How to Get into Hell

What sins will make a person end up in Hell? Most people will answer similarly and name off what are, in their minds, a few biggies. What if I told you that there was only one sin that could get you into Hell? Ready . . . here it comes . . . unrepentance.

Yes, the failure to repent is the one sin that gets a person in Hell. In other words, we can technically commit numerous sins and repent of them and be able to go to Heaven. The issue is not whether this is true; the issue is the actual definition of "repent", for if we get this wrong, then you know what the consequences will be.

To "repent" is not merely to want to stop sinning. I have met many pagans who genuinely want to stop sinning because they hate the consequences of their sins. This is called experiencing guilt, but not actually feeling true contrition. To "repent" means that first we want to turn away from the sin. Second, it means that we do something in our life to prevent ourselves from falling into that sin again (no matter how small it is there must be something!).

If you desire to stop sinning but do nothing about it (not even pray for God's grace to assist you), then you are not truly repenting. Yes, it may look to some like repentance when someone goes on about how much they want to stop, but if there is no active change in his life, then he is only superficially resisting the sin.

Repentance does not presume one is perfectly overcoming the sin, but that one is making an active effort to do something about it (i.e. putting a blocker on your phone, practicing using kind words, only use your phone when others are present, praying to God that He will help you forgive others, destroying your phone, etc.). Yes, there are many sins that people commit, but (other than blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) we can repent of them all, and find redemption in Christ.

Therefore, if a person fails truly to repent of one sin, then that means he does not really want to overcome it. That means that he has chosen to allow that sin to remain, and has essentially said "no" to God and His redemptive grace. If someone rejects the grace of God, then there is no other salvation available and that means that person has chosen to live for eternity apart from God (and we all know where that place is).