Negativism is out, positivism is definitely in.  Speak of sunsets and moonbeams, of butterflies and ice cream cones, of sunshine, and heaven and a loving God waiting at the precipice of death.  Speak not of darkness or evil or even fallen men.  Evil is a matter of poor education or lost opportunities.  Humankind is basically good, just misguided.  We are adorable and lovable, once you get to know us.  Hell and brimstone are the mechanism of organized religion to intimidate and control the faithful.  We have outgrown such nonsense and boogy men.  Such is the sentiment of the time we live in.  Preachers are encouraged to speak of positive things and to be sensitive to the offenses of the seeker coming to the church doors.  Grace is the buzz word and hell a social blunder in the church setting.  In fact, modern man finds it difficult, if not impossible to accept the doctrine of eternal punishment.  Eternal punishment offends the sensibilities and threatens the self-esteem.  Don't you know that God is love?, it is often said.  Is it fair for God to send someone to hell and eternal punishment?  This doctrine of eternal punishment becomes especially offensive when applied to the heathen, whom having never heard of the gospel, can hardly be blamed for rejecting it. 

The fate of heathen is the tripping point for so many who have issue with a Holy God and eternal punishment.  There is an inherent sense of unfairness in our limited human logic for someone to be punished for an offense they are supposedly unaware of.  And yet, before addressing the fate of the heathen it will be helpful to discuss the lostness of man in general.  Three questions are applicable here.  Is man lost or is he not?^[1]  If he is lost, is he lost in this life only or also for eternity?  If by chance he finds himself lost in the next life, will he have a second chance?

It is easy to ask these questions; it is not easy to answer them.  Indeed, man does not have the answers to these questions, nor is he capable of finding them for himself.  Man's ultimate fate rests in the hands of God.  Whether he is saved or lost depends entirely on God and His mercy^[2].  If God declares man to be lost, then he is lost.  Left to his own intelligence and shut up to his own information, man has no way of knowing how he stands in the sight of God.  Being a resident of earth, and therefore limited to this realm, he has no knowledge of heaven- nor hell either.  It is therefore futile for him to speculate; it is dangerous for him to dogmatize.  Concerning his own fate, man knows only what God has been pleased to reveal to him.  It is an act of consummate folly for him to reject that revelation.

Is Man Lost? The Bible is the only book in the world that speaks to that point.  And the answer we get comes through loud and clear: Most definitely, man is lost.  That statement embraces the entire human race.  All men are lost.  Jews and gentiles, good men and bad, the pagans in America as well as the heathen in Africa- all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom . 3:23).  All are children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3); all are under condemnation (Rom. 3:19); all have a destination with death (Rom. 5:12; Heb. 9:27).  Upright, moral decent men such as Nicodemus and Cornelius- all are lost and need to be saved. (John 3:3; Acts 11:13-14). 

What does it mean to be lost?  The Scriptures portray a dismal, dreadful picture of man in his lost condition.  Man was made in the beginning by God for God, and God intended that man should find his highest happiness in fellowship with Himself.  But man disobeyed.  With his eyes wide open and knowing full well the awful and inevitable consequences of his act, Adam put forth his hand and bit into the forbidden fruit.  Instantly something happened; sin came into his life and God went out.  From that day to this, man has wondered to and fro, throughout the earth, as a spiritual derelict.  He has sailed the seven seas; he has traveled to the ends of the earth; he has even visited the moon; he has conquered the wilderness and made the dessert to blossom like a rose; he has founded empires and dynasties; he has built cities and castles, he has heaped to himself riches and honor; but for all that his soul is an orphan still.  In His heart there is what Augustine called the God-shaped void that nothing on earth can ever fill.  His spirit, like a restless bird, flits between deep waters and rough seas, searching for that which he cannot name, but desperately desires.  He is totally unable to find what Jesus called rest for the soul.  With vertical connection broken, all horizontal connections are at loose ends.  He is not only at odds with his Maker, but with his neighbor as well.

The Bible describes him as being dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).  He has plenty of physical, intellectual, and community life; but he is completely devoid of spiritual life.  He is alienated from the life of God (Eph. 4:18), ignorant of the truth of God (Rom. 1:25), hostile to the law of God (Rom. 8:7), disobedient to the will of God (Titus 3:3), and exposed to the wrath of God (John 3:36).  He has been separated from God so long that he has become naturalized in the unnatural and actually loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19).

