We saw that all people are sinners and rebels at heart. But God is just, and his justice demands that all sin be punished. If God does not punish sin, he cannot maintain his authority as the supreme ruler of the universe. The punishment for sin is eternal separation from God and suffering in what the Bible calls hell or the lake of fire, away from his presence. Describing the final judgment, the Bible says:
[Revelation 20:11-15] The dead, great and small, stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done … And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Everything you’ve ever said and done is recorded in heaven and will be played before your eyes on the judgment day. God is a righteous judge and will judge everyone fairly and justly, according to what they did in life.
[Romans 2:3-11] Do you suppose that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good. For God shows no partiality.
If you were to die now, what do you think would happen to you? Would you receive eternal life or God’s wrath in hell? There are only two places to spend eternity, either with him in heaven, or without him in hell. There is no third option.
Anyone who practices sin is a rebel and an enemy of God, regardless of what they believe. Let no one deceive you with empty words, that God somehow understands and will turn a blind eye to your sin. Sin leads to eternal death.
The Bible clearly says:
[Romans 6:23] The wages of sin is death.
[Ezekiel 18:20] The soul who sins shall die.
Please read the following carefully:
[Romans 1:18-32] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. … Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
God hates the above behavior and will punish with eternal death everybody who lives like that, with no exception. Here is more behavior that God hates and for which he will send people to hell if they do not repent:
[Revelation 21:8] As for the cowardly, the faithless, the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Many Christians are sadly mistaken about God’s judgment. They are convinced that because they believe in Jesus, they will not be judged according to what they do. They believe that the many warnings in the Bible somehow do not apply to them. This is a great deception in many Christian circles.
[Galatians 6:7-8] Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own sinful nature will from the sinful nature reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Speaking about the eternal kingdom of God, the Bible says:
[Revelation 21:27] Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false.
[Revelation 22:15] Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Here are a few more Bible verses showing practices and lifestyles that God hates.
[Mark 7:21-23] From within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.
[1 Corinthians 6:9-10] Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
[Galatians 5:19-21] The works of the sinful nature are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
[Ephesians 5:5-6] Everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
[Colossians 3:5-8] Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
[1 Thessalonians 4:3-5] This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.
[Hebrews 13:4] Let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
If you are on any of the above lists, you are on your way to hell, regardless of what you believe or what religion you have. Note that sexual immorality, which is so widespread these days, appears in all these lists. I’m simply telling you what the Bible says, not judging you. It’s God who will judge you, based on the standard he revealed in the Bible.
The above verses show that God is holy and just and that he will punish sin with damnation in hell. But he is also full of love and mercy, and ready to forgive if we stop doing what he hates. The following verses beautifully illustrate the two sides of God: his goodness and his justice.
[Exodus 34:6-7] The Lord is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
Throughout the Bible God keeps pleading with us to forsake our wicked ways and return to him.
[Isaiah 55:6-8] Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
He will forgive us if we return to him, but he also warns us that there will be consequences if we keep disobeying him, both in this life and in the life to come.
[Isaiah 1:18-20] Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword.
God prefers not to have to punish us, but if we don’t turn to him and live right, his justice leaves him no other option.
[Ezekiel 23:32] Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? Are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? Therefore I will judge you, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.
God gave you a free will and you are responsible for your own decisions. Whether you like it or not, your decisions and actions have eternal ramifications. You will reap what you sow. And if you end up in the wrong destination when you die, you will only have yourself to blame. As we just read:
[Galatians 6:7] Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Every person ever born knows the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil. God is merciful and gives every person more than one opportunity to change their ways. He is patient and calls every person multiple times. He is calling you right know as you read these words.
God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but he is also a righteous judge. He judges fairly and justly because he knows every heart, all motives and all thoughts.
God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to seek him and be reconciled to him, to experience his love and love him back. He wants us to obey him out of love. He wants us to stop being rebels and become his children.
But for reconciliation to happen, God needs not only to forgive us our past sins, but also to help us not to sin anymore. A lasting solution to our sin problem is needed. Our rebellious and independent nature needs to change.
God knew that we are hopelessly lost and that we cannot save ourselves from this wretched condition. So, in his infinite wisdom, he came up with a reconciliation plan.