On Hell

Of all Christian teachings, perhaps none is tougher to stomach than hell. Our culture mocks it as medieval fear-mongering, many professing Christians deny its existence, and others treat it as a skeleton in Christianity’s closet. However, rightly understood, the doctrine of hell can strengthen the believer, helping us better grasp God, sin and the gospel.

So first, what is hell? A simple Christian definition is: a place of eternal conscious punishment for the wicked¹. “The wicked” are not the worst of humanity but all of us², and hell is where we receive the judgment our rebellion against God deserves. We escape from hell not by living mostly good lives but through faith in Jesus who was punished in our place³.

Okay, you believe in Jesus, but why believe in hell? Many dismiss hell as incompatible with God’s love. They see it as reminiscent of “fire and brimstone” revivalists, not our “gentle and lowly” Saviour. This view, however, is woefully inaccurate because no one in the New Testament speaks about hell as frequently or terrifyingly as Jesus himself. He calls it a fiery furnace where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of unquenchable fire and undying worms, outer darkness, eternal punishment⁴. We must believe in hell for the simple reason that Jesus taught it. 

So, if hell really is a place of punishment and an unavoidable part of Jesus’ teaching, how are we to respond? If I had to put it in a word, it would be tremble.

Tremble at sin. Much of Jesus’ teaching on hell is in the context of warning his disciples about the gravity of sin and its consequences. Hell is what our sin against God deserves and will receive, either the sinner themselves or Christ as their substitute. Hell shows the extent of God’s hatred of sin, and it should sober and provoke us to not make peace with the sin it exists to punish.

Tremble for the lost. Warning about hell was normative in New Testament evangelism but is rare today. Many believers lack urgency in evangelism, and unbelievers lack urgency in responding to evangelism because hell is omitted from our gospel conversations. However, the good news of salvation brings sweet relief when we see what we must be saved from. Hell is the dark background against which the light of the gospel shines. It should provoke us to pray for and plead with those who do not know God.

Tremble at God. Hell points to the infinite holiness and justice of God. It comforts us knowing all the evil done in this world will receive just retribution. But it also shows how serious an affront to God our own sin is. We struggle to see how hell could be a proportionate punishment for human sin because our sin-warped minds struggle to grasp how holy God is. However, Scripture tells us we won’t struggle with this in heaven⁵. For now, we must tremble in awe at our God who is both love and a consuming fire⁶.

Tremble at grace. No matter how hard we strain to grasp the horror of hell, we can get only a faint glimpse of the agony Christ endured for us. He took our punishment while we were still God-rejecting, hell-deserving rebels⁷. The contrast between the hell we deserve and the heaven we are promised in Christ should make our jaws drop and make our hearts erupt with praise to our lavishly gracious God.
 

These articles are written without the use of generative AI. For more on this theme, read Dane Ortlund’s article, Is Hell Real?

¹Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 1413
²See Romans 3.10–23, Ephesians 2.1–3
³See Isaiah 53.5, John 5.24, Romans 3.23–26, 2 Corinthians 5.21
⁴In order: Matthew 13.41–42, Mark 9.43–48, Matthew 25.30, Matthew 25.46
⁵Revelation 19.1–5
⁶1 John 4.8 & Hebrews 12.28–29
⁷Romans 5.7–11

On the Horizon

Our three-year-old has recently learned to ride a pedal bike which brings both joy and mild terror as a parent - joy at seeing his delight in learning a new skill and watching him zoom down the path; and terror, when at such high speeds the bike begins to wobble, or he starts inadvertently veering towards a hedge or wall. In these moments, it’s almost always because he’s looking down at his bright green pedals, or his bell. As a result, I find myself saying (or shouting!) over and over, “Look where you’re going!” As he looks up and ahead, the wobble eases, my heart rate relaxes and he races forward blissfully unaware of the narrowly avoided accident. 

There’s something about looking ahead that can bring a steadiness to our journey as Christians. Too often the daily grind, our present circumstances or even the good gifts of life draw our eyes downwards and all too soon, we feel wobbly and unsteady. It’s easy to lose sight of where we’re headed and feel overwhelmed by the brokenness we see around us and within. And while it’s right to reflect and pray about our present lives and world events, we often forget to look ahead.

What do we see when we look at the horizon? 
 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21.1-5)

Friend, a day is coming when Jesus will make all things new. Everything will be made perfect with no deterioration, decline or decay. We will stand before Jesus and see His glory in full. There will be no separation between us and the Lord; rather, we will dwell in God’s presence as his people forever with restored desires, bodies and relationships. 

Considering this promised reality can help us persevere today no matter how our lives look. For those who are in the midst of a hard season or experiencing deep suffering, looking ahead reminds us that a day is coming when there will be no more tears, or death, or loneliness, or anxiety, or darkness, or abuse, or corruption, or cancer. It gives us hope that the brokenness and evil we see around us will not have the final word. 

For those who feel that life is going pretty well, looking ahead to this promised reality reminds us that this world is not our home and that we can hold even the best gifts lightly because our ultimate prize is to be united with God for all eternity.

And for those who feel weary from following Christ and are tempted to quit, the horizon reminds us that every decision and sacrifice made now will be worth it when we stand before King Jesus and see His glory. 

So wherever you find yourself today, may you receive renewed hope, strength and faith as you look to the horizon. The best is yet to come.

These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.