Someone has said, “going to hell is the easiest thing you could ever do.”  You see, all you have to do to be lost is do nothing at all.

The Bible teaches that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23).  This being the case, the only way to be saved is to take advantage of God’s grace by submitting to His divine will.  Everyone who does, through obedience to the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16), will be saved.  The rest, that is, of those who reach the age of accountability (Deuteronomy 1:39), will be lost.

Now, let’s dig into this a little deeper.  What are some of the things that cause a person not to obey the gospel or remain faithful afterward?  The reason Jesus said that the way that leads to destruction is easy is that there are so many obstacles in the way that leads to life.  Yes, we can be lost by just doing nothing, but, then, think of all the devices the devil has at his disposal.

There is the tool of worldliness.  There is a reason why the majority of people who are converted from the world return to it.  The pull and allurement of the world are powerful.  Do you remember Demas?  He was a companion of Paul until the world recaptured him.

2 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)
¹⁰  For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted …

The world has so much to attract the flesh to it that the only way we can avoid being overcome is to purposely die to it.  Paul is a model for us to follow.

Galatians 6:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

There is the tool of religious error.  The devil has always used false teachers to deceive mankind.  He is so skillful at this that oftentimes the false teachers are deceived themselves, not realizing that they are serving as the devil’s pawns. 

2 Corinthians 11:13-14 (ESV)
¹³  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Even in the days of the apostles of Christ, those who perverted the gospel were plentiful (2 Corinthians 2:17).   The only way to avoid falling prey to religious error is to study the Bible regularly and determine that it is the final source of authority in all things that pertain to religion.  If you put too much confidence in man, you will end up being tossed about by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14).  And, if you follow something unscriptural, you will be lost right along with the false teacher. Remember, “if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14).

Finally, there is the tool of self-will.  If we make a habit of  putting our will before the will of everyone else’s, including God’s, it will lead to our spiritual demise.  Those who are successful citizens in the Kingdom of God, are those who put God’s will before their own.  To do that is to follow in the steps of the Savior (Matthew 26:39).  To do otherwise is to be lost.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.