What About People Not Raised in Christian Cultures? (Audio)

Transcript of “What About People Not Raised in Christian Cultures?” (Auto-transcribed from Slack)

0:01OK, I wanna address another question that comes up.

0:04Some people ask if, if the Bible is true and Jesus is the only way and there’s a judgment and, and there’s hell and heaven and all these things.

0:17How is that fair?

0:18How is that?

0:18How does that make sense?

0:20When you have people all over the world who are, are grown up, grow up in different cultures, they aren’t grown, they don’t have Christian parents or Christian culture.

0:30So they’re grown up in these maybe Islamic or Buddhist or Hindu kind of places.

0:35For example, isn’t that unfair to them?

0:38Like, don’t we just, we believe because we have this culture or we have these parents but they don’t, how is that fair to them that, you know, that’s no, that’s no fault of theirs.

0:46They just are born in that setting.

0:48Hopefully, this makes sense, the argument at least what they’re saying.

0:53So in response to that, I wanna give a few scriptures here, one starts from Luke chapter 12.

0:58and starting with verse 35 I want to read it all the way through.

1:01I think it’s really important This is Jesus speaking to his disciples.

1:04He says, stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast.

1:11So they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks, bless.

1:14Are those servants who the master finds awake when he comes?

1:17Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline that table and he will come and serve them.

1:22If he comes in the second watch or in the third and finds him awake, blaster those servants.

1:26But know this that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into.

1:33You also must be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour.

1:36You do not expect.

1:37So he clearly talking about when he comes back to judge the earth, be ready.

1:41So he’s talking to his disciples.

1:42Ok.

1:43So so far, I mean, I guess that you know, that makes sense to his disciples.

1:47But what about those who aren’t his disciples?

1:49Well, I’m so glad you asked because Peter asked the same question.

1:52So verse 41 Peter said, Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?

1:58Ok.

1:58So does this apply about you’re judging?

2:01Is this judgment for everyone or is it just for those who have known you verse 42.

2:07And the lord said, who then is the faithful and wise manager whom this master will set over his household to give them their portion of food at the proper time.

2:15Blesses that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes?

2:18Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

2:21But if that servant says to himself, my master is delayed in coming and begins to beat the male and female servants and to eat and drink and get drunk.

2:28The master, that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him.

2:31And at an hour, he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.

2:36And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will will receive a severe beating.

2:46So, so far he’s talking about, you know, the masters, will you understand his law?

2:51You understand his ways and you’ve totally rejected him, you disobeyed.

2:56There’s gonna be a severe judgment.

2:59And he said it in pretty graphic language.

3:01He’s cut, cutting him up and all these things.

3:04It’s a parable, but I do, it’s clear to me that it’s talking about the judgment to come.

3:10So have a little fear of God, maybe all of us first off before we even go further, have some fear of God that he is coming back as a king to come back to see it.

3:19What did you do with my word?

3:21Well, then you might ask, well, what about people who have never heard his word?

3:23Well, I’m so glad you asked, verse 48 addresses this Luke 12.

3:26But the one who did not know, that’s the one who never knew, he never heard the word listen to this and did what deserved a beating.

3:35So he, he didn’t know what the the master was coming back to judge.

3:40He didn’t know the master’s rules and laws, but he still did sin.

3:46That person will receive a light beating.

3:50He don’t notice it doesn’t say he has no beating.

3:53And again, this is a, this is a metaphor is a parable for the judgment to come.

3:57He still is judged.

3:59It’s not with as harsh of a judgment because he had less light to work with if you will, but he still is judged according to the light he had.

4:10And it says everyone versus the next sentence.

4:13This is still Luke 12 48 everyone to whom much was given of him, much will be required and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

4:26So first thing is if you do, if for those who do know the Lord who have the word who’ve grown up in the culture or family with that, we’ve been given much, we are not off the hook.

4:37That is clear from this parable, we are expected.

4:41He’s saying, yep, you have been spoiled compared to others.

4:45Those people aren’t off the hook either though.

4:47Notice there’s a judgment for all but it is according to the light you’re given.

4:53So, so you see that.

4:55so then you say, well, what about people in like non-christian context do that?

