Having regained my focus these last days, I am led to write about something that many shy away from, even in introducing people to our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Hell. Is it real? Or is it just something Jesus used as a tool to show what eternal life would be like without Him? Warning: This is my belief, and I do not force anyone to read this, or believe it. But, if you want to comment after reading, please do so with respect, and I promise you, I will respond with respect as well. Thank you.
Why this topic? Because my focus is the gospel, and I believe people can handle the full gospel, even if that includes words like hell, sin, and repent. Life is just too short to make the mistake of watering down the gospel to make it more attractive. We don’t have forever to do what we are still here to do. We are appointed so many days here, and then, we are no longer within reach of earth as we knew it. That means the loved ones we left behind are less one more person who could have told them the truth.
Is hell real? I believe it is. We know there is a judgment, and all will face that judgment. It will be a judgment according to what each one has done. For those who know the Lord, it is a judgment according to what Christ has done, for we no longer have an identity apart from Him.
But what of those who do not know Jesus? What will their judgment be like? I believe their judgment will be exactly as it is described, a judgment according to everything they have done apart from Jesus Christ. If this is the case, then judgment day does not bode well for them. For we know that all acts done apart from God are considered as filthy rags before God. In other words, they are all sin.
Sin is not so much an act as it is a position, and an attitude. A man may do an otherwise good thing, and still, it can be considered sin in God’s eyes. If the man gives no glory to God, then everything he does is done for himself, and thus, it is sin. Sin is the act and attitude of denying to God the glory due to him. If obedience brings glory to God, then disobedience certainly does not. This is one definition of sin. You may have a different one, but please keep in mind, that anything done in man’s name and not God’s is sin.
Placing judgment aside for a moment, what then should be said about hell? Is it real, or is it just a rotten carrot waved at people to get them to believe in Christ? I believe it is real, very real. Christ spoke of it, and the Apostles all wrote about those who would be destroyed in the judgment. Most notably, I find in 2 Peter this most disturbing statement.
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.” 2 Peter 2:1
At first glance, that statement might be mistaken as a rebuttal against the idea that once saved, always saved. But that’s not what Peter is saying, at all. Jesus bought all of the world, his work from the cross was enough to forgive every sin, and redeem every person. But what does Peter say about those who are bringing swift destruction upon themselves? How do they come to the point of bringing that destruction? By “denying the Master who bought them,” they bring swift destruction upon themselves.
This is a hard doctrine, this doctrine of hell. After all, who really wants to think about it? And we who have been saved from it, would we want to think of it any the more because we have been saved? Certainly not. Yet it is present in Scripture, and spoken of by men whom we say are Apostles, and One whom we say is Savior.
It makes no difference if it is called hell, or destruction, or eternal punishment. It is all the same thing. But maybe we have been approaching this existence of hell from the wrong angle. It is certain that Jesus mentioned hell more than once, and even talked about the day of judgment in Matthew chapter 25. No would deny that his discourse speaks of a future event that has not yet taken place. But what they might deny is the road that leads to hell, and those for whom it is prepared. They may say that all are saved from hell, because Jesus died to pay the debt of the entire world.
These things would be true, Jesus did die for all, His work is sufficient. God hardly would offer eternal life to all, without making sure that all would be paid for, would He?
But why then mention hell? Why, if all are saved, is hell mentioned even once? What is the point of talking about eternal punishment, if eternal punishment will never be required? Let’s go further, and try to address another idea that I have heard, but which I do not believe.
There are some who believe that Jesus saved all people from eternal punishment, but not from eternal death. What is the difference? A whole lot less suffering, I should think. If one is resurrected to face judgment, and then dies a second death because his judgment was apart from Christ, then he does not suffer eternal punishment, only eternal death. But does this view jive with what Jesus said about eternal punishment? Or is eternal death the eternal punishment? Matthew 25:45-46 states,
“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The danger of all this is, of course, that we take these scriptures out of their context. But in this case, using the above verse, we have not taken it out of its context, because the entire context is speaking about the day of judgment. Therefore, on the day of judgment, Jesus will say to those on His left what is quoted above. The context speaks of a separating, and a judgment. And the statement made to judge the goats follows along well with the idea that if one does not know Jesus, it is impossible for him to do the good work which Jesus talks about within the context. Any work done apart from God is work which attempts to glorify man.
Feeding the least of these, visiting them, clothing them, and giving them something to drink is gospel speak. It is salvation language, all of it. Feeding, drinking, clothing, and visiting prisoners all talks about the work of an evangelist. Those who do not know Christ do not do the work of an evangelist. It is impossible for them to do so.
