Can Everyone Know God In Any Age?

For God to be fair it would seem reasonable that everyone should come to a saving knowledge of His attributes and His requirements for mankind. It would not be fair for some to be sent away from His presence for eternity if they never had a chance to know the true God and choose to follow Him or reject Him!

So what do we find in the bible about this topic?

The bible tells us that every human will at some time in his life come to a realisation that God, the true God, Jehovah, exists and that they should live their lives according to the revelation that they have of His character and His thoughts.

Rom 1:19-20 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.

Thus God tells us that all those who have reached the age of reason have perceived His attributes, as God has shown these to them. Not only that, those who wanted to, have been able to show God that their heart was inclined towards Him!

Rom 2:12-16 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

For when Gentiles [or any not brought up under the law?], who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

So then, God can justify the saints of old, like King David of Israel, who did not know Jesus, because He can read that their hearts were right. Then accepting Jesus as the propitiation for their sins was/is the only extra step necessary for salvation. This being so, God who shows no partiality, can do the same for all gentiles/non-gentiles on the day when He judges the world by Jesus Christ!

According to many, Jesus has already rescued those 'old testament time saints' from their place in "Abraham's bosom". The information in the bible suggests strongly that the old testament saints were rescued from captivity under Satan, by Jesus, when He went down into hell at His death on the cross.

They became partakers in this salvation when Jesus preached to the spirits in prison.

There are two main translations of the passage in Ephesians 4:8 which talks of this.

Eph 4:8 (ESV) Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.”

      OR

Eph 4:8 (BSB) That is why it says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

In the first (ESB) translation we are told of Jesus leading captives out with Him when He ascended.

In the second (BSB), we learn of Jesus making captive what had held others captive. This can only be Satan's system which has held God's saints captive since Adam ceeded dominion of the earth to the Devil. But now, Jesus has defeated Satan and got back this dominion for man, and thus He has both captured that system of captivity and led the captives free.

So, what do we have? Jesus has got back authority over the world from Satan. So all the promises He makes we know He can keep. Also, as God says through Paul, all get to know His eternal nature through natural revelation and they have the choice to align their hearts with Him or not.

And, God says that in the day of judgement their heart attitude will excuse them (cause them to be forgiven), if they did turn to Him.

So we see that God does not need any second chances, or extra lives or reincarnations, in order to bring those He declares as righteous into His kingdom. His sheep hear His voice and they follow Him and He gives them eternal life!

Those who know the grace of God know that their righteousness is imputed to them by Him who knows their heart. He knows everyone's heart!

God's plans for mankind are eminently reasonable and he has set them out so that we can see in advance what He has in mind for us. God says quite plainly that He won't do anything without stating it first through His prophets and we have the intelligence to reason it out.

Isa 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Amos 3:7 “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret (plan) to his servants the prophets.

God does not work in mysterious ways! He has a wonderful plan to remove our sins and we can follow it all in His manual, the bible, and see His plan come together!

Best wishes for grace and the peace of Jesus.

Attlee.

Another thought...