Hell is not trending nowadays. Other than the offhand reference, “What the hell,” the dismissive idiom, “Go to hell,” the weather observation, "It's hotter than hell," or the flip comment, “I’m bored as hell,” we do not hear much any more about the topic of eternal damnation. It is difficult to find anyone who wants to talk about hell because we think that most of us are good overall. After all, nice people are not going to end up in some hard-to-believe-it’s-really-true everlasting lake of fire, right.
Several years ago, I was teaching a Children's Sunday school class, and we were discussing the passage where Nicodemus comes to visit Jesus in the middle of the night. I explained to the students how the Pharisees heaped unbearable laws upon the people that were not given by God. After sharing with the children that God’s law guides Christians in daily living, I asked them, "What does the law tell unbelievers?" One boy raised his hand and declared, "That they're going to hell!"
The boy's honesty and plainspoken ness surprised me at first, and his response made me wonder: why does a young child accept something so difficult for many adults to reconcile in their minds? It was refreshing to hear someone even if it was young children speak about hell without being embarrassed by it.
The Bible teaches about God's wrath and the reality of hell. Jesus did not seem to have a problem with discussing these Topics, warning people about hell on numerous occasions during his earthly ministry.
With so much focus today on how Jesus will make our lives better here on earth or Living your Best Live Now, it doesn’t seem like our eternal state much less God’s glory is of much concern to some Christians anymore.
For every American who believes he’s going to hell, there are 120 who believe they are going to heaven” contrast this result with Jesus’ words in
Matthew 7:13-14
(13) "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
(14) "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The math just does not add up. In this passage, Jesus is indicating that there will be more people in hell than in heaven. Yet, I cannot remember ever going to a funeral or memorial service where people thought the deceased person was now in hell not ever. Why do so many people, even those who claim to be Christians, refuse to accept the reality of hell when the Bible teaches it?
You can count on it when you die as an unbeliever you are going to Hell right then not later the body dies and the soul will live forever either with God or Satan.
Genesis 35:18
(18) It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
Psalms 16:10
(10) For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
Luke 12:20
(20) "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'
Luke 23:46
(46) And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last.
Acts 7:59
(59) They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"
death is the separation and disunion of soul and body; that at death the soul departs from the body; The soul does not die with it, but goes elsewhere in a separate state, and never dies;
You can easily find 100 Plus passages on hell.
It seems odd that such a prominent topic in the Bible is so infrequently discussed in churches today. The sad fact is that many pastors are hesitant to talk about the doctrine of hell anymore because they know people do not want to hear about it. More and more, churchgoers are seeking community, ways to improve their lives and help others, and support through difficult times and these are all good things. It is easy to understand why church leaders would not want to scare off people by bringing hell into the conversation. Talking about eternal damnation with seeking unbelievers who are interested in how Christianity can make their lives better just does not seem like a good idea.
Most think only really bad people should go to hell. The truth is that people do not like the doctrine of hell. It does not seem fair that God would send nice people to hell for eternity just because they made a few mistakes. After all, “Who doesn’t mess up here and there?” “Why does God have to be so harsh?” “Doesn’t he see my heart and know how hard I am trying?”
The problem is that most people do not get it. Some do not get how Holy God is, and some do not get how sinful they are. Isaiah got it when he saw a vision of the Lord in his glory. He cried out,
Isaiah 6:5
(5) Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
Isaiah saw his sinfulness. He saw his total inadequacy to stand before God. He understood that he needed to be cleansed so he would not be destroyed by God’s utter goodness and purity.
Another example in the Gospel of Luke. When Peter witnessed the miracle of the great catch of fish,
Luke 5:8
(8) But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!"
When we get it when we realize that, there is nothing about us that is untouched by our depraved nature and how impossible it is for us to stand before God on our own merits this is when we run to the foot of the cross and cling to Christ, our only hope.
Some Christians think it is best to put off discussing this difficult topic with unbelievers. If only we can first get people to experience Christ’s love in one-on-one relationships and then in a church community that cares for and supports them, we can teach them about the more difficult Christian topics of judgment, wrath, and hell at a later time. However, when is the right time? If we pass off Christianity as the best way to happiness now, what if people find an alternative way they like better for improving the quality of their lives and healing their brokenness? What if they never take the reality of hell seriously because the Christians they know do not seem to take it seriously?
Eternity lasts a long time it never ends.
The issue is not whether or how God’s love can make our lives more fulfilled. The issue is that our sin offends God, separates us from him, and places us under his judgment. Avoiding the subject of God’s wrath or softening its severity does not make it go away. The stakes here could not be higher: The Bible is True, those who are not trusting in Christ alone as their savior are not going to heaven no matter how much they think they are. If we care about the people God brings into our lives, we should be prepared to lovingly explain the Bible’s teaching on hell as God gives us the opportunity. We do non-Christians no favors by acting as though the doctrine does not exist.
For the sake of those we are trying to help, we have to be honest with ourselves about exactly what we are attempting to achieve when we try to make the gospel more appealing. How we present the gospel certainly matters.
The apostle Paul sets a strong example for us regarding always being as relational as possible.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
(19) For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
(20) To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
(21) to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
(22) To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
(23) I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
He tells us to be Attractive, appealing in appearance and character.
Colossians 4:6
(6) Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Still, we must consider that some well-meaning attempts to smooth over the parts of the Bible that make us uncomfortable contain, at their root, a sense of shame regarding the difficult truths of the gospel.
I am not advocating a return to fire-and-brimstone sermons or standing on street corners with threatening signs about hell and damnation. I am pleading the case that one of the most loving things we can ever do is to help people understand that they cannot create their reality of the afterlife in their minds. Thinking something is true does not make it so. People need the truth about God, themselves, and what is going to happen after they die. In short, they need the gospel.
Out of the mouth of babes, he has prepared praise.
On another Sunday at church, I asked the children in my class, “What did Jesus do for us that we couldn’t do for ourselves?” A little boy raised his hand quickly and answered with confidence: “He was perfect!” Such truth in those three words. Jesus, the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins and the perfectly obedient Son of God, fulfilled all the law’s demands on behalf of everyone who trusts in him alone for salvation. Because of God’s unfathomable love in Christ, sinners who deserve hell are now at peace with God through the perfect completed work of our Lord Jesus Christ, growing with each other in grace and knowledge of him as we await a glorious eternity in his presence.
The Childs response reminds me of the children who praised Jesus as he entered the temple and Jesus’ response:
Matthew 21:16
(16) and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF'?"
Also, another verse is:
Isaiah 28:9
(9) "To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?
Ephesians 4:14
(14) As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
As followers of Christ, we must be committed to the truth. This means both that our words should be honest and that our actions should reflect Christ's integrity. Speaking the truth in love is not always easy, convenient, or pleasant, but it is necessary if the church is going to do Christ's work in the world.
Grove Oak Church
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