I don’t want to be rude by bringing up an unpleasant topic.
But, “what about hell? ”
The bible mentions it……a lot. It must be real. It is definitely important. But, what is it like and how should you deal with it?
You can ignore it or you can deny it. You can interpret it literally or figuratively. Let’s explore these.
Ignore it.
This is the most commonly chosen option. We’ve all been told about this very bad place and we’ve been told that if we keep on doing what we are doing that we could end up there. Ignoring it solves most of the problems of hell…at least for the short term. We don’t need to worry about the details. ….”will the coffee be cold?” We don’t need to stop doing the things that we are doing or start doing nice things for others. This is easy. It also fits nicely with the first rule of modern society. …..NEVER EVER tell anybody, even yourself, that what they are doing is wrong.
Deny it
This fits nicely with the belief that the physical universe is all that there is. “When you die. …the lights just go out” or “You die. ..you’re dirt” . This position is liberating. Because there is no absolute moral code….no universal right and wrong….I can do whatever I want……and (unlike ignoring hell) at least it is intellectually honest. But, it must lead to profound despair. By throwing out right and wrong you also throw out paradise. For this reason pure denial is not popular. It is typically blended with ignoring hell. Strangely, a lot of people accept the idea of paradise but deny hell. How do you have light without dark? Denial is often expressed in a statement like, “I can’t believe that a merciful loving God would send people to hell.” Don’t forget. …..for the greater good…..God sent his son to the cross. FWIW I believe that the cross broke God’s heart as does hell.
Literal
Hell is a deep pit full of fire and you will burn forever. Never mind the coffee. Hell is a place of unimaginable and unending physical pain. …the ultimate corporal punishment.
Figurative
The fire pit is metaphor. Hell is a bad place full of bad people.
So…how do you navigate this minefield?
I think that to ignore hell is foolish. It’s like driving down a road at night at 60 mph. You pass a sign that says:
“ROAD ENDS IN WATER. 100 FEET”
and you don’t slow down to assess the situation.
To deny hell is a little better…at least you thought about it. But, you had better be right……..because the cost of being wrong is unimaginable.
Literal vs. Figurative
This is harder. It is a continuum. …from a fiery pit to “cold coffee”.
I have to admit that I can’t sort this out very well. Most people have a very fuzzy image of a place that is unpleasant. It will be full of “bad people”……..that is……people who are not as “good” as me. After all….”I’m a good person”…..right? Isn’t it funny that the line separating the good people from the bad people always seems to be just below the person who is doing the talking. There is an irony here…… if “bad person” means people who are not as good as me……. then I will be one of the worst people in paradise.
“Good person” generally means that for the most part I don’t do bad things. And……. if the things that I do are wrong……well……they are justified by my circumstances. If I use the copier or fax at work for personal items. “It’s only a few cents a page……and besides I don’t have a copier/fax.” Or…….If I don’t track and pay sales tax on things that I order online. “It’s hard to keep up with and besides taxes are too high anyway.” Any of this sound familiar?
So…..I try a more practical approach. Hell is a place that is not pleasant. Trust me, you don’t want to be there. It is separated by a gap that is uncrossable, even by God, from the ultimate source of love, satisfaction, and joy…..that is….God. The story of Lazarus and the rich man covers this nicely. It is the best description of hell that I can find. Luke 16:19–31
There is another side to this discussion …and this is the most terrifying thought that I have had in years. If going to heaven is based on grace (the unearned forgiveness of sin)……and I believe that it is….then heaven us not going to be full of “good people”…..it is going to be full of forgiven sinners. The corollary is what terrifies me. Hell, for the most part, is not going to be full of “bad people”………it is going to be full of unforgiven sinners. So……. the common Christian pastime of sorting the people around us into “good” and “bad” piles is pointless. It’s not “good or bad” that counts……it’s “forgiven or unforgiven”.
In other words:
THE PEOPLE IN HELL ARE NOT GOING TO BE VERY MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE PEOPLE IN HEAVEN
Or:
HELL IS GOING TO BE FULL OF PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOU AND ME
This puts a whole new level of urgency on the issue of salvation……….. both for me and for my unsaved friends.