Firstly, it's God's plan that we tell the good news to everyone.
Matt 28:19 Go, and make disciples of all nations…..
Mk 16:15 Go, into all the world and preach (proclaim) the gospel to every person.
Luke 24:47 That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations….
Jn 20:21 As the Father has sent Me, I also send you (to preach, heal and deliver).
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
It's very clear throughout the whole New Testament that God, wants, desires and expects us to share the good news about Jesus and His redemption with everyone so that none should perish.
Jesus the only way of salvation.
Jn 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no-one comes to the Father (God) except through Me.
Jn 3:36 He/she who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Jn 5:11-12 And this is the testimony, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He/she who has the Son has life (the Life of God), he/she who does not have the Son of God does not have life (the Life of God).
Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Rom 10:12-15 Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
It's evident from these Scriptures and many, many others that people must believe and receive Jesus Christ to be saved and they must hear about Jesus to be able to believe and thus receive Him.
God has a multitude of ways of communicating to human beings.
We as Christians are told to share with others, the good news that has saved our souls.
We are urged and impressed by the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to tell the message.
BUT, God also uses creation, nature and animals to serve His Divine purposes.He also uses dreams, visions and angelic beings to communicate to human beings. So we are not only limited to our efforts to preach the gospel to everyone. God will use anything and anyone to help a hungry soul come to Him.
Creation, nature.
Ps 19:1-4 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament (expanse of heaven) shows His handiwork (To all human beings, not only believers).
Day unto day utters speech. and night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
Acts 14:17 Nevertheless He (God) did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons…..
Paul was telling these truths to unbelievers, encouraging them that God had already been blessing them and reaching out to them through nature.
Rom 1:19 Because what may be known of God is evident among them (the human race- all people, not only believers) for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power (Divine nature) and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
The Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul is explaining that God is speaking through His creation continually to people. What people do with that witness is up to them.
Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us (how to live right with God).
God's grace that brings salvation.
First, God reaches out to people with His grace and blesses them not because they are good, but because He is good.
Then God looks for a heart response to Him. As people respond to His grace within their hearts they receive more revelation on Who He is and what He is asking from them. The grace of God brings salvation. Salvation is not the very first step. God touches us with His grace, looks for our heart response, then ministers more to us and as we respond, the result is we come to salvation, i.e we come to faith in Jesus Christ.
As you read personal testimonies of people's conversions to Christ you will be amazed at how God reached out to them long before they opened their lives to Jesus.
Animals
Numbers 22:28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam... 22:30 So the donkey said to Balaam……
1 Kings 17:6 The ravens brought Elijah bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank for the brook.
Jonah 1:17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.
Jonah 2:10 So the Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Matt 26:74 Then Peter began to curse and swear, saying "I do not know the Man (Jesus)! Immediately a rooster crowed.
In all of these Scriptures, God used animals to further His purposes in the earth.
These were believers, but couldn't God do the same for unbelievers? Certainly He could and He does!!!
Dreams
Gen 20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and (warned him)
Abimelech was a heathen king. He then softened his heart and came humbly to Abraham for forgiveness and prayer.
Matt 27:19 While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with this just Man (Jesus), for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him. (This was a strong warning dream that caused suffering to some degree to Pilate's wife).
(amplified Bible) I have had a painful experience because of Him (Jesus) in a dream.
Job 33:14-18 For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds. Then He (God) opens the ears of men (saved and unsaved people alike) and seals their instruction. (Amplified Bible) Terrifying them with warnings. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride, or cut off pride from him. He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
God loves people and will use dreams to awaken our souls (saved and unsaved alike) to His purposes. If God has to terrify someone back from the edge of the Pit, He will do it.
People who end up in hell will be there because they have stepped over God's hand of grace and mercy reaching out to them in all these different ways through out there lives. Part of the torment of hell will be the regret of opportunities missed, times when they could have and should have repented and softened their hearts with God, and God would have forgiven them and accepted them, but the chose to reject every sign of God's love and Presence.
God is not looking for an excuse to keep people out of heaven. He is making it as open and as easy as He possibly can. The sins of mankind have been paid for by Jesus on the cross.
1John 2:2 Christ is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Visions
The word vision in the Scriptures means a sense of sight. God, by HIs Holy Spirit gives people (saved and unsaved) this sense of sight at times, often resulting in their conversion to Christ.
I personally was converted to Jesus through a spiritual vision.
Acts 9:1-8 Tells the testimony of Saul of Tarsus, a man who was violently opposed to Christianity. The Lord Jesus Himself appeared to this violent unbeliever and Saul was soundly converted to Christ. We are not told directly if anyone had been witnessing to him about Jesus, although we do know that he was present when Stephen was killed for his faith in Christ. No person led Saul in the sinner's prayer, but we know he came to faith in Jesus through this spiritual vision and went on to become a great leader in the early church.
Angels
Acts 10:1-6 (Is the story of an unsaved Gentile centurion who was touched by the grace of God that brings salvation).
Acts 11:13 Cornelius told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, 'Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved'.
Cornelius was not saved yet, but God sent an angel to speak to him and direct him to Peter an apostle of Christ, who subsequently preached the gospel to him.
We are told through out the whole Bible that angels are very active in this world, inter-relating with human beings regularly.
Luke 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias (who was yet to become John the Baptist's father). The story unfolds with Zacharias being stubborn of heart and not believing what was told him by the angel. His heart attitude towards this angel sent from God and it's message got him into serious trouble. God expects us to be responsive to His angels and be open to what they communicate to us, from the Lord.
When God reaches out to any and every person, He expects that person to yield to His influence. When God sees that response of the heart, then He will send one of His messengers to that village or town or place to share the gospel as He did in Acts 10 with Cornelius.
Matt 9:37-38 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "The harvest (of souls for Christ) is plentiful but the laborers (active Christian workers, witnessing for Christ) are few. Therefore pray, pray, pray and ask the Lord of the harvest to sent out (amplified Bible) force - thrust out laborers into His harvest.
Are people still saved without Jesus Christ in their lives?
I believe the Scriptures teach that you must receive Christ into your life personally and be born again to receive eternal life.
What about the person who has never heard about Jesus, what happens to them when they die?
Gen 18:25 Shall not the God of all the earth do right?
God is the Judge. He knows those that He has been touching with His grace and who are responding in their hearts to His love. Our task as Christians is to keep sharing the good news far and wide and let God decide who is in and who is not.
Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are Mine, says the Lord God.
God Himself is responsible for the souls of men and women and children. Our job as believers is to walk with God from our hearts and work with the Holy Spirit in getting His love message about Jesus out to our lost and dying world.
Pastor Barry Butters.
Melton Christian Fellowship