Last week I ended my post by promising to deal this week with how Jesus used Hell in his teaching.  I’m not sure what I was thinking.  I mean, what made me think I could possibly do justice to this massive and excruciatingly important/touchy/difficult subject in one blog post?  So, instead of attempting to write the next great book on Hell, I think that the best thing I can do today is to share some observations on Jesus’ use of Hell that you may not have considered.  I think these observations will help us as we continue to look at how evangelical Christians use manipulation and urgency in order to scare people into the kingdom of God and motivate believers to action. 

Certainly there is no bigger way in which fear and urgency are used as motivators by Christians today than by using Hell.  Think about it this way – if there was no Hell, would that change the way you live?  If you knew that everyone who died would live forever with God, would you worry so much about sin?  Would you be motivated to give up sins in your life or sacrifice your comforts in order to serve others if Heaven was not a reward nor Hell a punishment?  What is your motivation for following God?  How much of a factor is fear of Hell?

And what about evangelism?  Why do you share your faith with others?  Is your motivation what you have been taught about Hell, that it is a reality for those who do not know Jesus, accept Him as their Savior, and follow Him as Lord?  If you knew everyone was headed for heaven, would you even bother worrying about “converting” people?  Or would you let people live the way they wanted to live and believe whatever they chose to believe?

And, most importantly, if fear of Hell is such a big motivator for righteous living and active evangelism, is this in line with what Jesus taught?  Or are we misreading His words?

A word of caution – some of you will probably be thankful that I am raising questions like these, while others of you may be upset at having difficult questions raised without thoroughly satisfying answers given.  I am not afraid of questions; on the contrary, I want to be the first to raise them, because many who will not darken the door of our church may be staying away precisely because they have not been satisfied by how Christians handle questions or those who ask them.  I pray that we may go boldly into the mystery of God, confident that even if we can not handle the questions or the answers, He is more than able.

Many of the thoughts and questions I raise in this essay are a product of Brian McLaren’s The Last Word and the Word After That.  McLaren is the master at raising questions to the surface that many Christians are afraid to acknowledge in the daylight.  Certainly Hell is among the biggest elephants in the church.  Ever since I could begin to question my faith, that was the biggest question of them all – how could a loving God send people to Hell?  Certainly unchurched English students everywhere are horrified as they read the brilliant preacher Jonathan Edwards’ sermon known as “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” where he says things like:  “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire.”  McLaren comically puts it this way: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, and if you don’t love God back and cooperate with God’s plan in exactly the prescribed way, God will torture you with unimaginable abuse, forever.”  Anyone squirming yet?

Even after my teenage questions about Hell were somewhat pacified by answers such as “God doesn’t send people; they choose to go themselves” and “The greater question is how God could let anyone into Heaven,” that still doesn’t do away with the lingering questions which any Christian has heard (and wondered themselves) over and over.  Questions such as “what about the guy in Africa who is living in the woods and has never heard of Jesus?” or “What about the infant who dies in childbirth?  If he, like the rest of us, was born a sinner and never repented, how would he get to heaven?”  It can be hard to square the concept of Hell with our earthly understanding of fairness and justice.

The purpose of this post, therefore, will be more question-raising than answer-giving (next week I will answer every question and place it in a neat theological package with a cute bow on top… just kidding).  As I spent time meditating on the gospels and Jesus’ use of Hell, as well as reading McLaren’s book and a few others, here are a few of the observations that came to light that are worth pondering:

Observation #1:  Hell is used mainly in evangelical Christian circles today to describe an eternal punishment, an after-death separation from God for all who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, since they are still in their original state of sinfulness.  Hell is used as motivation for Christians to evangelize and convert people to their faith, because to let someone go to Hell without having a chance to hear and respond to the gospel is seen as unloving and the worst kind of apathy.   The gospel in this way of thinking is commonly seen as something like what is described as the Four Spiritual Laws – God loves you and wants a relationship with you, we have all sinned and broken that relationship, Jesus died to pay the penalty for those sins, and those who turn from their sin to put their faith in Jesus will have eternal life and their relationship with God restored.  Since the gospel is largely about life after death, Hell and heaven are of primary importance.

Observation #2:  Hell and eternal judgment in today’s evangelical Christian circles are things that followers of Jesus don’t have to worry about.  It’s those who have not accepted Jesus who have to worry about it. 

Observation #3:  Hell is never mentioned in the Old Testament.  In fact, Jews in the Old Testament were much more focused on God’s blessing in the earthly life - land, wealth, descendants - and there is no clear mention of heaven either in the Old Testament, although some have argued that it can be found in passages such as Psalm 23 (I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever), Job 19:26 (after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God), and 2 Samuel 12:3 (David saying that he will eventually go to his dead son).   If you check your NIV concordance, the first mention of Hell is by Jesus in Matthew 5.  After that, Jesus uses Hell, destruction, eternal torment, judgment, and similar expressions quite often in his teaching. 

Observation #4:  The closest Biblical parallel to our modern use of Hell is in how the Pharisees used Hell.  The Pharisees believed that the Jews were under Roman oppression because of the sinfulness of the Jewish people, and if those sinners would only repent and become righteous, the Messiah would come and rescue them.  They used Hell as a threat to motivate sinners to righteous living, much as Christians today use the threat of Hell as motivation to come to Jesus.

Observation #5:  Jesus used Hell, destruction, eternal torment, and judgment mainly in his discussions with the crowds who listened to him and with the Pharisees (religious leaders) themselves.  He did not use it as a threat to motivate people to “accept him as savior” for some purpose after death, but so that his listeners would recognize the importance of righteous and just living in the here and now.   Examples include:

Matthew 5:22 - But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca, ‘is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Matthew 5:30 - And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Observation #6:  Jesus’ message does not seem to be primarily about teaching people how to get their personal soul into heaven after they die, but about the kingdom of God that is breaking into this world and how to be a part of God’s reconciling work of love and justice in this world.

Observation #7:  Jesus never seems to use Hell in conversations about right belief or right doctrine.  Instead, it is always in reference to behavior that is contrary to God’s will, regardless of whether the listener is his disciple, a Pharisee, or just a member of the crowd.  In this way, Jesus seems to be communicating to all that they will face judgment and accountability for their actions, no matter who they are.  While the Bible teaches salvation by grace alone (not by works), there also seems to be clear teaching that we will be judged by our works, even if you consider yourself a Christian.

Hopefully you have been intrigued by these observations.  Each of these observations could be expanded into a whole book, I’m sure, but hopefully they have got you thinking about what Jesus really said about Hell vs. what we say about Hell today.  I plan on continuing the discussion next week, but I will warn you that there will be no nice, neat, tidy answers.  In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.  Post your comments and observations on Jesus and Hell so that others might hear what you have to say on the subject.

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