July 28, 2006
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Thoughts on HELL
I don’t easily embrace the modern Evangelical teachings about hell. Some will hand out Bible tracts saying, “embrace Jesus or suffer in torment for eternity.” I guess I am just skeptical that the Bible can be effectively captured on a one-page Bible tract. And so I have some questions to make people think a little bit deeper on this issue. First, what if a child dies before accepting Christ? Does God send that child straight to everlasting torment? I would hope not. And so I’m encouraged when I read in Matthew 19:14, ”Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these“‘. Second, what about Jews who were burnt to death in the Holocaust? Does God send them straight from earthly fire to eternal fire because they did not accept Christ as their personal Savior? Is God really that brutal? I don’t think so, mostly because of what Jesus says in verses like Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven“. I have yet to see these very important verses about heaven on a Bible tract.
The Bible obviously talks about hell. So who is hell reserved for? I believe hell is reserved especially for those who do not care for the poor, for those who do not love. Some of these people will even profess a strong faith in Christ. “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.’” (Matthew 7:22-24).
Jesus once told a parable about a poor beggar named Lazarus. Day after day, year after year, Lazarus would sit outside a rich man’s gate and beg for food. But the rich man could not suspend his luxury for one moment to offer Lazarus even the crumbs from his table (Luke 16:21). After they died, Lazarus went to heaven while the rich man went to hell. Little did the rich man know that, every time he ignored Lazarus, he ignored Jesus. As Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matthew 25:45). In conclusion, we should continue to let our human understandings of grace be stretched by the words that Jesus, God’s Son, brought to us.
Thanks for listening. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Peace. Pete.
Comments (19)
there is actually good reason to believe in the non-existence of hell, biblically. Of course one could about prove anything by proof-texting these days. About the Jews, Paul says all of Israel will be saved in Romans 9, or was it 11, I think it was 9, and so those Pauline folk need to cave in there… and then there are multiple verses that says that all of humanity shall see the salvation of our God, hebrew and christian testaments.
it is nice hearing from you bro. I hope you are doing well. do you still have another year of studies?
Hahaha…funny comic…hehe: wink :Have a GOOD weekend Pete…may God bless: biggrin :
I often find myself having trouble beleiving in heaven and hell. It seems so hard, and I wish there was more scripture to talk about it, because its sometimes confusing to me. I know I beleive in God, but I often forget to think about heaven and hell too.
it is an interesting stage I am in… you said you hope I get the job if that is what I want to do… i am so open to anything right now. I never foresaw any of this, but at least it is relaxing days and time enough to do things like go to the chiropractor and the eye doctor when needed.
how is michael’s health?
um. well, Buddhists believe in reincarnation, etc. So, according to the Buddhism, all the bad guys will go to hell, and all the good guys will go to heaven in their next life. Well, the modern Buddhism points out that ones could end up in HELL even in their present life. For me, it’s rather philosophical… It’s something like karma – in a sense of “what goes around, comes around”…(in a good way). So, my thought on hell is the refelction of my action, rather than my religious belief.
His ways are not our ways…so I dont know. Do I believe in Hell? Yes…Jesus talks about Hell….but if you look at that literal translation, it refers to the garbage heap outside of the Jerusalem walls…where there was constantly a fire burning, and many crazy people lived “weeping and nashing (dont know how to spell that) of teeth” was he talking about a literal hell? or was he using it as a metaphor for life apart from God… Dont know. I do know that salvation only comes through Christ, but my def. of salvation is not saved from a place, but rather given a full life back with the Creator…
aww…. to hell with it: rolleyes :
Just stopped in from Greggo’s site. Wonderful words on heaven and hell. I see the Bible as more complicated than “I believe this creed, so I go here” when it comes to the afterlife. God is trying to show us a picture of people who will go to heaven, but there are many sides and aspects to those people.
While I’m here, I’d like to say love your posts. I’m a deep spirit as well, INFP speaking. I LOVE Rich Mullins, his music is some of my most cherished spiritual guidance.
~blessings, Alan
ryc-hey, I was not getting into this, ur post, yet other things but i like this
…..which I will post again to try to make mine more clear, hehe………
As for this post and my thoughts: for everyone that has commented so far, check this site out for your answers: http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=400 Also, http://www.bible.org for any other questions you may have……it’s solid and biblical.
The bible is pretty crystal clear on the matter of salvation……..I won’t go into that unless you want me to……..You first question on a baby going to hell……well that’s pretty deep and not so clear…….first of all, what is clear is God knows/knew before creation who would be born when and who will die when, He also knows who will be with Him in Heaven and who will be in hell……He created/creates us knowing this (i know that may be too deep, but it is to answer this)…..my question is this, can a baby deny faith in Christ? I would say no. I don’t see how it would be possible. We have free will to accept Jesus Christ as our savior or not…..I would say a baby does not have free will. 2nd question on the Jews…..simple answer….if they did not have faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation, then yes, they went to hell…….as with anyone….again, biblically clear. Same answer for 3rd question. To understand this, one must understand the attributes of God….I’ll be posting that tonight or tomorrow………
Looking forward to more dialog on this and many more things…..really appreciate you commenting on my site
This is a deep issue to think about now that im reading this. If anybody would have that kind issue, then refer to the “Beattitudes” in Matthew 5:3-10.
