To know God is better than life itself (Psalms 63:3).
For a soul to not know its God is the worst tragedy imaginable. It is to miss the very purpose for one’s existence. For a person to not be saved is to mean that he will never become what he was created to be. And that is an eternal failure. It is to never enjoy what he was created to enjoy and to never experience what he was intended to experience. That is an eternal loss on an infinite scale. It’s a kind of abortion, or suicide. It is throwing life away. In creating us, God really did want the best for us.
Poor Adam never got to be the man God made him to be. And, the horrible thing about Adam’s sin is that he didn’t just ruin it for himself but for everyone that came after him. The world he left us is not what God intended for it to be. And though generations strive to make it better, a few can tear it down so easily. Demolition is always easier and swifter than construction. Truly, Solomon was right— one sinner destroys much good (Ecclesiastes 9:18).
But the worst thing for a person who will not be saved is to miss the eternal and unequalled pleasure of knowing God and enjoying Him forever (Psalms 16:11; 36:7-9). If you want to get the most out of life, try Jesus (John 10:10b)! He is the Author/Prince of life (Acts 3:15). The best is yet to come (1Timothy 6:19). But, if you want to be robbed and destroyed, continue with the devil (John 10:10a). You’ll miss out on everything that matters— forever.
Is sin really a choice?
Sure, there is pleasure in sin for a season. The Bible admits that (Hebrews 11:25). And that pleasurable season often rules in the hearts of souls unwilling to consider the inexorable moment when this life is over and the piercing question comes into focus: Was the transitory pleasure of sin worth its horrible eternal price (Romans 6:23a). Hell (eternal death and destruction) will be the most contrary thing to a person’s being. It will, undoubtedly, be filled with regrets.
Consider the two options given to Adam by God:
Option 1: To have eternal bliss in the Garden of Pleasantness (That’s what “Eden” means.); To have non-toilsome duties that made satisfying use of his God-given capabilities; To have the blessed marital companionship of a beautiful wife made from his own chemistry; To live in a world unmarred by the consequences of sin; To have the procreative capability to produce a race of like souls; And to commune with and intimately know the God to Whom he owed his very existence. Much more could be said.
Option 2: To negate all of the above and suffer death instead (Genesis 2:17).
I ask, is that really a choice? I think the answer is clear but do we realize our state of probation is similar? We are, likewise, in a realm of choice. Redemptive history has always been about a clear, simple choice between life and death (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). In our case, it’s between heaven and hell.
C.S.Lewis referred to this all-or-nothing aspect of choice by saying God is the only food in the universe. If we reject Him, we must starve to death eternally. Lewis was expressing that God didn’t make various kinds of future worlds for various kinds of human attitudes and dispositions. He only made one place for us to live— Heaven, the golden, celestial city where He dwells and to which He graciously calls us. It is a very high compliment to us that He made us for no other purpose but for Himself (Colossians 1:16). In going to Calvary to redeem us, He proved it in the most powerful and sublime way (Romans 5:8). And He knows He can satisfy us forever if we will only come to Him (Ephesians 2:7).
The need to act now (2Corinthians 6:2)
According to Jesus, even though He came to salvage our race, most people will still be lost (Matthew 7:13-14; 23:33). While it is not hard to be saved if a person will humbly acknowledge his soul’s need, it is much easier to do nothing and remain lost. Pride is often the culprit. I pray we all will squarely face our just, but merciful, God and bow to His perfect will. Nothing could ever be more satisfying (John 13:17).