5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year

If God loves everyone, why does He send people to hell?

Sincerely, Concerned For Souls

Dear Concerned For Souls,

God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell (Eze 33:11), but He gave us free will, and He respects our choices. Heaven and hell are the two eternal destinations of the human soul. Every human being gets to choose which path they wish to take (Matt 7:13-14). God gives you an entire lifetime to decide which place to live. During this life we choose to submit to Him (Jas 4:10) and wait for Him to exalt us, or we live for ourselves and must depend on ourselves on the day of judgment (Lk 13:25-27).

Heaven and hell are about choices. By the way we live, we choose to be with God forever or to live for ourselves. God desperately wants all to choose Him, but when people don’t, He respects their wishes. Even if it means by respecting them, they become separated from Him eternally. God respects your freedom to choose… so choose wisely (Heb 9:27).

5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year

     I know the Holy Spirit was responsible for getting the Bible (Jhn 14:26) to us via gifts of the Spirit (Heb 2:4), and I know He intercedes for us when we pray (Rom 8:26), but what other roles does the Holy Spirit actively play in our lives? 

Sincerely, I've Got Spirit, Yes I Do?

Dear I've Got Spirit, Yes I Do?,

     Since the Holy Spirit is God (1 Cor 2:11, Gen 1:2) just as much as Jesus and the Father are, He is capable of being involved in our lives in a variety of ways.  The Holy Spirit’s primary task was to bring the gospel to mankind.  As you mentioned, He is why we have the Bible, and that is how the majority of His impact is made upon mankind.  Here are some examples of things that the Holy Spirit does through the Word:

1. He shows us God’s love for us (Rom 5:5).
2. He teaches us how to be born again (Jhn 3:5).
3. He dwells in our hearts (Rom 8:9) as we allow His words to lead us (Rom 8:14).
4. He bears witness for the saved before men (Rom 8:16).
5. He tells us what is on God’s mind (1 Cor 2:10).

     By inspiring the writers of the Bible, testifying of their divine authority by miracles, and preserving their words through all history, the Holy Spirit has made Christ’s sacrifice available to all of mankind.

     The Holy Spirit also actively does a few things that don’t directly relate to the Bible.

1. He makes sure our prayers are understood (Rom 8:26).
2. He intercedes for us with God (Rom 8:27).
3. He acts as our guarantee from God of eternal blessings (2 Cor 5:5).  One way to think of this is that God sent Him to be with us- sort of like a downpayment on His promise to spend eternity with us in heaven.
4. He grieves when we sin (Eph 4:30).

     There can be no doubt that the Holy Spirit is actively preserving and distributing God’s Word, watching over our lives with providential care, and intimately caring about how you live and where you will spend eternity.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week All the New Testament in a year