Over the past fifteen years of helping churches start men’s team ministries to their widowed and single parents, I’ve received exactly two derogatory emails. The first was about ten years ago. The writer was irate that I would have the nerve to charge for my training material.
The second was about ten days ago, and it’s the one that really shocked me. The email followed the series of posts I’ve been writing on hell and I have to say, the tone of that email made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Have you ever talked with someone and sensed that you were talking with Satan himself? It’s happened to me more than once, and that’s the way I felt when I read his email.
Getting an email from someone who seemed to be channeling Satan got me thinking that there may be others who have become unsettled as a result of me writing about hell. If that is the case, then I have two suggestions on how to deal with your feelings. First, you need to decide whether or not what I’m talking about is true. And second, if it is true, then you need to decide what to do about it.
If hell does not exist, if there is no personal, holy God who judges the earth (i.e., materialism), then you can simply ignore everything I’ve been saying about it. Death ends it all and I’m just a gasbag.
But I’ve argued that all of us instinctively believe in hell because we believe in good and evil, and because we believe in justice. Concepts such as good, evil, and justice are not physical qualities, but personal and spiritual qualities. And if they are personal and spiritual qualities, then believing in a personal and spiritual God who judges rightly (justice) is perfectly logical. Therefore, understanding that none of us are perfect before a holy and just God raises the natural question of whether we are in danger of hell ourselves. Hence, the reason we feel the way we do when the subject of hell comes up.
If you’ve come to the latter conclusion, then the second step is to decide what to do about it. And at this point, the Bible, which we Christians believe is holy and inspired by God, gives us some answers. It tells us that we need to settle out of court, so to speak. It warns us not to wait until we stand before God in judgment, but to accept an offer God is making to us right now: acknowledge that we are sinners who have sinned against Him, and place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God’s son, as the one who has paid the price for our sin. If we do this, God will forgive us of our sins and give us eternal life. Instead of going to hell, God promises us that we will spend eternity with him in heaven!
Here are some of the many biblical passages that teach these amazing truths:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil. Romans 2:9
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. Romans 4:5
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:31-32
So there you have it. If you have any doubt at all about where you will spend eternity, God’s invitation to you right now is to turn to him and in your heart of hearts, tell him that you acknowledge that you are a sinner, and that you are placing your trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation.
If that is your decision, then I want to invite you to email me at herbreese@yahoo.com and share that with me. I would love to help you along in your new life as a Christian.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom
and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.
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