Eternal Punishment
It struck me late last night that if Hell were only a finite experience, people would still object to it. By that I mean it’s a popular ‘thing’ (right now, at least) to make a case against Hell — and thus, God — on the grounds that the punishment is disproportionate to the ‘crime’, if you will. Why should lying, or theft, or some other “insignificant” sin recieve an eternity of punishment? But as I said last night I realized if I imagined the Christian doctrine of Hell to espouse only a temporary period in Hell (something aking to purgatory, perhaps), then it would be objected that it wasn’t long enough. It’s one thing to argue about lying and theft, it’s quite an easy thing to argue about lying and theft. However it’s something completely different to argue about genocide, murder, rape, etc. If Hell were only temporary, God would … (Read more)
Do Good People go to Hell?
Or for that matter, do bad people go to heaven? In both cases I believe the answer is a clear no. And I think the reason this question comes up often, and is equally as misunderstood, is because we tend to think that actions define character — which to an extent is true — but that this is it. I’m sure this belief arises from the popular notion that people are inherently neither ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ but through the choices we make lean to one side or the other. Of course, the caveat would be added that no person is completely good or completely bad. People are something of a “gray area,” where as long as one set of actions outweighs the others, we are identified as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
That’s the problem.
I once heard an illustration comparing Billy Graham and Hitler, it goes something like this. If God’s … (Read more)
Hell’s doors: locked on the inside
I’ve noticed that a lot of discussions tend to talk about “the damned” (for lack of a better phrase) without actually talking about them. That is to say that on the one hand, we argue over the existence of Hell, and if it does exist, what kind of God would possibly create such a place. On the other hand, when we talk about the souls of those who will populate Hell we make a particular assumption: they don’t want to be there. I think the reasoning is something like this: “Every knee will bow and confess Jesus as Lord. Therefore, all will want to be with Jesus, especially those going to Hell, who will be filled with regret”. I’m not entirely sure I believe this. In fact, I’m fairly certain I don’t. I’m not even sure why the alternative has been long ignored. That upon seeing Jesus, those who rejected … (Read more)
Hell: Why don’t Christians do more?
If those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are going to Hell, why don’t Christians do more?
Hell is not simply the natural consequences of rejecting God. Some people say this in order to reject the thought that God sends people there. They say that people send themselves there. That is true. People make choices that lead to hell. But it is not the whole truth. Jesus says these choices are really deserving of hell. “Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to [that is, guilty of, or deserving of] the hell of fire” (Matt 5:22). That is why he calls hell “punishment” (Matt. 25:45). It is not a mere self-imposed natural consequence (like cigarette smoking leading to lung cancer); it is the penalty of God’s wrath (like a judge sentencing a criminal to hard labor).1
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, … (Read more)
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