He who has the Son has the life; he who has not the Son of God has not the life.
1 John 5: 12, Concordant New Testament
For thousands of years the litmus test for the righteous was a future in heaven with the Lord. If you unfortunate enough to live a life of bad behavior, then you were cast out into the proverbial hell. Absent from the Lord for all eternity. All of this was based purely on performance. Our own efforts, it seemed, would guarantee which side of the fence we were on. I spent most of my childhood in the relentless pursuit of being one of the good guys. Doing thing Gods way was usually foremost on my mind. Any straying from this would surely cast me into hell with the rest of those who had fallen from the Lords grace. I did not want to be that guy. In case you're wondering, this has been the predominant teaching on heaven and hell in the mainstream church for thousands of years. In a religion where the good are separated from the wicked, there had to be a final destination for both. We were told that failing to live up to Gods standards would bring us one step closer to our eternity in hell. Of course, many a preacher has used this fear in order to keep their congregations in line. But what do we really know about hell? Who goes there? Is it even real? The scriptures are filled with passages which describe the 'Lake of fire" which has been set aside for Satan and his clan {Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:8}. Obviously, we know that Satan is headed for hell, and deservedly so. But would God really send His loved creation to an eternity void of His love? In the past few years, I have come to view the entire idea of hell with more than a bit of skepticism. We're told that God has created us in His own image {Genesis 1:27}. What kind of tough love would turn His back on those He loves? That is one of the questions I pondered. I also questioned whether God was a outright liar. God, a liar? Yes! He has promised us that He will be with us always {Matthew 28:20}. So, if the Lord has already promised us that He will always be with us, can we ever be outside of His presence?
"I don't need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It's not my purpose to punish it; it's my joy to cure it."
William P. Young, The Shack
One of the best descriptions of hell can be found in 2 Thessalonians. It is here that the apostle Paul lays out his vision of a place of torment, void of the presence of the Lord {2 Thessalonians 1:9}. I would agree with this idea. Yet I have had a tough time rationalizing a place void of the presence of the Lord when we have been promised that He will be with us always. Now, mention this to anyone who is a strict follower of traditional church doctrine and you're likely to have a vigorous discussion on your hands. See, good must be rewarded and evil must be punished. That is the way of the universe...or is it? The Christian pastor turned author Harold Eberle presents a issue with that traditional line of thinking. Across this world of ours, there are still millions of people who have never known the Lord OR heard of His love and grace. What is to be done with them? They know not of the Lords promises or presence. Yet it does not take a rocket scientist to understand that these people are also created in our heavenly Fathers image. Without ever knowing the Lord, will they suffer an eternity outside of His presence? If you hold fast to your traditional beliefs you might just agree that they would. Good thing our Lord is about love and not traditions. Does this mean that all will be saved? Does it mean that there is no punishment for wickedness? Again, tradition dictates these questions. I believe that a loving God who out of His love created us would find it outside of His love nature to turn His back on us {1 John 4:8}. The next time someone tells you to go to hell, ask them for directions.
Who shall incur the justice of eonian extermination from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of His strength.
1 Thessalonians 1: 9, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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