Bible Question: "Can people who have never heard about Jesus Christ go to heaven? What about the American Indians before the Europeans colonized America, or people anywhere in the world who have never been reached by missionaries?"

Bible Answer: If we take a New Testament view of the question, we must consider Acts 4 where Peter and John are questioned by the Jewish authorities about how they healed a man who was born lame.

Acts 4:7 says, "And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, 'By what power or by what name have you done this?'"

Acts 4:8-11 continues, "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'"

Then Peter concludes in Acts 4:12, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

That's pretty plain, salvation is only in the name of Jesus.

But what about the Old Testament, before Jesus came? How did those people get saved? And they were saved, for Jesus mentions several Old Testament figures, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah and many other believers before Him as being now in heaven.

Jesus even makes an extraordinary statement in John 8:56, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."

I don't know if Jesus meant Abraham literally saw Him before He came to earth, or if He meant Abraham saw Him with eyes of faith.

Romans 4:3 explains, "For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness,'" quoting Genesis 15:6. Abraham never heard of Jesus, but he believed God's promise to Adam that He would send a redeemer, a Messiah.

And that belief was enough to secure his salvation, we're told.

Psalm 19:1-4 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.ĘDay unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."

Even the heathen who has never heard of Jesus sees the sun rise and fall, sees the stars above and the great universe and can see this world is the handiwork of a Creator whose voice is in His creation.

So those who haven't heard of Jesus are the same as Old Testament believers, they can believe in the God of the universe.

But I don't believe anybody here in America can truthfully say they haven't heard of Jesus, so none of here can use that excuse. If we don't get saved, we will have no one to blame but ourselves for missing heaven.

Submit Bible questions by email to writeme@johnwmyers.com

(John Myers has been a Christian lay speaker, Sunday School adult teacher and newspaper Bible study columnist for more than 20 years.)