IS HELL HOPE?

“I can only hope there are different levels of hell,” Steve said. “I’ve been messing up big time.”
“What are you talking about?” I said. He quoted a destruction-of-evil Bible verse from the Proverbs. Steve listens to the Proverbs on tape every morning; he was sure he was heading to hell.
You know what? Steve has messed up a lot in his life, probably more than most people. But he has a good heart. Just twenty minutes before he condemned himself to hell, he had given me ten bucks so I could pass it on to someone in need.  He does this regularly. Steve attends our weekly get together to talk about God—always faithful. He brings his Bible, knows it fairly well and offers solid spiritual comments.
Steve’s a good guy.
“Steve, listen to me,” I said. “The Proverbs aren’t the Gospel.” Yes, they offer enlightening biblical wisdom. Yet, the Proverbs are not Steve’s ultimate stopper for his feared-for destination.
Skewed thinking led Steve to a mathematical formula. Steve’s mess ups minus Steve’s good-guy stuff equal hell’s least painful level.
Not, the Gospel; not the Good News of Jesus.
Jesus revealed the basic Gospel when he said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
We talked about it. Conclusion-- Steve is already a Jesus believing, sin repented, heaven bound soul.  Yes, he’s got to work on some things in his life.
So do I. Isn’t that the walking with Jesus way?  
After Jesus explained the basic Gospel, He continued: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Now Steve, that’s real hope.