4:58What kind of light do they have about who God is and a judgment and that they’re gonna be under God’s wrath.

5:05If they don’t repent and come to Jesus, do they know all that?

5:07Well, you know more than you realize?

5:11Yes.

5:11Let’s, let’s look at Romans chapter one in Romans chapter one.

5:16It says, it says everyone can look at nature can look at creation and can know God’s judgment to come.

5:25It says therefore, no one, we are all without an excuse.

5:30It says Jew and gentile, which covers everyone in the entire earth is without excuse because everyone can look up, can see the sun can see the moon can see creation and they know there must be something bigger than me and he is someone I have to answer to.

5:44He made me.

5:45So he’s, he’s my owner and there is a judgment.

5:48So you can know.

5:49Now I know you can say, well, that doesn’t mean that you can know about Jesus.

5:52No, not yet, but we can know general picture, general understanding of who God is and of a judgment to come.

5:58That’s all in Romans one.

5:59It says it clearly and it actually says the reason we don’t know more clearly is because of unrighteousness.

6:06It actually says we suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

6:09So imagine someone where there’s blinding light all around them, but they blind them themselves.

6:14But then they, maybe I shouldn’t say blinding light but there’s abundant light all around them, but they close their eyes and they keep them firmly shut because they don’t want to see the light.

6:22That’s what we have in this world.

6:24There is a lot of evidence of revelation, of who God is, of his judgment to come of Jesus even I’ll get to that in a moment.

6:30But we close our eyes, we don’t want to see it because of unrighteousness in us.

6:35It goes on and says, the Romans too, not just the creation, but even our own heart bears witness the morality in us.

6:41It says, tells us that there is a God with a standard, there’s a judgment yet to come.

6:48So we can know that what is right and wrong, even if we haven’t been told.

6:53In fact, that’s what it says in Romans two.

6:55It says that very directly.

6:56It says, in fact, CS Lewis when he was when he was a, he didn’t believe in Jesus yet.

7:04He said this carried a lot of weight with him to think about the inner law, the moral law within his own heart, within humanity’s heart.

7:11He said, we all know as humans that lying is wrong,, that we need to be honest.

7:17But, but no one keeps that law, we all fall short of that.

7:24We all lie.

7:25Yeah, there’s something in us.

7:26So there’s something in us that’s striving for a, a guideline, a moral ethic that we can’t ourselves reach.

7:34that no one has reached.

7:35And he says, just observing, that made him really think there must be a God with the judgment.

7:41There must be a God with a standard that we’re all kind of know somewhat within us.

7:46Well, that’s exactly what Romans two says.

7:48And again, that’s true all over the world.

7:51So everyone can know there’s a general morality that they don’t live up to and this should put a bit of the fear of God in you.

7:57So, unless you love unrighteousness, which sadly the majority, I mean, all of us do to a degree.

8:06But that’s what’s caused us to be blind to the otherwise clear evidence that there is a guide with a judgment to come.

8:13So just from looking at creation, we know that from our moral witness within, we know that this is Romans one and Romans two, it says this and again, a example I give is C Lewis who actually said this is what caused me to start coming to Christ is to see.

8:27Oh, there is, there’s something in me, there’s a standard that I recognize but I don’t live up to and I need to know more about how to, what does this mean?

8:35And so we have all that but then, then you might say, yeah.

8:39Yeah.

8:39But, yeah, ok.

8:40Everyone in the world has those two things, granted.

8:43But that doesn’t mean they know about Jesus.

8:44How can they know about Jesus from just those two things?

8:47Well, I’m so glad you asked because later in Romans, Romans one and two sets it up to say there’s all these general indications of God.

8:56But then, but then later in Romans in Romans 10, it actually ask, it poses that same question.

9:00Listen to this.

9:01It says Romans 10 verse 14.

9:05How are people to believe in Jesus whom in Jesus, in whom they have never heard?

9:13That’s exactly the standard because if you read a little before that, he actually says Romans 9, 10, 13, everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved.

9:21If you go back even a little more, Romans 10, 12, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.

9:27The same Lord is of all the story.

9:29He is rich is on all who call on him.

9:30So it says whether you’re a Jew or whether you’re Greek, that means that’s all of humanity.

