Why do men go to Hell?

I guess I’m asking a silly question to some.  Lets stop and think about the question though.  Why are men going to Hell?  Some doctrine would seem to point that man goes to hell because he doesn’t do something.  If man doesn’t believe and repent from their sins, then he will go to hell, or believe and be baptized then hell will be your final destination.  I think that all would agree that these things are not what send us to Hell.  It is not what we don’t do that sends us to Hell.  It is clearly what we do do that sends us to Hell.  I think that when we look at it from that perspective we can say that sin sends man to Hell.  God has no tolerance for sin.  Romans 5:12 states that by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned.  All man has sinned, even infants, all man because of sin is dead spiritually.

 Now the law was sent to show man there sin.  There was no way for man by the law to be justified with out a sacrifice for sin.  In order to put away sin a perfect man, a man without sin needed to die.  Well all man has sinned it passed down from Adam.  The only way to put away sin was for Christ to die.  He did that on the cross and suffered for our sake.  Now if our sins were not put away on that cross, then Christ suffered for nothing.  My Savior suffered more than any man could ever think about suffering on that day.  My sins and the sins of all Gods people were put away on that day.  They were cast away as far as the east is from the west.  My sins are no more.  God can only tolerate me because my savior paid my debt.

Now if my sins were done away with upon that cross then tell me what is going to send me to hell?  You must say nothing.  Whether I believe it or not I still have no sin.  There is nothing that can send me to hell if my sins were paid for on that cross.

Philip

Regeneration is making alive.   It is also referred to as being quickened.   When we are regenerated (Jeremiah 31), we are given “the measure of faith” by God as a declaration of our justification before God, we are made to be able to be aware of spiritual things, we are able to please God, we are made to “know Him” in a spiritual sense, and (very importantly in regard to the utility of the Gospel) we are made to know, understand, and feel sin as the Law of God is written in our hearts.    The Apostle Paul in Romans 7 is a good example.   Before he was born again (to me this is synonymous with regeneration), Paul saw himself as righteous under the law of God.   Then he says, “When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”   This commandment was the command to live, or regeneration.   When Paul was regenerated, the Law of God was written in his heart and he saw himself to be a sinner, and justly condemned before God.  In other words, he “found it to be unto death,” even though in reality he was made alive.    We are born again – regenerated only by the Spirit of God.   He speaks life into us.   “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, it will not return unto me void, but will accomplish that which I please, and prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it.”    (Forgive my not quoting that passage from Isaiah perfectly.)    This is the same power that said “Let there be Light, and there was light.”  It is this same power that said “Lazarus, come forth!”, and Lazarus was made alive.    God breathes (or speaks) life into us, just as He gave natural life to Adam in the Creation.    We are completely passive in this operation of regeneration.   Man has absolutely nothing to do in the new birth.   It is the effectual working of a Sovereign God.   

Now, in regard to the Gospel…..

The Gospel is the Good News of the finished work of Jesus Christ.  It has absolutely no value or effect on a man until AFTER he is born again.   Christ said in John 3 that “except a man be born again, he cannot see thekingdom of God.”   The Scriptures say that “the natural man receiveth not the things of God, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned.”    Also there is a very, very definitive statement in II Tim 1:10, where it says that God “hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.”    Here is a wonderful statement of the utility of the Gospel.    The Gospel NEVER brings life to a person, but it brings that life to light.   There is a profound difference between bringing to life versus making that life known to an individual.A man that is spiritually dead has no ability to receive the Gospel in any fashion.   God must first make him alive before he can even have a heart to be touched by it.   While there have doubtless been occasions where someone has been regenerated while under the sound of the Gospel, the fact that the Gospel was being preached had absolutely no effect upon their regeneration.   Until after they were born again, it was simply foolishness to them.Now, after a person is born again, the Gospel is very important to them, for only in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ can he who has been regenerated and had the law of God written in his heart find any rest, and find any realization of his justification before God.   The Gospel doesn’t make the believer justified before God, it tells the believer that he is justified before God, and therefore provides him justification in the court of his conscience by proclaiming to his lionic accuser that he is clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 

By: Adam Green

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.

Many people in the world say that belief is needed before you can ever be regenerated.  I’m going to try and point out some verses that are clearly contrary to that belief.  Starting with John 3:36.  John 3:36 states that he who believes has eternal life.  Hath is a past tense verb.  Stating that everlasting life is possessed by those who believe.  If this verse was stating that belief was necessary in order to receive eternal life then it would have to say, “will have.”  It doesn’t say that it says, “already has.”  I would like to say that belief and faith is very similar in meaning and most people use them hand in hand as will I.  So I would like to point out that faith is a fruit of the Spirit.  ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  So if faith is a fruit of the Spirit, would not you have to have the Spirit in order to bear that fruit.  I have never seen an apple borne without the tree and I’m sure that same principle would have to apply here. 

Another verse I would like to talk about is John 5:24 which says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  Now again most people would use this verse to say that you must hear the gospel and believe on Jesus in order to have everlasting life.  Well lets look at what this verse does not say.  It doesn’t say, “You must hear my word, and believe on Him that sent Me, to have everlasting life, and to pass from death unto life.”  It is in a completely different tense than that.  The result of the hearing of the word, and believing is once again in past tense.  It is saying that the hearing and belief is a sign that you have everlasting life, not a requirement. 

 Now I believe that all of God’s children will at some point in there life be regenerated by the Holy Spirit and that faith will be placed in there hearts.  The fact that He will do that is not in any way left up to man.  Man’s will, will not get him any where because the natural man can not please God.  If ye have the Spirit of God in you, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.  The Spirit of God being in us is what gives man the ability to seek after God.  Romans 8:6-9

So how does man believe, “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”  I say once again that faith is a fruit, an affirmative, not something that man must do.  Eternal salvation is the work of Christ, it was finished on the cross of Calvary.  And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.  The death of Christ was sufficient enough to save all that He died for.  He only died for those that the Father gave Him.

Church Foundation

In the early days of the Church Paul dealt with many problem within the various churches.  After Paul was gone I’m sure it wasn’t much easier for the ministers to continue in the practices that were laid down for them by the apostles.  Christ gave the right of laying down the foundation of the church to the apostles.  Ephesians 2:20.  Now within the foundation of the church you would find the doctrine and practice of the church and God’s people.  So if the foundation was given to the Apostles who has the right to add on to His Church.  I would have to say only the Apostles.  I’m pretty sure that there aren’t any more of them around today.  So the Apostles set it up being guided by what Christ had taught them and being lead by the Holy Spirit.  It is the duty of all of God called ministers to uphold the doctrine and practices that was set up by the apostles and not sway from them even if they think they have a better way.  No man can improve upon what God has done.  Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and our ways are not His ways.  May the true doctrine and practice stand firm until our Saviour returns.  He said it would and that is good enough for me.  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 Philip