Before we answer this question we need to realize that there indeed is a hell that exists. Sadly, even some Christians and many nonbelievers deny that there is a place called hell. But, I believe, that the following quote by Charlie Campbell should totally dispel this satanic lie. In fact, Jesus spoke extensively about hell:
“Despite Hell’s unpopularity these days, there are numerous references in the New Testament that warn of Hell and the judgment that awaits the unrighteous. The Bible describes “Hell” as a place of outer darkness (Mtt. 25:30), weeping (Mtt. 8:12), wailing (Mtt. 13:42), gnashing of teeth (Mtt. 13:50), flames (Lk. 16:24), everlasting fire (Mtt. 25:46), a furnace of fire (Mtt. 13:42), separation from the righteous (Mtt. 25:46), eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord (2 Thess. 1:9), torment (Lk. 16:23), everlasting punishment (Mtt. 25:46), and the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Rev. 19:20). The Bible seems to exhaust the human language describing just how awful of a place Hell will be. Who said these things about Hell? Peter? No. Luke? No. All but two of these descriptions were uttered by Jesus Himself.”1
The clear teaching of Scripture shows us that all who haven’t accepted Jesus’ death on the cross as our atonement for sin will spend eternity in hell. But Scripture also shows us that God doesn’t want any of us to go to hell. (2 Peter 3:9) makes this abundantly clear: “The Lord is not slack concerning His
promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” We also know that God desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and that He does everything in His power to awaken us to our sinfulness and need of a Savior.
So, the question is if God doesn’t send anyone to hell who does? Sadly, the answer is that we send ourselves to hell. By not believing in Jesus, and accepting His free gift of forgiveness for sin, we are in effect choosing to spend eternity separated from God. May the following two quotes help drive home this point:
“God sends no one to hell. We send ourselves. God has done all that is necessary for us to be forgiven, redeemed, cleansed and made fit for heaven. All that remains is for us to receive this gift.” – Paul Little2
“The Bible says that God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, through the work of the Holy Spirit, God draws all men to Himself, seeking to convict them of sin and bring them to repentance. Anybody who makes a free and well-informed decision to reject Christ thus seals his own fate; he is self-condemned. His damnation can’t be blamed on God: on the contrary, he has resisted God’s every effort to save him. He separates himself from God forever, in defiance of God’s will that he be saved. In a sense, then, God doesn’t send anybody to hell – people send themselves.” – William Craig3
God so desires all of us to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven but He will not violate our free will. If we refuse to accept Jesus we, as William Craig says above, seal our own fate. As Christians we need to spend more time praying that God would open the eyes of the blind and convict them of sin. Hell is a terrible place and we should never want anyone to wind up there.
1 Charlie H. Campbell, Apologetics Quotes (Carlsbad, California: The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry, 2020), p. 91.
2 Charlie H. Campbell, Apologetics Quotes (Carlsbad, California: The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry, 2020), p. 24.
3 Charlie H. Campbell, Apologetics Quotes (Carlsbad, California: The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry, 2020), p. 102.
When we talk about hell, it is imperative to first understand something about God’s decrees. That is, those plans determined in eternity before man, woman, and creation were in existence.
Before there was a world with rational human beings who could exercise free will and send themselves to hell.
“God sends no one to hell. We send ourselves.”
“God doesn’t send anybody to hell – people send themselves.”
In light of God’s decrees, we need to explore this declaration, “we send ourselves,” one more time.
The salvation of men and women and of angels, and of certain of them in particular, was determined by God before the foundation of the world. He does this entirely of His own good will and His grace. I would refer you to Matthew 11:25–6. And in John 6:37 we read, ‘All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.’ In verse 44 our Lord says, ‘No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.’ In Acts 13:48 I read this: ‘And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.’
In 2 Thessalonians 2:13 you find, ‘But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.’ Then in his letter to Timothy Paul says: ‘Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began’ (2 Tim. 1:9).
This raises dozens of questions but Paul had the same answer for all them:
Paul’s reply is, “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.” Romans 9
When we say we send ourselves to hell, we disregard the decrees of God.
We might ask why did God hate Esau and love Jacob, even before they were born? The relevant question is, how could he love a sinful human being like Jacob at all? The doctrine of the eternal decrees of God before the foundation of the world! He knew me. He knew you. And our names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the world was ever made, before you and I or anybody else ever came into it.
God’s grace is mysterious and marvelous, creating miracles of His choosing.