In order to understand why God would send someone to hell, we must first understand that God is love. That sounds redundant or contradictory, but by the end of this article it will make complete sense. Next, we must understand that God is not only a God of Love, but that he is also a God of Justice, Righteousness and Holiness. He is not only a Father, but he is also a Judge. The good news is that He is a perfectly loving, righteous, just and holy judge. One thing we need to make clear through explanation is why Hell was created. Before the earth was created and sin entered the world, the devil and a third of his demons rebelled against God. That rebellion required punishment. Not only did God kick them out of heaven, but he created a place for them to be punished for all of eternity. Hell was created as a place to punish the devil and demons. Once sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, the penalty for all of humanity’s sin became the same as the penalty for the sin of the devil and his demons. Sin is punished through death and eternal torment. Sin is defined as a transgression of God’s Law. Sin is lawlessness and the Devil is the lawless one. The Devil’s aim is to tempt, deceive and provoke us into lawlessness so that our penalty will be the same as his penalty. We will find out how to escape this trap and punishment at the end of the article. Now let’s continue…In our world, we have a judicial system. Unfortunately, it is often corrupt or in another word, unrighteous. However, it exists to protect and to govern the harmony of human life. It exists to enable us to live our lives in peace and to love others without the fear of becoming innocent victims of injustice or hate. God also has a judicial system. He has set up laws that are meant to bring life and protect life. He has given warnings of the consequences of breaking those laws in effort to save us from the penalty. He is the judge who decides every case and he will carry out the punishment with complete justice. In order to better understand God’s judicial system, let’s take a look at a hypothetical situation in our judicial system. If someone steals an apple from your kitchen, the penalty if caught is that they will probably not get invited back to your house. If someone steals an apple from a grocery store, the penalty upon conviction in court would be a small fine given the value of the apple. If someone steals a truck with apples in it, that’s grand theft auto and the penalty upon conviction in court would be restitution and jail time If someone poisons an apple, intentionally gives it to someone, and that person dies then the penalty upon conviction would be up to life in prison or even the death penalty. If someone poisons a truck load of apples and those apples kill 100 people, then that person is guilty of multiple murders and the penalty upon conviction would more than likely be the death penalty. Now, if we did not have laws that warned of the consequences of our actions upon breaking the law, then the government would be unjust to enforce those penalties and punishment. The law has to be given in order to hold one accountable to it. Otherwise, the punishment for breaking it would be unjust. The same applies to God’s judicial system. It is by his grace and mercy that he has given us the law. If he held us accountable to the law without warning us with it, then he would be unjust to enforce it. In our judicial system, people get away with breaking the law without penalty because of a corrupt system or unjust sentencing by the judge. In God’s judicial system, no one gets away with breaking the law without paying the penalty because he is a perfectly just Judge. Now let’s look at the same scenario with the apple through God’s eyes... If someone steals an apple from your home, they are guilty of stealing. If someone steals an apple from a store they are guilty of stealing. If someone steals a truck with apples in it, they are guilty of stealing. If someone poisons an apple and kills an innocent victim, they are guilty of murder. If someone poisons a truckload of apples and kills 100’s of people, they are guilty of murder. In God’s heavenly judicial system, the penalty for stealing is eternal death and torment. The penalty for murder is also eternal death and torment. The penalty is the same, regardless of the scale in which it happened. God’s eternal punishment system is a reflection of his holiness, justice, and righteousness. Because God is completely just, he will carry out that punishment without wavering, without corruption, and without a bribe. Let’s press down on the illustration further, If someone steals your kids apple at lunch, what would you do? If someone gives your kid a poisoned apple at lunch, what would you do? If someone poisons every kids’ apple at lunch, what would you do? If someone poisons a million kids’ apples at lunch, what would you do? You would seek justice and restitution for the action. Why? Because you love your kid and you love others. Your anger and wrath in that situation is a result of your love. Any grace or mercy given in the midst your anger and wrath in those situations would be a result of your love. Our anger and wrath towards injustice done to another is a reflection of our love. If you witness someone kill an ant today, you will probably not be that angry. If you witness someone kill a bird today, you might be angry. If you witness someone kill a dog today, you will more than likely be angry. If you witness someone kill another innocent human being, you will be angry. Our love determines our anger and wrath towards injustice and unrighteousness. Because God is infinite in love, he has infinite anger and wrath towards injustice and unrighteousness. God’s anger is a reflection of God’s love and a result of his righteousness, justice and holiness. God loves his children. The wicked steal from God’s children. The wicked murder God’s children. The wicked sin against God’s children. The wicked are enemies of God and a threat to his children. God loves his children; therefore, his wrath remains on those who threaten and harm them. His wrath protects and his wrath is executed against those that oppose him and his children. One might say, aren’t we all God’s children? The answer to that question is an emphatic no. We are all God’s creation, but we are not all God’s children. We all have been given the opportunity to become God’s children, but that is conditional upon us being born again as God’s child. How do we become born again and receive this gift from God? Keep reading… Because God is love, he paid the penalty for all crime committed in his judicial system. The payment was his Son as the restitution and propitiation for our sin. He carried out the punishment on his Son so that he did not have to carry it out on his creation as the lawbreakers. As a result, the only way someone goes to hell now is by rejecting God’s gift of love found in his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the gift of restitution for the crimes committed by God’s creation. Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sin. The only way God sends someone to Hell is if they reject this gift. Do not reject it, and you will not be sent to hell. Ephesians 2:1-9 "1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — 9 not from works, so that no one can boast." In order to be born again, one must: Repent of their sin by turning from sin to God Confess Jesus as Lord Believe in their heart that God is who he says he is and will do what he says he will do Put their faith in the truth that Jesus Christ saved them from sin by becoming the atoning sacrifice for the penalty it deserved After one is born-again, they then spend the rest of their life getting to know God which leads to eternal life. John 17:3 "This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent — Jesus Christ."