9:33By the way, you’re either Jew or you’re a Greek.

9:35Greek is another word for non Jew.

9:37So you’re either a Jew or a non Jew.

9:39Every one of those, all that includes everyone in the entire planet.

9:43, anyone who calls on Jesus will be saved.

9:49And that’s if you stretch that out a little bit more.

9:52it’s, it’s talking about believing the gospel.

9:54Romans 345678.

9:58Now.

9:58And the whole thing of Romans makes that very clear.

10:00It’s not just some generic call, but it’s that you’ve placed trust in the, in Christ, in the gospel.

10:05Everyone who does that will be saved.

10:07But then of course, that’s, this is the question we’re answering in this little thing.

10:11Well, what about those who, who don’t know?

10:12So then verse 14, it says Romans 10, 14, how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?

10:18And how are they to believe in him, of whom they have not heard?

10:22So now, so you say, yeah, good question.

10:25Good question.

10:26Well, thankfully, it doesn’t end there.

10:27It actually answers it.

10:29Next part of verse 10 or chapter 10, 14 of Romans.

10:34And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

10:38Oh, you thought we thought we were off the hook church?

10:41No.

10:41Remember what it we started with in Luke 12 says, if you’re given more revelation, more light, more knowledge of God, you’re expected, there’s more expected of you.

10:50And one of those expectations is that you will share that light of Jesus with those who have never heard.

10:57So they have a little bit of light, but God wants them to have more light.

11:03And, and so then it says, and how are they to preach unless they are sent as it is written?

11:07How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news?

11:11That’s another word for the gospel.

11:12So you see, you’re not just preaching anything, you’re preaching the actual gospel.

11:16And that gospel to be very clear is that people are enemies of God.

11:21We’ve sinned against him.

11:21We deserve his wrath no matter who we are, no matter what we believe, we all deserve his wrath.

11:27He’s a holy God and we don’t live up to his standard.

11:30So we deserve his wrath.

11:32However, he said, I will make a way, I’ll be reconciled.

11:37I come in the form of human flesh that is Jesus who came, I will live the righteous life that no human has lived.

11:46I will die of the and I will, I will take the punishment and wrath of God that every human deserves.

11:52I will resurrect from the dad and he did all this right and not just I will, but I he did he resurrected from the dad to show that the penalty has been paid in full and it’s in all who repent and put their trust in me.

12:11And what I did, they will be reconciled and be saved to God.

12:15That’s the gospel.

12:17So now we see in Romans, it’s that gospel is for those who, those who have not yet heard, we are sent to preach to them.

12:27The same thing comes in Matthew 28 when the, it’s called the Great Commission in the Church, it says, Jesus go to all the world and make disciples of all nations.

12:36So go, go and make disciples of all nations.

12:39They’re all peoples teaching them all.

12:43I’ve commanded you and baptizing, baptizing them in the name of the Father, son and the Holy Spirit.

12:49And I’m with you always, I’m giving paraphrase, but that’s what it is.

12:52So again, Jesus is saying earlier in Matthew, he said you can go to the Jews only.

12:56So that’s your own, your own people group your own.

12:58You know, the people who already have light, you go go to them.

13:01But now he’s saying, nope, that limit is off.

13:03You go to all the world, all peoples.

13:06because there are people who have never heard this message, they need to hear this message.

13:11It is time for them to hear this message.

13:14So so far, hopefully you’re tracking with me.

13:16There’s some people who have heard the message you’ve raised in a Christian family.

13:19More is expected of you.

13:21You’re not, you’re you don’t, you don’t get to coast.

13:24OK.

13:26More is expected of us because we’ve heard the message, but there’s people who’ve never heard the message yet.

13:30They have some light.

13:31They have, they will be judged according to the light.

13:33They have, they know enough to know in Romans one and two, they see creation, they see the inner witness in their own heart.

13:40They know there’s a judgment and they are guilty of that judgment.

13:43Anyone who’s honest and in seeking the Lord and, and does not just love, unrighteousness can have a, can have a general sense, even if you do love unrighteous, you have a general sense of the truth of God all around.

13:58that truth is there.

14:00But then God wants to make it even more clear and it is for those who are willing.