As a result of the Fall all men are now members of a sinful, fallen race.  Every man is born in sin and iniquity (Psalm 51:5).  He enters the world with a corrupt, sinful nature and finds himself afflicted with an inborn, irresistible propensity to sin.  He takes to sin like an alcoholic to drink.  His body and mind he employs as instruments of wickedness (Rom. 6:13) and his five physical senses are inlets and outlets for sin (Col. 2:21).  A hundred times a day he commits sins of omission as well as commission. He sins in thought (Gen. 6:5), word (Rom. 3:13-14), and deed (Rom. 1:29-32); and all his so-called good deeds are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

Man is not a sinner because he sins; he sins because he is a sinner.  It is his job description.  It is just natural for man to sin as it is for a dog to bark.  It is part of his nature (Rom 7:18); it comes from his heart (Matt. 15:19); and his heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9).  Or as Isaiah expressed it:

The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint.  From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they are not pressed out, or bound up, or softened with oil (Isaiah 1:5-6).

Nowhere is the lostness of man more vividly portrayed than in the three parables spoken by Jesus in Luke 15.  There we have the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son.  J. Oswald Sanders says: The coin was helplessly lost; the sheep was heedlessly lost; the son was willfully lost.^[3]  He does not know his way home.  Left to himself he will always travel the downward road, farther and farther into the far country of sin (Luke 15:13).  Not only does he willfully sin, but he does not even know where to begin to be unlost.  Man sits in the dark, covered in the filth of his own rebellion, and crushed under to the weight of his own condemnation before God.

If Man is lost, is he lost in this life only or also for eternity?

The question has meaning only if man possesses immortality.  If man's existence is confined to this life and he dies and withers to dust like the rest of creation, it is senseless to talk about his being saved or lost for eternity.  Man's destiny is linked with his origin.  According to the Biblical account, The Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Gen. 2:7).  Man is the only earthly creature who is said to have been made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26).  As such he must possess immortality.  The Bible nowhere tries to prove the immortality of the soul any more than it tries to prove the existence of God or the Trinity, for the simple reason that both ideas are part of the innate consciousness of the human race.  There is no tribe, however primitive, that does not have some consciousness of a Supreme Being and some hope of life beyond the grave.  Life beyond death is a universal concept and hope for everyone who draws breath.  Doubtless, this is what the writer had in mind when he wrote: He (God) has made everything beautiful in His time; also He has put eternity in man's mind.  (Ecc. 3:11).

The Bible clearly teaches that there are two destinies for every person.  One involves everlasting happiness in the presence of God and the holy angels (Luke 15:10; Rev. 22:3-5; I Thess. 4:17); the other involves everlasting misery in the company of the Devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41).  The New Testament speaks of two gates - one straight and the other wide; two ways- one broad and the other narrow; two destinies- one life and the other destruction (Matt. 7:13-14).  In the day of judgement the sheep will be separated from the goats (Matt. 25:31-46), the wheat from the tares (Matt. 13:36-43), and the Good from the Evil (John 5:29).  And in the resurrection there will be a separation between the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15).

The theology of everlasting punishment, though taught in the Scriptures, is challenged by many today.  The chief argument with this Biblical truth is twofold.  First, the very idea is said to be offensive to the postmodern mind.  No person in his right mind, would consign his worst enemy to hell.  Secondly, it is impossible to reconcile everlasting punishment with the all-embracing love of God.  It must be acknowledged that the idea of everlasting punishment is offensive to the postmodern mind.  In fact, the idea is offensive to both postmodern and modern mind.  The reply is, so what?  Is eternal punishment the only Christian doctrine that is unacceptable to the humanistic, naturalistic, relativistic, politically correct, postmodern mind.  The Christian must choose between the popular view and the mind of Christ; after all it was Christ who first taught this terrible truth.  He is the one who is responsible for the doctrine of eternal punishment.  If the postmodern is opposed to eternal punishment in a literal Hell, then they are not only in conflict with the doctrine but with Jesus Christ as well.

The word Gehenna occurs twelve times in the New Testament; eleven times it came from the lips of Christ.  It was not John the Baptist or the apostle Paul who first coined those awful words we would prefer to drop form our present day preaching: place of torment, the unquenchable fire, the worm that does not die, outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth.  These are not the wild, irresponsible words of some flaming evangelist who goes up and down the country preaching hellfire and brimstone in an attempt to scare people into the kingdom.  These words, terrible as they are, fell from the lips of the gentle savior- the man who gave His life and shed His blood that men might be forgiven.

