Why do people go to hell?

If you're like most people, your answer to this question is, people go to hell because they sin!

Right?

Wrong!

People do not go to hell because they sin. Yes, sin is what kept Adam and Eve from staying in the Garden of Eden, and sin is what kept people in bondage through all times ever since, and sin is what still keeps people in bondage today. But sin is not the reason people go to hell when they die.

To make it clearer, let me ask you one question: Why did Jesus come to this earth, suffer what He suffered through His appr. 33 years here, and then go back to His Father in heaven? Because God wanted to get rid of the barrier that hindered human beings from having close relationship with their Father God.  He sent Jesus to suffer death for you and me, to take yours and mine and everybody's sin on Himself, so we could go free. Jesus took my sins on Himself, did away with it once and for all, and gave me a free passage to God.

Does that mean that everybody on this earth goes to heaven when they die? That's unfortunately not the case. Let's see what Jesus Himself said about this matter. He talked about the Holy Spirit that would come after Jesus had ascended to heaven.

"When he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:  in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned" (Joh 16:8-11, my emphasis).

What's He saying here? He says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment. And then He says something very important. The conviction of sin is because people do not believe in Jesus.

So the answer to the question we started out with, is that people go to hell because they do not believe in Jesus.

Jesus took all the sin and all the sins of the world on Himself on the cross. Every thinkable and unthinkable sin is paid for in full by Jesus' death on the cross.

How do you and I get to participate in this wonderful work of Jesus? By believing on Him. It's that simple and it's also that difficult. Not difficult because it's not a finished work, but difficult because it requires that we give up ourselves and give ourselves to Jesus.

Why do people go to hell? Because they don't believe in Jesus!