This revision is from 2011/11/27 20:24. You can Restore it.
A FAQ is, if the Gospel is the only way to God, then why do some people have more access to it than others? Is this fair?
Let me lead off with a very important and powerful passage, Romans 1:18-23.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."
Really, that is the bottom line. God makes it fair, and we can trust this. However, at the risk of over-expounding, I have some additional comments about the possible ways that God does this.
Possibilities(Edit)
Obvious(Edit)
I think the simplest interpretation of the Scripture above is that God makes Himself evident to all people inherently. We automatically know all that we need to know about Him, and it is our sin that clouds the knowledge out. I believe the wonderment of nature falls into this category. How can a person look around and not see the loving hands of God all about us?
Incremental Leading(Edit)
Another possibility is that God leads a person to Himself step by step, as they accept the simpler truths and graduate on to deeper truths. If a person was born in a polytheistic culture, but feels in their heart that there is only one God. If they are a good steward of this truth, perhaps God will reveal more and more, leading them out of the swamp of lies and into the clear truth of the Gospel.
Tribal Curse(Edit)
Something else to consider is that, according to Biblical history, people started out with knowledge of God (starting with Adam, then again with Noah). Noah had some sons that rebelled against God and departed from the tribe---and the faith.