Lately there has been quite a bit of buzz among Christian circles regarding a certain pastor who has written a particular book on a very sensitive subject. The subject is the existence of hell and whether or not a loving God would allow anyone to spend eternity in such an awful place. Now, let me say, I am no theologian and no expert on such subjects. I have not read the book, only followed various blogs and commentaries and listened in on some conversations involving the author. What I have heard, has caused me to really examine my own beliefs on this subject. This is what I have come up with: If there is no hell then what is the point…?
If there is no hell there is no justice. If there is no justice there is no love. I don’t believe you can have one without the other. Love without justice. Justice without love. To be just is to love, because sometimes true justice causes pain and discomfort, but you do it anyway…out of love because to withold justice in those cases would cause even greater pain and more discomfort. I try to imagine being a parent without justice. Fairness, correctness, equity. Take out those qualities and you take out love. Don’t you?
Scripture does say our God is love. True.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” John 3:16
However, this is not the world’s cheap and over-used, watered-down definition of love! You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Placed in the context of a world who uses the same word to say “I love my husband” and “I love my new I-pad”; “I love my kids” and “I love fresh raspberries”; “Jesus loves me” and “Romeo loves Juliet”. Kind of loses something, don’t you think? God IS love…but it probably doesn’t mean what we think it means.
God will settle all accounts. Out of justice and out of love. He loves justice and He hates injustice. He loves His creation but He hates sin. He hated it so much that in order to satisfy His wrath on the subject He offered up His only Son so that we might become as sons and daughters to Him. Back in the family; true prodigals.
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26
What is this saying? Some people (myself included!) have a hard time reading parts of the Old Testament because it seems irrelevant. All those sacrifices; all that killing! But this single verse kind of ties it all together. The promises made to Abraham and the Israelites of the Old Testament are now open to ALL people…because of Jesus! Because of His death, suffering and resurrection the Way has been made accessible to ALL people who believe in Him. I grow so weary of hearing people question this remarkable Truth and attempt to weaken the power in it by saying: “Where do Christians get off saying Jesus is the only way? Isn’t that kind of exclusive and narrow minded?Who are they to judge me?”
Well, it is exclusive in that there is only ONE way but it is ALL inclusive to anyone and everyone who chooses to accept the gift that is freely given! The gift isn’t hidden or impossible to find. The promise isn’t shrouded in layers of codes or requirements to accomplish before one has the ability to accept the gift! It is free to anyone who cares to take it, but it cost God everything. Now that is love.
I think that people who have a hard time accepting this Truth also have a hard time accepting their part in the equation. If I believe that God is love and that God is just and because He is just there will be a day of judgment where all people will be held responsible to how they answer one (and only one) question: “What have you done with my SON?”
and that their answer to that one (and only one) question has eternal consequences…then I have some very important work to do! Rather than try to make fellow believers or even unbelievers feel better about themselves by only talking about God’s love, I also have to risk being accused of being narrow-minded and politically incorrect by pointing out that God is also a God of justice, a God of judgement. I have to be willing to be unpopular and even persecuted. I have to be ready to have stones of judgement thrown at me. You see, I’m not judging you or anybody because I was under the exact same wrath and judgement and would have remained there if not for one thing: Jesus Christ!
If there is no hell, then there is no urgency. There is no urgency to tell a hurting, chaotic, and dying world that their ransom has already been paid! There is no urgency to show captives that freedom came forth out of the tomb when Jesus conquered hell and death forever and all they have to do is follow Him to the throne of God! In 1 Corinthians 13:13 it says: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” So many people want to reduce that to one thing: love! But that is not what the Word says. Three remain.
We must put our faith in our only hope…Jesus Christ. Then, and only then, will we know the fullness of the Father’s amazing, endless, pure and eternal love; in His presence rather than apart from His presence. That is the simple definition of hell, I believe…”eternity apart from God’s presence”.
That is the message that the nations are hungry for. That is the message the world is starving for! It isn’t about giving a message that satisfies our innate and immature desire to feel good right now! It isn’t all about ‘love’…in this instant, over-indulgent, over-sexed culture we have really lost the deep and mysterious and full meaning of love. We ‘love’ everything from Jelly-Bellys to Justin Bieber; from Toyotas to Twitter. That is not the Love that came down and was betrayed by the people who claimed to ‘love’ Him. The Love that died on the cross with Jesus Christ is the only price dear enough, the only exchange just enough to allow us to enter into the Presence of God the Father. The kind of Love that will take an eternity to fully grasp and understand; and it will be understood one way or another. It does come at a cost. We must be willing to put ourselves out there and risk ridicule and persecution. We must lay down our will and our comfort and our popularity in order to spread this Truth to all people. We must become a slave to Christ; we must give up having our way; His way is our way…the only way.
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:22-23
“Thomas said to him (Jesus) ‘Lord we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ” John 14:5-6a
“Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
My opinion, and granted it is only my opinion, is that when Jesus spoke the following words in Matthew 7: 13-14:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
…I tend to think that He was giving us the job of leading people to the narrow gate once we have found it ourselves! When the “few” find it, they are responsible to lead as many people to that narrow gate as possible. Once you have led someone to that narrow gate and told them the power of walking through it, then it is up to them how they choose to proceed. Only a few will find it on their own…many (even most) will need a bit of guidance and direction. That is why the next verse is so chilling:
“Watch out for false prophets. They will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (vs. 15)
There are many false prophets and teachers today that are leading people away from the narrow gate in the name of being inclusive, sensitive and politically correct. They promote cheap love under the guise of social justice, which in and of itself is hollow…empty and without Jesus Christ has no eternal significance. Our calling is to bring people to that narrow gate and in the name of Jesus urge them through it. His is the only voice we are to follow. The only way leading to love, to faith, to justice, to hope…to LIFE.
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN!!!! Wonderfully said Jen and could not agree with you more! Love you!
Preach it sista! Very well said! What a gift you have….I love it!
Karla
Right on Jen!! And I say AMEN as well!
Yes, yes, yes!! Thank you, Jen and Eric!! This was our dinner conversation yesterday at “celebration sunday dinner” with our family. Thank you for stating it so clearly. May God be praised!
Just~THIS MORNING, had this conversation with a student. Thanks for sharing as I passed along your beautiful writings for her to share with her boyfriend, who was challenging her belief. Perfect, God’s timing. Thanks, Jen, as always for allowing Him to use you. Love you friend.
Might be worth reading the book to see just what the concept really is.
Might be good to consider new thoughts from time to time, and expand our concepts of faith and God.
Many years ago, it was heresy to think that the sun was the middle of the universe.
Knowledge and faith grow, together.