By Deolu Akinyemi,
This is a hot topic, but the responses to it are not so hot. Here is what people think.
- Can I really know if my friend is going to hell? Would that not be judging my friend? Well, the scripture does not leave us confused. Jesus made this question absolutely easy to answer. Jesus is the way. I’m sorry, you can know if your friend is going to hell by checking the way he’s on. We are commanded not to judge with logs in our eyes, but first remove the log, so we can see clearly (Matthew 7:1-5). We are however commanded to judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24).
- What if my friend professes Jesus as Lord? Does it mean he won’t go to hell? Well, hell is for professors too. Jesus considers it mockery to call Him Lord and not obey His commandments. We are not judged based on what we profess, we are judged based on what we do in obedience to Jesus’ commandments. What kind of Lord commands only your lip service and not your actual submission? We must not make him into a comedy Lord (Matthew 7:22-23, Luke 6:46).
So, now that we have established we can know if our friends are likely going to hell. What do we do about it?
- Maintain our lane: After all what’s your business. It’s their choice isn’t it, and it’s just that they will perish for eternity; it’s not really a big deal. They can still enjoy a good life on this side of life. You better not be thinking this way.
- Do all we can to warn them: We were once like them, save for God’s saving grace and someone who didn’t give up on us, is the only reason we see. It’s the gift of God; we can do all we can, to share the message with our friends, so they don’t miss out.
But beyond your natural inclinations to maintain your lane or share with your friend, there is something extra that you should consider when deciding what to do.
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”
Revelations 21:8 identifies the eight character traits that are hell bound, and guess the first one? The cowardly. What does this mean?
It means not telling your friend wins you a bonus ticket to hell. Not standing up for Christ wins you a free entry. Being too shy, too reserved, or minding your business and maintaining your lane is a required character trait for being thrown into the lake of fire.
Who is cowardly?
- Anyone who refuses to witness because of the consequences.
- Anyone who sees Jesus reputation being abused and keeps quiet.
- Anyone who maintains their lane when they should rescue the perishing.
- Anyone who recoils from persecution.
- Anyone who denies Jesus with silence or verbally.
- Anyone who sees what he knows is clearly false about Jesus and passes by steadily saying, I don’t want trouble.
- Anyone who makes his christian faith private. They are christians, but it’s not official on Facebook or Twitter.
Anyone who makes a habit of living like the above is cowardly. Do I mean they would go to hell? No, I don’t mean it. I simply read it in the Bible and I believe it’s true. Remember, the second category of those who will not miss hell are the unbelievers – people who read what is in the Bible and don’t believe it.