Why do people go to hell?

Answer: Because God demands perfection in His perfect holiness and righteousness, He cannot dwell with sin. So the answer is sin. God demands justice on our sin.

Why doesn’t God save everyone?

Answer: Because He doesn’t need to, He is under no obligation to do so. If God determined from eternity to send all sinners to hell this would still be perfect justice. The lawbreaker cannot tell the judge what the terms of the sentence are.

If we need to be regenerated in order to believe then why are we responsible?

Answer: Because we sinned against God, we are held responsible as lawbreakers. We are pronounced GUILTY, and that is the verdict from God.

So how do I get to heaven?

Answer: By repenting of your sins and placing your faith alone in Jesus Christ.

I am a good person, I am not like Hitler or dirty criminals, so why wouldn’t God save me?

Answer: You aren’t a good person compared to God. The problem is you are comparing yourself to other sinners, God only compares you to Himself.

But I do so much good for my family, friends, and my community, so why wouldn’t God save me?

Answer: God demands a sacrifice from a perfect Lamb. That was accomplished by Jesus Christ, not you. So the good you think are doing doesn’t reconcile your sins. The reconciliation was provided by Jesus, so place your faith alone in Him.

My church has taught me that I need to participate in sacraments, rituals, and attend church to be saved?

Answer: If you could be saved that way, Jesus would have never left His throne to become incarnated.

So you’re telling me that if a good person in a remote village never heard of Jesus, they will go to hell?

Answer: Again, no one is “good” other than God. Secondly, what are you doing to help that person hear the name of Jesus and His Good News? Finally, again, they will go to hell based on their sin against God.

Why are you right, and my church be wrong on these answers?

Answer: This is where Scripture would be the arbiter, prove me wrong by Scripture, NOT by hearsay evidence which is not beyond corruption.

But look at you, you aren’t perfect, you still sin?

Answer: Being saved doesn’t mean being glorified in the flesh, it means that God has deemed me pardoned through Jesus Christ. No one will be perfect in the flesh, it does not mean I desire to sin, just the opposite. And the key component now is that when I sin, when the Holy Spirit convicts me, I repent of that sin. Salvation is not a license to sin freely, it is freedom from the ultimate punishment of sin which hell and the wrath of God. If I do sin, I am disciplined by God, just as a parent would discipline His child.

So I believe in Jesus, so why wouldn’t I be saved?

Answer: Believing in the historical attributes of Jesus while abandoning the redeeming promises is not the faith that saves. You must place your faith alone in Him that He alone paid your sin debt by His sacrifice on the Cross and by His rising from the dead, total trust in Him that you too shall rise. Believing in worldly depictions you see of Jesus, a painting, statue, a movie, etc, is NOT believing IN Jesus. You believe Jesus existed, you don’t believe He saved you from your sins.

But isn’t faith without works dead?

Answer: Absolutely! But works always result from faith, salvation. They are never used to gain salvation or Jesus would never had to sacrifice Himself, God could have just let you use those works.

What must I do to be saved?

Answer: Repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Is there a source I can go to so that I can learn these things?

Answer: Absolutely! Scripture! Start by removing EVERYTHING you have ever learned, what you have been told to believe, remove this from your mind. I suggest reading a Gospel account of for example John, and not like a novel, but as a careful study. Read it as if God is showing you this for the first time and has tasked you to teach others each chapter. Remember, do NOT import things you have been taught for example by your religion, let God teach you now.

But what if I don’t understand things?

Answer: As the man said in Mark 9, say this prayer “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief”. God will grant wisdom to all those who approach Him, the question is are you willing? Also, there is a Christian community which will also help, but always put Scripture as your ultimate source and remember man can always be corrupt, Scripture cannot. It doesn’t mean all man will not tell you the truth, it means they are capable not to. So keep Scripture as your sentinel source in this.

Where did the Bible come from?
Answer: It came from God, He is the Author

How do you know the Bible is from God?
Answer: Because if we look at this logically, the Bible’s text was never modified and it retained the same systematic string of God’s promises through Jesus Christ. The writers lived centuries apart, totally different eras, regions, etc, yet the string of the book is never in contradiction. There is no other work which could say the same. Let’s take the U.S. Constitution. It was developed by man because it needed to modified as time went along with amendments. The Apostles of Jesus for example did not go back and amend the creation account we find in Genesis.

How do you know Jesus is the Savior?

Answer: Because Scripture states this clearly and unequivocally. But if you want a logical opinion, ask yourself why after Jesus ascended to Heaven did the Apostles continue on, and then unto their death by torture, execution? There would be absolutely no reason to do so. If Jesus was not who He said He was, the Apostles would in their fallen state just go back to their old ways before His arrival instead of facing persecution and death. This would be normal human behavior, but in fact they did not stray off the message of salvation to their death which would be quite abnormal to fallen human behavior.

So which church should I attend?

Answer: First you will need to understand the Gospel. The church which you attend should be presenting the Gospel taught by Scripture. Just because it has a steeple, a bell, and bunch of religious pomp and circumstance does not make that church Christian. The discernment is always by the Gospel. Who Jesus is, what He did on the behalf of sinners, and what must one do to be saved which is to place your faith alone in Him. If there are things added or deleted from the message of salvation and if the things are being taught are not lining up with what you are learning from God in Scripture, that church should be discarded.

I pray to God, so why aren’t my prayers answered?
Answer: For a variety of reasons I suspect. The main one being God will not be a party to any sin, so if your prayer is to enable a sin or a lust, it won’t be answered. Another reason would be there are things we are not privy to from God, as He sees thousands of steps ahead of us. So pray that His will be done, and trust in Him.

Aren’t Christian hypocrites when it comes to living in sin?

Answer: There are many who have taken the label of “Christian”, but are still in rebellion to God, they have not been saved. They were told they were probably by a parent or a church, but never experienced salvation. They key I learned is how one responds to conviction and repentance. If they are told they are a “hypocrite” for example for a sin they are clearly committing, study their response when it comes to repentance. If they give you a fight? Then most likely they are a play actor of a Christian, not really a Christian.

Are you saying my parents weren’t saved, because they passed away and didn’t believe?

Answer: I couldn’t say, as some may at the last seconds of their life turned and believed, God only knows. But would you turn down eternal life if let’s say God told you they weren’t? Or you found out they weren’t, would you join them in hell out of pride? Because hell will be 1,000 times worse than your worst day you ever had, and it is forever.