Does God send people to Hell?

by Matt Brown
Revelation 20:11-15, John 3:14-18

On being lost and dead.
One thing that we know as Christians is that without reconciliation with God we are spiritually dead. The point of much of the Old Testament is God showing us that he will send us a messiah that will save and redeem us. Even when Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, God promises them a way back in. When God chooses Abraham he foretells of a blessing for all the nations. Our faith is built on the premise that we are fallen – a fact we see everyday – and that God has reached out a hand to save us.

God is looking for that which is lost.
Jesus reflects God’s intent when he tells us that he wants to find the lost. In the parable of the women looking for her coin he conveys the desperate sense that God is looking hard for us. The great commission is all about getting the word out. The nature of the incarnation itself illustrates the extent of God’s commitment to seek the lost. Why does God seek to save us? Because we are worth saving.

God honors free will (and we can choose hell).
Being "cast into hell" is a joint decision. While God has a salvation plan for us it is not one that allows us to remain passive. God created us with free will and he continues to honor that free will. If we deny that hell exists, we deny free will. God is putting out his hand to pull us off this path of destruction. Hell is a place that exists – that God made – for people who choose to live apart from him. God will allow us to choose that which is bent away from love and salvation.

It's never too late to start making better decisions.
You are a product of the decisions that you make every day. Everywhere you go you make decisions – taking your mind captive and conforming it to God’s will is a decision that you can make, but standing in the way of that decision may be feelings of pride. Pride makes you want to not look stupid if things don’t work out. Pride is the by-product of living in a world that has turned away from God, and is always trying to get you to turn away and buy into its products, activities, values, and distractions. When we live by the world's standards, we are conditioning ourselves to live outside of the presence of God.

How will you think about the knowledge of hell?
Hell is real and as a follower of Jesus it does not scare me for myself, but makes me want to get the word out. Last month we discussed evangelism and at the heart of the evangelistic message is the truth and call for help – salvation, from being separated forever from fulfillment from God. So what can we do and how can we spread the message of Jesus into our little corners of the world.

One mode of evangelism is to remember that you are always on duty – not perfect – but striving to be grace-full. Maybe extending grace is the most powerful way to spread the good news.