Why Most Christians Are Going To Hell

Of all the things we could talk about, I've decided to discuss why most Christians are going to hell. “Most Christians are going to hell?” Yes, you got that right.

Each time I engage my fellow brothers in Christ, I notice they often resort to the ad populum fallacy as the reason why Christianity is the only true religion. That happens after a long drive to acknowledging the personal experiences we have are not unique to us and our religion, but our interpretation of them.

Unbeknownst to many, the same people affirm the position that most people who claim to be Christians will not make heaven, therefore, refuting their very reason, or say, evidence for ultimacy in the sphere of religious truth claims.

Do you know why most Christians are going to hell? Hold on. Is it even true that most Christians are going to hell? Let's begin by considering what it means to be a Christian and why it matters. As usual, I reserved enough seats for everyone and hope that you have a heavenly experience with me. Thank God.

What Does It Mean To Be A Christian?

Christianity is one of the religions concerned with the expectations of an afterlife; its influence on this life is motivated by the conviction that what is to come is greater than that which already is. Therefore, sayings that encourage a focus on the unseen are promoted over the reality that we see. I promise to share some to encourage you as well. But let's talk about what it means to be a Christian.

The word “Christian” is an abbreviated construct that describes the people who identify with Christ. It has been suggested that separating the word “Christ” from Christian leaves one with the following letters: I, A, and N, meaning “I Am Nothing.” Therefore, a Christian is one who is something with Christ and nothing without Christ. Or at least, Christians hold to the idea that without Christ, they are nothing. So, in what way are Christians something with Christ? Their faith.

Christianity is about faith in Christ, and to be a Christian, you must believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. But can you do one over the other? While some may say that all one needs to be a Christian is to believe in Jesus as Savior, many would insist on acknowledging his salvific work and submitting to his lordship to be fully identified as a Christian. This is the initial state of things, but why does it matter?

Everything returns to the idea of the afterlife, what one must do to be saved. According to Christians, the only way to secure a safe spot in the world beyond is to identify with Christ and, as a Christian. Regarding the world beyond, that which is unseen, let me fulfill my promise as we turn a new leaf in the direction of the discussion on why most Christians are going to hell.

2 Corinthians 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

2 Corinthians 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Why Most Christians Are Going To Hell

Someone from a Christian platform called, Lion of Judah, said this: “Many Christians will go to hell because they love the world more than they love God and they do not even realize it.” While this is something to reckon with, the perplexing thing is the idea that they don't even realize that they're going to hell. That is, assuming that the position held is true. However, that leads us to a key reason for the belief that most Christians are going to hell. Yeah, it's a belief.

Those supposed to be true Christians often insist that many Christians will not make heaven. A recent conversation with a brother who is a “true” Christian reaffirmed the position, as he reiterated the same narrative. So, I asked him what percentage of Christians in the world are true Christians, and he said roughly around fifteen to thirty percent. That is, according to him, most Christians are going to hell. Befuddled? You should be. But why? Consider this: there are around 2.6 billion professing Christians worldwide, accounting for around 32% of the world's population. If 15 to 30 percent of that estimate are true Christians, it means that 85 to 70 percent of Christians are going to hell. Furthermore, the brother claimed those are hypocrites. Bonkers!

The reason why most Christians are going to hell is a core difference in theological views. In the conversation I had, the brother insisted that everyone who doesn't believe in Jesus will go to hell. So, I inquired of him what he meant by “believe in Jesus,” indicating that people believe in Jesus but not necessarily that he is God; perhaps a divine being but not the God; a god, or a prophet of God. He further clarified that one needs to believe in Jesus' divine birth, death, and resurrection. Also, that his crucifixion was the down payment for the sins of all humanity, and only by doing so can one make it to heaven. Then, he or she could learn to love and live according to what the Bible says.

While that theological position, encompassing the divinity of Jesus Christ in the Godhead, the virgin birth, and the penal substitutionary sacrifice, is popular among Christians (especially, the Protestants), it may interest you to know that the idea of substitutionary sacrifice is not universally held by all professing and practicing Christians. In fact, many Christians reject the substitutionary sacrifice while upholding the belief in Jesus Christ. A good example is Orthodox Christianity.

