The Doctrine of Hell

"The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:41-42).

What excuse do Christians have for not warning the wicked about hell?

Are we such shallow, selfish people, that we don't take the time to grasp, to a degree which inspires compassion and action, the realities of hell?

What stops you from warning people of the most horrific reality known to man? Is it your convenience you will not have bothered? Is it your comfort you will not allow to be shaken? Are you too caught up in your own life? Listen carefully, do you really think that Christians have the right to keep to themselves such terrible news?

Imagine if I could see at a distance a bus headed quickly towards a street corner, which corner, just off the curb and on the road, stood an elderly woman. Because there is a construction sign in the bus driver's way, he cannot see the woman. I am within shouting distance from the woman, and have just enough time to warn her. If I don't, that bus will slam directly into her, and mangle her frail body. How despicable a person would I be if I just kept to myself, turned, and walked away?

But Christians forsake the Biblical command to warn the wicked of the terrible wrath to come everyday. Is that not exceedingly more despicable? This wrath of God will absolutely crush the wicked. It will be torturous and terrible. The worst of pain and suffering on this earth can't even be considered on the same plain as the torments of hell. It's indescribebable, and completely unimaginable. Our minds would melt if we were to even catch a glimpse of hell. We would be wholly consumed if we could grasp, to any true and significant degree, the true horrors of hell. This agony and torment was sufficient to crush the Son of God... how much more a weak, feeble, finite creature. And yet this experience of being crushed never reaches a point of completion... it goes on, and on, and on, and on. No relief, no help, no mercy, just furious wrath!

In light of this truth, what is the point of trying to entice the sinner by promising them fulfillment? Most methods of evangelism make little to no reference of hell at all. How unbiblical... how selfish...and yet how common. It's sad beloved. It's absolutely tragic. Do you want to hang something out on a hook for the sinner to grab, which is biblical? Then tell them they must lose their life! Tell them they must count the cost! Tell them they must take upon themselves an instrument of death (a cross: Matthew 10:38-39). Tell them they must forsake absolutely everything, or else they cannot be His disciple (Luke 14:33). "God has a wonderful plan for your life" is not the gospel, nor is it Biblical to hang out their for the sinner to grab as bait. The Gospel is a message of reconciliation. Without this reconciliation, the sinner will be damned, cast into hell, and tortured under the eternal wrath of Almighty God!

Warning people about hell is not being negative, it's needful if you want to be Christ-like. It's not being negative, it's being compassionate, real, and merciful. Jesus loved sinners enough to proclaim judgment and condemnation to them! Do you love them that much? Or is your love superficial? Is it the kind of love which withholds truth? Is it the kind of love that thinks being on people's good side will somehow lead to their conversion eventually? That's not Biblical, and it's not Christ-like. Jesus was rejected, primarily, because He didn't compromise the gospel.

"No man can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). God draws people to Christ. "EVERYONE who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me" (John 6:45). In soul winning, you need not fear driving sinners further from Christ through proclaiming truth in love. Understand that God has chosen to use the gospel (Romans 1:16) to save sinners. When you tweak and adjust God's message, you might just be adding tares to the wheat field of God. Sinners can come to Christ for superficial reasons, never repent, never really believe, and fall into the verse I quoted at the beginning of this blog (Matthew 13:41-42). Beloved, there are many tares among the wheat, and I believe a huge part of that problem is due to the gospel message being falsely proclaimed worldwide. Don't be guilty of this! Trust in the message which proclaims the wretchedness of sinful man, the due wrath awaiting him, the lone means of salvation, and the command to repent and believe!

Jesus said, "You do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand" (Matthew 10:26-28). His sheep will hear His voice! His sheep are taught by God the Father (John 6:45)! His sheep are drawn, and can't even come to Him unless they're drawn (John 6:44)! So let us rest in the sovereign work of salvation, which is God's work. And yet let us remember the role we've been called to play in that process. He teaches through us often, does He not? Let us love sinners and warn them of the awful future which awaits them. Let us lay aside our own assumptions, follow the Biblical model, and emphasize the terrors of His Judgment. Upon hearing the bad news of the reality of man's depravity and God's wrath, sinners will be ready to learn of the Good News! All to the glory of God!!