A reader has a question about why good people go to hell.
Reader’s Question:
Dear Roger, Our Bible study group was discussing how and why God could justify sending good people to hell. We all agree that someone like Adolf Hitler ought to be in hell. But we also agreed that we know many non-Christians who are better people than many Christians. It seems so unfair for God to send some bad people to heaven while some good people end up in hell. How can this be? Thank you, Kelly
Roger’s Reply:
Dear Kelly, We have to stick really [close] to the Bible to deal properly with your question. From my perspective, I feel that most people believe they will go to Heaven or Hell based on if they were good people or bad on earth. While most people think it will be close, they do believe that they’ll make it to Heaven. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).
In Romans 3-7 Paul shows us how all have sinned and are guilty. In Romans 1-2 Paul shows us why good men and women aren’t good enough for God’s heaven. Good people need forgiveness for their sins just like everyone else. Christians have their sins forgiven at the cross. Because of God’s grace and mercy, Christians will never face their sins again. Not so with those who died without a Savior.
The Judgment of the Dead
Revelation 20:11-14 describes the Great White Throne Judgment, when those who’ve died without a Savior are given the opportunity to convince God why he should let them into heaven unforgiven and without a Savior.
The key to understanding “good people in Hell,” revolves around the Book of Life and the Books of Works. The Book of Life contains the names of everyone who has ever born. Those who die without a Savior have their names “blotted out of the Book of Life” and will be evaluated by their behaviors which are recorded in the Books of Works.
I imagine that those awaiting their turns with Jesus to be organizing their speeches to show him why they are good enough for Heaven.
God will then show them in the Book of Works why they are not good enough. Then, the Lord Jesus Christ will open the Book of Life and discover, as he already knows, that their names are not there. Tragically, they will be tossed into the Lake of Fire and assigned to Hell for eternity.
The problem is that no one is good enough for God’s Heaven. If he were to let us into Heaven with all of our sin, we would wreck the place.
We need the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and our surrender to him as Lord and Savior, to clean our lives of sin and make us fit to live in Heaven.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-17).