The Orthodox Church accounts for about eleven to twelve percent of the world's population of Christians but holds to a different view of atonement from that of traditional Christianity. Their view begins with establishing the fall of Adam, indicating an exchange of power. That is, man lost his power to the devil in the fall, and Satan became his Lord. Jesus, being divine, of his own will, chose to die. In dying, he gained access to the domain of Satan, where he fought and was victorious over the devil, thereby regaining the power that was lost and returning it to humanity, undoing the fall. That restoration leads to our theosis. This is called the Christus Victor theory. It is distinct from the traditional view of Christ shedding his blood to suffice the wrath of God (as payment for sins) and rising up the third day so those who believe in his substitutionary sacrifice will be reconciled with God and live forever in bliss. This other view aligns with the Satisfaction theory, where the wrath and enmity of the first person of God against humanity's sin is satisfied in the sacrifice of the second person of the Godhead.

While those of the Orthodox Church hold to the Christus Victor view of the atonement, they tend to describe penal substitution as a heretical, anti-Trinitarian view. That leads us to another crucial theological position for determining who a true Christian is. But let me point out that, according to that brother's view of atonement, those of the Orthodox Church would be disqualified, and perhaps vice versa.

Christianity is made up of three main sects of views: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy. While I might be tempted to identify them as distinct religious groups like Islam and Judaism, what unites them is their view of God—the Trinity. That is not to say that everyone in each group accepts the doctrine of the Trinity, especially those in the Protestant sects, with over 40,000 denominations. Among them are those with opposing doctrines such as Binarianism, Unitarianism, and Modalism. Of the three, Unitarianism has a lot more Christians who hold the view.

Trinitarians hold the traditional view that God is one in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal, and one in substance. While Unitarians hold to a strict monotheism, the view that God is one single person, not three in one. They reject the view of Jesus Christ as the one God or second person of the God but a Savior, indicating that it is unscriptural or a corruption of scriptures. Did you notice the problem?

In Christianity today, the nature of God is generally considered trinitarian. That is, the doctrine of the Trinity is an essential, central doctrine of the Christian faith. The rejection of it is deemed by Trinitarians as a rejection of the Christian faith. With that, Trinitarians generally don't recognize Unitarians and non-trinitarians as true Christians and vice versa. That's a problem, as it places a question mark on the eternal state of the not “true” Christians, those that brother of mine would categorize as hypocrites.

Before I drop my pen, let's talk about one more thing: soteriology. Soteriology is the study of the doctrine of salvation. While I find this to be the very essential force of attraction for Christianity, it's one that Christians rise from and fall back to. Don't get me wrong, Christians agree on salvation coming from God in some sense, but the process by which it gets to them is where they differ. These differences can be understood within the framework of monergism and synergism, but it gets complicated with the acceptance and rejection of sola fide — faith alone.

Then the concept of eternal security and on what precedent it is based. The different ways to understand them include Calvinism, Arminianism, and Provisionism, among others. On these positions, Christians differ greatly within Protestantism, while Catholics are mostly aligned with synergism and Arminianism. I remember my Protestant, Pentecostal brother, who subscribes to Arminianism, telling me that he is open to some Catholics being true Christians but that the Pope and the Vatican were “anti-Christ.” Good thing my Catholic friends keep inviting Protestants to come to the true Church. That is, the Catholic Church, accounting for around fifty percent of Christians worldwide. I don't think that should come to you as a surprise.

Meanwhile, the Orthodox Church offers a holistic view on the subject of salvation, with emphasis on “being saved,” pointing to a standing on progressive salvation. This view includes the offering of God and man's active involvement in their salvation.

While one considers the broad spectrum of beliefs and diversity of ideas within the Christian religion, which are beyond the scope of this piece, one has to stop and think again. The why behind all these appears to be a failure in communication or the need to interpret and reinterpret sacred writings and revelatory claims to fit one's preferred position.

Beyond all that, and considering the idea that most Christians are going to hell, it appears that with differing positions, every Christian gets condemned to hell by another. Consequently, one could argue that all Christians are going to hell, but I understand that all Christians would disagree on that as well. Therein lies a puzzle for you. Hmm, I should have considered that as the topic, or what do you think? I drop my pen. Check out: Why Did God Hate Esau And Love Jacob?