There are those who enter heaven and there are those who are consigned to hell. Those who enter heaven do so on the basis of grace through faith. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

Those consigned to hell justly pay the penalty due to them for their own sins. Hell is an awful place described as “outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:12). It is a place of “eternal fire” (Matt. 18:8) “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48), where individuals cry, “I am in anguish in this flame” (Luke 16:24), and where “every transgression and disobedience [has] received a just penalty” (Heb. 2:2).

Why such awful punishment? The sins we commit are an affront to the infinite God and to His infinite holiness. To slander your parents or to lie to them is one thing. To lie to a federal investigator questioning you about crimes committed in your neighborhood is punishable by imprisonment. To assault a governor or senator is deemed more serious. To assault or slander the Supreme Ruler of the universe, the infinite, eternal God, carries the ultimate penalty: eternal imprisonment in hell. “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:9).

Because of the severity of sins committed against the Creator, the glorious Son of God enters this world, takes on human form, and suffers the pains of hell in the place of sinners. He atones for their sins. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Yes, “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). On this cross, “He Himself bore our sins in His body” (1 Pet. 2:24).

Why this atonement? “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Again, salvation through faith is God’s gracious gift (Eph. 2:8-9).

The Bible also speaks of “those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27). These names were “written from the foundation of the world in the book of life” (Rev. 13:8). And Scripture declares, “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15). How do you know if your name is written in the book of life? “Believe in the Lord Jesus” (Acts 16:31). That’s the profoundly important answer. Either Jesus Christ paid the penalty due to you for your sins, or you must pay this penalty yourself. God does not both require Christ to pay for your sins and require you to pay for your sins. God does not believe in double jeopardy.

There are indeed people who enter heaven by grace through faith. Christ paid the penalty due to them for all their sins. Tragically there are also people who bear the penalty for their own sins. Christ did not pay their penalty. We call this truth limited atonement.

—Dennis J. Prutow

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