When it comes to recognizing Jesus as Lord, all people are without excuse. There will be a day when each of us will face the Judge of the Universe, and none of our objections will be worth anything. No one will be able to say they were never aware of the truth about God (Romans 1:18-20). None of us will receive a stay of execution or a little more time to think things through (Hebrews 9:27-28).
All at once, every excuse we ever gave for rejecting Christ will be both meaningless and damning. The bold and the meek will face the same fate. The strong and the weak will bear the same weight. There is no favoritism with God (Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11), and each of us will give the reason we did or did not bow to Jesus as King (Romans 14:11-12; Philippians 2:9-11).
All my life I’ve heard people question what happens to those isolated tribes of people who are unreached with the gospel. I know I’ve asked that question a time or two as well. The truth is, they have already seen and heard enough to recognize there is a Creator and a God (Psalm 19:1-4). Paul tells us God writes His law on the hearts of every human being (Romans 2:14-15).
Everyone knows there is an authority greater than themselves. The beauty and majesty of Creation itself is enough to speak to the presence of an infinite God (Job 12:7-10; Psalm 8:3-4). Unlearned people are wise enough to see God in nature. They have yet to have the utter ridiculousness and folly of the theory of evolution inflicted on them. They see and know, and so they are without excuse.
Some reject God because they picture Him as a vengeful and angry Father who reminds them too much of their natural father. Some see Him as absent as their earthly father was. These are the excuses of wounded souls, too afraid to believe they can have something better. The fact they find it hard to believe in God doesn’t matter. They are still without excuse. Whether one believes or accepts what is true does not stop it from being true.
Then there are those who are so full of pride they can never get past themselves. They are self-sufficient, self-righteous, and self-absorbed. These too are without excuse and unless they repent, they will find themselves in Hell for eternity. No one is good enough to get into Heaven on their own (Ephesians 2:8-9). We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s requirement for entrance into His Kingdom (Romans 3:23). Pride always goes before a fall, and there is no fall greater than to tumble into the pit of Hell (Proverbs 16:18).
Each one of us is without excuse. Jesus is Lord, and that is a truth you can deny but cannot ignore (Philippians 2:9-11; John 14:6). God makes Himself known through His creation (Psalm 19:1-2), His Word (2 Timothy 3:16), and His messengers (Romans 10:14-15). How we respond is up to us, but know He will demand a response from us.
We may never speak to those tribes in isolation, but we can speak to our friends, coworkers, and everyone we come into contact with throughout our day. We must tell them the good news of the grace, love, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Jesus commands us to do so (Matthew 28:19-20). The Holy Spirit, through Paul, exhorts us to preach the gospel in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). If those without Christ are without excuse, how much more so are we?