- Mar 17, 2015
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Okay, so the bible says, "Jesus will know all and all will come to know Jesus." So what happens to those born in a Buddhist country? Let me take that one step further. A group of people are born in a Buddhist country, never learned about Jesus Christ in school, and noone ever taught them about Jesus, so they never had the opportunity to switch religions until they die. They are isolated tribes in Africa and other parts of the world that live how people live back in the stone age. Odds are, noone will ever be able to reach them and teach them about Jesus, and even if they could, they would have to speak their language to teach them. So these people are unfarily condemned to Hell?
Paul directly addressed the outcome for those without Christ in Romans chapter 2 (but there is more also later below) --
6God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” a 7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism.
12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."
Romans 2:1 You therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
As you can see, this is entirely fair. But it's a difficult standard to do good without Christ. It turns out we cannot be sure those that die without Christ don't get a chance though(!) --
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built...."
1 Peter 3 NIV
Some think this will apply to all the dead that did not hear the true, full gospel. The instance of the wicked before the Flood being a concrete example of them.
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