The fair thing is that we all go to eternal punishment, as all have sinned. You may be able to say that God desires to be merciful to all, but there is no entitlement whatsoever that humans have to salvation. Anything that God does in this regard s purely a matter of grace, which is unmerited favor.
The issue we have in our society is thinking that salvation is something God owes us. God owes us nothing. We have a sin debt that demands that we suffer eternal punishment.
Romans 1, 2, 3 are clear in teaching that all know God exists, and willfully rebel against him. They know God's righteous requirements and disobey them anyways. They are under God's wrath and condemnation due to this. Claiming that God doesn't have wrath against the unconverted, and they are not under his condemnation is wrong.
The idea that mankind does not know God's righteous requirements, and that he is not calling them to repentance now is a lie. Softening this reality is something that is a false teaching that lulls people to sleep.
Also, there is absolutely no indication that there is a post-mortem salvation opportunity. Those who teach such things are ignoring the clear teachings of Romans 1, 2, and 3. The cult I belonged to taught such false things.
And, God is not on trial whatsoever regardless of what he does. Humans don't judge God. God judges humans. Claiming that God would be unjust if he doesn't meet our criteria for justice is wrong.
Is it loving to fail to tell people the bad news; that they are in a burning house and that if they don't get out, they are going to burn down with it?
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe
is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Romans 1:
[SUP]18 [/SUP]For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. [SUP]19 [/SUP]For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. [SUP]
20 [/SUP]
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[SUP][g][/SUP] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. [SUP]21 [/SUP]For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. [SUP]22 [/SUP]Claiming to be wise, they became fools, [SUP]
23 [/SUP]and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
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24 [/SUP]Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, [SUP]
25 [/SUP]because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
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26 [/SUP]For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; [SUP]
27 [/SUP]and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
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28 [/SUP]And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. [SUP]
29 [/SUP]They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, [SUP]
30 [/SUP]slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, [SUP]
31 [/SUP]foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. [SUP]
32 [/SUP]
Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Romans 2: [SUP]
14 [/SUP]For when Gentiles, 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. [SUP]
15 [/SUP]
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 [SUP]16 [/SUP]on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Acts 17:30
[SUP]30 [/SUP]The times of ignorance God overlooked, but
now he commands
all people everywhere to repent,
Note that God commands ALL PEOPLE EVERYWERE NOW to repent. There is no future period of salvation.
Heb 9:27 [SUP]
27 [/SUP]And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
Note that judgment follows death. Some groups try to reason around this by claiming "judgment" means a post mortem salvation period but the context of Hebrews disproves this. The author of Hebrews is pointing a group of Jews toward the need to place their faith in Jesus Christ they would be judged.
Those who are unconverted need to turn from their sinful orientation and place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. It's as simple as that.
Clement, your correct, not everyone who's ever lived has had a chance to hear the gospel, or had a chance to know and learn who Christ was. Jesus came to; "Preach deliverance to the captives" (Luke 4:18), which means to all the souls lost to sin. After his crucifixion, Jesus also; "Went and preached to the spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:19), meaning the lost souls back to the beginning, and also gave them the same opportunity to accept the gospel (salvation). "Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16), I believe that 'whosoever' is all inclusive of everyone. There will also be the millennium, a 1000 year time of teaching (Revelation 20; 1-6), which I believe is for the specific purpose of providing all the unsaved who never had a previous chance to receive Christ. No one will perish unjustly. If God is righteous, good, and just, then God must also be fair... jmo