Dear Family and Friends,

Has anyone ever cut in line in front of you?

Did you get upset? Have you ever wondered why?

I don’t remember ever seeing a sign that says ‘no cutting allowed.’ Yet most of us adhere to this unwritten rule. And we expect others to do likewise.

I recall waiting in a line where a cutter was called out and ushered to the back of the line. People started cheering, group shaming the perp.

But have you noticed that as strongly as we feel about justice and fairness, we squirm at the thought of someone spending an eternity in hell.

Many of us ask – how can a loving God send people to hell?

Depending on when you first started attending church, you may have noticed that sermons on the topic of judgment and eternal punishment have all but disappeared.

(I last heard such a sermon in 5th grade chapel.)

And in its place were sermons offering practical advice on everyday life.

And don’t we love those feel good messages about God’s grace and love and blessings…

But during the pulpit shift, our God of love and justice morphed into just a God of love for generations of American Christians.

Perhaps one reason why most of us feel uncomfortable is because hell is out of sight and mind.

And the reason why we struggle to understand why our loving God sends people to hell is because we haven’t been shown the fullness of God.

Why is it important that we spend time on the topic of hell?

Given the many times Jesus spoke of hell, we should have some knowledge and understanding for ourselves and to share with others.

The following is just a sampling of Jesus’ descriptions of hell.

  • The eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels  (Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭41‬ ‭NIV‬‬)
  • Eternal punishment (Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭46‬ ‭NIV‬‬)
  • Eternal torment (‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬)
  • The blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth  ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬)
  • Where the fire never goes out (Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭43‬ ‭NIV‬‬)
  • The darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth  (Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬)
  • The worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched  (Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭48‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

These words paint a horrifying image.

But despite what Jesus said, it’s more likely you will hear hell defined as the eternal separation from God.

In 2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Paul wrote, “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord.”

Yes, those in hell will be separated from the goodness of God, but let’s not ignore the everlasting destruction part of the punishment.

Why is this important?

There are a growing number of Americans who have chosen to shut out the presence of the Lord.

Perhaps they are not taking hell seriously because they hear that hell is no different from how they live now?

Can we realistically expect them to take Jesus and the Gospel seriously absent hearing about hell? 

Jesus spoke of hell because He knew the heart of man.

It’s time we consider sharing more than the nice to hear aspects of our beliefs with our non-believing friends and family.

They need to hear the wretched consequences of the choice laid before them.

Yes, it’s hard to deliver tough love messages but this message, born out of love, is what our world needs to hear today.

As I mentioned last week, there’s more to say. But that will come another day. 

In love always,