The gospel is the work. The recipients are the lost. When a man shares the gospel, he shares that which is most important to him. He gives clothes, food, and drink, to the one who is lost, the one who is held prisoner by sin. The clothes are the wedding clothes, which we wear, the food is the Word of God, and the drink is eternal life, which Christ gives through those who share His work. We must visit those in prison, for they cannot come to us, they are bound by sin to remain where they are. So evangelism is an active participation in building the body of Christ by visiting those who are in the prison of sin. This is the good works which we are judged for, and those who do not know Jesus have none. They have never fed Jesus, or given Him clothes, or something to drink, because they have never shared the gospel.
But, let’s take a look at this from a different angle. Rather than focusing on the day of judgment, let’s look at how one receives eternal life, for that is the prize, that life with Christ eternal, when we shall see Him as He is. I believe I can sum up all of the mentions of the path to eternal life in one verse. However, if you want to look the rest of them up, here they are: John, 3:15, 3:16, 4:14, 4:36, 5:24, 6:40, 6:54, 6:68, 10:28, and 17:3, Romans 5:21, 6:22, and 6:23, 1 Timothy 1:16, Titus 3:7, 1 John 5:11-12, and 5:13. All of these verses speak of the means to Eternal life. Without this one thing, there is no eternal life. What is that one thing?
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him.” John 3:36
This is the one verse I state here, because in it is found both the path to eternal life, and the path to the wrath of God, which is eternal punishment. Oddly enough, this verse was stated by the one sent before Christ, John the Baptist. It was his last testimony, and his most powerful one. It is the very foundation of his preceding work before the Lord’s coming. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. And what is that way? To believe in the Son of God for eternal life and forgiveness of sins. Apart from this, there is no salvation.
John stated very clearly that those who did not believe would see the wrath of God. So then, the path that leads to eternal life is through faith in the Son, and the path that leads to destruction is through not having faith in the Son.
I am writing this because my focus is back on the gospel, and the gospel is not pretty. It is not warm, and it is not fuzzy. It is Jesus, pinned to a cross with three inch spikes. I am a carpenter, I know what those spikes do to whatever they pass through. The gospel is not beautiful for those who don’t believe in it. It is foolishness. What shall God do with a man who calls Him a fool? Reward him with eternal life in heaven? Maybe a weak God would do that, but we don’t serve a weak God, we serve an Almighty God.
We do a disservice to those we share the gospel with if we do not tell the truth. The way is one of repentance, faith, and forgiveness. Repentance because we have all sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. Faith because without it, eternal life is not given. Forgiveness because we have believed that what Jesus did on that cross was enough.
Have all believed? Most definitely not. Then shall all be saved? I leave that answer up to you. But please understand one thing. We do not need to color the gospel with crayons. If hell hurts, it was meant to. If it is an affront to you, imagine what kind of an affront it is to God. If it causes fear, then let it, the fear of God leads to righteousness and wisdom. Why would we avoid the fear of the Lord? Worse, why would we deny that fear to those we claim to want saved?
I believe that one cannot believe in Christ without some fear over his sins. That doesn’t mean I beat him over the head with his sins. The bible tells us all have sinned. I believe all KNOW they have sinned. Give them a reason to believe and hope, but don’t cut the gospel in half.
Yes, Jesus Christ loves us. But He is not just love. He is not just a warm, fuzzy teddy bear. Had any of us been Pharisees, we would have experienced that first hand. He showed real anger, and real accusation against those who shunned Him, against those who did not believe. Will it be any different for those who STILL do not believe?
The gospel is beauty to me. It is not beauty to my neighbor, who does not believe. I am not instructed to make the gospel look pretty. I am only instructed to tell it. If they are to be attracted to it, then it will not be because I made them feel all warm and fuzzy inside about Christ. It will be because God has opened their hearts to believe. Remember, the gospel is foolishness to those who think they are wise. So it doesn’t matter how you present it. Showing them a weak God will only cement their belief that He is also foolish. We do not need to beat people over the head with their guilt. But they need to be shown that they stand in rebellion to God. An understanding of forgiveness requires an understanding of position. Without rebellion and sin being mentioned, they will never understand their position.
God has the power unto eternal life, and He has not wasted it. He has the power unto eternal punishment, and He will not waste that, either. It is His to do with as He pleases, and He will not suffer His CREATURES to question Him. I have no proof of hell other than what is written in the Bible. But we have plenty of proof that we were fallen before we knew Jesus. That isn’t something you can touch either. You just have to believe it, because God says so. There are some things, ugly as they are, that are true nevertheless. Jesus hanging naked on a cross is one of them. Hell is another. The gospel tells us that this naked man on the cross is the surest way, nay, the only way, to eternal life. If there is no belief in Him, what is the opposite of eternal life?
