We have all heard the phrase “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” It is commonly used and likely one of the most well-known phrases in the English language. But is it true? Is the road to hell really paved with good intentions?
What Are Good Intentions?
Intentions are simply the desired outcome we have in mind of any given course of action. For example, when you set your clothes out at night, your intention is to wear them the next day. Of course, many things could potentially happen between the time you go to bed and the time you wake up in the morning that could impact the outcome.
You could fall ill during the night and not be able to go to work the next day, so you do not wear the clothes you set out. You might receive a call during the night that something happened at work, and you will not be able to come in.
Even worse, a natural disaster like a tornado, earthquake, or fire could burn down your home. The point I am making here is that intentions do not always come to fruition. Sometimes they are thwarted by outside forces, and other times by our own proclivity to sin.
It does not matter whether the intention is good or bad, this reality remains the same. Unfortunately, we are fallen beings. We tend toward error and sin. This means that sometimes even our most seemingly righteous intentions can blow up in our faces.
For example, there once was a pastor who was a very sincere, loving man. He had a happy family, a good marriage and was an example of Christ-like concern for those in his congregation. A new member of his church, a young, single woman, was far from home and had no friends in the area. She had moved to his state for work.
Not wanting her to be alone during the holidays, he invited her to his family’s gathering for Christmas. They bought her gifts and took her in as if she was family. This went on for several years until she was with him and his family almost every day of the year.
One day, she called and asked if he could help her move her bed. It was one of those big, heavy wooden sorts, with the canopy on top. Not thinking anything of it, he went to her apartment and started working on getting that bed moved.
At one point, he turned around to find she was wearing nightclothes. He knew she had not been dressed like that when he arrived. She made her own intentions very clear.
His intentions were above board and certainly carried no sinful or untoward implications. In fact, he had thought of the girl as if she were a daughter. But his intentions, no matter how good, were manipulated by outside forces in an attempt to derail his marriage, his family, his pastorate, and his faith.
He was deeply disturbed by the experience. He confessed it to his wife, who forgave his naivety, and found himself in turmoil over how to handle the young woman from then on. Should he continue to pastor her? Should he forbid her to be in his home? Should he even remain in the pastorate considering how dangerously close he had come to sin?
He felt great guilt over the situation, feeling that somehow his intentions to be a friend and show compassion were somehow sending the wrong message. He felt like it was all his fault. The unfortunate event threatened to ruin his entire ministry, but through wise counsel and lots of prayer and support, he managed to pull through. But it was a close call.
Is There a Road to Hell?
I say all of that to get to this point: the road to hell is not really paved with good intentions, but with sin. It is a sinful heart that seeks to manipulate our good intentions, and we are all sinners.
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22-24).
It is a sinful person who views our desire to do works of mercy, compassion, and friendship as opportunities to indulge themselves and immerse us in sinful behaviors. The human heart is, unfortunately, often deceitful.
It can be difficult to accept that some people, even in the church, are simply predatory sinners, their hearts being so given to their sinful desires that they have no problem hurting others, ruining reputations, and destroying families.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing, Scripture calls them (Jeremiah 23:14; Titus 1:10: Revelations 2:2). Such people will manipulate and lie all day long to cover up their tracks (Psalm 5:8; Proverbs 6:13; Jeremiah 18:18; Matthew 12:34-35; Acts 6:11-13).
Then again, no matter how good our intentions may be, we are all guilty of missing the mark of God’s desired will for us. We are all, at some point in our lives, liars, thieves, cheaters, hateful, lustful, arrogant, adulterers, etc.
How can I say that? Because Jesus did. He made it very clear that if you thought of it in your heart if ever the desire arose within you, you are guilty of that sin (Matthew 5:28). As George Herbert said, “God sees hearts as we see faces.” Why? Because even an intention that is unfulfilled is still a desired outcome on some level, even if only secretly.
What Does "The Road to Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions" Teach Us?
That is an uncomfortable truth, I know. However, it is one that Jesus taught, and which is far too often ignored by pastors as they preach their Sunday sermons. We want to be told that everything is okay, that we are doing fine, and that the road is straight and the ocean smooth sailing.
We do not want to be reminded of the admonition that we be on guard, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Is the road to hell paved with good intentions? Not really. It is paved with sin that can arise from good intentions as well as bad.
For further reading:
What Is the Meaning of Gehenna in the Bible?
What Is Hell? A Biblical Guide of Its Existence
Why Do People Often Use Religion to Justify Sin?
How Did a Man after God’s Own Heart Fall So Far into Sin?
What Are Modern Examples of a ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/kirill4mula
J. Davila-Ashcraft is an Anglican priest, Theologian, and Apologist, and holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies and Theology from God’s Bible College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a recognized authority on the topic of exorcism, and in that capacity has contributed to and/or appeared on programming for The National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, and CNN. He is the host of Expedition Truth, a one-hour apologetics radio talk show.