We cannot evade the issue.  Jesus taught the doctrine of everlasting punishment.  He claimed to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and we accept His claim.  He knew the truth (John 2:24-25), He taught the truth (John 18:37), He lived the truth (John 1:14), He was the truth (John 14:6).  Jesus Christ is the King of Truth.  He cannot lie.  What He says must be true.  Whether we understand it or not, whether we like it or not, is really beside the point.  It makes no difference to the truth of any statement that comes from Him. If He said it, it must be true.  Otherwise the concept of lordship of Christ becomes meaningless.

It might not be out of place to remind ourselves that all we know about eternal life and heaven we learned from Christ.  Likewise, all we know about death and judgement we obtained from the same source.  What right have we to accept His teaching on the one and reject it on the other?  If He is an authority on heaven, He is also an authority on Hell.

Some people talk as if love were the only truth Jesus ever taught.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Jesus did come teaching love.  Indeed, He Himself was the ultimate expression of God's love (John 3:16).  It is true that God loved the world and that Christ died for all.   It is true that God is ready and willing to reconcile the rebel, forgive the sinner, and receive the prodigal back from the far country.  But what if the rebel spurns God's love and persists in his rebellion?  What if the sinner refuses forgiveness?  What if the prodigal elects to remain in the distant country?

Jesus taught the love of God as no one else has ever done.  He also spoke of sin, wrath, death and judgement.  He recognized that there is such a thing as willful sin and He did not hesitate to declare that if men will not accept the mercy of God they shut themselves up to the wrath of God (John 3:36).  Christianity has two symbols, the cross and the throne.  One speaks of love, the other of judgement.  Every man must make his own choice.  God does not force His will on anyone.  But, the man who rejects God's love exposes himself to His wrath; and the one is indistinguishable with the other (Acts 17:30-31; Romans 2:3-5; II Thess. 1:7-10).

Must Almighty God, Ruler of heaven and earth tolerate rebellion in His universe forever?  To ask the question is to answer it.  Christ's picture of the final judgement is completely realistic.  He was too good and too honest to fool us.  What He told us about the judgement to come is the simple, naked, unvarnished truth of God; and we amend or reject it at our own hazard.

We do not preach the wrath of God because we like to, but because Jesus taught it.  Being followers of Christ, we have no choice.  What preacher does not understand the feeling of C.S. Lewis when he wrote: There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this hell, if it lay in my power. . . . . .I would pay any price to be able to say truthfully: All will be saved.'^[4] That is the crux of the matter.  It clearly does not lie in our power to remove hell or any other doctrine from the anthology of Christian truth.  If Jesus Christ is Lord of all life, it compels us to destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (II Cor. 10:5).

Those who reject Christ's teaching about everlasting punishment insist that the words He used are not to be taken literally.  According to them, they are symbolic and no longer mean what our predecessors  of a cruder generation thought they meant.  Be that as it may.  If they are merely symbolic, it must be unspeakably awful to require such symbols to express it.  Take the most liberal view, place on these biting words the most compassionate arrangement they can possibly bear; one cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, deny the fact that they describe a form of punishment more severe than any human being would wish to bear.

Is there a second chance after death?

Again,  we are totally dependent for on the New Testament for our information.  There is nothing in the teaching of Christ to suggest the possibility of a second chance after death.  In fact, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) the very opposite is clearly taught.  The rich man in hell made two requests to Abraham.  One was that Lazarus be sent to cool his tongue with water.  The other was that he might be sent to the rich man's family to warn those still on earth to the reality of his torment.  Both requests were denied.  In denying the first request Abraham explained the impossibility of any such arrangement saying, Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.  And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able and none may cross from there to us (Luke 16:26-27).  It is clear from this passage that death seals the fate of both the believer and the non-believer.  Repentance is possible only in this life; after death there is only remorse.  The author of the book of Hebrews says: It is appointed for men to die once and then the judgement- not probation (Hebrews 9:27).  This brings us to the inevitable progression of objections to the heathen and eternal states.

The Heathen and Eternal Destiny

But what about the heathen who have never the gospel and, therefore, cannot be charged with having rejected it?  It is their fate that has caused the most controversy.  And it is this area that the final objections to eternal punishment rest.  The doctrine of everlasting punishment is bad enough when applied to the gospel-hardened sinner who deliberately rejects the gospel.  But, what happens to those in non-Christian countries who never had a chance to accept Christ?  The objections are often framed like this: Is it fair to punish them for rejecting a Christ of whom they are completely ignorant?  Many of them are seeking souls and doubtless would believe if they had an opportunity.  Are all these people going to be forever lost through no fault of their own?