Hell. Is it real? Or is it just something Jesus used as a tool to show what eternal life would be like without Him? Warning: This is my belief, and I do not force anyone to read this, or believe it. But, if you want to comment after reading, please do so with respect, and I promise you, I will respond with respect as well. Thank you.
Why this topic? Because my focus is the gospel, and I believe people can handle the full gospel, even if that includes words like hell, sin, and repent. Life is just too short to make the mistake of watering down the gospel to make it more attractive. We don’t have forever to do what we are still here to do. We are appointed so many days here, and then, we are no longer within reach of earth as we knew it. That means the loved ones we left behind are less one more person who could have told them the truth.
Is hell real? I believe it is. We know there is a judgment, and all will face that judgment. It will be a judgment according to what each one has done. For those who know the Lord, it is a judgment according to what Christ has done, for we no longer have an identity apart from Him.
But what of those who do not know Jesus? What will their judgment be like? I believe their judgment will be exactly as it is described, a judgment according to everything they have done apart from Jesus Christ. If this is the case, then judgment day does not bode well for them. For we know that all acts done apart from God are considered as filthy rags before God. In other words, they are all sin.
Sin is not so much an act as it is a position, and an attitude. A man may do an otherwise good thing, and still, it can be considered sin in God’s eyes. If the man gives no glory to God, then everything he does is done for himself, and thus, it is sin. Sin is the act and attitude of denying to God the glory due to him. If obedience brings glory to God, then disobedience certainly does not. This is one definition of sin. You may have a different one, but please keep in mind, that anything done in man’s name and not God’s is sin.
Placing judgment aside for a moment, what then should be said about hell? Is it real, or is it just a rotten carrot waved at people to get them to believe in Christ? I believe it is real, very real. Christ spoke of it, and the Apostles all wrote about those who would be destroyed in the judgment. Most notably, I find in 2 Peter this most disturbing statement.
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.” 2 Peter 2:1
At first glance, that statement might be mistaken as a rebuttal against the idea that once saved, always saved. But that’s not what Peter is saying, at all. Jesus bought all of the world, his work from the cross was enough to forgive every sin, and redeem every person. But what does Peter say about those who are bringing swift destruction upon themselves? How do they come to the point of bringing that destruction? By “denying the Master who bought them,” they bring swift destruction upon themselves.
This is a hard doctrine, this doctrine of hell. After all, who really wants to think about it? And we who have been saved from it, would we want to think of it any the more because we have been saved? Certainly not. Yet it is present in Scripture, and spoken of by men whom we say are Apostles, and One whom we say is Savior.
It makes no difference if it is called hell, or destruction, or eternal punishment. It is all the same thing. But maybe we have been approaching this existence of hell from the wrong angle. It is certain that Jesus mentioned hell more than once, and even talked about the day of judgment in Matthew chapter 25. No would deny that his discourse speaks of a future event that has not yet taken place. But what they might deny is the road that leads to hell, and those for whom it is prepared. They may say that all are saved from hell, because Jesus died to pay the debt of the entire world.
These things would be true, Jesus did die for all, His work is sufficient. God hardly would offer eternal life to all, without making sure that all would be paid for, would He?
But why then mention hell? Why, if all are saved, is hell mentioned even once? What is the point of talking about eternal punishment, if eternal punishment will never be required? Let’s go further, and try to address another idea that I have heard, but which I do not believe.
There are some who believe that Jesus saved all people from eternal punishment, but not from eternal death. What is the difference? A whole lot less suffering, I should think. If one is resurrected to face judgment, and then dies a second death because his judgment was apart from Christ, then he does not suffer eternal punishment, only eternal death. But does this view jive with what Jesus said about eternal punishment? Or is eternal death the eternal punishment? Matthew 25:45-46 states,
“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The danger of all this is, of course, that we take these scriptures out of their context. But in this case, using the above verse, we have not taken it out of its context, because the entire context is speaking about the day of judgment. Therefore, on the day of judgment, Jesus will say to those on His left what is quoted above. The context speaks of a separating, and a judgment. And the statement made to judge the goats follows along well with the idea that if one does not know Jesus, it is impossible for him to do the good work which Jesus talks about within the context. Any work done apart from God is work which attempts to glorify man.
Feeding the least of these, visiting them, clothing them, and giving them something to drink is gospel speak. It is salvation language, all of it. Feeding, drinking, clothing, and visiting prisoners all talks about the work of an evangelist. Those who do not know Christ do not do the work of an evangelist. It is impossible for them to do so.
The gospel is the work. The recipients are the lost. When a man shares the gospel, he shares that which is most important to him. He gives clothes, food, and drink, to the one who is lost, the one who is held prisoner by sin. The clothes are the wedding clothes, which we wear, the food is the Word of God, and the drink is eternal life, which Christ gives through those who share His work. We must visit those in prison, for they cannot come to us, they are bound by sin to remain where they are. So evangelism is an active participation in building the body of Christ by visiting those who are in the prison of sin. This is the good works which we are judged for, and those who do not know Jesus have none. They have never fed Jesus, or given Him clothes, or something to drink, because they have never shared the gospel.
