One thing to note is that whether you are a believer or not, we all experience some of the benefits of God or His Kingdom (also known as common grace) on earth, such as love, relationships, joy, or just a beautiful landscape.

The Bible says that His reign falls on the just and unjust. 

Matthew 5:45 (NKJV)

that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

We are all under God’s protection, and we have His sovereign hand of grace supporting us. 

The Bible teaches that all humans are sinners (Romans 3:10-12), and therefore we have a depraved natural disposition towards sin. 

God exerts common grace as He puts a restraining influence on the expression of human depravity and sin within our hearts.

Proverbs 21:1 (NKJV)

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

Simply put, if we were allowed to exercise our evil actions fully, we would. God, however, puts on a limit on man’s moral depravity that does not permit us to reach the maximum of what we are capable of. 

One example of this restraint from the Bible is where God told Abimelech, king of Gerar, that “it was I who kept you from sinning” when the king considered having sexual relations with Sarah, Abraham’s wife (Genesis 20:6)

Now imagine a place (hell) where none of God’s goodness exists, and His hand of grace is withdrawn, leading to separation from Him. 

Hell is not the same as earth. The earth may not seem as bad to people because a good God is holding us together.

Even though the idea of hell may be daunting, we are not left without hope. God has also given us the free gift of “saving grace” through His Son Jesus Christ. 

If you find yourself wondering how do I get into heaven, the call is for you today to repent, cry out to God for His mercy and believe in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.