The Quote
“Christianity would not matter if there were only Hell. Everyone would end up there anyway. Christianity would still not matter if there were only Heaven. Everyone would end up there somehow. Christianity only matters when there are both Heaven and Hell.”
— Godwin Delali Adadzie
Context and Inspiration
This reflection emerged from theological discussions about the necessity of both heaven and hell in Christian teaching. Some advocate for universalism (everyone eventually goes to heaven) while others struggle with the existence of hell, wondering if a loving God could allow eternal punishment. This quote cuts through both positions by demonstrating a logical truth: Christianity’s coherence and relevance depend entirely on the existence of both eternal destinies. Without both heaven and hell, the Gospel becomes either unnecessary (if everyone is saved regardless) or cruel (if everyone is damned regardless). Only when both realities exist does Christ’s saving work matter infinitely.
The Logic of the Argument
Let me break down the three scenarios:
Scenario 1: Only Hell Exists
If Hell were the only possible destination—if God created humanity knowing we would all be damned—Christianity would be meaningless because:
- Prayer would be futile – Why pray if damnation is inevitable?
- Moral effort would be pointless – Why struggle against sin if Hell awaits everyone regardless?
- Christ’s sacrifice would be a cosmic joke – Why would God become man, suffer, and die if salvation were impossible?
- God would be a monster – Creating beings for eternal torment would be pure malice, not love.
- Hope would be extinguished – Christianity offers hope of salvation; without that possibility, it offers nothing.
This scenario makes Christianity not just irrelevant but obscene—a cruel deception offering false hope for an impossible salvation.
Scenario 2: Only Heaven Exists (Universalism)
If Heaven were guaranteed for everyone regardless of their choices—if all roads lead to God eventually—Christianity would be unnecessary because:
- Conversion would be optional – Why bother becoming Christian if you’re going to Heaven anyway?
- Repentance would be meaningless – Why confess sins or seek forgiveness if there are no eternal consequences?
- The sacraments would be superfluous – Why baptism, Eucharist, or confession if salvation is automatic?
- Martyrdom would be foolish – Why die for the faith if apostasy leads to the same destination?
- Christ’s warnings would be lies – Jesus spoke extensively about Hell; if it doesn’t exist or is empty, He deceived us.
- Free will would be violated – If we cannot ultimately reject God, we’re not truly free.
- Evil would be trivialized – Hitler and St. Francis share the same destiny? Choices have no ultimate meaning?
This scenario makes Christianity a nice but unnecessary moral philosophy—helpful for earthly life but not essential for eternal destiny.
Scenario 3: Both Heaven and Hell Exist (Catholic Teaching)
When both destinations are real possibilities dependent on our free choices and God’s grace, Christianity becomes supremely important because:
- Our choices have eternal significance – We can choose to accept or reject God’s offer of salvation.
- Christ’s sacrifice has real purpose – He came to save us from actual damnation and bring us to actual glory.
- Free will is respected – God loves us enough to let us reject Him if we insist.
- Grace is necessary – We need God’s help to choose rightly and persevere.
- The Church matters – Christ established the Church as the ordinary means of salvation.
- Urgency exists – “Now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2).
- Love is real – Love requires the freedom to reject; forced love is not love at all.
This is the Catholic position: Christianity matters infinitely because it offers the way to eternal life while warning of the real possibility of eternal death.
Biblical Foundation
Scripture consistently teaches both Heaven and Hell as real destinations:
Jesus on Hell
Jesus spoke more about Hell than anyone else in the Bible:
Matthew 25:46
“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Note: The same word “eternal” (aiōnios) describes both punishment and life. If Heaven is forever, so is Hell.
Matthew 25:41
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'”
Mark 9:47-48
“And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”
Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Jesus clearly teaches that both destinations are real, and the path to destruction is wider than the path to life.
Jesus on Heaven
John 14:2-3
“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Matthew 25:34
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'”
Luke 23:43
“And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'”
Jesus promises real, eternal communion with God for those who follow Him.
The Apostles on Both Realities
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
“…inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”
Philippians 3:19
“Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
Revelation 20:15
“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 21:7-8
“The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
The consistent biblical witness is clear: both Heaven and Hell are real, and human choices matter eternally.
