This post is a response to a question I've been asked a couple times recently. I've been asked why some people go to Hell and why does Hell even exist if God forgives? Surely God will forgive everyone and we'll all go to Heaven?
Here is the answer in a nutshell: God forgives those who SEEK his forgiveness, apologise for the sins (wrongdoings) they've committed and try not to do that same bad thing again.
If you're not sorry, God will not forgive you. Imagine your friend has repeatedly lied to you and it's spiraling out of control. Nothing they seem to say to you is the truth anymore. You're getting pretty frustrated. Your friend turns to you and says "so? You're a pretty forgiving person. You forgive me right?" Do you? Your friend then turns to you and says "I'm not sorry. I don't think I've done wrong. Lying isn't a big deal to me". Will you forgive them? What if your friend says sorry and carries on exactly the same? Do you forgive them then? But suppose your friend says "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise how much I hurt you and I'll try not to lie in future". They still do lie from time to time, but much less and they are sincerely trying not to. Now you're much more likely to forgive that person than you were before.
In the same way, if you try to turn from your sin and apologise for when you do wrong, God will forgive you. No man is perfect except Jesus, so you will sin for your whole life. But the point is, you try your hardest not to and if someone were to look at your life on a timescale, they would see improvement. You can't just sin thinking it's fine because you'll be forgiven, since this is the same situation with the friend that I just discussed. It is admitting your sin, apologising and turning from it, that will bring you forgiveness. If you don't put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and turn from sin, you will be destined for Hell.
Why?
Imagine a court of justice. A man has come before the court accused of theft. This is clearly a violation of the law. He has been found guilty and the judge is about to sentence him. The man says "judge I'm sorry, please don't send me to jail". What will the judge do? The man saying sorry doesn't change the fact he has broken the law. If the judge fails to sentence him, he is corrupt. The judge must seek justice and sentence the man. In the same way, if you have sinned and broken God's law, to achieve justice you must serve your sentence - in Hell.
However, if a second man were to step in and say, "I'll pay the fine so this criminal may walk free" then justice has been served. The man will walk free. Thankfully, Jesus stepped in to pay the fine for our sins, when he gave his life on the cross. That is the reason why God IS forgiving, but only to those who seek his forgiveness. There is a way to avoid spending eternity in Hell, but if you ignore this, your punishment is fixed in order for justice to be served.
Here is the answer in a nutshell: God forgives those who SEEK his forgiveness, apologise for the sins (wrongdoings) they've committed and try not to do that same bad thing again.
If you're not sorry, God will not forgive you. Imagine your friend has repeatedly lied to you and it's spiraling out of control. Nothing they seem to say to you is the truth anymore. You're getting pretty frustrated. Your friend turns to you and says "so? You're a pretty forgiving person. You forgive me right?" Do you? Your friend then turns to you and says "I'm not sorry. I don't think I've done wrong. Lying isn't a big deal to me". Will you forgive them? What if your friend says sorry and carries on exactly the same? Do you forgive them then? But suppose your friend says "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise how much I hurt you and I'll try not to lie in future". They still do lie from time to time, but much less and they are sincerely trying not to. Now you're much more likely to forgive that person than you were before.
In the same way, if you try to turn from your sin and apologise for when you do wrong, God will forgive you. No man is perfect except Jesus, so you will sin for your whole life. But the point is, you try your hardest not to and if someone were to look at your life on a timescale, they would see improvement. You can't just sin thinking it's fine because you'll be forgiven, since this is the same situation with the friend that I just discussed. It is admitting your sin, apologising and turning from it, that will bring you forgiveness. If you don't put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and turn from sin, you will be destined for Hell.
Why?
Imagine a court of justice. A man has come before the court accused of theft. This is clearly a violation of the law. He has been found guilty and the judge is about to sentence him. The man says "judge I'm sorry, please don't send me to jail". What will the judge do? The man saying sorry doesn't change the fact he has broken the law. If the judge fails to sentence him, he is corrupt. The judge must seek justice and sentence the man. In the same way, if you have sinned and broken God's law, to achieve justice you must serve your sentence - in Hell.
However, if a second man were to step in and say, "I'll pay the fine so this criminal may walk free" then justice has been served. The man will walk free. Thankfully, Jesus stepped in to pay the fine for our sins, when he gave his life on the cross. That is the reason why God IS forgiving, but only to those who seek his forgiveness. There is a way to avoid spending eternity in Hell, but if you ignore this, your punishment is fixed in order for justice to be served.
