Question
What happened to the Buddhists in India in 400 B.C.? Jesus Christ had not come yet. The Jews were without a prophet.
Answer
If they died believing in the false gospel of the Buddhist religion then they went to Hell and have been in terrible torment to this day for their sins.
Question (continued)
How could they ever be saved?
Answer (continued)
In the exact same way people are saved today: by Repentance of their Sins; by
Faith in the Messiah (Jesus); and by Submission to the Lordship of Christ. Note:
these three elements take place in the heart and professed by the lips, but are
totally generated by the Holy Spirit.
Question (continued)
If they were not saved doesn't it indicate that the message of salvation was
not so important or urgent since God didn't even prepare a program for them to
be saved?
Answer (continued)
The salvation message was given to Adam and Eve when they first sinned, that
there was coming a Savior who was going to defeat the enemy (Satan). All they
had to do was to Repent of their sin, Believe in God's promised Savior that was
coming, and to submit to the revealed Word of God.
Question (continued)
Wouldn't it be unfair for them to be sent to Hell if they didn't have a
chance to know God like the Jews usually had?
Answer (continued)
They all had the same chance as you and I have, for the "eternal gospel" of
faith (Revelation 14:6) was given to Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve passed it down
to their descendants, and therefore Noah had it and passed it down to his
descendants. Logically, since the entire human race comes from two parents (Adam
and Eve) then every people on the planet for all time have had access to the
true gospel.
We see evidence of this in two places:
1. Natural Revelation - "For since the creation of the world God's
invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
[Romans 1:20]
Men and women of all time have seen evidence of God in His creation, and all
they had to do was to respond to it and 'seek" to know more about Him:
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me." [Proverbs 8:17]
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." [Jeremiah
29:13]
"If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will
reject you forever." [1 Chronicles 28:9]
2. The Providence of God - "From one man he made every nation of men,
that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for
them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would
seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from
each one of us." [Acts 17:26-27]
God has placed every man and woman in the exact generation, and country, and
family that would be "ideal" for them to reach out and find Him, so there is no
excuse.
I am very concerned about this because there are also people today in similar
conditions and they will never be reached by the gospel.
In our age, we are told by Jesus that the overwhelming majority of people will
reject the gospel and continue on the wide road to Hell:
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that
leads to destruction [eternal torment], and many [the multitude] enter through
it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life [heaven], and
only a few find it." [Matthew 7:13-14]
The good news is that salvation is not up to man, for all men and women have
sinned and rejected God and are condemned to Hell, but God, by His grace, has
"elected" [predestined] some to receive His "free gift" of faith so that they
would believe and be saved from the wrath that they deserved. God has never
asked any one if He could save them (they would have said no), rather He just
chose the ones He wanted.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Tony Capoccia's Questions and Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Our websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986