"God Wouldn't Send Good People To Hell"

"God wouldn’t send good people to hell."

This statement is technically true — but only if we rightly understand what it means to be “good.” The problem isn’t with God's justice — it’s with our definition of goodness.

We tend to define “good” by comparison: “I’m not perfect, but I’m better than most.” But Jesus challenges that standard directly.

In Mark 10:17–22, a wealthy young man approaches Jesus and says, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replies, “Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone.” (v. 18).
Jesus isn’t denying His own goodness — He’s exposing the young man’s flawed assumptions. The man thought he was “good enough” by external moral standards, but Jesus reveals that true goodness is measured by God’s perfect holiness, not human comparison (Carson, 1991; Wright, 2004).

This young man had kept the commandments — at least outwardly — but he lacked total surrender to God. Jesus told him to sell everything and follow Him, but the man walked away sad. His idol wasn’t sin in general — it was self-righteousness and wealth (Piper, 2011).

The Bible consistently teaches that none are truly good by God’s standard (Romans 3:10–12). That’s why salvation isn't earned — it’s received through grace (Ephesians 2:8–9). If “good people” could save themselves, Jesus wouldn't have had to die (Lewis, 1952/2001).

So yes, God doesn’t send good people to hell — but the reality is, no one is truly good apart from Him. And He offers rescue not to those who are “good enough,” but to all who are willing to repent and trust Him.


References

Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John. Eerdmans.

Lewis, C. S. (2001). Mere Christianity. HarperOne. (Original work published 1952)

Piper, J. (2011). What Jesus demands from the world. Crossway.

Wright, N. T. (2004). Mark for everyone. Westminster John Knox Press.