This is a very popular question and the way we answer it has huge consequences. This question can be approached in a myriad of ways but I’m going to break it into two parts:
1) What about those who have never heard
2) What happens to people if they reject the gospel
I. Opportunity to know God
The question being asked first makes some very specific assumptions. The first is that some people have never had the opportunity to know God. A very common question that is asked is why God would judge someone to hell if they had no opportunity to know about him? We will examine two of the ways God has demonstrated his existence to everyone and allow us to know him.
(A) He has revealed himself through His Vast Creation
When we see amazing artwork, we logically infer an amazing artist. Very few sane people would argue that the Mona Lisa was an accident. In the same way, when we see the complexity and beauty design of creation, we infer a designer. No matter where you have lived in the world, each one of us has seen God creation and understood that we too are created. The Psalms confirm that “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” When we look at creation, we understand that it must have been designed. Richard Dawkins, a staunch Atheist, defined Biology as 'the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose,' although Dawkin’s would try to deny the existence of the designer, he is forced to agree that everything in the universe appear to have been designed with a specific purpose. Advances in our ability to observe the universe have revealed that even what we believed to be the simplest building blocks of creation are complex and exhibit designed. While all men realize inherently the design of creation, most try to deny the existence of the creator. Paul confirms this in Romans 1:20 when he declared “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Paul is saying that we know through God’s creation about his existence and his attributes. God has revealed how incredible he is through his wonderful creation, that God says they have no excuse to deny me.
(B) God has revealed himself through our Conscience
Every Society around the world has a moral code by which it abides. Human being all have a sense of right and wrong existing in the Universe. Weknow inherently that there is right and wrong. The best example would be the standards by which we judge God. Epicurus is known for his eloquently case against God, “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” This is a commonly believed quotation yet most people miss its glaring flaw. If God doesn’t exist and no standards exist in the universe, how can you judge whether something is good and evil? The simple answer is that it’s impossible to judge God without a standard yet we all naturally assume a standard of right and wrong. Most of us miss this incredible flaw in the argument because we assume good and evil through our concise. Ravi Zacharias would explain that to believe in evil, we must logically deduce the existence of good. If both good and evil exist, we must have a standard or moral law by which to distinguish good and evil. A moral law logically requires a law giver. Our conscience leads us to understand the existence 0f a created and law giver. In Paul’s letter to the Roman he explains “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, Every culture that has demonstrated our familiarity with the existence of good and evil and the moral law because the moral law giver has written on our hearts.
The Gospel
Do they go to heaven or hell? The best way to look at this commonly approached question is to look at the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1) Creation:
The Bible tells us that God created the entire universe, the stars and planets, the birds and fish and every creature that lives upon the earth. God, as his crowning act of creation, made man in his image. Bearing God image means that we have authority and responsibility over his creation. He created man to be his stewards of the earth. Genesis describes God’s action recounting “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” God created everything perfect.
2) Rebellion/Fall
While man was given much freedom, God gave man a guideline to follow. Even with one simple guideline, man turned his back on God and rebelled. We fell from our correct standing with God. Sin and corruption spread to all of us through the sin of Adam. God would have been perfectly justified to wipe man off the face of the earth.
3) Redemption
But God is his love and mercy of grace made a way of salvation. The father sent his Son in the form of both God and Man, to live a guiltless, sinless life and to become a sacrifice to justify the sins of mankind. Through Christ alone and his perfect atonement, we can be saved from our just punishment and fallen state into redemption of our soul and our calling as humans.
Importance:
You may ask: Why is this so important to know and understand?
A) Apart from Christ, all are condemned
“What happens to people who have never heard of God when they die.”
All people apart from Christ are spiritually dead. We are separated from Christ by our own choice and rebellion. Apart from Christ and his redemption, we are nothing. Our condemnation is perfectly just. So everyone is dead in their sins and subject to God’s wrath.
Christ’s sacrifice redeems our humanity and allows us to regain the freedoms to work, love, live, and take dominion over the earth if only we truth in him by faith. Otherwise, we are all condemned to death.
B) No one deserves salvation
All of us have rebelled against our righteous and holy God. A friend and I were recently talking about salvation. He was visibly upset about a friend back home who had failed to repent and accept Christ. His friend knew he was a believer but never accepted the truth of the gospel. He said “It’s not fair that God doesn’t allow a lot of good people into heaven.” I replied gently and simply. “What is really not fair is that God choose to save any of us at all.” That is the simple. Grace is SO incredible because God chose to save anyone at all. No one deserves God’s grace. We have all rebelled against him and yet in his mercy and grace, he has chosen to redeem those who trust in Christ by faith.
C) Urgency of the Gospel
The whole world needs to hear the truth of gospel of Jesus Christ. God created the world, the world fell and through Jesus perfect life, death and resurrection, we can be redeemed. If people are going to hell because they are condemned, we need to be more urgent and focused on sharing Christ with them.
“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” ~ Charles H. Spurgeon