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Bible Question:
I
have asked this question before but I am still struggling with
it. My question is, "Can people in remote areas be saved
who have never heard of Jesus but are aware by the creation
of the world around them that there is a God?
I read a previous question that was similar and part of your
answer was quote "Why does God ask us to preach, teach
and tell others about Jesus? The answer is, "It is necessary
for them to believe! When they hear, the Holy Spirit can give
them understanding."
Because of this comment I would think that God would have mercy
and save the people who have died in these remote areas that
have never heard of Jesus but believed in a Creator. These people
are aware of God the Creator but have not heard or been taught
about God the Son yet. Bible Answer:
There
are several previous questions which talk about various aspects
of this issue: 1) "If God is love, how can He send anyone
to hell?",
2)"What happens to the people who have never heard about
Christ?", and
3) "Were people saved before the apostles?"
Without Excuse. God has given man enough information in this life to
understand that someone greater than himself/herself exists,
that is, God exists.
He has given us this sense in the creation (Rom. 1:20-22), in
our conscience (Rom. 2:14-15), in written form (Rom. 3:19-20),
and through people (Acts 10). God will meet the desire of anyone
who wants to know more about Him.
Two Illustrations. Several
missionaries encountered a new group of people in southeast
Asia years ago. The leader of these people told the missionaries
that they had been told that someone was coming to tell them
about God. So the missionaries stayed and shared the good news
about Jesus Christ with them. What a surprise! They knew the
missionaries were coming.
In
the New Testament times, another individual wanted to know more
about God. His name was Cornelius.
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Now there was a certain man at Caesarea named Cornelius,
a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, a devout
man, and one who feared God with all his household, and
gave many alms to the Jewish people, and prayed to God
continually. About the ninth hour of the day he clearly
saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in to
him, and said to him, “Cornelius!” And fixing
his gaze upon him and being much alarmed, he said, “What
is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers
and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now
dispatch some men to Joppa, and send for a man named Simon,
who is also called Peter; he is staying with a certain
tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”
(NASB) Acts 10:1-6 |
Acts 9 and 10 tell us that God had told the apostle
Peter to go to Cornelius and tell him and his family about Jesus
Christ. As a result, Cornelius and his family became Christians.
Conclusion:
If
a man or woman really wants to know about God,
then God will meet him or her - one way or another. God is faithful.
He is faithful not just to Christians but to anyone who really
wants to know the true God. God loves His creation. |
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