The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that God will punish and destroy those who have not followed him (for example, see Matt. 7:13-14; 7:19; 13:40-42; 25:30; 25:46; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:46; 13:28; 16:22-24; 20:47; Rom. 2:5-10; 2 Thess. 1:6-9; Heb. 6:8; 10:26-27, 39; James 5:20; Jude 1:13; Rev. 11:18; 20:15.) This may be the more difficult to accept than any other teaching in Scripture.
Why would God issue a sentence of destruction on billions of people? Consider the fact that they lived their whole lives without ever pursuing the opportunities they had to find God in Christ. To begin with, God created humans in such a way that they are responsible to seek him. Acts 17:26-27 explains:
“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him” (ESV).
And he gave humanity evidence of his attributes:
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. (Romans 1:19-20, ESV)
When those who have never heard of God’s commandments sometimes choose to do good “they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness (Rom. 2:15, ESV). Thus, humans have evidence of God, have a conscience that gives them general ideas of right and wrong (though it is imperfect), and know they often fall short of the good in their conscience. Thus, they have a responsibility to seek God and “he is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27, ESV).
Moreover, the majority of people have access to the teachings of Jesus and his apostles if they should sincerely seek after God. They can see for themselves that the teachings are good and lofty. And yet, the majority of these people choose not to follow him. They prefer other lovers and find excuses for not following him. Some just embrace whatever religion or philosophy is most common in their culture; fearing the disapproval of people more than the disapproval of God. But there is no legitimate excuse for not following Jesus and they will have no defense on Judgment Day when God asks them “Why didn’t you follow my Son?”
Nearly all who reject the true God do so because they want to be their own god. They want to be the supreme judge of how they get pleasure, they want to acquire as much as they can in life, or they want to treat people other than what Jesus taught. We also should not forget that the great majority of the lost have their share of secret sins. They lie, gossip, cheat, indulge in lust, indulge in sexual immorality, disrespect others, act selfishly for the sake of finances or career and commit many other sins that they prefer to hide. Most indulge in visible sins of materialism and hedonism and disrespect.
The judgment of unbelievers is an immense tragedy, but we should not give in to the temptation to doubt that this resides in most people. This is why we offer them repentance and turning towards Jesus for forgiveness of sins and new life. God will hold all humans responsible for their lives. If he did not do so then this would be a terribly unjust world.