14:07And that’s kind of what you get from the scriptures.

14:09Those who are John 7 17, those who are willing to do God’s will, they will know of Jesus teaching.

14:16That’s what it says in John 7 17, for those who are willing, those who are unwilling, who love unrighteousness.

14:22And second Thessalonians two, it says God will send them a spirit of delusion that they would believe lies.

14:27And this doesn’t mean God just they’re a victim and it’s not an innocent victim, but it’s instead people who want to love unrighteousness and don’t have a heart to receive the truth.

14:37God’s gonna let them stay in that place.

14:39Ok?

14:39So I’m not talking about those people.

14:40They, they still know know enough that they’re gonna be judged.

14:43God’s gonna let them stay in that place.

14:45Though.

14:45But for those, even in cultures where no one has heard of Jesus, they’re crying out, they’re saying I wanna know the truth.

14:52He’s meeting every single one of those people and the main way he wants to meet them.

14:58According to Romans 10 is you and I, my friends, whoever is a Christian, we have the responsibility, the opportunity, the obligation and the pleasure of bringing this light to people who are waiting, who are calling out for it all over the world.

15:15And so that’s how they get even more light.

15:17They get general light from creation, but they get much more light from Christians, sharing the message of Jesus all over the world.

15:24And this is an important a critical piece, a critical part of the church’s mission is to go into everywhere and share this message of the gospel and that there is a judgment but guess what?

15:34It’s been paid.

15:35This is the best news in the world.

15:37We all, we all know we’re under judgment and it says in Romans one and two, we have a general sense, we’re under judgment, but we actually have the message.

15:44The Christians have the only message of that judgment being paid.

15:47And now the good news that you could be reconciled and brought to God.

15:51Now, lastly, you might have one last question and you say, well, OK, OK, I get it so far.

15:55But what if there’s someone in the world who is seeking God.

16:01And ok, so Christians are sent to them.

16:03But let’s say that Christian doesn’t obey, he doesn’t go, he doesn’t obey the, you know, he, he doesn’t obey the Great Commission.

16:09He just stays back.

16:12Are you saying that person will be in hell forever?

16:15Because because the Christian never shared and to that, I would say first off three things, one that Christian doesn’t share shame on them.

16:26It does say according to Luke 12, what we started with, there’s gonna be a judgment for, for holding back the gift they have.

16:33Number two, God is not limited by a humans to share.

16:38There’s a few books out there.

16:41One I think it said it says he set eternity in their hearts or something like that.

16:46I forgot what it, what exactly the name by Don.

16:49Oh man, I should have looked this up.

16:50I forgot the name of that dude who the author is.

16:52Some, some of you who are here, this will know what I’m talking about.

16:54But there’s a book where it’s by an anthropologist and he studies cultures all over the world.

17:01And how many of these cultures knew things whether through a dream, through a vision, through a prophetic word, through something they knew about Jesus.

17:10Before even a hu a Christian entered their civilization in China, we have evidence of them believing things about Jesus and about the about God, about the general things of, of, of God are believed even in their, in their language, in their, in their letters.

17:28and their character symbols.

17:30People have done the historical studies and they said, wait, there is evidence of remnants that there is truth that that was in the culture.

17:35There, even before a Christian ever stepped foot.

17:37There, we have stories all over of God himself in dreams and visions, all sorts of things.

17:42So God is not limited by a Christian who’s not sharing.

17:48He will make the light known to those who are eager to receive it.

17:52However, His, the, the, the best way if I can say it that way, what God is really wanting his design is for Christians to share that and then to bring those people and those cultures to become Christians and then they can share and they can raise kids who can then share and share that the light is supposed to increase, not decrease in the land.

18:15And he wants it to do through human witness.

18:17It’s kind of like I think about Peter sharing with Cornelius household.

18:20And I don’t know if you remember this in acts 10, but Cornelius had a vision and he saw an angel and, and the angel said, listen, there’s a message from Peter and then Peter had Peter had a vision I should say, and Cornelius saw an, had an angel and Peter had a vision and the Holy Spirit spoke to him and said, you need to speak to Cornelius this message of the gospel.

