refuse to cooperate with our old identity and we begin to experience the new reality of life in Christ's Kingdom.

Identity Theft pt. 4

Have you ever felt trapped? Have you ever felt stuck in an endless cycle? Have you ever felt like you would never get victory over a certain sin? Ever felt helpless?

Many people are trapped in a cycle of lies that rob us of who we are in Christ. But it is the Truth that sets us free. One truth in particular is found in Colossians 1:13 and says, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness..." He, Jesus, has set us free. Free to live. Free to obey. Free to have victory.

What is the Domain of Darkness?
The domain of darkness is the realm of sin and Satan.  It is the system of this world that lures us away from the beauty of Christ.  It is where the thirsty and starving go to gorge themselves only to walk away more hungry and parched than before. The domain of darkness is the cycle of lies that keep us running back seeking salvation, significance, and satisfaction from the things of this world.

Four Ways the Domain of Darkness Keeps us Trapped
Lures us with Promises that Don't Deliver
Whether it is retail products or car companies, vacation destinations or food producers, each are trying to sell you salvation and satisfaction. Think about the unbelievable amount of money spent on advertising, trying to convince you that you need this product, you won't be complete without this product, this product will change your life. They aren't just promising you a car, they are promising you status. They aren't just promising you a pizza, they are promising you happiness. Not just a beer, but the cure for loneliness. Not just a vacation, but an escape from the worries of this life. 

They promise and promise, but they can't deliver. They hold out salvation, significance, and satisfaction yet never come through. We end up with fuller houses and emptier wallets--waiting, wanting, hoping, yet coming back for more. In fact they know they don't make good on their promise. That's why about every 6-12 months they come out with a newer model, or improved formula--baiting us again.

Traps us with Escalating Guilt
Chasing other things to find happiness usually leads to sin, and sin leads to guilt.  This guilt drives us further into darkness, further into isolation, and further into the very sin that causes the guilt in the first place. Without any means of ridding ourselves from this guilt our fate is sealed as we plummet further and further into the rule of darkness and sin over our lives.

Imprison us by our own Independence
As we spiral further and further into the darkness the enemy keeps cheering us on in our own efforts. We are encouraged to save ourselves. To find satisfaction in ourselves. "Just be true to yourself!" "Keep trying!" "Believe in yourself!" "You don't need anyone!"  

When the focus is on our our behavior, our choices, our efforts then our desire for independence actually further imprisons us.

Enslaves us to our Sin
Like a culmination of all of the ways mentioned above we become slaves to our sin. We do things to feed it. We buy things to support it. We arrange our schedule to accommodate it. We think about ways to enhance it. We offer our bodies as sacrifices for it. Instead of it bringing us satisfaction, we end up satisfying it.

But Jesus enters in and binds up the "strong man and plunders his house" (Matt 12:29) rescuing us from the domain of darkness. His wonderful gospel is the only thing that can truly deliver on the promise of salvation, satisfaction, and significance.  The gospel cuts guilt at its root freeing us from it's power. Further, the gospel points us to the work of Another, and not ourselves.  It is through the work of Jesus on the cross and our dependence upon Him that we are saved. And lastly, as we identify with Christ, His sacrifice becomes our sacrifice, His righteousness becomes our righteousness, and His death becomes our death.  He died to sin, so to we are dead to sin. It no longer has mastery over us.

Although we may still live in this world with its constant search for salvation and significance, although we live in a world that values independence above all else, although we live in a world where the expectation is to put on a face and pretend everything is perfect, although we live in a world where people are slaves to their every desire and feeling,  in Christ, we have been delivered its domination, from its jurisdiction, from its power and its authority over our lives. Although we live in that world... that world does not have to live in us!

LIE #4

I’M TRAPPED

I’LL NEVER BE FREE

I’M HELPLESS

IT’S HOPELESS

I’LL ALWAYS FAIL IN THIS

We have been delivered!