Am I Going to Hell if I Don't Believe in Jesus?

"Am I going to hell if I don't believe in Jesus? Why is belief in Jesus even necessary?"

These questions are certainly fair ones.

Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason offers some helpful insight into answering the question "Why is Jesus necessary?" in a blog entitled "Cross-examining the Attorney." In less than 60 seconds you can communicate the truth of why individuals need Jesus by asking two simple questions. The following reflections on a conversation Greg had illustrates important tactics and considerations ambassadors of Jesus Christ should always keep in mind:

Sometimes we have to reframe a critic's question in order to give an accurate answer. The questions, Am I going to Hell if I don't believe in Jesus?, is an example. As it is asked, it makes it sounds as though Jesus were the problem, not the answer. As though failing a theology quiz sends us to Hell. Instead, we need to reframe the question to answer accurately and show that sin is the problem, and Jesus is the only way because He alone has solved that problem. Sinners don't go to Hell for failing petty theology quizzes.

The Problem of Unfair Damnation

Jim Wallace at PleaseConvinceMe.com tackles the question of hell and the destiny of the unevangelized:



Check out Jim Wallace's website PleaseConvinceMe.com and his you tube channel for more great videos.

Is Jesus the Only Way?

Is Jesus Christ the only way to salvation? Compare and contrast how Joel Osteen and Greg Koukl answer this question. Then ask yourself, "Which is more biblical?"

Joel Osteen:



Greg Koukl:



Why Only One Way?

Why is there only one way to God? Simple: there is only one God. And there is only one human race. And there is only one problem between God and man: sin. And there is only one mediator between God and man who takes care of our sin problem: the God-man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

Asking why Jesus is the only way to God is sort of like asking why a diabetic needs insulin. Diabetics need insulin because diabetes is a very specific problem with a very specific cure. If a diabetic were to say, "But I don't want to take insulin for my diabetes. I want to take chocolate syrup," we may rightly respond, "But chocolate syrup isn't going to take care of your diabetic problem."

In like manner, mankind suffers from a very specific disease: sin. And this disease has a very specific cure: Jesus Christ. Neither Buddha, nor Muhammad, nor any other religious figure takes care of the sin problem. Saying you prefer Buddha or Muhammad to Jesus in the realm of religion is like saying you prefer chocolate syrup to insulin as a cure for diabetes. Neither Buddha nor Muhammad suffered the wrath of God and solved the sin problem by paying the sin debt.

What About Sincerity?

But doesn't sincerity count for anything? No, it doesn't. Sincerity doesn't count any more in religion than it does in politics, economics, math, or science. You can sincerely believe something and at the same time be sincerely wrong. What matters is whether or not your beliefs correspond with reality. Sincerely believing you have a million dollars in your bank account or that 2+2=5 in no way alters the reality of the situation. And sincerely believing in a false religious system can no more save you than sincerely believing that chocolate syrup can save you from diabetes. Truth in religion matters.

Isn't This Narrow-Minded?

But isn't this narrow-minded? No, it's not. Narrow-mindedness has more to do with how a person believes than what a person believes. Let me explain. If I were to shut my mind off to all alternative options, refuse to listen to anyone else, and exercise blind faith in what I believe, than perhaps I may be accused of narrow-mindedness. But there is a difference between being narrow-minded and being narrow. All truth, by definition, is narrow. All truth claims exclude opposing and contradictory views. Even the statement "Truth is not narrow" excludes the statement "Truth is narrow."

In fact, isn't this exactly what Jesus said? In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus states, "Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Imagine someone calling me narrow-minded because I make the claim that diabetics need insulin. Of course, this is narrow, but not narrow-minded. Likewise, saying "Jesus is the only way" is in fact narrow, but not narrow-minded. Calling people "narrow-minded" is easy. Name-calling is always easier than intellectual engagement. But rejecting the message of Jesus because it is narrow is just as silly as rejecting the narrow message of insulin for your diabetes.

What Did Jesus Say?

Most importantly, Jesus Himself claimed to be the only way in John 14:6: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me." This message is consistently taught and repeated throughout the rest of the New Testament (Luke 10:16, 12:8-9; John 3:18, 3:36, 5:23b, 6:28-29, 8:24, 10:7-8b; Acts 4:12, 16:30-31; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:23, 5:11-12). The apostles certainly were not afraid to speak the truth of this message as it seems Joel Osteen is in the above video. We have to realize that the gospel is offensive (1 Peter 2:8). This doesn't mean we present the truth in an obnoxious matter. But it does mean that the message of the gospel is inherently offensive to the self-righteous, prideful, and depraved mind of unregenerate mankind.

Christians who repeat this message aren't making it up out of thin air because they want to be annoying, prideful, or arrogant. They are simply being faithful to the teachings of their Lord. Therefore, when people object or become contentious with the idea that "Jesus is the only way," it is not Christians they have a problem with but Jesus Himself.