18:38And, and then so then there’s, you know, God’s speaking in such dramatic ways of Cornelius and says, listen to Peter and then God speaks to Peter and says, let speak to Cornelius.

18:47And then finally, Peter goes the blundering Peter and shares the gospel in acts 10.

18:51And before Peter even gets to finish it says, the Holy Spirit came on them and they came to faith.

18:55So Peter is blundering.

18:56He’s making mistakes.

18:57He’s not getting it right.

18:59But yet God still wanted to use Peter.

19:01Take it up with God.

19:02Why he does that?

19:02But it’s interesting to see that an angel spoke to Cornelius and the spirit spoke and vision spoke to Peter.

19:08Like why didn’t God just speak directly to Cornelius if he, why did God take all the time to show visions and angels and all these things just to say, listen to Peter?

19:17That’s God.

19:17Take it off of God.

19:18That’s God’s way though he wants to use his church.

19:20I mean, I could give you reason for that beyond this time here.

19:23But that is part of His vision for how to do this is that the church would share we would, we would spread the seed of His word through our tongues.

19:31They think about a too the Pentecost, the tongue of fighters is how the church begins.

19:35He wants us to spread his witness through our own tongues, sharing wherever we can however we can.

19:40So that’s his way to do it.

19:41It’s his primary way.

19:42If we’re unfaithful, shame on us, there it is shameful and there is judgment on that.

19:49that, that, you know, in the final rewards, judgment, all the things God has to come that’s gonna, that’s gonna happen.

19:55But he doesn’t mean he’s can’t still speak to those people in different ways.

20:00Right.

20:00And and so I would say, like I said, they, they can still know if they’re seeking the Lord, they can still know.

20:13Oh yeah, I was, I was saying three things here.

20:14One is, they can still know even if a Christian doesn’t share.

20:18God can still reveal.

20:19Number two, there’s judgment on Christians who aren’t willing to share.

20:22But then number three, I would add people think, oh, this person over here is going to hell because they didn’t hear them or they didn’t believe in Jesus.

20:30That’s why they’re going to hell.

20:31That’s not biblical.

20:32We are going to hell because daily we are wicked in our inner thoughts and actions in everything in Genesis five.

20:39It says every thought and inclination of their heart was only evil continually.

20:44I’m sorry.

20:44That was Genesis six.

20:46Every thought.

20:47That’s how wicked we are.

20:48We don’t see it because we compare ourselves to each other and we think, oh, we’re so so wonderful and great.

20:51No, we all deserve hell a billion times over.

20:55We don’t see that because we think we’re good and we don’t see how great God’s standard is.

20:59He’s totally, he’s pure, he’s pure light.

21:03There is no darkness in him.

21:05And so he we don’t understand the standard he has.

21:10So that is how God that’s, that’s how God is.

21:15So my point is we are, we are judged because of our wickedness, not because we happen to not hear this message over here.

21:23No, the that message is God’s absolute gift for, for us to be saved, even though we don’t deserve it.

21:34His justice would say we’re all going to hell.

21:36But as mercy steps in and says, yes, but I’ll take the punishment, I’ll suffer the eternal suffering so that you don’t because I’m the eternal God who suffered on the cross, Jesus.

21:45So you don’t have to suffer.

21:46And so he’s willing to do it.

21:48But if he just, if only one person in the entire world received the message of salvation of the Gospel, that is unfair in a good way.

21:57Let’s put it that way.

21:58It’s, it’s, it’s it’s beyond justice because justice would be every single person in the world go to hell.

22:04If just one person received the Gospel, that is a mercy, that is a grace.

22:08One person be saved, that’s a mercy and it’s a grace that not, that was not deserved.

22:12What if 10 people do it 10 times the mercy and grace.

22:15What if 100 people 100 times the mercy and grace?

22:18So we see that us sharing the message all over the world is show, sharing God’s mercy and grace.

22:25And but we all deserve hell.

22:28Of course, like we said at the beginning, Luke 12, there’s judgment.

22:31I get it that some have less light than others and they will have less of a judgment, judgment, but they still have enough to know the difference.

22:38So I hope this makes sense.

22:39I gave a lot of scripture here.

22:41Take it up with the Lord and ask if there’s other questions.