This is a letter I wrote years ago to a friend of mine who believes all will go to heaven. This might prove helpful in your sharing with others.
It would seem to be a wonderful thing for God to allow all people into heaven. No matter what you have done, what your religion, how you have lived with or without regard for God – it wouldn’t matter. It goes against my sense of justice which I believe God created in us, but more importantly it directly contradicts what the Bible says.
The Scripture says:
God is holy … 1 Peter 1:16 “because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.'” (See also Habakkuk 1:13; Romans 7:12; Exodus 15:11) … and we are to be like Him. Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
God is just … Revelation 15:3 “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!'” (Also see Psalm 9:4) “… and the guilty will be punished” …. Nahum 1:3 “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” (See Exodus 34:6-7)
God is righteous … Ephesians 4:24 “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (See Zephaniah 3:5 also) “… and we are not.” Romans 3:10 “as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one…'” (Also see Romans 3:11-12; Galatians 3:10-11; Galatians 5:19-21).
Jesus is God’s way to fulfill His holiness, righteousness, and justice by paying the penalty for our sin.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (See John 14:6; Acts 4:12 also)
No one can earn God’s favor. Ephesians 2:8-9 “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.” (See Romans 6:23)
God desires us to come to know Him John 3:16 “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.” (See Romans 10:13; Ezekiel 33:11 also)
Hell is a reality in the Scriptures. Matthew 5:29 “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Also see Matthew 5:30; Matthew 5:21-22, 30; James 3:6)
But God promises forgiveness, peace, eternal life, joy, love, patience, and oneness with Him by accepting Him. But to disregard His Son would be to impugn His name and Christ’s sacrifice. We would be saying He came for nothing. Look at what Christ did as described in Isaiah 53:1-7, 12.
A friend of mine asks the question – Is there anything God cannot do? Yes. He cannot lie. He cannot go against His Nature, His Character. That is why Christ came – to fulfill God’s holiness, justice, righteousness and exhibit God’s love, grace, mercy.
Think of the closing scene in “Saving Private Ryan.” Ryan pleaded with his wife, “Tell me I’m a good man.” Why? In light of the sacrifice of those men who saved his life, he wanted to honor them. Christ did that for us voluntarily. By receiving and trusting in His death and resurrection, I honor Him. I further honor and glorify Him by living my life for Him.
I desire all people to come to know my Savior, Jesus Christ, especially those I love dearly. Am I intolerant? Yes, because this is what Christ says. If I have cancer, I want my doctor to be intolerant and remove it. Sin is the cancer we all have, and Christ removes it. Otherwise I am on my own to get rid of it and I cannot. Another friend of mine says, “There is a god we want and the God who is; and they are not the same god.”
Well I must close. I know God hears my prayers, and I pray for you. The first rule of insurance I learned at college was “Don’t risk more than you can afford to lose.” This concerns eternity and we both want to get this right.