The third chapter briefly speaks about the significance of hell.
First, we're reminded that Hell is the default destination for all people. We have nothing to gain by giving ourselves or others the benefit of the doubt with regard to Hell. Jesus' tells us clearly that most people will not be in Heaven; most are headed down the wide road that leads to Hell.
The second section highlights the severity of Hell. I don't think any of us would deny that the notion of Hell is not taken very seriously in our culture. However, I found myself challenged to take it more seriously. If I believe Hell is real, if I believe most people are on their way to Hell, and if I believe those people will suffer real agonizing punishment in Hell, why am I so shy about the topic?
On the occasions when people have asked me frankly whether I thought they were going to hell for rejecting the Gospel, why do I initially hesitate to affirm such a basic truth? Am I somehow afraid of how he might react? If I let that fear guide me, then I'm now in a position where man's reaction takes precedence over God's reaction. Furthermore, it's absurd to think that God hasn't accounted for the way people would respond to truths about Hell. On the contrary, hearing the truth about Hell is supposed to make an unrepentant sinner feel awful inasmuch as he realizes the awfulness of his situation.
I appreciated the way Alcorn connected the severity of Hell to the glory of the cross. To the degree that we try to "out-love" God and soften the realities of Hell, we weaken His work on the Cross. I want to be careful about entering the realm of unprofitable disputes, but... would it be correct to say: An ironic effect of over-emphasizing God's love, when it neglects the harsh but true realities of His disposition toward sin, is that the love itself loses some of its potency.
Christ's death was not primarily a solution to the problem of meaningless living. Christ's death was not primarily a solution to the problem of dysfunctional families. Christ's death was not primarily a solution to the pain of earthly suffering. His death was a solution to the problem of sin and its eternal penalty in Hell.
Alcorn lays it out well in the fourth section. The idea that it's unloving to speak of Hell is not an idea that comes from God.
One popular way that we seem to try to soften Hell is by explaining Hell in terms of separation from God. I haven't found that this always carries much weight with those who don't value closeness with God in the first place.
Does anyone else sometimes struggle explaining the disaster awaiting those on the wide road? I know it's easier for me to appeal to a person's desire to know and act according to truth rather than appeal to the need to escape sure judgement.
4 comments:
Dearest David,
I read your comments with great interest. You ended with a question about sharing with unbelievers the reality of hell. I have given this a lot of thought over the years. I don't have all the answers by any means, but I would like to share some thougths.
If we look to Jesus Himself, I find that the warning of hell He directed primarily to those who had heard the truth and consistently rejected it, often even when faced with the reality of confirming signs and wonders.
I have found that most of His invitations were NOT accompanied by threats of condemnation to hell.
"Come to me , all you who are burdened and heavy laden..."
"I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall never hunger..."
"Do you beleive in the Son of Man?..."
Lots more examples could be given.
I will never shrink back from sharing the reality of hell when appropriate, but I think that if the first thing out of my mouth is the threat of hell, it may cause my hearer to conclude certain things and close their heart to the rest of the message of God's love.
I have found Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well in John 4 to be very instructive. Jesus appealed to the woman's curiosity, then turned the conversation to spiritual things, then gently confronted her with her sin when He mentioned the 5 husbands and her present adulterous living situation. Her spiritual hunger, probably long extinguished in her heart, was re-ignited by the Savior's kind words. I expect to see her in heaven.
We certainly need to be guided by the Holy spirit when witnessing of the grace of God.
Love ya,
Dad
Dad, Thanks for the thoughtful remarks. I'd certainly like to get further feedback on a few more comments.
A basic knowledge of God's judgement upon sinners would have been present with Jesus' typical audience. When He warned directly about hell, He certainly wouldn't have been introducing a new topic. The sting of such warnings would have been the fact that Jesus applied the fearful warnings to those who thought they had already escaped judgement. Although it may not be the case among those with religious backgrounds, more and more of the people I talk to have never seriously entertained the idea of divine accountability.
I believe you when you say you never shrink back from sharing the reality of hell, but I want to understand what you're saying. It almost sounds like you're suggesting that the threat of hell
could be an obstacle to the message of God's love. If you have time please clarify what you mean--maybe with examples of what you meant by "certain things" the hearer could conclude.
Certainly, because his Hell-threatening warnings were often quite vocal, Jesus was not ashamed to be identified as one who pressed the realities of Hell. Our world, our workplaces, and even our own families are certainly not devoid of those who we know have heard, understood and consistently rejected the truth; yet we seem largely unwilling to mention the sober warnings about hell even in cases of outright, consistent rejection. Generally, I don't think we're guilty of being unkind or unsensitive when presenting the Gospel.
When we explain God's love in terms of being saved from (His)wrath, we're in good company. Jesus puts it in those terms very clearly with Nicodemus (John 3:14-19). Paul uses language of a similar tone in Romans 5:8-9.
Please don't hesitate to point out any of my errors in these matters. The intent of all our comments is mutual sharpening. My prayer is that we're driven deeper into the Word, not just to prove our point or "be right" but that we may be drawn closer to to the One who suffered wrath in our place.
David,
These are great thoughts. You said I shouldn't hesitate to point out any errors. I don't see any errors to point out here.
To clarify my point about people closing their heart to the Gospel...(please consider this my opinion. there is certainly no dogma here)
When I share with someone, I want them to receive Christ. That is the goal. So I want to make sure they hear the whole message.
Christians are often stereotyped as preaching hellfire and damnation. (Some Christians are guilty of this stereotype, others are not, but there is often guilt by association).
When I get to share Christ with someone (like I got to last week for about an hour while I was waiting to get my car fixed) I try to lead them to see their own sin and God's loving salvation from hell. I asked this guy if he thought the world was messed up. He responded yes.
How is it messed up?
Crime, greed, corruption, hate, etc...
Are you guilty of some of these things?
Well, yes.
then I explained God's punishment for sin, and God's love in laying it all on Jesus.
He paused and said (no kidding) "that gives me goose bumps."
But I did not lead off with the message of judgment, because that can often lead to him stereotyping me as a "hell fire and damnation" Christian. And thus, he would close his heart to anything else I said.
But once he admitted personal guilt, it is easier to explain God's wrath.
I hope this is making sense.
In the end, I think the HOly Spirit can use our feeble efforts to reach a person's heart. I may not be the most effective at sharing the Gospel, but I certainly don't want to be guilty of NOT sharing the gospel.
A feeble (but sincere) presentation of the gospel is certainly much better than no sharing. And too many Christians just don't share the gospel at all. I recall that God uses the weak things of the world to confound the strong. And the foolish things, to confound the wise. "Who is adequate for these things?" Paul cried.
I love you. Keep shining the light!!
Love, Dad
The example helped me understand your initial comments. Encouraging words.
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