Archives for January 2014

A Bible teacher in the Northwest asks for comment regarding the statement of Jerry Walls of Asbury Seminary, who wrote: 'We cannot be moral without God, and we cannot have God without hell. Hell needs to make a comeback' (Christianity Today 6/16/97, "Can We Be Good Without Hell?"). * * * I say "Bravo!" to Professor Walls for reminding us that we are creatures accountable to our Creator, that earthly actions have consequences beyond this Age of time and space, and that there is a dark side to divine justice as well as eternal reward. The New Testament certainly warns against hell, and Jesus … [Read more...]

A North Carolina brother observes, "I've often heard speakers refer to hell as a place where the soul lives forever, enduring punishment of fire. Could you comment on this?" * * * The notion that every human being has a soul which, unlike the body, is immortal and cannot die, is a remnant of ancient pagan Greek philosophy. The idea crept into Christian thinking in the second and third centuries, where it shaped the popular doctrine of everlasting torture in hell. The great theologian Augustine gave the notion his stamp of approval and it became Catholic and Protestant orthodoxy. If souls … [Read more...]

I earlier stated a conviction that God will finally destroy the unrepentant both body and soul in hell (Matt. 10:28) in the "second death" (Rev. 21:8). Jesus warns of this "eternal punishment" (Matt. 25:46), which Paul explains to be "eternal destruction" (2 Thes. 1:9). A kind gracEmail reader asks how this explanation fits those passages which refer to "gnashing of teeth." * * * For about 18 centuries, a majority of Christians have understood the phrase "gnashing (or grinding) of teeth" to refer to the unending pain which they presume the lost will endure throughout all eternity. An old … [Read more...]

A gracEmail reader notes that Jesus speaks of "eternal fire" and "eternal punishment" (Matt. 18:8; 25:30) and asks how that squares with my suggestion that the wicked will be totally destroyed in hell, never to be seen again. * * * "Eternal" fire is fire which belongs to the Age to Come. It is also eternal in the sense that its effects will be everlasting. Sodom and Gomorrah, which were "reduced to ashes," illustrate the punishment awaiting evildoers (2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 7). Those cities -- which were wiped out thoroughly and forever by fire from heaven (Gen. 19:27-28) -- illustrate "the … [Read more...]

There is considerable discussion these days about the nature of hell. Indeed, I have done my share to stir this discussion and also to participate in it. But there also are practical questions we all need to ask, whatever we think hell will be like. What is the point of hell anyway? Whom does Jesus warn about it? What evils elicit his mention of it? Does Jesus, like many preachers and professing Christians today, thunder hell-fire warnings to unchurched sinners: to prostitutes, drunkards and homosexuals? Does he use hell to spur conversions and to bring people to faith? The answers to these … [Read more...]

A Bible teacher in the Northwest asks for comment regarding the statement of Jerry Walls of Asbury Seminary, who wrote: "We cannot be moral without God, and we cannot have God without hell. Hell needs to make a comeback" (Christianity Today 6/16/97, "Can We Be Good Without Hell?). * * * Many conscientious Christians, dedicated to evangelism and deeply committed to the authority of Scripture, simply cannot conceive that the God who loved sinners so much that he gave his Son on the cross for their salvation intends to preserve the lost alive for the sole purpose of torturing them throughout … [Read more...]