Basically my main concern is "can God impute Christ's righteousness to people who have never heard of Jesus Christ or the gospel?

Does the Bible teach us that it is absolutely necessary for the gospel to be heard or read or understood to bring about conviction and repentance? Or can people follow their conscience and have the Holy Spirit renew them without the use of the gospel?

Dave

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. - Galatians 2:16