By Cindy Koch –

Whole faith systems are built to keep you away. Churches and teachers go over and over the roads of escape. Narrow paths are forged. Gated communities are constructed. Actions, music, words, and deeds are scrubbed crystal clean so that you might be protected. When someone starts to slip back into the pit of darkness, you have to fix them up quickly. When you begin to lose your seemingly solid foothold, it just might be too late.

I know they think they are protecting you from the enemy outside, the wicked generation that doesn’t know God or care about his truth. I know they hope the best for you, trusting in your amazing abilities, incredible repentance, and seasoned understanding. But there is a more terrifying reality that you will try to run away from every chance you get. You choose Hell.

Not just that one time. Not just in that particular circumstance. No, you choose it every single time. I know it’s hard to believe, because you look so good on the outside. See, there you go again. Turning back to yourself, your life, your action. Trusting in your faithfulness. Leaning on your understanding. You did it one more time—you chose Hell.

The crazy thing is, you were not made this way. You were made to listen, to be in constant content conversation with a Creator. You were made to receive every good thing that He has to give. You were made to trust in the Lord God alone. But you didn’t want this gift of life. God was and is not enough for you.

His wrath is your choice. Do not misunderstand. It is not that you began neutral with a free choice for good or evil, heaven or hell. No, humans were certainly created good for the purpose of life. But humankind gave up on the Creator, so He let them. Your punishment for breaking God’s heart is your delusional freedom. Your condemnation from the Creator in this crazy mixed up world looks like your boldly foolish choices.

And you choose death. You look for the lies of Satan. You seek out the destruction and decay. You continually press down the truth of the Creator and exchange it with your own more tolerable tales. Everyone does it. There is no one who does good, not even one. There is no one who chooses the right path. You want to find him in yourself, I know. You want to be the one who is righteous, at least some of the time. But it is just not true. You choose Hell.

When there is nothing left inside of you, when there is nothing but fear, look out to the cross. There, hanging on a tree is the only One who kept himself from choosing. He just remained. Descending to breathe in the dirty flesh of creation, He perfectly loved and listened to God. Humiliating himself to bleed and die for the sake of mockers, He never freed himself from the bondage of sacrifice. Swallowing the deadly cries of hell loving freedom, He put your choices to death once and for all.

You choose Hell, but He chose your life. You scrape together your worthless merits, and He buried them deep in the tomb. You are caught up in your death-seeking freedoms, but He actually touches you daily with His Word of complete forgiveness.

Only here, on account of Christ, you are free from your choice.