You’ve probably heard the adage, “Ignorance is bliss.” That phrase is actually the last line of Tom Gray’s 1742 poem, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College. It means that it is more comfortable not to know certain things.
From an earthly standpoint, that statement is true. Who would want to go through life knowing the illnesses, financial struggles or calamities that await him? God mercifully shields our eyes from knowing the future.
But, ignorance is not bliss when it comes to God’s revelation of our sin and our need for a savior. Romans 1:18-19 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.”
Yet, how can people be damned if they’ve never heard about Jesus?
John Sorensen addressed this topic in the latest Reasonable Answers video series. He explained that even though people are destined for hell because of their sins, God will always provide a means for His sheep to hear His voice. John says,
“The Bible has given us three great examples of how God lovingly reaches the unbeliever and arranges what I like to call “divine appointments.” He used dreams to reach Cornellius the centurion. He caused an earthquake to reach the Philippian jailer, and He used the book of Isaiah to reach the Ethiopian eunuch. He also sent people to share the good news of Jesus to these people. Remember, if God ordains the ends, meaning our salvation, then He ordains the means to those ends.”
If you would like to see the entire Reasonable Answers video on “What Happens to the People Who Never Hear,” you can find the link here.
