Question
Why should Christians today continue to believe in hell?
Answer
Scripture teaches that our God is a God of love. It's stated that simply in 1 John: "God is love." The Scripture also says that God desires all people to come to himself for the reconciliation of his creation. So, all of those statements might lead one to ask the question, why should we believe in hell, this place where people are eternally separated from God? Well, when you take that question to Scripture, you realize that there are texts throughout the Gospels, the letters, Revelation, that speak of this place where people who have rejected God's good offer of salvation must exist apart from God eternally. Now, as a follower of Christ, as one who experiences God's blessings through the Holy Spirit, this seems incredulous: why would anyone choose against this wonderful offer? But yet we know in our world, we know from Scripture, that some do reject this good gift, and because God is a God of holiness and justice and love, those who reject his one offer of salvation in Jesus Christ, this is the only option left for them. They cannot enter the presence of a holy God if they do not come through the sacrifice, atonement and intersection intercession of Jesus Christ. And so, while we desire the salvation of the whole world, while we go to all nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ, we know that some might reject and they have to suffer the consequences of rejecting who God is.