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?
Hi AppleGold,
We know from the Bible that it is God’s desire that nobody should perish but that all would come to the knowledge of the truth, repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4). Therefore, God has graciously provided each person He created with everything they would need in order to know Him and ultimately come to salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, irregardless of where they were born. He has provided two basic forms of revelation to every human (“creation” and “conscience”) that are together sufficient to testify of His existence; He has provided each one with a measure of faith to make it possible for them to believe; He personally draws each one to Jesus because salvation would not be attainable for them otherwise, and He has sent the Holy Spirit into the world to affirm and confirm all He has revealed to them. Here is how each of these five elements works to accomplish the purposes for which God gave them:
Revelation Through Creation: The Scriptures declare that God's invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature are clearly visible to all, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:18-21). The very existence of the universe in all its majesty and splendor, coupled with the unique intricacies of all living and created things, is absolute evidence of the existence of Almighty God.
Revelation Through Conscience: The Bible states that God has given each person an internal law of right and wrong that has been written on their heart, their conscience serving to either affirm them of good conduct or accuse them of sin (Romans 2:12-16). The very presence of a conscience testifies within them of the existence of a holy and perfect God, as well as their own personal sinfulness in comparison.
A Measure of Faith: The Bible states that salvation is by grace through faith, both of which are gifts from God Himself (Ephesians 2:8-9), with Jesus being the author as well as perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2). Without the faith to believe God, nobody would have the ability to receive salvation. In fact, it is impossible to please God without faith, because whoever comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (John 8:24b; Hebrews 11:6). Furthermore, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, it is God Himself who provides the very faith necessary to believe Him, as He reveals Himself to the lost.
God Draws People to Jesus: The Bible states that God personally draws each person to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ because, if left to their own devices or desires, nobody would ever seek God or come to saving faith in Jesus of their own accord (John 6:44). Therefore, God Himself personally “woos” everyone to Christ so that they have the ability and opportunity to be saved.
The Sending of the Holy Spirit: After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit into the world to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment (John 16:8). Therefore, the work of the Holy Spirit is to affirm God’s existence and righteousness, confirm man’s sinfulness and depravity apart from Him, and convince the world of the judgment to come.
With each of these five elements being provided by God Himself, it is clear that all people everywhere have been fully equipped with the potential to discern God’s existence as well as their own sinfulness in His presence, and the ability to seek after Him to know Him, should they yield their hearts to the drawing of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the only thing keeping anyone from actually pursuing God to know Him is their own rebellion and unbelief (John 3:16-21). Paul describes this as knowing about God through what He has made, and yet refusing to glorify Him as God; but rather suppressing the truth in unrighteousness and becoming futile in their own thoughts, to the point where their foolish hearts are darkened and they change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man or beast. Therefore, God gives them over fully to their sinful state, and the result is eternal death and separation from God (Romans 1:18-2:11). To the contrary, however, if a person genuinely responds to God with their whole heart as He reveals Himself and draws them to repentance, He will absolutely provide an opportunity for them to hear the gospel message and be saved.
With all that said, it is important to always keep in mind the fact that God is all-knowing, perfect, holy, just and righteous, and that all things are open and laid bare before Him at all times. This means that He always acts with absolute knowledge, complete justice and total righteousness in all things,
including the administration of His judgment upon sin and mankind. Therefore, if a person who lived and died in the most isolated place on earth ends up in hell, separated from God for all eternity, it is because they were judged rightly and justly by a loving, holy and all-knowing God, on the basis of their unbelief, unrepentant sin and unregenerate heart.
Hope that helps clarify things for you.