Is Bin Laden In Hell? Or, Are We All In Danger?

After reflecting on this for a couple weeks (because I’m slow) and in light of the parallel controversy with Rob Bell, the pastor from Michigan with the un-Biblical teaching that everyone eventually goes to heaven, the truth is that all of us are in danger of hell, not just a guy like bin Laden. Why? Because that fact is, we are all evil.

Thomas S Kidd, senior fellow at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, expounds well on this point in his USA Today article at the link below:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2011-05-22-Whos-in-hell_n.htm

Most of us haven’t conspired to kill thousands of people. Maybe we aren’t serial axe murderers or haven’t sexually molested anyone. God however, says we are all sinners by nature, who are desperately wicked, who are incapable of saving ourselves. 

The Apostle Paul explains to Christians living in the city of Ephesus who he and they were:

Ephesians 1: 1-3:

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

After reading the scripture above, I get two impressions:

1.) We are evil and under God’s wrath, and…

2.) Yet, there is hope.

Paul continues with the hopeful part:

Ephesians 1: 4-10:

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

In spite of our evil condition, there is hope through faith in Christ.

Bible quotations from the New Living Translation (NLT)