In order to answer these specific charges, it is first necessary to discuss the condition of the heathen in general.  The central passage in the Scriptures relating to those who have never heard the gospel is found in the first three chapters of the book of Romans.  Again, the viewpoint of the book of Romans reveals clearly specific truth regarding the heathen:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,  And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.          (Rom. 1:21-23)

In their progressive apostasy the heathen did not lose all knowledge of God.  They retained a knowledge of God's eternal power and deity which reached them through creation (often termed general revelation).  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Rom. 1:20)

Also, the revelation of God through creation is supplemented by another revelation through nature.  Speaking to the primitive people of Lycaonia, Paul said, Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:17).  Modern man with his food stamps and welfare programs was not the first to discover the connection between food and happiness.  God knew it all along and made provision for both.  Farmers the world over realize how susceptible they are to the whims of the weather: but behind the weather is God, the Creator and Sustainer of the world of nature.  Nearly every heathen society has some kind of ritual whereby it celebrates a good harvest.  It is a pity that the thanks offerings on such occasions are usually made to the earth gods, not the God of heaven and earth.  But the recognition is there.  God has not left Himself without witness.

There is still another form of revelation given to the heathen- the human conscience.  The heathen have neither the light of the law nor the light of the gospel; but they do have the light of conscience.  Paul says. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; (Romans 2:14-15).  Conscience is by no means a perfect instrument, and it can be abused to the point where it fails to function properly; but it still remains the inherent regulator within the human heart.  No man is so far debase that his conscience ceases to function.

This brings us to the critical question: On what basis are the heathen to be judged?  At this point there is a great deal of confusion in thinking.  The popular argument goes something like this: There is only one way to be saved and that is through faith in Christ; the heathen, having never heard of Christ, cannot exercise faith; consequently he is doomed to everlasting punishment for something quite beyond his capability.  This line of thought is based upon a false assumption that has no support in Scripture.  The assumption is that all men will be judged on the same basis- namely, for failing to believe the gospel.  The second chapter of Romans makes it plain that all men will not be judged on the same basis.  Rather, they will be judged according to the light they received.  In that chapter there are three groups: the Jew, with the light of the law, the Gentile and the light of the gospel, and the heathen with the light of conscience.  No man will be judged by light he did not possess.  Every man possess some form of light and he will be judged by that light and by no other.  The greater the light the weightier the responsibility.  The man who all his life lived in the sound of the church bell but never entered the church door will have the hardest time of all.  He will be judged in the blazing light of the full revelation of God's saving grace in Jesus Christ (II Cor. 4:4).  He had Christian friends and neighbors.  He possessed, or could have easily acquired the Bible, which is able to make him wise unto salvation (II Tim. 3:16).  In his own home, on the radio or television, he could have heard the gospel on any given Sunday.  What excuse does such a man have for failing to surrender to Jesus Christ?  If he goes to hell, he will have no one to blame but himself; and his remorse will be ever so much more when he remembers the hundreds and thousands of opportunities for salvation that he passed up.

The heathen on the other hand will not be judged so severely.  But he will not walk freely into heaven.  He had the light of creation, prudence, and his conscience.  And he will be judged by that light.  If he is finally condemned, it will not be because he failed to believe the gospel, but because he failed to live up to the light he had.  In that case, he too must bear the responsibility for his own destiny.  God does not consign him to hell; he goes there because that is where he belongs.  If the heathen then is judged by the light he received, how will he fare?  The question is often asked: Does anyone live up to the light they receive?  The teachings of Scripture and the testimony of missionaries leave no room for hope in this regard.  If the first chapter of Romans is an accurate picture of the heathen world, the individuals who make up that world are not likely candidates for salvation.  The concept of the noble savage exists only in the mind of the skeptic.  Moral failure is a universal reality.

The gospel clearly says: Everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).  Do we have the right to substitute the name of Buddha or Krishna for Christ?  Absolutely not!  There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved  (Acts 4:12).  Jesus said, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me (John 14:6).  Paul says, For no other foundation can anyone lay that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (I Cor. 3:11).  Again he says, For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (I Timothy 2:5).  The above statements are clear.  They admit only one interpretation.  All other passages which are less clear and which are capable of more than one interpretation must be exegeted in the light of these statements.  This is the Truth of the New Testament.  This is the principle upon which all believers, both domestic and foreign, must operate.