Antidote

Have you ever heard a statement like this one:
“I can’t believe you worship a god that would send someone to hell just because he doesn’t believe in Jesus.”

I think that statement totally misses the point.

Is it true that God sends people to hell for not believing in Jesus?
My answer is yes and no. Here is what I mean:

Usually, the reason people raise this question is because they have heard Christians explain it that way. We often haven’t been careful to communicate exactly what's going on here and why belief in Jesus is so important.

It's because belief in Jesus solves a problem.
The problem itself is what condemns people to hell, and if Jesus doesn't solve the problem then the problem doesn't get solved.
He's the only one capable of dealing with it.

The problem is sin.

Sin is like a disease that infects every single person on the planet.
And it has a 100% mortality rate.

One way of looking at this is to see mankind as desperately, deathly ill. What is the antidote? The antidote is forgiveness. It's available to everyone from the very One whom we have offended--God Himself. He offers forgiveness to the great and the small, to those who are the greatest sinners and the least sinners. Now you have a choice. Take the medicine or don't.

That's the answer to the question. The offer of forgiveness goes out to everyone. The antidote to the deadly disease is available to each and every person. It's up to us to accept it or not. If we don't, we perish, not because we don’t believe in Jesus but because we have refused the forgiveness of God.