Day 4: Our Struggle with Hell

Hell is the most just and fair place for any unrepentant sinner.

Every punishment must fit the crime. And the severity of that crime is measured by who or what was harmed.

Kill a mosquito, and nothing happens.

Kill a rare animal, and you face a fine.

Kill a human being, and you face life in prison.

Kill the president of a nation, and the penalty is your own life.

But if we reject God’s love, disregard His repeated, gracious warnings, and choose gods of our own making instead, then banishment from His presence is the just consequence. Hell is populated by those who, in some measure, know they deserve to be there, or by those who simply had no desire to be with God.

And yet there is something many fail to realize: no one parties in hell. Every trace of joy, laughter, love, or kindness we experience on earth is a direct expression of God’s influence. Every good thing originates with Him. Without the presence of God, there is no love, no kindness, no joy. None.

Heaven, on the other hand, is the most undeserved destination any human being could receive.

None of us earned it. Not one of us deserves it. It is only by God’s grace, extended to us continually, that we are granted access to the full holiness of heaven.

No one in heaven will boast about how good they were on earth. Everyone will know it was solely God’s great and ongoing forgiveness that brought them there. And that is precisely why heaven will overflow with unending praise.

Grace is unmerited favor. It is what we receive every single day we follow Jesus.