Scary Hell

I recently saw a sign on a business saying, "If you knew what Hell was like, you would accept Jesus."

I am confident that the people who put up the sign wanted more people to know Jesus, to find hope and live a joyous life.  Its hard for any one phrase or bumper sticker to send the full message of life that people need to find.  I can think of many reasons, however, that this sign would get just the opposite response. 

Many people think they know what Hell is like.  Maybe they just lost a son or daughter to cancer.  Maybe they just lost their home or job.  Maybe they just went through a divorce or difficult relationship break up.  These ordeals can bring such torment, that in comparison to "normal" life, it is Hell.  No doubt many who see this sign feel patronized.

Some people think entering into the religious world is Hell.  How many people that you know have experienced great grief through the Church failing to love unconditionally?  How could this person understand that the Jesus we are offering isn't the same "Jesus" they experienced in the last Church fellowship they were in?  Why change the Hell they know for the more difficult Hell they think they know?

I'm sure I could go on, but enough of negative thinking. 

Consider the message of the traditional Hell.*  Is eternal torment consistent with scriptural teaching?  Is it consistent with the Character of Christ?  Does eternal damnation match up with the Law (eye for an eye, etc.)?  Does the suggestion of an unjust eternal future affirm to people that Christianity (as falsely advertised) is just another "religious Hell?"

If you knew what Jesus was like...

*Note: The basis for our understanding of Hell is Scripture and Scripture alone.  You will find many scriptural supports here and elsewhere for God's redemption of all mankind.  We do not pursue universal salvation because it is reasonable or politically correct!

Invitation

God loves you.  He is pursuing you.  His love never fails.  He will win you.  I cannot tell you what pride or rebellion you need to surrender.  I cannot see what is keeping you from the freedom that God wants you to experience.  I don't know what yoke/imprisonment you need to trade for His yoke, His enslavement.  I could name things I might see but still miss the beautiful work God is doing in you.  You must answer Him.  You must either face or run from Him on your own.  I pray you grasp the solid life that Jesus is holding out to you right now.  Your "life" for His.  Your "world" for His.  Believe me, this is a trade up--but it definitely has its costs too.

He made Him (Jesus) to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness (exchange our dead living for his life) of God.  2 Cor. 5:21

Finding Bedrock

MUDDY WATERS
My Family and I love the outdoors.  Rivers, lakes, and the ocean are wonderful playgrounds.  Where my wife and I enjoy the calming scenery of these places, my kids would rather throw rocks or sticks, wade in and splash.  They can't stand it until they've muddied the waters!

When it comes to Biblical doctrine, perhaps Jack and I have unintentionally created the same feeling for you.  Questioning the supposed foundations of our faith can weaken your spiritual legs or muddy the waters, so to speak.  Instead of throwing you for a loop, I want to encourage your deeper study of scriptural doctrine. 

The truth is, I've lived what I feel was a blessed and mostly content life before I was exposed to the possibility that Hell, as most Christians hold it, is not biblically supported.  The idea that Hell might not be eternal first confused me then led me on a challenging quest.  You, too, can go on ignoring this debate and still enjoy a rich life with Jesus!  However, I think you will be richer still, if you test this doctrine as I did.

SOLID GROUND
I want to take a moment to stand with you on solid ground.  Loving and gifted teachers taught me that the Bible, tradition and experience help solidify the Christian's faith.  The Bible witnesses as source, tradition as helpful counsel and experience as affirming testimony.  But do take care--the farther away from the source you travel the more opportunity for error.

These wonderful verses exemplify the power and authority of scripture:

II Tim. 3:15 & 16 says that "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

The apostle Peter also exhorts us to "remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles." (I Pe 3:2)

Scripture is reliable and today accessible in the original languages to even the most ill-equipped of believers. (You can find free versions of computer Bible programs like Bible Explorer, etc. on the web).  Even without the aid of the original Hebrew and Greek, you can spend time with a concordance studying the usage of individual words like "eternal" or "hell" (like we have here!).

WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT?
Years ago, I attended a church service in which Carol Wimber, wife of Vineyard leader John Wimber, spoke.  John had recently passed away and Carol and a friend stood up and began alternately speaking about the role of Jesus in each of the books of the Bible, Genesis through Revelation.  They began with "He is the Creator" and ended a long time afterward with something like "He is the Alpha and Omega!"  It was a wonderful time of worship and put paid to any doubt concerning the central role of Jesus throughout the Bible.

I believe the Bible testifies to every foundational doctrine in a similiar way.  If it is significant, it is not obscure.  Consider the following bedrock doctrines (Just a short list!):

Doctrine                                     Books Referring To (of the 66 books of the Bible)
The Spirit of God                        
(his personage, his actions, etc.)   (At least 46 of the 66)
The Love of God
(As specifically referred to)            (At least 25 of the 66)
The Sin of Man
(Where the word "sin" occurs)       (At least 39 of the 66)

This does not mean, of course, that the virgin birth of Christ is an obscure doctrine because it is not mentioned throughout the Bible.  This doctrine is part of the bigger doctrine of the character of Christ present in some form in every book of the Bible.

Now lets look at Hell, (Is it a rock solid doctrine?):
The Doctrine of Hell (traditional)
(or a place of eternal torment)          (Occurs in 5 books in the NT only)

We dispute the existence of a place of eternal torment, as you may know by reading our other posts.  However, please note that in it's biblical "footprint" alone, the traditional Doctrine of Hell is very lonely.  The OT knows nothing of a place of eternal torment.  Paul, who wrote most of the NT writes nothing about it.  It seems pretty important to me that if people around me were in danger of being tormented forever, that the warnings against this danger would be far more prolific.

The word Hell (gehenna) occurs 12 times in the books Matthew, Mark, Luke & James.  The word Hell (tartaroo) occurs 1 time in the book of 2 Peter.  There is also another Greek word used for Hell in the King James and it occurs 10 times in the New Testiment.  I did not include this word because it clearly does not refer to a place of eternal torment.  It is the Greek word hades which means the "unseen" or the "grave" and in addition to Matthew and Luke, it occurs in Acts and Revelation.  The Greek word hades is equivalent to the Hebrew word sheol used 65 times in the Old Testiment.  Confusingly enough, the word is used in the King James OT 31 times as "Hell," 31 times as "grave" and 3 times as "pit."  There is no description in the Old Testiment of an eternal torment for sinners (amazing, huh?).

Herein, I have taken on just one of the pillars of the doctrine of Hell: It's solidness/not so solidness.  In other posts we have addressed individual references to Hell and why they do not match up to the traditionally held position.  As always, we welcome your comments and questions.

The "bedrock" doctrines unite us as believers.  I do not think there is a place for the Doctrine of Hell (as tradition holds) in Christianity.  But if you insist, then please do not put it alongside the other clearly defined "bedrock" doctrines of our faith.  It muddies the waters!