Hell: Are there people there for whom Christ died?
The Bible clearly tells us that what Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary was done for all mankind. No exceptions!
1 Timothy 2:3-6
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have [THELO = desires] all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. [Emphasis added]
What He did, He did for even those who will never accept the provision He made for them so they could be saved.
1 John 2:2
2 And he [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for our sins [as believers]: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. [Emphasis added]
This tells us everyone is savable, but not all will be saved. As you may have read in my articles about how Christ died for the sins of all mankind, there are always many people who refuse to accept the sacrifice He made for them. But their rejection of it does not cancel or annul what He did for them. His payment, His death for their sins cannot somehow be undone. For those who may think otherwise, where is such stated in the Bible? It isn’t! Furthermore, will there be people in hell who have been forgiven of all their sins? Yes, billions of them! This is a similar question to the one in the title of this article. Since Christ paid the full penalty for the sins of the world, there will certainly be people in hell who were forgiven of their sins. As the Bible so clearly tells us, God loves all mankind, not just some. Among many others, a well-known passage of Scripture tells us this.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [Emphasis added]
The offer is made to all, not just some. I address this question in several of my articles on our website. Here are their titles.
Jesus Christ: For whom did He die?
Salvation: Does God desire it for everyone?
The problem with so many people will be that they never accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. This means they never complied with the command to be reconciled to God even though we have Scripture that clearly and plainly tells us that Jesus Christ provided reconciliation, the means to salvation for the entire world of mankind.
2 Corinthians 5:19-20
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Please bear in mind that this verse is not teaching what some speak of as universal reconciliation. That is a teaching that essentially says everyone without exception is going to Heaven. The Bible does not teach this! The problem is that most people have not accepted by faith God’s work in Jesus Christ to provide a way of reconciliation for them and for all. That was done through His death, burial, and resurrection. Note the command in this next verse in that 2 Corinthians 5 passage.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. [Emphasis added]
How does someone do this so as to be saved? In other words, exactly what must someone do to fulfill this command to be reconciled to God. Answer: They must accept by faith the work of Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. He did this for all mankind so that anyone can be saved and end up in Heaven, but individuals must choose to accept it.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: [Emphasis added]
Another problem that exists on this issue is that some people don’t even believe this place of torment called hell exists. Was Jesus a liar? He sure talked about it and warned about it as a real place all unsaved people will go after death. People ask how a loving God could do such a thing. I’ve written articles about this, too.
Hell: How can a loving God send people there?
I hope you’ll take some time to read all these articles. The Bible tells us these things to warn us. It surely is a serious matter.
Conclusion—
There will surely be people who will suffer forever in hell because they never accepted God’s provision so that they could be saved from it. Regardless of what Christ did through His death on the cross to provide them with the forgiveness of their sins, millions will choose to continue in their unbelief and unsaved status. The apostle Paul even wept over these people.
Philippians 3:18-19
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) [Emphasis added]
This means many people will spend eternity in hell rather than Heaven even though Scripture clearly tells us Christ died, paying the full penalty for their sins. We even tell unbelievers that Christ died for their sins when we present the gospel to them. It is an essential part of our gospel message. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll accept God’s provision for your salvation by accepting by faith the Savior He provided for you.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
Yes! ALL believers are in the ministry, not just some of us.
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors [personal representatives] for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. [Emphasis added]
No one ever earns or deserves what Christ did for them to make this reconciliation and resultant salvation possible.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. [Emphasis added]
Therefore, people should gladly accept His work immediately.
2 Corinthians 6:2
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured [BOETHEO = to come to one’s aid] thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) [Emphasis added]
You never know the day when you won’t have another tomorrow on this Earth. It surely is urgent that you get this matter settled now if you haven’t already.