Church Teaching
The Catholic Church has consistently and solemnly taught the reality of both Heaven and Hell:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
On Hell (CCC 1033-1037):
“We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves… To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him forever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called ‘hell.'” (CCC 1033)
On Heaven (CCC 1023-1029):
“Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they ‘see him as he is,’ face to face.” (CCC 1023)
Ecumenical Councils
Fourth Lateran Council (1215):
“[Christ] will come at the end of the world; he will judge the living and the dead; and he will reward all, both the lost and the elect, according to their works. All of them will rise with their own bodies which they now have so that they may receive according to their works, whether good or bad; the wicked, a perpetual punishment with the devil; the good, eternal glory with Christ.”
Council of Florence (1439):
“[The Holy Roman Church] firmly believes, professes and preaches that all those who are outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans but also Jews or heretics and schismatics, cannot share in eternal life and will go into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless they are joined to the Church before the end of their lives.”
Recent Popes
Pope John Paul II stated clearly: “The images of hell that Sacred Scripture presents to us must be correctly interpreted. They show the complete frustration and emptiness of life without God. Rather than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy.”
Pope Benedict XVI affirmed: “Hell is not so much a divine punishment as the consequence of man’s choices… God in his infinite love has created man in freedom, and freedom without the possibility of a ‘no’ would not be freedom.”
Addressing Objections
“A loving God wouldn’t send anyone to Hell”
Response: God doesn’t “send” people to Hell; people choose Hell by definitively rejecting God. C.S. Lewis put it perfectly: “The gates of hell are locked from the inside.” Hell is not divine revenge but the logical consequence of rejecting the Source of all life, joy, and love.
God respects human freedom even when we use it badly. To force someone into Heaven against their will would be spiritual rape, a violation of the dignity He gave us.
“Hell is incompatible with God’s mercy”
Response: Hell is compatible with God’s mercy precisely because mercy must be accepted to be effective. God offers mercy to everyone, but some refuse it. What would you have God do—force them to accept His love? That’s not love; that’s coercion.
St. Faustina, the apostle of Divine Mercy, had visions of Hell and wrote: “I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like.”
“How can the blessed in Heaven be happy knowing some are in Hell?”
Response: The blessed will see reality with perfect clarity, understanding both God’s justice and His mercy. They will not be in emotional turmoil because they will have the Beatific Vision—seeing all things as God sees them, in perfect wisdom and love.
Moreover, the damned are not innocent victims but those who definitively chose to reject God. The blessed will understand this and rejoice in God’s justice while mourning the tragic misuse of human freedom.
“Eternal punishment for finite sins is disproportionate”
Response: This objection misunderstands both sin and eternity.
First, mortal sin is not merely a finite offense against a finite being, but a rejection of the infinite God. The gravity of an offense is measured partly by the dignity of the one offended.
Second, the eternity of Hell is not God “continuing to punish forever” but rather the eternal consequence of a soul fixed in its rejection of God. Death fixes our fundamental orientation—toward or away from God—and that orientation has eternal implications.
“What about people who never heard the Gospel?”
Response: The Church teaches that God offers grace to all people, even those who through no fault of their own do not know Christ or His Church. The Catechism states:
“Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience—those too may achieve eternal salvation.” (CCC 847)
However, this does not make Christianity irrelevant—it makes it urgent! If we know the ordinary means of salvation, we have a responsibility to share it.
Why This Matters Practically
Understanding that both Heaven and Hell are real has profound practical implications:
1. It Makes Evangelization Urgent
If souls can be lost eternally, then sharing the Gospel is not optional but imperative. St. Paul wrote: “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16)
We cannot be indifferent to others’ salvation when eternal consequences hang in the balance.
2. It Makes Moral Choices Serious
Every choice we make has eternal significance. Sin is not just socially awkward or psychologically unhealthy—it can destroy us eternally. This gives weight and meaning to our daily decisions.
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor 6:9-10)
3. It Makes the Sacraments Essential
If Heaven is guaranteed regardless, the sacraments become nice rituals but not necessary. But if Hell is real and we need grace to avoid it, then Baptism (which removes original sin), Confession (which restores us after mortal sin), and the Eucharist (which nourishes us for the journey) become lifelines, not optional extras.
