“So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority.” (2 Peter 2:9-10 NLT)
Are there some categories of people who deserve hell more than others? Perhaps, but here’s the truth: every human being deserves hell! But why? Because the Bible is clear that: “No one is righteous – not even one.” (Romans 3:10) The issue isn’t that we all deserve to be in hell, the issue is that God loves us so much He’s made a way for us to go to heaven, to avoid the penalty of our own sin and hell.
“Yeh, but I’m a good person. I’ve never intentionally hurt anyone or done anything bad against anyone unless they deserved it.” According to Jesus (Matthew 19:17) the only One who is good is God Himself, which quickly eliminates all the rest of us. So, we have no basis for an argument to defend our innocence or to give an acceptable rationale for allowing us entrance into God’s perfect heaven.
Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who calls out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God’s laws.’” What are the clear implications?
We can do some powerful things FOR God and miss having anything in us done BY God! We can even preach powerful sermons and perform miracles and still not have a personal, redemptive relationship with the Lord Jesus. How is that possible? Because it’s a short step from having Jesus as Lord to being lord of our own life; from trusting His grace and strength to trusting our own goodness and good works.
But how is that even possible? Does not the devil, Satan, have power as well to do miracles? Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 in reference to a man who will come to do the work of Satan through counterfeit power, signs, and miracles. Someone who desires to perform miraculous signs doesn’t need Jesus; they only need to sell their soul to Satan.
Jesus recognizes His own and will never get confused as to who belongs to Him and who doesn’t. “But how can I know for sure that Jesus knows me?” Do you know Him? Have you opened your heart and life to His Lordship by confessing your sins, seeking His forgiveness, and inviting His Holy Spirit to take up residence in your heart and life? There’s no Holy Spirit presence in our life until we repent, turning from our old life of sin and disobedience to the Lord, and invite the Spirit to lead us into a transformed life that is being lived to the Lord’s honor and fame.
Until the regeneration of our heart and mind happens, we’re simply going through the motions of trying to make ourselves better, more acceptable to the Lord, which is impossible except by His grace and forgiveness. When we’re willing to humble ourselves before the Lord, admitting our need of forgiveness and His grace, it’s at that point He opens His heart to us and invites us to walk with Him. Please tap ANewStory.com and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through a helpful illustration of how this happens.
No one deserves heaven! Everyone deserves hell, but, gratefully, the Lord Jesus died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin to make a way for anyone willing to ask Him for the gift of eternal life. If you haven’t already asked Him, please don’t wait another second.
Blessings, Ed
