Recently I received a message asking me a question about hell and God’s judgment, so I decided to share the question here on the blog, as well as the answer I gave to the person who messaged me. This could well be the first of many Q&A posts. I’m always happy to try and answer any questions about faith that you have.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a Bible scholar! Scripture is the final authority on this and any other question. I want everything I teach to line up squarely with Scripture.
Here is the question that was posed to me:
“This is a hell related question. We live finite lives, and hence commit a finite amount of sins. Our God is supposed to be a just God, but is it just to condemn a person for eternity, or an infinite amount of time, if they committed a finite number of sins?
Whew! Great question. My answers are in red with a few Scripture references tossed in:
God is just. (Isaiah 30: 18 NKJV – Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.)
The Bible is clear that God wants all to be saved. (I Timothy 2: 3-4 NLT – This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.)
God does not commit anyone to hell, rather He honors the choices people make. God says that Jesus is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. No one comes to God except through Jesus. (John 14:6) When a person rejects Jesus, he or she makes a choice. That choice is hell. For those who choose Jesus, they choose heaven and eternity with God. God is a gentleman. He honors the choices we make, whether the choice is choosing Jesus or rejecting Jesus. (Matthew 10:32-33 NIV – “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.) There is only one sin that sends a person to hell and that sin is rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life.
MEDITATION MOMENT: What thoughts or questions do you have about this Q&A session?