The reason for this article is that it seems in current church culture we are confused as to what it means to have fellowship with one another. We mistake interaction and small talk for fellowship. We settle for superficial conversation and secular discussion rather than embracing our time together as an opportunity to build intimate, spiritual, meaningful, challenging, and edifying relationships with one another which is the essence of true biblical fellowship. In the event that we are establishing fellowship with others, it is way too often with the wrong people and as Paul says, “bad company corrupts good morals.” Therefore, it is imperative that we as believers understand with whom we are to fellowship and with whom we are not to fellowship. We are called to love everyone, but we are not called to fellowship with everyone. In Acts 2:42 we see the word “fellowship”. This word is used to describe the interaction and relationship between the believers. It is also the same word in the English as well as the Greek that Paul and John use to describe our relationship with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. ( 1 Cor. 1:9 , 1 John 1:3 ). The third context it is used is during the instruction that Paul gives on how believers are not to interact with unbelievers. For the sake of this article, we are going to focus on defining with whom believers are to have fellowship and what that fellowship should involve. HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH BELIEVERS The word “Fellowship” comes from the Greek word (koinonia) which can be defined; fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse, intimacy. God has designed our relationship with believers and even described it as a family. We are brothers and sisters in the kingdom. We are called to love each other and lay down our lives for one another. Jesus says that people will know we are his disciples by the way we love one another. The idea is that the way we love one another will spark such curiosity, interest and desire in the hearts of unbelievers that they will want to become part of the family by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. In Acts 2:44-46 , you will notice it specifically says that “all the believers”gathered every day in the temple and from house to house. It does not say that “all the people”gathered together. The“believers”gathered together. This was an exclusive group, but the invite was open to all. The one condition to join the group was that you become a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. That same invitation and condition is true today for all people. Once you were saved, you joined the family and at that point were welcome to gather as part of the family. (See the article titled, “The Gospel”, for a more in-depth explanation of how to join the family of God.) Let’s read these verses before outlining what it means to fellowship with believers. Acts 2:42-47 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts,47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. The idea is that our love for others will overflow out of the fellowship described and that the last line will happen as a result - “Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Here are a few key takeaway points from these verses that expound upon what true fellowship should involve. Fellowship with Believers from Acts 2:42-48 Centered around the Word of God and the apostles’ teaching ( Acts 2:42 ) Involves breaking of bread in order to take the Lord’s supper ( Acts 2:42 ) Involves prayer for one another and prayer for others ( Acts 2:42 ) Involves holding all things in common and providing for each other ( Acts 2:44-45 ) Meeting together in the temple and house to house ( Acts 2:46 ) Eating meals together ( Acts 2:46 ) Praising and worshiping God together ( Acts 2:47 ) We are designed for family. We all desire to belong and if you are a believer you belong to the family of God. In the bible, many people followed Jesus before they believed, but you have to believe in order to belong. Through believing and belonging you become more like Jesus everyday as a result of the fellowship you have with God and the fellowship you have with believers. The entire purpose of Christianity is that we would know God intimately and from that place of intimacy we would go out and make God known to others. HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP WITH UNBELIEVERS It may sound harsh to say that we are not to have fellowship with unbelievers, but it is biblical. In order to prove it we will look at a verse written by Paul under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. We will also look at the greek words and discuss the meaning of each of them. 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 14 Don’t become partners with those who do not believe. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?15 What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said..." Here are the underlined words with their greek equivalent and meaning: Partners - (Greek: heterozygeō) - Definition: bound together, unequally yoked Partnership - (Greek: metochē) - Definition: a sharing, communion, fellowship Fellowship - (Greek: koinonia) – Definition: fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse, intimacy As you can see in the verses above and by referencing the words Paul uses to give this instruction, it is clear that we as believers are not called to have fellowship with unbelievers. We are not to cultivate intimate friendships or relationships with unbelievers. We are not to share intimate or confidential information with unbelievers. We are not to confess our sins to unbelievers. We also are not to seek spiritual or important life decision guidance from