Jesus & HellEsimerkki

Jesus keeps you out of hell

How do you avoid the agony of hell? If Jesus truly said that angry, lustful, and selfish people (and not just serial killers and child abusers) are in danger of eternal fire, how can any of us be saved?

Ask the man hanging on the cross next to Jesus. The Bible called him a “criminal,” a word that means “evildoer” or someone who “customarily does what is wrong.” But then something happened in this man’s heart. He realized he was a sinner. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he came to see that Jesus was the Savior, the King who came down from heaven to help him avoid hell. That’s why he cried, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). And what did Jesus say to this monster on death row? “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise’” (verse 43). Today. You. Paradise. That man is the paradigm of how sinners end up in paradise. Repent, believe, and you will be saved.

Without Jesus, the smallest sin would send us to hell. With Jesus, the biggest sin can’t keep us out! Through repentance and faith, you are connected to Jesus. That means the sins that would damn you are dead and gone. That means the righteousness you need to be close to God is yours. That means that whenever your life on this earth ends, your future is set—you will be with God in paradise.

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