Here's my 4th Point in My 95 Theses.
Does Scripture say Hell is eternal punishment?
Or does it teach that the wages of sin is death, perishing, being destroyed, a second death, or not getting to live for eternity.
If Scripture was clear, I don't think I'd be asking this question. But there are enough verses to give me doubt. I'd rather admit I don't know for sure one way or the other, than give someone a potentially false image of God.
Here are some questions to consider:
- If God chooses to destroy (or allow to perish) those who do not choose to love Him.. is that not just and fair? The death penalty is pretty severe... why do some think it is not harsh enough?
- Would God find pleasure in torturing the wicked for eternity? (Does God hate sinners?)
- A loving parent will often use forms of punishment or consequences because they want their children to learn something and make better choices next time. Our choices sometimes bring consequences that last forever. But what would be the benefit to an eternal conscious punishment in hell? There may be a difference between a consequence lasting forever and punishment lasting forever.
- Why the threat? Does God need to threaten us with eternal punishment to win our love and devotion?
- Does religion need this threat to manipulate people with fear?
- Is Christianity about getting and selling fire insurance?
- Is Jesus going to hell?
I think the traditional teaching on hell deserves a second look, and is worth discussing.
Other Related Posts:
- Does Scripture Say Hell is Eternal Punishment - a look at lots of Scripture
- Do you support torture
- Literal or figurative death
- (and links in above questions)
1 comment:
You've begun to see through the clouds of human doctrine to see clearly! Very good!
The fact is that Jesus did not believe in Hell; he couldn't have, and this becomes more and more clear when we set aside what people claim he taught.
I've actually written an entire book on this topic--"Hell? No! Why You Can Be Certain There's No Such Place As Hell," (for anyone interested, you can get a free ecopy of my book at my website: www.thereisnohell.com), but if I may, let me share one of the many points I make in it to explain why.
If one is willing to look, there's substantial evidence contained in the gospels to show that Jesus opposed the idea of Hell. For example, in Luke 9:51-56, is a story about his great disappointment with his disciples when they actually suggested imploring God to rain FIRE on a village just because they had rejected him. His response: "You don't know what spirit is inspiring this kind of talk!" Presumably, it was NOT the Holy Spirit. He went on, trying to explain how he had come to save, heal and relieve suffering, not be the CAUSE of it.
So it only stands to reason that this same Jesus, who was appalled at the very idea of burning a few people, for a few horrific minutes until they were dead, could never, ever burn BILLIONS of people for an ETERNITY!
True, there are a few statements that made their way into the copies of copies of copies of the gospel texts which place “Hell” on Jesus’ lips, but these adulterations came along many decades after his death, most likely due to the Church filling up with Greeks who imported their belief in Hades with them when they converted.
Bear in mind that the historical Protestant doctrine of the inspiration of the Scriptures applies only to the original autographs, not the copies. But sadly, the interpolations that made their way into those copies have provided a convenient excuse for a lot of people to get around following Jesus’ real message.
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