Many Christians have explained to me that it is their duty to undertake the so-called "great commission" where they are compelled to spread the gospel message of salvation. They claim the Bible teaches that people are saved by faith in Jesus and not by doing good works. The implication being that people must be made aware of how Jesus sacrificed himself as payment for their sins and accept Christ in their hearts before God will permit them to enjoy an eternal afterlife in heaven. According to these Christians, they are warned that people who reject Jesus and his gift of salvation will not be permitted to enter the kingdom of God. How this criteria for salvation applies to people who lived-out their entire lives without ever having been exposed to Christianity is not entirely clear.
Many of us take for granted that almost everyone in the world today will have an opportunity to learn about Christianity either through indoctrination, cultural upbringing, public proselytizing, or the internet. Obviously, this has not always been the case. During the 1st century and for hundreds of years afterwords, the majority of people across the world would have known little to nothing about Jesus or Christianity. In fact, most cultures were completely oblivious to the gospel message. Of course, prior to the ministry of Jesus, absolutely no one believed in Christianity because it didn't yet exist. Where did all those people go when they died? Did God deny those people entrance into his kingdom for having never accepted Jesus in their hearts despite them having no knowledge that such a requirement existed? Are they being eternally punished in hell for worshiping false gods even though they never received spiritual guidance to the contrary by Christian missionaries or God himself?
Some Christian apologists suggest that God is merciful and does not fault those people for having never been provided the gospel. As such, many Christians believe that people who had no knowledge of Jesus or Christianity but lived a moral and righteous existence were judged fairly by God and were permitted into heaven after they died. We must infer from such theological reasoning that it would have been a disservice to educate them about Jesus because doing so would have increased their risk of being denied entrance into God's kingdom. This is because, had they received the gospel but were not convinced that the resurrection claim was true, God would have judged them negatively for their lack of faith even though they would have otherwise been judged favorably if no one had ever witnessed Christianity to them.
So, the compulsion to witness for Jesus presents a moral dilemma for these Christians. Logic dictates that preaching the gospel may actually be doing more harm than good for moral and righteous people by instituting a less reasonable criterion for salvation. Once a moral and righteous person becomes aware of Christianity, God can no longer judge that individual based on the person's character but must judge the person based on the individual's ability to have faith in an extraordinary claim about Jesus instead. How do Christians propose to resolve this moral dilemma?
Good question!
Unfortunately, most Christians don't give the matter as much thought as you apparently have. Truth is, they too exist within their own version of blindness as those who without the knowledge of Jesus Christ, would say "there is no God." They, having heard, actually have no advantage. On the other hand, those without the knowledge of Jesus Christ, are not without their own exposure to the fact that there is a God. In other words, God is indeed fair, and thus everyone has their own "Hmmm...just maybe there
could be a God" moment.
But don't misunderstand. Many, if not most, who would seem privileged to have heard of Jesus Christ, are nonetheless skeptical...or for that matter, gullible. Yes, gullible. That is, the Christ-aware are gullible to believe what they are exposed to regarding Jesus and God, while those unaware are just as gullible to believe what they are exposed to regarding a world wherein there is no God. Seriously, people bought bellbottoms and rap music for the same reason! That is our nature.
So, yes, God is fair and present to all.
Either way, there are indeed plenty of botched attempts at evangelism...but no moral dilemma. The putting of feet to one's own belief is not about those to whom they are sent, but rather about those who are themselves sent. Thus, a tree is known by its fruit.