I don’t believe the fire and brimstone way of evangelizing works that well. It might occasionally make someone choose Christ, but I think it scares people away more than anything else
As for children, I do believe God gives grace in their case. A 3-year-old can’t fully grasp who Jesus is and what his death means to him or her. I know many people who say they accepted Christ at a young age. That is possible, but I grew up believing in Jesus and God, but never knowing what it meant to have a relationship with him. I don’t know where God draws the line. It’s one of those questions we might not know the answer to until we see him in heaven. I don’t think we’re meant to understand everything He does.
As for the Jews, I have to agree with ‘thevertigopoet.’ I know it sounds harsh, but Jews do not believe in Jesus as their savior. The thing is, we don’t know the hearts of those people. Some of them could have changed their mind before they died. With that said, I DO NOT believe they deserved what happened to them. Anyone who says that is just cruel.
As for the peacemakers, I think it goes back to the above statement. I’ve known many wonderful people who are not Christians. Unfortunately, the Bible says that you need to believe in Christ. In saying that, I want to point out that I believe it needs to be more than on an intellectual level. It has to be in your heart as well. I’m sure some people would disagree with me on that. However, anyone can say they believe in Jesus. I know there is a scripture that refers to this, but I can’t find it right now.
Good questions. My week has been full of theological questions, which gets me going.
Keep throwing them out there.
Lynette
(I’ve personally heard Christians say that the Jews deserved the Holocaust because of their lack of faith)
whoever said that is a total idiot, to say it nicely.
We are born with a sinful nature, this is true but their is an age of accountability. I has to do with knowledge of good and evil. Before the man ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil he did not have this knowledge. I am sure there are things he did that were not desirable but he did not know any better. Babies are the same way, they do not understand who they are or what their surroundings are for quite a while. The Jews believe that once a child turns 13 he is responsible for his actions as an adult is.
I’ve never ever thought children went to hell.
Unfortunately, I’d have to say that unless they accepted Christ, the Jews were going to hell. On the other hand, if all they knew of Christianity was the Nazis, there might be an exception. In other words, I’m not really sure, I’m leaving that up to God.
oh and btw, that cartoon is a riot! It’s always freezing in my house b/c my mom goes nuts with the AC, and I’m always getting yelled at for changing the thermostat. Satan’s face there is priceless.
God looks at the heart of the person. It says in the Bible that we all have a chance to know Him simply through looking at His Creation. Just saying the words, “Jesus come into my heart” does not make someone a Christian. It’s a act of living for Him. Only God knows who will and who won’t enter the Kingdom, but we all have a chance- no matter where we are from, or what time period. God is present.
So, as I said above- God looks at the heart- He knows who truely believes and who is faithful regardless of whether or not they have heard of Jesus- the Son.
— I always love reading your thoughts and looking at your photographs Pete- You have a great Spirit- from what I see…
Peace,
jess.
RYC: I believe hell is reserved especially for those who do not care for the poor, for those who do not love.
Our father in Heaven would put no one in Hell. Not the sick, which is what you must be to kill another or hurt another, nor the untrained, which is what you are if you do not see, or feel or truly know, that ALL are your brother or sister and should be loved and helped.
No, we would do that ourselfs. Otherwise our father could not have the label/title of ALL forgiving.
Pursue goodness and rightenousness through good thoughts and good deeds.
justmarty
Nice post. I understand your line of thinking. The problem I’ve found is that people can argue persuasively on behalf of many different positions. Having the Bible helps in principle, since it, in principle, represents a standard or sure word which can be used to test every spirit to see if it is from God.
But If the holy spirit guides the reading of the word, then we can put our interpretation of the word above the word as it is written. If the the truth about what the bible says is objective, then which of the many positions is correct? We seem to be left needing God given authority on earth to rightly divide scripture (enter Joeseph Smith). That is what the Catholic church claims to be. But then we have the Catholic church’s teachings on Mary, some of which are directly opposed to what seems to be stated in scripture. Are we forced to choose between church authority and scripture? Must it be one or the other? If we choose church authority, we have seen the abuse that can lead to (inquisitions, 9/11, etc). If we choose to hold the scriptures sovereign, we are all left to our own devices in terms of determining what is and isn’t scripture and how what we deem scripture is to be read.
In the end, we worship God in recognition of our smallness, and I think that is well and good. Your statement on who will go to hell is consistent with Christ’s own words, but it is also consistent with the doctrines of those that believe that God grades on a curve. I’m not as crappy as most people, so I guess I’ve got a shot at salvation. Because we have all fallen short. I may not turn my blind eye on the poor today, but I may tomorrow. It is as endless a cycle (from good to evil and then back again) as the story of Israel.
Then we’re back to the favorite catch phrases of modern Christians; I can be as mean and malicious as I want to be because Christ already paid the price for my sins.
Anyway, enough rambling. I love your post, but it brings no clarity. Someone will through scriptures on your words of reason too. Then you could reason back, ad infinitum, none of us really knows what the h#$W is going on. I think somewhere it says something about faith, hope, and love and says that love is the greatest of these. I think somewhere else it tells us clearly what love looks like and I think you are on that track. I think God, assuming God does exist, has made it evident (a priori) to us that justice and love are good and that malice and injustice are bad. And so, in the midst of confusion and faithlessness, I have faith that I he will judge me by my own words. And in my own heart I will strive to be humble in my smallness, I’ll strive to love the world I hate, and I’ll strive for justice in an unjust world. I don’t know if that brings me to heaven, but maybe it’ll soften this hell we’re living in a little.
Jim ( :
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