When I was a child, I remember going to a church on Halloween. One particular year my family went to a church ministry event called 'Trip to Hell'. Through this show, Christians tried to encourage people to follow Jesus by exposing them to the vivid terrors of Hell. Unfortunately, throughout church history, people have used scare tactics to push people into a relationship with God. This has given off a poor picture of the gospel, but also a poor view of Hell. The Bible has much to say about the reality of Hell and its inhabitants. Christians should not be motivated solely by the fear of God’s judgment, but they should have an understanding of where their sin leads. Christians understand that Hell is eternal punishment for those who choose to reject God.
Hell was not created for humans. Jesus in Matthew 25:41 tells us that hell “has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Although we are not created for Hell, our sin has us on the pathway towards it. Romans tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus." It is only through our believing in Jesus that we escape the reality of Hell and an eternity separated from our Heavenly Father. Sadly, some make the choice to reject Jesus and choose to live apart from God and his grace. Hell is not for bad people just as heaven is not for good people. Hell is for those that choose not to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. God does not send people to Hell, in fact, He has sent his son Jesus so that people would have a way out, yet some still choose that path and God loves you so much that He will not override your decision, no matter how foolish or prideful that decision may be. The choice is far simpler than many make it sound. Will we allow Jesus to be our savior, or will we attempt futilely to save ourselves from our sin?
When people reject God, they are also rejecting every good thing that comes with living under good grace. Hell is eternal separation from God, which is really eternal punishment. When one chooses to fully separate from God, they have chosen to separate themselves from love, joy, peace, and contentment and have traded it in for disgrace, shame, despair, and hopelessness. Hell is a place described as “unquenchable fire” eternal fire, disgrace and everlasting contempt, and weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hell is the farthest from God a person can be, which works against our nature. Hell is undoubtedly a scary place, but the dread of hell does not compare to the glory of Heaven. Christians should always carry the good news about the hope of heaven, but also understand the despair of hell.