Can a Christian go to hell?

The straightforward, seemingly obvious answer to the question “Can a Christian go to hell?” is “No, a Christian cannot go to hell.” But, because of the sometimes ambiguous nature of language, it might be beneficial to clarify some of the terms used in the question. If by “Christian” one means “a born-again child of God and believer in Jesus Christ”; and if “go to hell” means “sent by God to the eternal lake of fire to be judged for sin,” then the question can only have one biblical answer: “Absolutely not.”

A true Christian—a born-again child of God—cannot be consigned to hell. There are several biblical reasons why this is so:

• Jesus promised that His sheep would “never perish” (John 10:28). If a Christian were to go to hell, then Jesus would break His promise.

• Speaking of believers, John says, “God has given us eternal life” (1 John 5:11; cf. Romans 6:23). If a Christian were to go to hell, then God’s gift would be worthless.

• Jesus Christ already took the full punishment for our sins: He “was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him” (Isaiah 53:5). If a Christian were to go to hell, then Jesus suffered and died for nothing.

• Believers in Jesus Christ will face no condemnation from God (Romans 8:1; John 3:18). If a Christian were to go to hell, then he or she would be eternally condemned, contravening the Bible’s assurance.

• Christ saved us “from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). If a Christian were to go to hell, then he or she is still cursed for breaking the law, and Christ failed in taking the curse away.

• The lake of fire is called “the second death” (Revelation 20:14), and the second death has no power over those redeemed by the Lord (Revelation 20:6). If a Christian were to go to hell, then death would be victorious and Jesus would be defeated.

• God has “raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). If a Christian were to go to hell, then he or she would have somehow lost his seat in heaven and been separated from Christ.

The faithfulness of God, the power of Christ, and the truthfulness of God’s Word all argue for the fact that a Christian cannot go to hell.