The question challenges the justice and the love of God.  "Why does He condemn someone for not believing in Jesus Christ when he has never even heard of Him?  Are we not saved by our sincere efforts?  If we are 'good' pagans, is not God just as pleased?"

 INITIAL CHALLENGE

 "l am interested you should say that. It shows you have been thinking about these things.  Why do you ask that question?, because the real problem is those who have heard and have done nothing about it."

 THE BIBLICAL ATTITUDE

 God reveals Himself to all men in two ways:

Nature.  The world around us with its order and intricacy in both the vast universe and the minute atom points beyond itself to a mind that made it.  The probability of it happening by chance is the same as that of a thousand monkeys typing for a thousand years and producing a sonnet of Shakespeare.  Rom. 1: 19-20 "Since the beginning of the world the invisible attributes of God, e.g. His eternal power and divinity, have been plainly discernible through the things that He has made and which are commonly seen and known." (Phillips).

  Conscience.  Man, unlike any other creature, has a sense of  “ought to"  which conflicts with his "want to".  "When the Gentiles, who have no knowledge    of the Law, act in accordance with it by the light of  nature, they show that they have a law in themselves, for they demonstrate the effect of a law operating in their own hearts.  Their own consciences endorse the existence of such a law, for there is something which condemns or commends their actions." Rom. 2: 14-15 (Phillips).

God reveals Himself to some men in one supreme way:

Jesus Christ.  He is the climax of God's revelation.  "It is true that no one has ever seen God at any time.  Yet the divine and only Son, who lives in the closest intimacy with the Father, has made Him known." John 1: 18 (Phillips).  He is the visible proof of the depth of God's love to all men.

God judges a man on three counts:

1.  Did He worship?  In response to the revelation in nature which he had, did he worship the onetrue God ?

2. Did he obey?  In response to the revelation in conscience which he had, did he sincerely obey God's commands?

3. Would he have trusted Christ if he had heard?  God bases His judgement on what would have happened if someone had heard the gospel.  It is part of His omniscience to know not only what will happen, but also what would happen if a different set of circumstances were to occur.  Jesus states this clearly in Matt, 11: 21-23: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in dust and ashes.  But I tell you it will be more tolerable on the day of judgement for Tyre and Sidon than for you." Chorazin and Bethsaida were towns in Galilee where He had done preaching and miracles.  They remained hard and unrepentant.  But He knew that the pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon would have responded differently given the opportunity.  This would be taken into account on the day of judgement.

 God gets no satisfaction out of condemning anybody.  "I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God; so turn and live" Ezek. 18: 32, He also will judge Christians for failure to carry the good news to everyone.

 TURNING THE TABLES

 "You yourself have heard.  God will assess you on the basis of what you know about Jesus Christ and what response you have made to Him.  Let me show you what God expects." Go through the Four Spiritual Laws emphasising the transition between Law Three and Four: "It is not enough to know these three laws, we must individually receive Jesus Christ."