Let's talk about hell

 I don't know of a more controversial topic that keeps people skeptical, uncomfortable, or downright dismissive regarding the subject of hell.

Most people hear the word hell and they're not even thinking about what the Bible actually says. They are thinking about what the movies have said or what the TV shows have said or portrayed hell as. So, before you raise a skeptics eyebrow, hear me out.

Maybe we should first understand what it  actually is! One of the biggest misconceptions about hell is that God sends otherwise "good people" there for simply making a few mistakes. But the Bible teaches ALL HAVE SINNED. All. Not one of us is guiltless because each and everyone from every race, color, creed, religion, country, continent has rebelled against God. Me included. We all stand GUILTY before a HOLY God. And this is where people get frustrated because they think, 'Well I'm not that bad.' But they never ask the question: Compared to who? Compared to a serial killer? Compared to an everyday criminal? Compared to your neighbor? Because the standard isn't other people. The standard is God's holiness and every single one of us fall short (Romans 3:23).

Most people do not consider God is not sending people away that desperately want Him. The reality is that many people spend their entire lives saying, 'I don't want GOD. I don't want His authority. I don't want His commandments. I don't want His rule over my life' and then, somehow they expect eternity with Him.

Hell is this: Ultimately separation from God. It is the natural destination of a life that continually rejects Him. This is why the Gospel is such good news. Christianity IS NOT BE GOOD ENOUGH (because no one can ever be that good). The message of Christianity is Christ took the punishment that we deserve. He lived a life we couldn't live. And yet He willingly died, although innocent, the death that each of us deserve. And He rose again, listen .. so that ANYONE who places their faith in Him (no matter the depth or ugliness of your sin) can be reconciled to God! 

The existence of hell should not make Christians feel superior. It should make us feel grateful because every single last one of us deserves punishment. The difference isn't that Christians are better, the difference is, Christians have received mercy. So, before becoming angry about hell, make sure that you're angry at the real thing and not the version created by Hollywood, or created by Internet memes, or by people who have never even opened a Bible to challenge what they've been told by family, by friends, at church, etc. The same JESUS who spoke about love spoke about hell. And He did so because He wanted people to understand what was at stake.

This is why biblical clarity matters, because people can't make informed decisions about Christianity if they're rejecting a version of it that doesn't even exist!

Open a Bible. Ask God to open up His Word to you so you are able to understand. Heaven is real. Hell is real.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-