unbelievers. In addition to these, we are not to be unequally yoked which means we are not to marry or become business partners with unbelievers. However, if we disengage completely with unbelievers, then no one will get saved. So, what do we do? We love and interact with unbelievers so that they might come to repentance and be saved. We are called to love them in hopes that we can one day have fellowship with them as brothers and sisters.We are ultimately called to fellowship with believers and love unbelievers. Jesus said in Matthew 9:13 “…For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” And in Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” One common misconception is the understanding or statement that Jesus was a friend of sinners. Jesus was accused of being a friend of sinners ( Luke 7:34 , Matthew 11:19 ), but this was not a self-prescribed titled. He spent time with sinners by eating with them, healing them, delivering them, and most of all speaking the Truth to them. However, his inner and outer circles were disciples only. Yes, Jesus interacted with sinners and loved sinners, but we have to be careful not to say he was friends with sinners. He certainly spent time with sinners and was not threatened or influenced by them, but he did not have fellowship with sinners. It is interesting to note how Jesus was repeatedly invited to meet and eat with sinners, tax collectors, Pharisees as well as how often they followed, listened to, and hung around him. This certainly proves that our demeanor and love should be such that we are invited over by sinners rather than written off or shunned by those that do not yet believe. Paul even gives instructions on how to act when invited over by an “unbeliever” ( 1 Corinthians 10:27 ). We must make sure that in these interactions we do not compromise and that we stand up for the truth as well as speak the truth in love during these moments with those who have not yet come into the faith. LOVE EVERYONE In Matthew 25 we read “ ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’” These verses simplify what we collectively as the Church have overcomplicated. It gives us tangible examples of how to love someone. Here are those examples summed up with a few points added. Take the stranger in to love them, not fellowship with them Visit the prisoner to speak the truth and life to them Take care of the sick so that they may see, feel, and hear the love of Jesus Feed, give drink, and clothe those in need so that they may see, feel, and hear the love of Jesus How else can we love everyone? By serving them By listening to them By speaking the Truth to them By laying down our lives for them By putting their needs above our own needs By praying for them By providing for them By protecting them By comforting them By encouraging them Jesus always spoke the truth to sinners. He always saw past the surface and into their potential. His invite was the same to all “Come and follow me”. Our invite to others should be the same, “Come and follow Jesus” in hopes that as they come, they would follow and as they follow that they would believe. Jesus himself said in Matthew 22:37-39 , “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” We will end this article with the story of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:25-37 25 Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “Love the Lord your Godwith all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”28 “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.” We are commanded to “Go and do the same.” We are commanded to love our neighbor, not just our brothers and sisters. In this story, it is clear that we are to make neighbors. All of us have the opportunity to be a Good Samaritan and anyone we come across throughout our day has the potential to be a neighbor. We are called to love the stranger on the corner, the poor person down the street, the prisoner locked up, the needy, the sick, the brokenhearted, the suicidal, the crippled, the wounded, the elderly, the youth, the lost and all those held captive by the devil in their sins. Their souls lay in the balance of our obedience to the commands of Jesus instructing us to love, preach, heal, deliver and make disciples of all nations. Every act of love is an opportunity for someone to encounter Jesus. Next time you find yourself loving your neighbor, make sure they know why you love them and how you are able to love them. Tell them about Jesus and how he came into this world not to condemn the world, but to save the world. The way we love and interact with believers and unbelievers is different, but the goal is the same. The goal is that they would encounter and be drawn closer to Jesus through our words and actions. "And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." ( Colossians 3:17 )

Excerpts Taken from “A321 Disciple Training” written by Zach Hickerson Whether one realizes it or not, we are all seeking and searching for the one true desire of our heart which is a relationship with the God who created us. Unfortunately, until we realize this truth, we attempt to fill the longing of our soul with money, travel, experiences, relationships, kids, activities, entertainment, sports, cars, toys, jewelry, clothes, jobs, status, influence, fame, and many other temporal things without realizing the one desire of our soul is eternal. What we desire is God. The sooner we realize this Truth, the more time we have to experience it while we are here on earth. This relationship can only be accessed through his son Jesus Christ. There is no other way into relationship with God our Father except through salvation found only in Jesus. In order to enter into this relationship, one must be born again as a child of God. John 3:3 “..Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” How Is One Born Again? To put it simply, one must hear the Gospel. Romans 10:14 “How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him?...” Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” This is The Gospel • You were created by God for a relationship with Him Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image; he created him in image of God; he created them male and female.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 “Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart..” (ESV) 1 Kings 8:39 “since you (GOD) know each heart, for you alone know every human heart..” 1 Timothy 2:3-4 “This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” • Adam and Eve’s original sin resulted in the birth of evil and the total depravity of humankind Let’s look at a view versus that explain this story in Genesis… Genesis 2:16 “And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” Genesis 3:6 “The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Genesis 3:13 “So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” In this scene, Adam and Eve disobey God by eating the apple after being deceived by the serpent (Satan). This is the ‘Fall of Man’ which caused sin, evil and death to enter into the world. • As a result of this disobedience by Adam and Eve, we are all born sinful deserving wrath and punishment Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…” What is Sin? Sin is defined – To miss or wander from the path of uprightness To violate the law of God A violation of the divine law in thought or act God’s Law is outlined in the Ten Commandments and expressed throughout Scripture in many more laws, statutes, ordinances, and commands (See Topical Lesson – “The Ten Commandments”) Who is guilty of Sin? Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.” We are all born sinful and we are all sinners. We inherit sin and also commit sin. If we have committed only one sin by disobeying God’s law, then we are justly deserving of punishment and the penalty of our sin which is eternal separation from God in a place called Hell. • What did God do about the penalty we deserve as sinners? God intervened with the Way of Redemption. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (ESV) Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the grave so that we could be REDEEMED by His blood which paid the penalty for our sin once and for all. The Bible is clear that no one can earn their way into Heaven or do enough good works to pay the penalty for their sin. This is why Jesus came to be the perfect atoning sacrifice. Jesus paid the debt for our sins providing us the Way into relationship with God and the gift of eternal life. Romans 3:20 “For no one will be justified in his (God’s) sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.” Colossians 2:14-15 “He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.” • How are we redeemed? It is the Father who reveals the Son to us. God is the one who opens our hearts to believe and be saved. After the Lord in His grace has enabled you to believe, you must choose to receive Him. God’s grace in sending His Son and the faith He gives you to believe are a gift. Repentance and the receipt of forgiveness are a choice you make. By choosing to receive Him, you are confessing Him as Lord of your life and declaring you believe in Him, will obey Him, will follow Him and get to know Him by spending time with Him. Romans 6:23 “..but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 5:8 “but God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace..” Ephesians 2:8-9 “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.” • What is Repentance? Jesus defines repentance in Acts 26:18 “to open their eyes so that they may TURN from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, THAT they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Jesus says to TURN so THAT you may receive forgiveness. Confession without the turning will not save you. True repentance is to turn away from sin to God. • What is Faith? Faith in essence is active trust in God believing he is who he says he is and will do what he says he will do. Faith is not an emotion but is proven through our acts of trust in God and His Word. • What is Grace? The word Grace is used to describe an unmerited gift as well as to describe God’s supernatural power that he gives his born-again children through the Holy Spirit. Jesus being sent as the atoning sacrifice for our sin was a gift (Grace). God’s empowerment given to us through the Holy Spirit so that we live by faith, defeat sin, and live holy is also his Grace. • What must I do to be redeemed? I. Repent of your current mindset and sinful way of life II. Believe in Jesus III. Choose to Receive the free gift of salvation by Confessing Jesus as Lord IV. Put your Faith in Jesus V. Live out your Faith daily VI. Continue to Confess your sins and repent of your sinful ways Here is a sample prayer to receive Salvation - Jesus, I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Right now, I confess every sin I have committed in my life. I ask for your grace, mercy and forgiveness. I believe you lived a perfect and sinless life, that you died on the cross, and were raised from the dead so that I could have eternal life. I ask for you to come into my heart, dwell within me through the Holy Spirit, teach me your ways, and give me the strength to obey you for the rest of my life. I renounce and repent of my sinful ways that have separated me from you. Right now, I confess you as Lord and my Savior. I love you and receive your love, forgiveness and salvation. I promise to obey and follow you the rest of my life. Thank you, Lord, for saving me. Amen.