By John Park

“If I’m not Christian, am I going to Hell?”

How do I answer that question? If there were only 100 people in the world, only 30 people would be going to a place called heaven. Therefore, among the 6 billion people in the world, only 1.8 billion will go to a “better place” while the remaining 5.2 billion people will suffer and rot in hell. Not only is it unfair and inhumane that so many people will burn in hell while a few select Christians get to go to a better place, but it borders on cruelty and even evil. I identify myself as a Christian because I believe in Jesus and the Bible and that I should be a good person and all the rest, and I have always learned that God is the God of love. However, if my God is so loving and good, how can He allow so many people to go to Hell? It’s just not fair.

I didn’t know what to say when my friend asked his question. It seemed kind of wrong to say “Yeah, you’re going to hell unless you repent,” but the Bible clearly states that only the righteous and holy can go to heaven and be with God because God is holy and cannot stand to be around sinful men. Therefore the only way to go to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ who justifies us freely through His death on the cross. In that respect, the correct Biblical answer would be, “Yeah, you’re going to hell.” But it feels so wrong, like I’m condemning him to eternal damnation. Jesus never condemned anyone. How can I?

God bestowed upon man an inherent right–free will. He could have made men to be like machines, perfect and holy like His angels, but instead, He gave us the freedom to choose for ourselves. Love is the highest element in the universe. It changes men, gives them hope, and enables them to endure in an unfair and cruel world. God wants us to love Him out of our free will; He wants us to choose for ourselves to love and obey Him. He wants us to choose for ourselves whether we want to be with Him or not. When God decided to create men with free will, He had to create a hell out of His ultimate respect for men’s free will. Hell is not a place of fire and brimstone. When Jesus spoke about hell, He was using allegorical and metaphorical language. Hell is a place where the very presence of God is absolutely absent. People are sent to hell because throughout their lives, they have decided out of their own free will, to live without God. God accepts and respects their decision, and ultimately lets them go to the place where they decide and want to go. Jesus does not condemn anyone. Neither does God. He lets us choose for ourselves.

Thus, I think back to my friend. He asks, “Am I going to hell or not?” The answer is simple: “That’s completely up to you.”