Friday, June 26, 2009

Gospel to the Unevangelized

Acts 8:26
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert. NKJV

There is a question that has lingered through the years which has the purpose of attacking the justice of God and the fairness of the Gospel: “What about those who have never heard the name of Jesus?” This question implies that it is not fair for people who have never heard the name of Jesus to be condemned to hell, because they never had a chance. First, this question is built upon an incorrect notion of lostness that people are condemned because they have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. People are condemned because they have rejected God who has revealed Himself through creation (Rom. 1), the conscious and the Law (Rom. 2). Therefore, all men are without excuse. Belief in the atoning work of Christ is the remedy of man’s condemnation and not the source. This leads to another question, “What about the man who receives the light given to him and yearns to know the God of creation yet has not heard of Jesus?” This answer to this question can be found in the passage of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8) as we discover that God will get His message to a longing heart. In this text we find that God snatches Philip from a great revival in Samaria and sends him to the desert road toward Gaza. This may appear contrary to modern mission tactics, but God knew there was a heart longing to know more of Him and God sent a missionary with the glorious message of Jesus Christ. For those who accepted the light given to them God will provide more light even if it is to send a missionary in the middle of the wilderness.

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