The parable of the talents seems to fit.
This is the same logic as al_c. Then lets remove all evidence of Christ. Let's destroy all the Bible's. All the churches. All the Christians. If there is no evidence of Christ, then we can all share in the bounty of heaven. This is simply untrue. This is what you are saying. You are saying God cannot reveal His Son to everyone. That he can only get to a handful because He has a busy schedule, so those He doesn't reach have an immunity clause. Don't think so. This is not Scriptural.
I see the problem. No one is saying that those who are ignorant of Christ through no fault of their own gets "immunity," gets a free pass into Heaven. Not in the least. No sir. Does that make you feel differently?
Those who through no fualt of their own are ignorant of Christ will be judged based on what parts of the natural law they could discern from nature and how well they could follow it. Doing this without the help of Christ is very difficult and in no way is this considered a "gimme" or a "get out of hell free" card. On the contrary one who doesn't know Christ (all together now "through no fault of his own") has a very steep hill to climb.
But we don't hold it to be impossible either. That makes an unjust God.
As you have intuited in a somewhat contradictory way, God does indeed use churches, Bibles, etc. as a way of spreading His truth. He doesn't need to, He could make an announcment tomorrow on all cable channels if He wanted. But He likes to have us help.
If we humans have not spread the Gospel to some remote area it is not the poor inhabitant's fault that he is ignorant of Christ.
SD
Will you please quit over-dramatizing the topic? Nobody has even come close to suggesting these wild-eyed notions.
This is what you are saying.
Putting words in our mouths again?
You are saying God cannot reveal His Son to everyone. That he can only get to a handful because He has a busy schedule, so those He doesn't reach have an immunity clause.
You are saying that God's grace is limited to this world. That is not scriptual.
al_c: In response to your question concerning Sodom. There seems to be a degree of punishment involved here. Just like those who teach will be judged more severely than those who don't, than those who have seen more signs of Christ will be punished more severely. It says that if those in Sodom had seen the signs performed in Capernaum, than that city would have been still standing. So Capernaum has seen more of the revelation of God and yet they still did not repent, so their punishment would be more than that of Sodom's, but Sodom still has no excuse for their sin.
My point exactly! This is an example of the expanse of God's grace toward all mankind. Those with knowledge will be held to a higher degree of responsibility. Those with limited or no knowledge will be held to a lower level. We will all be judged accordingly. Nobody is cut off from the grace of God. Nobody.