Hell: A Biblical Doctrine.

“If we don’t believe in hell, the good news isn’t really that good. And if we don’t believe in hell, we have no good reason to believe in heaven either. Hell is a foundational doctrine of the historic Christian faith, and to deny it is to deny the faith, because if we don’t believe in hell, we don’t believe Jesus. We cannot deny hell and accept the words of Jesus.” – Pastor Dr. Burk Parsons

What is hell? Where is hell? Why does hell exist? Is the notion of hell the figment of some medieval imaginative mind or a biblical doctrine which must be preached (2 Tim. 4:1-5)? Does this biblical doctrine detract from the love of God? How does the doctrine relate to the justice of God? Let’s begin to answer these questions.  

“Hell is the final destiny of unbelievers and is variously described by the figures of speech as a furnace of fire, eternal fire, eternal punishment (Matt. 13:42, 50; 25:41, 46); outer darkness, the place of weeping and torment (8:12); the lake of fire, the second death (Rev. 21:8); a place for the devil and his demons (Matt. 25:41). Evidently, those in hell experience everlasting separation from the Lord, never to see the glory of his power (2 Thess. 1:9). Those who worshiped the beast will be subject to continuous torment (Rev. 14:10–11),” explains the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.

“The sobering reality of an eternal hell should break our hearts for the lost. May God open our eyes to humanity’s desperate condition that we might more willingly and prayerfully declare the grace of God in Christ to those God has placed in our midst,” explains one author.

In the Scriptures, hell is described as the second death or eternal death (Rev.  20:11-14). Hell contains anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life (Rev. 20:15).

The Tyndale Bible Dictionary states, “Other expressions that indicate that the final state of the wicked is eternal are these: “burn with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12); “to the unquenchable fire … where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mk. 9:43, 48); there is sin that “will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:32, rsv). When Scripture is understood properly, there is no hint anywhere of the termination of the terrible state of unbelievers in hell. Their doom is unending; there is a solemn finality about their miserable condition. (It is significant that the most descriptive and conclusive utterances about hell come from the lips of Jesus).

There is much confusion regarding the metaphorical descriptions of hell. The illustrative terms such as “lake of fire,” a place where ‘the worm devours,” and a place “of utter darkness” appear confusing and contradictory. The student of Scripture should not lose sight of the real torment of hell.

The Tyndale Bible Dictionary concludes, “Hell is hell for those who are there essentially because they are completely alienated from God, and wherever there is alienation from God, there is always estrangement from one’s fellows. This is the worst possible punishment to which anyone could be subject: to be totally and irrevocably cut off from God and to be at enmity with all those who are around oneself. Another painful consequence of such a condition is to be at odds with oneself—torn apart from within by an accusing sense of guilt and shame. This condition is one of total conflict: with God, one’s neighbors, and oneself. This is hell!”

“There is, however, another more subtle, diabolical, and dangerous denial of hell that is rampant in the church today. While many preachers have not yet denied hell and perhaps still mention it occasionally in their sermons, they are not preaching the biblical doctrine of hell but a non-offensive, man-made version of hell without all the fire and brimstone,” suggests Dr. Parsons.

“They point to the vivid imagery that Jesus used to describe hell, and they suggest that because Jesus used such imagery we should not think that hell is a literal lake of fire where the damned will be punished eternally. Thus, they reason that since we don’t really know what hell will be like, we don’t need to preach it as Jesus preached it. And though it is true that the imagery Jesus used may not be the literal reality of what hell will be like, that is no comfort whatsoever. The reality will likely be far more terrible than what we can comprehend, considering the limits of our language and understanding. Nevertheless, I cannot think of anything more terrifying than eternally burning in a lake of fire, and that is precisely the point, and precisely why we must preach hell as Jesus preached hell and preach the gospel of eternal life as He preached it—for the love of God and our love for the lost.”

More to come.

Soli deo Gloria!