what happens to someone who never heard the gospel?

“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me”

—Jeremiah 29:13 NLT
This is a go-to scenario for people trying to poke holes in Christian logic: A person from a remote region, who’s never had any exposure to Christianity or the Bible, dies. What will happen to that person?
I believe that God will judge us according to the light we have received. We will not be held accountable for what we do not know. That, however, does not excuse us from all responsibility. Otherwise, we might say ignorance is bliss.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God “has planted eternity in the human heart” (NLT). He has hardwired us to know Him. That means from the day we’re born, we’re on a quest, a search to find meaning and purpose in life. God put that restless desire inside us. We were created in His image. We were born with a soul—and an inner emptiness that only He can fill.

And though our internal compass points us toward God, we still go our own way. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:19–20, “They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (NLT).

Some people may say, “I have my own standards that I live by.” But I would venture to guess that you probably don’t even live up to your own standards. You violate the rules you think are right.

Others might say, “I’m a sincere seeker of truth. I just haven’t found what I’m looking for.” If you’re a sincere seeker of truth, I believe that you will find your way to Jesus Christ. The Lord said, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13 NLT). God will make Himself real to you if you really want to know Him.

Don’t worry so much about the person who’s never heard the gospel. Think about yourself because you have heard the gospel. And knowledge brings responsibility.

For the record, here’s the gospel in a nutshell. We have all sinned. We have all fallen short of God’s standards. There is nothing we can do to meet the righteous requirements of God. God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully man, to die on the cross for our sin. He bodily rose again from the dead. If we will turn from our sin and put our faith in Christ, we will be forgiven. We can know that we will go to Heaven when we die. And we can find the meaning and purpose we’ve been looking for in this life.

That’s the gospel truth. Now that you understand it, you’re responsible for responding to it.

Reflection Question: How can you make sure that the people around you understand the gospel?