Why I Believe in Hell

Why There Has To Be A Hell

As I’ve mentioned before, I have been using the “Why I Believe” outline of Chip Ingram to teach on why we can believe certain things. However, his book doesn’t cover a Why I Believe in Hell. But tonight, we will look at that very thing. Why I Believe in Hell. Let me say up front, I cannot cover it all this morning.

HELL ISN’T AS popular as it used to be. (National Geographic article - Link)

Over the last 20 years, the number of Americans who believe in the fiery down under has dropped from 71 percent to 58 percent. Heaven, by contrast, fares much better and, among Christians, remains an almost universally accepted concept.

Underlying these statistics is a conundrum that continues to tug at the conscience of some Christians, who find it difficult to reconcile the existence of a just, loving God with a doctrine that dooms billions of people to eternal punishment.

Have you ever noticed that there is a dichotomy to life, (evidences of pairs) created by God. In/out, up/down, hot/cold, you get the idea. I’ve mentioned this before. The ultimate dichotomy (if there is one) is that of Heaven and Hell. God speaks of good and evil seven time in His Bible. Remember the tree? So, does the dichotomy apply to God? (Only if HE chooses for it to).

God is a god of love, and we expect Him to love. Correct? Sure.

Well, God is a righteous god, should we not expect Him to be righteous. Of course, we should.

God is a god of judgment; thus, we should expect Him to be righteous in His judgments. If HE is not then HE is less than His character suggest He is, and that is not possible.

The Dichotomy of life dictates that a judgement of rewards be equal in the sense that the reward of good (Heaven) be equal in part to the reward of evil (Hell). If Heaven is all that, then Hell must be all that.

As mentioned above, the conundrum is that God is a god of love. But does that mean His love trumps His judgment or His righteousness? No, it does not.

David cries out to God in Psalm 7:6 “Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.” So, does that mean GOD is capable of getting angry? Let see. Psalm 7:11 “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” (I would do well to read all of Psalm 7).

God cannot lie – God said, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17 (See, God has established the dichotomy of good and evil). God said the wages of sin is death. In casting Adam and Eve out of the garden, God defined a spiritual death as separation from Him as well as a physical death of the body. Furthermore, God defined the place of separation for Him as a living Hell – “So He drove out the man” to live among the thistles, to live by the sweat of his brow, to live in a sinned cursed world. He also said Hell would be cast into a lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14).

Before we look at Hell, let’s take a peek at heaven.

A Preview of heaven – no one, short of die-hard atheist, has a problem believing that heaven is real so, I am only going to touch briefly on Heaven tonight. The Bible says,

1. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:1-5. To dwell in the presence of the Most High God is heaven.

What Is Hell Like? IF the Bible says heaven is a place where God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away the hell must be the complete opposite of that. The dichotomy to heaven is hell.

The Bible says:

1. God’s not there. “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power…” 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9.

2 Thessalonians 1:7–9 KJV 1900

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

a. In the story of the rich man and the poor man Lazarus, the rich man cried “I am tormented in these flames.” Luke 16:23. Jesus Himself told that story. It was not a parable.

2. “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:10-11.

3. There will be different levels of torment. “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. 23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.” Matthew 11:21-24.

4. The Bible speaks of weeping , wailing, an gnashing of teeth. When? 49 “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things?” Matthew 13:49-51.

You’ve heard it said, and yes, I’ve preached it, there’s heaven to be gained and a hell to be shunned. BUT it’s more that than.

Back to God is love – Because HE is a God of Love – He would not cast anyone into Hell. Yet He said He would. He says, He will.

BUT, Because HE is Love – God made a way that He would not be obligated to cast everyone into Hell – HE chose to pay the sin debt. HE, GOD, came, manifesting Himself as a man, to live a perfect and sinless life, and to die as a man, as the sacrificial Lamb of God.

Now you can receive that payment, or you can reject it – either way the CHOICE is yours – If you CHOOSE Hell, God is obligated to honor your choice. HE is also obligated to be righteous. God can only be righteous. He must honour His word and our choices. Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, leaving God no choice but to cast them out; to allow them to die.

THAT’S WHY THERE HAS TO BE A HELL. Because God said:

a. “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” Deuteronomy 30:19.

b. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

What God Really Wants – While the central theme of the Bible is often said to be Christ, the central purpose of Christ is to glorify God through the Reconciliation of Man with God. That is what God wants.

1. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9.

2. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. God made a way. God took the time to make a way for us to reconciled unto HIM!

3. To be one with Him – “…Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” John 17:11.

That is what God wants!

God desires a personal relationship with YOU!

It’s not that God doesn’t want you to go to HELL, it’s that GOD wants you to be reconciled unto HIM! You choose hell by rejecting HIM.

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.” (Colossians 1:21).

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

HE wants you to repent of your sin, receive the free gift of salvation and be FILLED with HIM – to become ONE with Him even as Jesus is ONE with Him.

How bad does God want man to be reconciled to HIM? Well,

· He created man to be in relationship with Him

· He flooded the earth and started over with Noah and 7 others.

· He divided the nation and chose 1 made to become a nation unto Himself.

o “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;” Isaiah 42:6

o “I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6

o “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isaiah 60:1-3.

· Lastly, He Himself came in the fashion of a man to pay the very debt we owe, absolving all of mankind of their sins – offering forgiveness and a restored relationship to Whosoever will….

Jesus became the light Israel was supposed to be and now we are called to that light – an example of HIM.

Don’t you see, that being filled with GOD, becoming ONE with Him, fills you with the Love of God even to the point of that LOVE flowing out of you like living waters SO MUCH that your friends and neighbors see such a difference in you that THEY MUST HAVE IT TOO!

Imagine if you were actually filled with the love of GOD, What kind of person would you be? First of all, you would be a KINDER person. Take that question home with you and ponder on it.

It’s not about avoiding going to HELL – IT’s about becoming like CHRIST – “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” Colossians 1:27.

It’s about being gloriously saved and then living like you have been gloriously saved and living the victorious Christian life – victory over sin – victory over death – victory over envy – victory over hatred – victory over addiction – VICTORY OVER whatever it was that held you in bondage.

It’s about a God who loved you enough to die for you. It’s about being Blessed, Chosen, Predestinated, Adopted, Redeemed, Forgiven, Sealed. It’s about being a Child of God, Holy, Blameless, and above Reproach.

Now hear me clearly - “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” (Deuteronomy 30:19).