Looking for Loopholes in All the Wrong Places
Part 9 – Does God Really Send People to Hell?
This is the last article in our series on Biblical “loopholes”. So far, we have looked at many ways that we try to find “loopholes” in the Bible or in our faith to justify the actions or inactions of ourselves and others.
We live in a world where the Christian faith and Biblical truths are often distorted or even dismantled in the name of enlightenment and freedom. The problem is that this type of thinking doesn’t bring freedom but bondage to sin, and sin causes pain to us and those around us. I once heard a pastor put it this way: sin is not bad because it is forbidden; it is forbidden because it is bad. If we are honest with ourselves, many of our biggest hurts in life are a result of our own poor decisions. I know mine are.
Here is our final “loophole”.
“I don’t really have to worry, because God is a God of love, and he would never send anyone to Hell.”
God gave us free will. We have the choice to trust a loving God, turn from sin, and put our lives in his hands, or we can choose sin and live with the eternal consequences. When we make the decision that sin is more important than God, we reject Heaven.
Before we can understand that, we need to understand what Heaven is. Heaven is a physical place where there is no sorrow, pain, hate, injustice, physical or mental illness or disease, disability, or anything else that is bad. It is a perfect place of love, joy and peace.
What is it that disrupts love, joy and peace now? Sin. Sin cannot exist in Heaven, or it would no longer be perfect. Once we understand this, we can understand why God asks us to choose him over sin. This doesn’t mean that we are suddenly perfect. It means that we acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior, and we make the decision to turn away from sinful behavior and thoughts and focus on Jesus.
God will not force us to accept Heaven. It is our choice. God wants all of us to be saved and spend eternity in Heaven, but the Bible is very clear that many will reject this gift. Jesus said this directly to us:
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT)
Many new age authors will try to convince you that this is not the case, but your eternity is too important to trust someone who has decided they know more than God.
Conclusion
As we end this series, I want to try to tie everything together. Trying to find and defend a “loophole” is exhausting and mentally stressful. I experienced this many years ago around tax time. I had something I wanted to claim as a deductible that I felt “technically” met the standard, but I wasn’t sure. I called someone at the IRS and asked, and her response was, “I’m not sure, but go ahead and try it!” While that wasn’t terribly reassuring, I took the deduction. I worried about that deduction for the next seven years!
Trying to create loopholes in the Bible to justify sin is equally “taxing”. You live with the knowledge in the back of your mind that the sin is wrong. You search tirelessly to find others who will agree with you and to avoid those who don’t. You may even avoid reading the Bible so you can claim ignorance of its content. Through all of this, you realize you are playing a game of Russian Roulette with your eternity.
The Truth
God lovingly created us with the full knowledge that we would rebel. He knew in advance the price he would have to pay in order to redeem us and the earth. Even with that knowledge, he created us anyway.
Jesus has existed from the beginning. About 2000 years ago, he willingly left paradise, set aside his glory, and was born into poverty. He walked on this earth as a human being, was tempted as we are, and overcame all temptation to live a sinless life. During his life, he was continually mocked, scorned, humiliated, and hated. In response, he loved. At the end of his ministry, he was arrested and condemned, even though he had done nothing wrong and even though Pilate himself found no fault in him. He was brutally beaten, forced to carry a cross to the place of execution, nailed to a cross, and hung up to die in the most gruesome manner possible. But the most painful part for him was to take on every sin ever committed and that would ever be committed. All of the pain and guilt fell on him, and for the first time he was separated from God the Father as he paid the penalty that should have been ours. No one can or will ever do that for us.
On the third day, God raised him to glory. Because of his actions, we can be forgiven of and freed from our sin. We can be adopted children of God himself! We can spend eternity with God in a perfect Heaven in perfect love! All we need to do is accept the gift and make Jesus the Lord of our life.
When I made the decision to submit myself to Christ and to live according to the Bible, it was like someone had lifted a giant weight off my shoulders. No longer did I need to deal with the internal struggle of whether my sin was justified. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I was able to defeat sin. Please understand – I still sin. Until that day when Jesus calls us home and gives us sinless bodies and minds, I will continue to sin. But now my desire is to serve him in the best way possible. When I make a mistake, I can confess it to him, he forgives me, and our relationship is restored. It is this peace that I pray for all!
To close, I have one very important question. Do you trust God? God has all wisdom and knowledge. Like a wise parent, he knows what will bring us peace and joy and what will bring us pain and anxiety. If you trust him, listen to him. Study his word and find the peace that living in his will can bring you .
If you aren’t sure about whether or not to give your life to Jesus, I urge you to read through the section on our site called “Why Jesus?” Here, I give an overview of the central message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation to demonstrate the consistency of the Bible and the love that God has for his people. Your eternity is too important to leave it to chance.
If you missed any of the other articles in this series, you can find them here. God Bless!
- Since God already knows what I need, do I still need to pray?
- Is it still sin if I have a good reason for doing it?
- Do I really need to read the Bible or can I just rely on someone else to tell me what it says?
- If I am a “New Testament Christian”, do the Old Testament rules no longer apply?
- Relevance of the Bible today in an age of “enlightenment”
- Dealing with Biblical Contradictions
- Many Paths to Heaven?
- Freedom to Sin?
Songs of Victory
Resources
For a discussion on what Heaven, Hell, the Millennial Kingdom, and the New Heaven and New Earth, please see “Worthy” in the “Why Jesus?” section.
For a discussion on the sacrifice of Jesus, please see “Silence” in the “Why Jesus?” section.
“How Willingly Do People Go to Hell?” by John Piper.
“Is Being Good Enough to Get to Heaven?” by Sean McDowell.
“Love and Hell Don’t Mix, Do They?” by Rob Shiflet.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® NIV®Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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