What happens to someone who lives and dies without ever hearing the Gospel?
Study Guide Link:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ekq8824jolxkqpuwv1eei/AMUULeRyoDTLtEs_FcsqdPQ?rlkey=u283p7hwwpgra5kvcvoom0vuj&dl=0
It is one of the most difficult questions Christians wrestle with, and in Part 2 of this discussion, Terry Peer and Dr. Terry L. Peer continue looking to Scripture—not simply human opinion or emotion—for the answer.
If someone has never had a Bible, never attended a church, never heard a preacher and never met a missionary, what do they actually know about God?
Dr. Peer walks through Romans 1–3 and other passages to examine the different sources of “light” available to humanity, including creation, an inherent awareness of God, moral law and conscience.
But that leads to an even more difficult question:
Do any of us actually live up to the light we have been given?
Romans 3 gives a sobering answer: “There is none righteous, no, not one,” and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
This discussion ultimately brings us back to the urgency of the Great Commission. If the world needs Jesus, then Christians have been given a responsibility to carry the Gospel beyond our churches, communities and comfort zones.
Romans 10:14–15 asks:
“How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”
In this episode:
• What Romans 1 says everyone can know about God
• How creation reveals the Creator
• The difference between general and special revelation
• The “inner moral law” described in Romans 2
• How our conscience acts as an “inner umpire”
• Why having some knowledge of God does not mean we live according to it
• What “all have sinned” really means
• Jesus as the glory of God
• The balance of grace and truth demonstrated by Jesus
• The biblical state of those who remain unreached
• Why missions and evangelism still matter
• The responsibility Christians have to take the Gospel to the world
This episode also includes our weekly Lester’s Feet segment and the story of 13-year-old Ian and his family. Please join us in praying for Ian, his mother Chelsea and his younger brother as they continue traveling long distances for his medical treatment.
We also share an update on Boone Brothers and the ministry resources now available to hunters and families.
If these conversations are helping you wrestle with difficult questions of faith, share this episode with someone who may be asking the same questions.
And remember: our goal isn't simply to have an opinion about difficult questions. It is to open God's Word and discover what He has actually said.
KEY SCRIPTURE
Romans 10:14–15
“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? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”
CHAPTERS
00:00 – Introduction
01:02 – Why Scripture Must Be the Foundation
03:20 – Recapping Part 1: What About Those Who Never Hear?
05:59 – God So Loved the World
08:47 – Slowing Down When We Read Scripture
11:30 – What Sources of Light Do the Unreached Have?
15:03 – Romans 1: God Has Made Himself Evident
19:56 – How Nature Reveals God
22:50 – Creation and the Complexity of God
25:13 – What Ancient Thinkers Recognized About a Creator
27:37 – Tradition and Humanity's Awareness of God
28:07 – The Inner Moral Law
29:49 – Romans 2 and the Law Written on the Heart
32:15 – Your Conscience as an “Inner Umpire”
34:34 – Can Our Conscience Be Trained Wrong?
36:59 – Everyone Has Some Light
38:27 – Lester's Feet: Boone Brothers Update
40:44 – Meet Ian and His Family
42:37 – Upcoming Speaking Events
44:17 – Do People Live Up to the Light They Have?
46:38 – “All Have Sinned”
49:02 – Jesus Is the Glory of God
51:29 – The Perfect Balance of Grace and Truth
53:33 – Have We Lived Up to the Light We've Been Given?
56:01 – How Does God Judge?
58:29 – What Is the State of the Unreached?
01:00:15 – Why Christians Must Go
01:01:26 – What's Next in the Tough Questions Series?
01:01:49 – Closing Prayer
PINNED COMMENT
This is one of the toughest questions Christians are asked:
What happens to someone who never has the opportunity to hear the Gospel?
After listening to Parts 1 and 2, what Scripture from these discussions helped you understand the issue more clearly?
Please keep the conversation respectful and rooted in Scripture. There are people reading these comments who may genuinely be wrestling with this question.
And please join us in praying for Ian and his family from this week's Lester's Feet segment.
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