Why Do People Go To Hell?

One answer given on twitter (HT: Ben Simpson):

While it is essential that Christians share the gospel; a few Scriptural proof-texts give another answer to the question of why people go to hell.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  (John 3:3 ESV)

Whoever believes in [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18 ESV)

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24 ESV)

when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, (2 Thessalonians 1:7b-9 ESV)

Update!

The tweet has been somewhat clarified without actually substantiating the original.

The original claim explained why people to go hell. The follow-up tweet addresses the responsibility of Christians to share the gospel – two different, but related topics.

I wonder if the connotation of the follow-up tweet is as it reads – that the blood of every single unbeliever that Christians encounter everyday is on the hands of those Christians if they do not share the gospel with them.

For what it’s worth…

Mark

P.S. Your thoughts?

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tagged as , , , in apologetics,Christian,Christianity,Church Issues,Evangelism,Gospel,Southern Baptist,theology
The above article was posted on October 8, 2012


4 comments
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David (NAS) Rogers
David (NAS) Rogers

The biblical statements are given above in the post. John Calvin gives his thoughts on the ultimate cause of damnation.

"By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death."

John Calvin, Institutes III. xxi. 5

bruce mercer
bruce mercer

God did not send Jesus to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him. he that believes on Him is not condemned, but he that does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God

MarieP
MarieP

Gaines appears to be forgetting the doctrines of total depravity and original sin. He also doesn't take into account that the decree of election unto salvation is not the same as God's condemnation of sinners. All whom God has not predestined to eternal life are without excuse. So, in one sense, yes, they are predestined for hell, but the point is that we all would be unless God had chosen a remnant for Himself. Our negligence can be a hindrance, like the Pharisees (hypocrisy, not speaking in love, etc), and we are culpable for it, but it's not as though their response ultimately hangs on it. Their response hangs on the work of the Holy Spirit to break their heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. I think the verses you quoted are the perfect answers to Gaines' statement!

Christiane
Christiane

1 John 4:16

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him"

often, the Gospel is portrayed as something expressed by St. Paul alone . . . but because of the way that the Church was established, all of those on whom the Holy Fire rested at Pentecost were involved in the spreading of the Holy Gospel, and their writings, too, are a part of that Gospel, not just teachings to be 'set aside' in favor of another's words

the Good News must be presented in its fullness

and this verse from St. John is a great part of that Good News

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