Are you going to hell?

Ask most people if they are going to hell and they will likely say no.  Of course, no one wants to believe they are going to hell.  They will take the gospel if it is the soft version of the baby in the manger.  But, throw out the word hell and that is the end of the conversation.  Of course, we must ask ourselves why that baby in the manger came; why do we need a savior?  The truth is that we need a savior because we are sinful and damned to hell without that savior.  So, when the Bible says that there is good news (the gospel), it is because that savior (Jesus Christ) came to rescue us from hell.  In other words, without that savior, you are headed to hell.

It is at this point that most people throw out the standard argument, “God is a loving god and besides that, I am a good person.”  If you fall into this category, I have some unfortunate news for you.  You may in fact be one of those people on their way to hell.  The Bible teaches that God is a just God and that he is the righteous judge.  And so when he looks at us, he is going to judge us for what we have done.  Even more, he is also going to judge us for what we think.  God sees our thought life and tells us in the Bible for instance, that if you look at a another person with lust, that you have committed adultery in your heart.  Consider the following statements by Jesus:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

My point in sharing these two teachings of Jesus with you is that it should be clear by reading them that He was not teaching some fluffy concept of a loving god who simply ignores sin.  No, He (the True God) is a righteous judge who is Just in His dealings with us.  He also hates sin and cannot tolerate it for one second.  Would it surprise you to know that it is through the Jesus of love that everyone talks about that we actually receive most of our understanding of hell?  If we ignore or reject Jesus, we live and die then under the law (the commandments below), and we will be judged by that law.  And no one, not a single one of us has lived up to the law.  In fact, based on the standards that Jesus set for us, it is a virtual certainty that we have broken every one of the laws multiple times.  And so, that being the case, it is just for God to subject us to His wrath, to punishment, for our disobedience.

Consider the below commandments in light of the way Jesus described our thoughts and not just our actions:

Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)

You shall have no other gods before me

You shall not make for yourself an idol

You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy

Honor your father and your mother

You shall not murder

You shall not commit adultery

You shall not steal

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor

You shall not covet

The ten commandments are like a mirror for us to look into and determine whether we meet God’s holiness.  If we don’t, then we are going to be cast into hell.  This is the bad news.  The good news is that God has made a provision by which you can be saved.  If you repent of your sins, turn away from them and trust in Jesus as you would a parachute when jumping out of a plane, you can be saved.  And I caution you here not to assume that you are saved because you said some prayer on the street somewhere or at a church once.  No, if you did not truly repent and trust in the Lord Jesus, you merely mumbled some words.  You must come to true repentance.  God is mighty to save and it is his kindness in sending to this earth his son to take our punishment that should drive us to him.

To hear a presentation of the gospel, please click on the You Tube video on the sidebar on the right.  Please also consider John MacArthur’s message below.

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