4. It Makes Prayer Meaningful
Prayer becomes not just spiritual self-care but spiritual warfare. We pray for the conversion of sinners because souls are at stake. We intercede because our prayers can help others reach Heaven and avoid Hell.
5. It Makes Suffering Purposeful
Our earthly sufferings, when united to Christ’s passion, have redemptive value. They can help save souls from Hell—including our own. St. Paul wrote: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” (Col 1:24)
6. It Makes Martyrdom Logical
Throughout history, Christians have died rather than deny Christ. This only makes sense if eternal consequences are real. If everyone goes to Heaven anyway, martyrs were fools. But if Hell is real, they were heroes who chose temporary suffering over eternal loss.
The Balance of Justice and Mercy
Some critics argue that emphasizing Hell makes Christianity fear-based rather than love-based. But this is a false dichotomy. True love includes warnings about real dangers.
If your child is about to run into traffic, you don’t gently whisper, “Sweetheart, I’d prefer if you didn’t go in the street.” You yell, “STOP!” because you love them and the danger is real.
Jesus warned about Hell not to terrorize us but to save us. He wept over Jerusalem, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” (Luke 19:42). His warnings come from love, not malice.
At the same time, the Church has never taught that we can know for certain that any particular person is in Hell (except the demons). We can hope and pray for the salvation of all, even while acknowledging the real possibility of damnation.
St. Faustina recorded Jesus saying: “Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.”
A Personal Reflection
I confess that I find the doctrine of Hell troubling. The thought that anyone—even the worst sinners—might suffer eternally is genuinely painful. I wish universalism were true. I wish I could say that in the end, everyone goes to Heaven.
But I cannot wish away clear biblical teaching, consistent Church doctrine, and the logic of human freedom. God has revealed these truths not to frighten us but to warn us, to show us the stakes, and to motivate us to choose Him.
Moreover, denying Hell doesn’t make it disappear; it just makes people unprepared for the reality. It’s like refusing to tell a patient they have cancer because the diagnosis is upsetting. The truth may be painful, but it’s also the only path to treatment and healing.
I take comfort in knowing that God desires all people to be saved (1 Tim 2:4), that His mercy is infinite, and that He pursues every soul relentlessly. But I also acknowledge that love must be freely accepted and that we must cooperate with grace.
The existence of both Heaven and Hell means my choices matter, my life has eternal significance, and the Gospel is truly Good News—news of salvation from real danger and invitation to real glory.
Conclusion
Christianity matters precisely because both Heaven and Hell are real. This is not a comfortable teaching, but it is the truth revealed by God and taught consistently by His Church.
Remove Hell, and Christianity becomes an unnecessary philosophy. Remove Heaven, and Christianity becomes a cruel farce. But with both realities in place, Christianity becomes what it truly is: the Way, the Truth, and the Life—the path from death to life, from sin to grace, from Hell to Heaven.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This claim only matters if:
- Coming to the Father (Heaven) is desirable
- Not coming to the Father (Hell) is possible
- The way we take has eternal consequences
All three conditions are true. Therefore, Christianity matters infinitely.
The stakes are eternal. The choice is ours. And the way is Christ.
Let us choose wisely, live faithfully, and help others find the path to life.
Reflection Questions
- Have you ever been tempted by universalism? What makes it appealing, and why is it ultimately problematic?
- How does knowing that Hell is real affect your urgency in sharing the Gospel with others?
- Do you find the doctrine of Hell troubling? How do you reconcile God’s love with the reality of eternal punishment?
- If everyone were guaranteed Heaven, how would it change your approach to faith, prayer, and morality?
- Who in your life needs to hear about Christ’s offer of salvation? What’s preventing you from sharing with them?
Related Quotes
- “Heaven is not really the goal. The Beatific Vision, which is what makes Heaven truly Heaven, is the goal. To see God and live forever.”
- “It is possible knowing all the Scriptures. It is not possible comprehending all the Scriptures.”
- “God is not a genie. Prayer is not a magic lamp.”
Want to understand more about Catholic teaching on salvation? Check out my Catholic Apologetics Guide 101 or explore more theological articles.
