To Be Least

      I came across this post on "The Grace Pages." Apparently this Anglican Christian believes that there is no hell. I decided to comment.

You explained why you stopped believing in Hell. "I did not do so on the basis of a study of Scripture. In fact, it was more a matter of intellectual integrity: I had already stopped believing in hell; I merely had to have the courage to admit it to myself."

Then, you gave to reasons why:

1. "It was a monstrous idea to me, a horrific notion unworthy of a religion that claims to talk about a loving, merciful God."
2. "Through tears I confessed that I simply could not believe that my friend’s continual relapses into sin and earnest inner war between faith and doubt would eventually condemn him to eternal suffering, nor that two teenagers, cruelly snatched away from friends and family less than a year after their graduation, were both destined for endless and unimaginable torment."

      I will begin by the issue of not using the scriptures to confirm your beliefs. 2 Timothy 3 states that "¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The Bible is the "God-breathed" and can be used to correct. Logically, the fact that it is "God breathed" and that it can be used to correct shows that it is the truth.

      That said, I will begin to reply to your reasons for unbelief of hell.

      You said that Christianity is a "religion that claims to talk about a loving, merciful God." I agree with you, God is a God of love. However, he is also a just God. 2 Thessalonians 1:6 says that, "God is just." Further on in that chapter talks about God. That "He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power ¹⁰on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you." Here, this is showing how God is a God of justice. He will punish those who " who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" with everlasting destruction (everlasting punishment in Hell). This is pretty serious. God loved this world so much that he sent His Son to die for our sins, but for those who do not believe and live accordingly he will punish eternally.
      Next you said that you could not believe that God would put the teenagers and your friend in eternal suffering. I do not know these people, but you know them. If they "do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus," they will go to Hell.

     God clearly states that there is such a place called Hell:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 5:28)

¹⁹"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
²²"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
²⁵"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' (Luke 16)

"If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:15)

⁴For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; ⁵if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; ⁶if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ⁷and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men ⁸(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)-- ⁹if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. (2 Peter 2)

      These verses show that there indeed is a place called Hell. It is a place of eternal suffering. those who do not believe that Jesus is the Savior and do not live according to the gospel of Jesus Christ will be there. For Jesus Christ himself said that, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

      After I wrote this I realized that if there was no Hell, the gospel of Jesus Christ would have no power. If there is no Hell, then there is no eternal consequence for everyone's sins. In this scenario, if there is not an eternal consequence for your sins, that means that we do not need to have anything to pay the penalty of our sins. If that is true, that means that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, down to this earth for no reason. Which obviously makes the gospel powerless and our faith futile. However, there is a place called Hell. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The result of our sin is both physical and eternal death. However, God provided a way to have eternal life. This way is through Jesus. Jesus payed for our sins. He took the penalty, so that we do not have to.

Later.