|
Question: Thank you so much for the clear answer in your article: "Those That Never Hear the Gospel of Christ" by Pastor Mark Fontecchio
I recently was confronted with the theory that ALL people of ALL times will eventually get a chance to hear the gospel at least once. The question is not about the reality of hell or universalism. The theory says that God will not condemn anyone without giving him a chance to hear about Jesus. The theory I recently heard says that after the fullness of gentiles has come in, they will evangelize (during the millennium and thereafter) all those souls, who never had a chance during their lifetime, to hear about Jesus. Anyone; those from BC and AD. Those, who will accept, will be saved. The others condemned. Have you ever come across a teaching like this or similar? I have been around as a Christian and teacher for quite a while, but never have heard this theory. And I was shocked, when I shared this with fellow believers from our church - and they at least agreed with the thought, that no one will be condemned without having been given a chance to hear about Christ (now or later). Is there any movement or teacher, propagating this teaching? Thanks, Wolfgang Answer: Thank you so much for your kind words in your e-mail. The first question that I would ask of someone teaching this is, "Where do they find this in the Word of God?" The answer is that they don't. Nothing in the Word of God teaches that God will give men and women a second chance to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I would guess that the motive for anyone teaching such a theory would be that a person is trying to reconcile the historical truth that simply not everyone who dies will hear the gospel before their death. Nevertheless, it does not negate the fact that such a teaching is contrary to the Word of God. I think at the very core of this issue is our view of God. If we have a small view of God, we tend to question His plan and try to rationalize theories from the human vantage point. But if we recognize the sovereignty of God, and recognize that God operates outside of time ( 2 Timothy 1:9) then we begin to understand that God is more than capable of knowing before He even created us who will turn to Him and who will not. The Bible teaches us that God is love, and out of His love we can trust that God will make sure that any man or woman that has responded to the general revelation of God with a receptive heart, He will surely bring this person into contact with the gospel of Christ. The only teaching similar to this that I have heard, is the false belief that a person that does not hear the gospel can be saved by being a good Muslim or a by being a good person that is devout in their belief in a god. This lie comes to us straight from the Catholic Church and has made many inroads into the professing Church of Christ. Billy Graham is just one of many that have taught this in recent years. It is always shocking to see how much of the professing Church of Christ is being led astray by the doctrines of men. I would strongly council to stick to the Word of God when discussing these issues with others of the faith. The Word of God will not lead men and women astray, but the books and doctrines of men so often do. I hope I have been of some help to you in your faith in Christ Jesus. Pastor Mark Fontecchio Word of Truth Ministries |
