We’re invited to believe in, and to do the work commanded by Christ. By doing so, we’ll enjoy reunion with the Creator and live with Him forever and ever. This is what I share as my understanding of the good news in Sunday school, Bible studies, and the all too rare conversations that stray from the mundane and dip into the glorious.
However, along the way I’ve made some errors. The first was a false understanding that hell is merely the absence of God, not a place filled with people receiving justice/punishment. I thought that perhaps when I die, if I did not make the cut to get into heaven and God’s eternal presence, I’d end up in some sort of oblivion, an unconscious state ignorant of my fate. I’d reside in some neutral nothingness, a void like a dark room after an extinguished light. Of course I imaged this I’m sure since it is preferable to ending up in a lake of fire, tormented forever for my sins.
However, the truth of the existence of hell can (of course) be found in the scriptures. Here are some quotes from Jesus Himself confirming there is a Hell and it most certainly is the final destination for some:
Matthew 5:22 (ESV): “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”
Matthew 10:28 (ESV): “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 13:41-42 (ESV): “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Hell is indeed a place, devoid of something of God, but that something is God’s mercy. God (to my initial surprise) is there in hell since hell is very much within God’s omnipresence. Who ends up there is also very clear, those who do not “believe”. It is the site of His eternal and just punishment for anyone whose sin debt was not covered by Jesus.
A second egregious error I’ve made is tied to the understanding of the core nature of God. Specifically, I’ve erred when I answered those who asked “why does the Bible say we should fear God? Doesn’t he love us?” Passages like Job 28:28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’” and Proverbs 14:27 “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.” The New Testament was not immune to fearing the Lord as found in Colossians 3:22.
I parroted what I had heard, that the word “fear” should be read and interpreted as “revere”, meaning we hold God in highest esteem. Why the confusion? Compare these two popular translations of Paul’s writing in Colossians 3:22:
(NIV) – “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
(ESV) – “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.”
So which is correct? For this I turn to Strong’s Concordance and find the transliteration of the word is “phobeo” most often used to mean afraid, fearing, frightened.
So should fear God? Absolutely! Fear Him as in “I am guilty of sinning (i.e. falling short of the perfection of God) and therefore deserve his unmitigated, righteous judgement, which is death and eternal punishment”. On the day of judgement, I’ll have nowhere to hide, no excuse to offer, no relief from the looming and just punishment for everything I was told (in scriptures) not to do, but I did, and everything I was told to do (in scriptures) and I did not do.
The only possible escape is courtesy of the gift of grace; God assigned himself, in the form of Jesus, and placed on Jesus not only my sins but the sins of the entire fallen and broken universe. Only God was powerful enough to meet the atonement demanded by a holy God.
Yes, God loves us so much he gave himself as sacrifice to provide a path back into His direct presence. Jesus is the door, the one and only pathway to return us to an Eden-like relationship in the direct presence of the Father, as captured in John 10:7-10 “Again Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you, I am the Door of the sheep. 8 All others who came ahead of Me are men who steal and rob. The sheep did not obey them. 9 I am the Door. Anyone who goes in through Me will be saved from the punishment of sin. He will go in and out and find food. 10 The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.”
This is the truth we are to share with the world. I pray for strength and wisdom to be able to do so with greater and greater clarity (and Biblical accuracy!) until my race has been completed.
Great verses to back up your statements.
Thank goodness for God’s Grace! Can’t be earned, but given by His son’s death on the cross What would life be without it????
Thank you for your insights.