Do We All Deserve Hell?

The statement "We all deserve Hell for the things we have done" is a common refrain in traditional Christian theology, but it's based on a series of misunderstandings and misinterpretations. It conflates different concepts of "hell," ignores the distinction between different types of salvation, and ultimately undermines the very foundation of grace.

First, we need to clarify what "hell" even means. The English word "hell" is used in many Bible translations to render several different Hebrew and Greek words, each with its own meaning and context. There's Sheol (Hebrew) and Hades (Greek), which simply refer to the grave, the state of death, the "unseen" realm where the dead are unconscious. There's Gehenna, a literal valley outside Jerusalem, historically associated with judgment and destruction, which Jesus used as a symbol of exclusion from the earthly Messianic kingdom. And then there's the Lake of Fire, described in Revelation, which is the "second death," a real death, not unending torment.

The idea that all humans "deserve" to go to any of these "hells" is based on a misunderstanding of sin and judgment. Yes, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and yes, "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). But this "death" is mortality, the consequence of Adam's sin, not eternal torment. We all experience this "death," this mortality, regardless of our actions.

Furthermore, the specific judgments associated with Gehenna and the Lake of Fire are not universal condemnations of all unbelievers. Gehenna, in Jesus' teachings, was a warning to Israel, about the consequences of rejecting Him as the Messiah and missing out on the earthly kingdom. The Lake of Fire, in Revelation, is the second death, a judgment for those who are not found written in the book of life at the Great White Throne Judgment, a judgment based on works, not on belief (Revelation 20:12-15).

But here's the crucial point: Christ died for our sins. He dealt with sin, once and for all (Hebrews 9:26). He reconciled the world to God, "not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Corinthians 5:19). This is the Good News, the Gospel, that Paul proclaimed. To say that we still "deserve hell" is to deny the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice. It's to say that His death wasn't enough, that something more is required, that we still need to somehow earn our salvation or avoid damnation.

The truth is, nobody "deserves" salvation. Salvation is a free gift, given by God's grace, based solely on what Christ has already accomplished. We don't earn it, we don't merit it, and we certainly don't deserve it. To claim that we "deserve hell" is to misunderstand the very nature of grace and to undermine the very foundation of the Gospel. It's to turn salvation into a transaction, something we earn by avoiding sin or by "accepting Christ," rather than a gift that is freely given to all humanity because of Christ's finished work.