Hell exists, and everyone deserves it.
When we understand God for who He is as perfectly holy, we immediately see not only who He is, but who we are utterly sinful.
Some speak of hell as the absence of God, but hell is not the absence of God absolutely; indeed, it is the presence of God in wrath.
Hell is the presence of God the righteous wrath of God, as unbelievers suffer the torments of their ruinous sin forever.
The point is this:
a penitent murderer goes to heaven;
an impenitent orphanage founder goes to hell.
All of our badness does not make us harder to save.
All of our goodness does not make us easier to save.
The world tends to believe that heaven is for the good, and hell is for the bad.
The Bible teaches that heaven is for the penitent, and hell is for the impenitent however good or bad anyone has been.
Jesus had no hesitation warning the crowds of the horrors of hell, because He, more than anyone, saw the true frightfulness of it.
No one who ever lived will receive injustice from God.
Some will receive mercy.
The rest will receive justice.
No one is ever treated by God unfairly. (Genesis 18:25) We tend to think that the default destiny of all people is heaven, and that hell is reserved for the particularly wicked. But in truth our default destiny is hell, and heaven is reserved for those who honestly admit their wickedness and look to Christ alone for salvation.
More than likely, in the next few days, within a few miles of the spot where you are sitting right now, someone will descend into hell.
We are not any further from hell if we've lived a moral life.
We are not any closer to hell if we've lived an immoral life.
Heaven is not for the deserving. It is for the repentant.
Hell is not for the undeserving. It is for the unrepentant.
Hell is filled with people who think they should be in heaven.
Heaven is filled with people who know they should be in hell.
The astonishing surprise is not that there is only one way to get to heaven.
The astonishing surprise is that there is any way to get to heaven for miserable sinners such as us.
[Dane Ortlund]
Ephesians 2:3-5 ... Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫
