One of the most common “objections” to God is the so-called problem of hell. In this essay we will look at three issues:
- Hell and a God of love
- Eternal torment or annihilationism
- The real problem of hell.
Hell and a God of Love
Perhaps the most common objection is “how can a God of love send people to hell?”. This is a false problem. The fundamental error is that it takes a purely one dimensional view of the matter, focusing only on the punishment of hell. However, hell does not exist in isolation. The last day will be a day of judgement, there will be an open court on that day when all actions and attitudes will be laid bare. On that day the true awfulness of sin will be made known to all. You see, at present none of us realise just how terrible sin is, and the terrible effects that it has, both on the sinner and the ones sinned against.
Now consider who God is and what we know about Him. We know that He is a God of love and a God of perfect justice, and a God of great mercy. So we can be absolutely confident that on that last day every judgement will be completely fair.
On that day no one, not even Richard Dawkins, will complain that a single unjust decision has been made. The only scandal on that day will be that God was so patient for so long and has been so merciful to so many.
Eternal Torment or Annihilationism
Currently there is debate about the nature of hell. The traditional view is that it involves eternal torment, against this there are those who argue that it is annihilation of the soul, total destruction. Both sides quote Scripture to support their view. I am not going to go into all the ins and outs of this, Unbelievable had an interesting programme on this early last year, but will make a few observations.
The first is that we actually have a limited idea of what eternity means. We do know that it is much more than merely “going on forever”. Things will be very different in the new heaven and the new earth. So just as we do not know what heaven will be really like, we do not know what hell will be really like.
However, that does not mean that we do not know anything about it. Just as we know that heaven is the place to be, we know that hell is definitely the place to avoid. As Timothy Keller said in one of his sermons, the language used in the Bible about hell is almost certainly metaphorical, but it is a metaphor for something far worse.
I worry sometimes about those who argue for annihilationism. What are you really trying to say? Is it “Hell, it’s not so bad really”?
And another question for those who argue for annihilationism. Do you know what it is like to be completely annihilated? No you don’t, you have absolutely no idea. One thing we can be pretty certain about is that it is not a matter of being put to sleep!
So let’s look at what Jesus said, for He is the ultimate authority.
The Real Problem of Hell
It has often been observed that the person who spoke most about hell is Jesus Himself. And it is Jesus who spoke about torment and gnashing of teeth and fire. The message that Jesus had on hell is that you absolutely do not want to go there and should do everything you can to avoid going there.
So our teaching and preaching on hell (you don’t get much of that these days, though) should focus on what we can be sure about, sharing the emphasis that Jesus had.
You see, the real problem is that every single human being, without Christ, is on the road to hell. The good news is that there is a way out, but there is only one way out. That way is to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