But, let’s take a look at this from a different angle. Rather than focusing on the day of judgment, let’s look at how one receives eternal life, for that is the prize, that life with Christ eternal, when we shall see Him as He is. I believe I can sum up all of the mentions of the path to eternal life in one verse. However, if you want to look the rest of them up, here they are: John, 3:15, 3:16, 4:14, 4:36, 5:24, 6:40, 6:54, 6:68, 10:28, and 17:3, Romans 5:21, 6:22, and 6:23, 1 Timothy 1:16, Titus 3:7, 1 John 5:11-12, and 5:13. All of these verses speak of the means to Eternal life. Without this one thing, there is no eternal life. What is that one thing?
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him.” John 3:36
This is the one verse I state here, because in it is found both the path to eternal life, and the path to the wrath of God, which is eternal punishment. Oddly enough, this verse was stated by the one sent before Christ, John the Baptist. It was his last testimony, and his most powerful one. It is the very foundation of his preceding work before the Lord’s coming. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. And what is that way? To believe in the Son of God for eternal life and forgiveness of sins. Apart from this, there is no salvation.
John stated very clearly that those who did not believe would see the wrath of God. So then, the path that leads to eternal life is through faith in the Son, and the path that leads to destruction is through not having faith in the Son.
I am writing this because my focus is back on the gospel, and the gospel is not pretty. It is not warm, and it is not fuzzy. It is Jesus, pinned to a cross with three inch spikes. I am a carpenter, I know what those spikes do to whatever they pass through. The gospel is not beautiful for those who don’t believe in it. It is foolishness. What shall God do with a man who calls Him a fool? Reward him with eternal life in heaven? Maybe a weak God would do that, but we don’t serve a weak God, we serve an Almighty God.
We do a disservice to those we share the gospel with if we do not tell the truth. The way is one of repentance, faith, and forgiveness. Repentance because we have all sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. Faith because without it, eternal life is not given. Forgiveness because we have believed that what Jesus did on that cross was enough.
Have all believed? Most definitely not. Then shall all be saved? I leave that answer up to you. But please understand one thing. We do not need to color the gospel with crayons. If hell hurts, it was meant to. If it is an affront to you, imagine what kind of an affront it is to God. If it causes fear, then let it, the fear of God leads to righteousness and wisdom. Why would we avoid the fear of the Lord? Worse, why would we deny that fear to those we claim to want saved?
I believe that one cannot believe in Christ without some fear over his sins. That doesn’t mean I beat him over the head with his sins. The bible tells us all have sinned. I believe all KNOW they have sinned. Give them a reason to believe and hope, but don’t cut the gospel in half.
Yes, Jesus Christ loves us. But He is not just love. He is not just a warm, fuzzy teddy bear. Had any of us been Pharisees, we would have experienced that first hand. He showed real anger, and real accusation against those who shunned Him, against those who did not believe. Will it be any different for those who STILL do not believe?
The gospel is beauty to me. It is not beauty to my neighbor, who does not believe. I am not instructed to make the gospel look pretty. I am only instructed to tell it. If they are to be attracted to it, then it will not be because I made them feel all warm and fuzzy inside about Christ. It will be because God has opened their hearts to believe. Remember, the gospel is foolishness to those who think they are wise. So it doesn’t matter how you present it. Showing them a weak God will only cement their belief that He is also foolish. We do not need to beat people over the head with their guilt. But they need to be shown that they stand in rebellion to God. An understanding of forgiveness requires an understanding of position. Without rebellion and sin being mentioned, they will never understand their position.
God has the power unto eternal life, and He has not wasted it. He has the power unto eternal punishment, and He will not waste that, either. It is His to do with as He pleases, and He will not suffer His CREATURES to question Him. I have no proof of hell other than what is written in the Bible. But we have plenty of proof that we were fallen before we knew Jesus. That isn’t something you can touch either. You just have to believe it, because God says so. There are some things, ugly as they are, that are true nevertheless. Jesus hanging naked on a cross is one of them. Hell is another. The gospel tells us that this naked man on the cross is the surest way, nay, the only way, to eternal life. If there is no belief in Him, what is the opposite of eternal life?
1 comment:
Diane,
It was sort of looooooong, wasn't it? :) I will try to cut some of it up into smaller portions, because yeah, it is hard to focus on one thing here, and discuss it. I get that way some times, when I just start writing, and writing, and writing, and writing, and on. Sorry.
Post a Comment