By John Bueno
Hell was created for the devil and his angels. (See Matthew 25:41.)
The whole process of redemption effected on the cross shows that
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come
to repentance. (See 2 Peter 3:9.) God is also holy and cannot tolerate
sin. We condemn ourselves by willfully sinning. By sending His Son
to offer up His life, God has provided a way of escape from the
just consequences of our sins and has called us to let people know
about Jesus Christ and His atoning blood that brings reconciliation
between God and man.
If the message of salvation is not communicated to a lost world,
it will not be God’s fault, but ours who are charged by Him
to relay the message. Ezekiel declared that if we fail to do all
we can to warn men of their sins and their need for repentance,
their blood will be required at our hands (Ezekiel 33:6). God has
commissioned us, His church, to deliver His message of salvation
to the world.
Much of God’s just judgment in eternity is a mystery. It isn’t
possible to know and understand what God hasn’t revealed. (See
Romans 11:33.) Rather, we must believe and obey the truth God has
given to us. Nothing takes away our responsibility to preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ to all creation. Our part is not to question
and speculate, but to recognize God’s holiness and love —
that He is both just and merciful. Ultimately God is the judge.
Our responsibility is to do everything possible to let the world
know about Christ and His salvation. We must trust everything else
to God’s sovereign will.
John Bueno is executive director of Assemblies
of God Foreign Missions.
