How does God judge those who were raised in non-Christian cultures?

Answer

This question assumes that one’s salvation depends on their place of birth, upbringing, and education. The experiences of countless individuals who have abandoned false beliefs or embraced Christianity regardless of their background over the centuries disprove this notion. Heaven is not reserved for those lucky enough to grow up in Christian households in free countries, but for those who have accepted Christ from “every tribe and language and people and nation” «And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; », (Revelation 5:9). People from all cultures and eras are saved through God’s grace, extended to undeserving sinners, not based on knowledge, birthplace, or indoctrination, but because “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” «and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. », (Romans 5:5).

While some may lack awareness of Scripture or Christ’s teachings, they still possess a sense of right and wrong and acknowledge God’s existence. Romans 1:20 states, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” The issue is not ignorance of Christ but rather the rejection of the message they have received.At is readily seen in nature. Deuteronomy 4:29 proclaims, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” This verse teaches an important principle: everyone who truly seeks after Truth will find it. If a person sincerely desires to know the true God, God will make Himself known.

Those in false religions are always subject to the teaching of salvation by works. If they believe they can satisfy a holy and perfect God by the keeping of rules and laws, God will allow them to continue in their efforts at self-justification until He finally judges them rightly. If, however, they respond to the goading of a conscience awakened by God and cry out to Him—as the tax collector in the temple did—“Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:9-14), God will respond with His truth and grace.

Only in Christ the Savior is a man freed from the liability of guilt, sin, and shame. Our right standing before our Judge is established on one thing only: the finished work of Christ crucified who shed His blood so we could live «When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost. », (John 19:30). We are released from our sins by His blood «and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, », (Revelation 1:5). He has reconciled us in His earthly body through His death «in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight: », (Colossians 1:22).22). Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the cross so that by His wounds we are healed “who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.”, (1 Peter 2:24). We are made holy through the offering up of Jesus’ body as a sacrifice once for all “By which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”, (Hebrews 10:10). Christ appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself “for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”, (Hebrews 9:26). God sent His Son to remove the wrath that we ourselves deserved “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”, (1 John 4:10). The penalty of sin that is rightly ours is absolved by grace through faith, not by any righteous deeds of our own (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Christ’s final marching orders were that His followers preach this good news to sinners throughout the world and until the end of the world when He will return to judge the living and the dead (Matthew 28:18-20;2 Timothy 4:1). Where there are hearts opened by the Holy Spirit, there will God send His messengers to fill those open hearts with His truth. Even in countries where preaching Christ is forbidden by law, God’s truth still finds

God’s love and mercy find their way to those who genuinely seek it, even through the internet. The accounts of flourishing house churches in China, individuals embracing Christ in Iran and other Islamic nations, and the penetration into distant regions worldwide all demonstrate the boundless power of God’s love and mercy.