So this week we did something I've never done in church before, we talked about HELL! It turns out many of us have never heard a sermon preached on or about hell (somewhere around 20-30 or us). This of course has something to do with the fact that sermons on the topic at one time were the norm, and now we are living in the natural knee-jerk reaction to that. The over saturation of fire and brimstone sermons of generations past, has lead to a general absence of sermons that deal with the reality or consequences of sin and especially the topic of hell. So we did it this past Sunday. We talked about hell, without condemning anyone there, or trying to scare anyone out of hell.
We spent some time talking about the types of images that come to mind when we mention the word hell, while admitting that the Bible is not particularly interested in describing the place for us. Images of fire, pain, suffering, the devil, and separation from God were prominant in the discussion. We also acknowledged that while there's a substantial contingent of people who do not believe in hell at all, amongst those who do, there are generally two camps, those who view hell as a literal place of fire and brimstone, and those who see it as more of a figurative or metaphorical place of torment and punishment. I shared a story from my own past, where the six year old me reasoned that if hell was fire, that I could go down there with a fire truck and solve the problem all together. Obviously I would have fallen firmly into the camp of those who see hell as literally filled with fire. I pointed out that many think of hell less literally and instead imagine it as a place where you are forced to do something you hate (eat lima beans) or be with someone you can't stand (you know who I'm talking about).
Either way, almost everyone who believes in hell, sees it as a destination of eternal punishment for those who end up there. I suggested that some have seen this aspect of hell as being particularly problematic when one considers that as humans we live finite (or limited) lives, and likewise can only committ a limited number of sins. It stands to reason then, that to be punished eternally or infinitely is unjust. To put it simpler, it would be as if my child colored on the walls, and as punishment I put her in timeout forever! Of course such a punishment would not seem fair to anyone. The same can be said of a hell that punishes its inhabitants eternally.
Now I'm not one to make theological arguments based on my feelings, no matter how strongly I have them. I am much more comfortable looking to the biblical witness to help inform my understanding of such things, and so we looked at a few passages that discuss hell. The first passage Revelation 20:10-15 portrays hell as a "lake of burning sulfur" and as the "second death". The key to this passage is the characterization of hell as the "second death" or as the complete destruction of the person. The second passage we looked at, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, is a parable of Jesus' that informs what will happen upon Christ's return and likens hell to a "fiery furnace" that will that will burn up and completely consume those who are thrown into it. Both of these passages do not describe hell as a place where the inhabitants are torutured forever, but rather a place of total destruction. As a matter of fact, there is only one (maybe two) passage(s) in scripture that portrays hell as a place of eternal torment (here). Having said this, without much effort I can easily point to no less than seven passages that clearly portray hell as a place of final destruction (here). It would seem more biblical (if not more sensible) to see hell not as a place of eternal torment, but rather as a place of ultimate destruction.
Having said all of this, hell is a very bad place, and the only good news about hell, is that we don't have to go there. Regardless of what you think about hell, the reality is that we all have an opportunity to either choose God or choose the alternative (which we call sin). While it is true that the wages of sin is death, and all have fallen short, through belief in Jesus Christ we need not perish, but rather can have life everlasting. Of course even the demons believe and this is why our belief must not be merely intellectual assent (head knowledge), but also what John Wesley referred to as "heart knowledge". A belief that goes beyond knowing into doing and truly being a follower of Christ.
If this is something you're looking for, the journey you have already begun, is meant to be one of community. This means finding a faith community near you and becoming a part of it. That could be our community (Oxford & McDonough United Methodist Churches) or it could be any church or faith community near you. The point is that following Jesus is not something done alone, but rather in community.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
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