That slightly embarrassing part of the gospel - hell

When last did you tell someone that they were in danger of hell? I must confess it has been quite awhile since I have. I still remember the occasion actually. I was ministering at a school and I had a conversation with a boy who I had come to know quite well. Somehow the question came up in conversation, “Do you think I am going to heaven?” I had to soberly answer him that I didn’t think he was headed for heaven. *gulp* That is putting the matter in the passive sense though, not the full weight of the reality. Almost like informing him of the loss of an awesome reward or prize or something. I might just as well have said, “Sorry sir, I am sad to inform you that you did not win the competition but please try again next year.” I honestly can’t remember if I informed him of the REALLY bad news, that not only was he falling short of heaven, he was headed for hell!!!

Now I have had enough conversations with believers and unbelievers alike to know that the paragraph I have just written is VERY controversial. “How can you say that to anyone?!” many will shout. “Who are you to judge?!” someone will demand from me. A classic from the back windscreen of the taxi’s is, “Only God can judge me.” Ha ha ha! Now I don’t contest this proverbial wisdom (although I do wonder where it comes from. The Bible???!) and I agree that it is only for God to ultimately judge our eternal destinies. What I have been given pause to ponder recently though is - do we as a society really believe that “God will judge” anymore. Things go on in our little planet as they have always done. The wicked get more wicked, crimes go unpunished, people (quite literally) get away with murder everyday somewhere on our planet. There are even many Christians who no longer believe in judgement and hell, and still others (I may be included here) that believe in the coming judgment but are a bit embarrassed about the whole affair. We in this second category would much prefer to “love on people”.

Truth to tell is that it’s becoming increasingly, err… awkward, to tell people in our democratic society that God is not elected by vote. In the war between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan there are no “conscientious objectors”. I guess what I’m trying to say is that in our generation we like to “choose our own path”, “decide our own truth” and we have learned to respect each other for that. We have learned to discuss our personal philosophies cordially with one another without judgments of “wrong” or “right”. Now to introduce a word like “judgment” or “hell” into this conversation is potentially quite hazardous! It would be perceived as rude, arrogant or even bigoted.

So instead we would rather “love on people” and lure them into the kingdom with promises of healing, wholeness and eternal life. All of these are a part of the gospel message but we conveniently leave out the offensive bits. I have just recently been struck with the force of the lunacy of this kind of dialogue.  Craziness!! That’s not love at all! Imagine neglecting to warn someone that you love that they are headed for a pit of fire, where they will burn in constant torment for an infinite amount of time. Days with no end. Think of it! But that’s the thing. We’d rather not think of it. It’s too painful. We (I include myself) would rather not like to dwell on the thought that our friends, family, colleagues, maybe even spouse, is headed for an unspeakable, never-ending torment such as we have never seen or experienced. This is an “inconvenient truth” of epic proportions. If I am honest, I can barely imagine such a place. I wrestle with the daily hellish reality that we experience on our little planet let alone a place designed for torment. And to be sentenced there for an unlimited time is more than my imagination can conjure.

That’s the point though, isn’t it? Hell language is supposed to be scary. When we read it in the Bible it is supposed to influence and inform our lifestyle, our choices and our relationships. That’s the whole point. It’s like jail, only worse. The existence of jail is to inform our choices. We know it’s wrong to steal, murder and injure people but some do it anyway. The necessity for a penal system arises from our deviant behavior. We deviate from what we know is right. For some reason, the allure of a society which lives in peace and harmony is not enough to keep us from crime. It is hoped that the threat of punishment might be the deciding swing factor in the mind of those vacillating between right and wrong. Also, it satisfies our need for justice by punishing the wrongdoers with a punishment that fits the crime.

How much more so in the kingdom of God?! For most people (maybe all), the allure of paradise and peace with God wont be enough. I’m not only talking about making us live more moral lives. It is that, but it’s much more as well. Creator God has a kingdom. That’s a bit “old-skool” for our modern minds, but it’s true, and He is the king of the kingdom which he created with his own hands. In his mind it’s a very serious business when we reject him as God and king and appoint ourselves as lord supreme of our lives. It amounts to a kind of treason in his books, mutiny at the very least. What may also strike the modern reader as “old-skool” is that the penalty for treason in God’s kingdom is death. Not the finality of a dignified death though, it’s eternal death, it’s torment, it’s hell.

I love to share the wonders and the joys of the kingdom at every possible opportunity but I’m deeply challenged to tell the whole story. I think I owe it to people. God has set the stakes extremely high, and I believe he did it for a reason. It’s not even a viable choice really is it? Eternal bliss with a good king in the kingdom or eternal torment with Satan. It’s supposed to be a no-brainer because in God’s estimation – what is the worth of a creation that has rejected its creator and sustainer? What other fate can there be for a useless rabble but to be tossed onto the rubbish heap called hell. When people make the decision which will ultimately decide their eternal fate, I hope that they can make that decision with a clear understanding of all the consequences. Relationship and peace with God is good and right, and deep down we all know that that is what we were made for. However, no one should be left to believe the falsehood that God is one of several competing politicians attempting to woo us to his party. The choice is much more simple – choose to reconcile with your Maker and live, or reject Him and suffer the torment of eternal death.