Hell

Does hell exist? Does a loving God send people that He created and loves to a place of eternal punishment and suffering? I've pondered these questions a lot within the past few years after having discussions with Jehovah's Witnesses and Universalists whom I've encountered. My understanding of what both groups believe, is that the Bible teaches that because God is love, He would not send people to suffer an eternal punishment in hell, and therefore such a place does not exist. It appears that these false teachings are also starting to seep into mainline protestant churches. I've heard similar beliefs from "Christians" within these churches that include that same ideology, or that heaven does not exist, or that neither heaven nor hell exist. It both deeply grieves me and is deeply concerning because lost and unreached people need and deserve to know the truth about the place where they will spend eternity if they choose to reject Jesus as Lord. Hell is a core doctrine of the Christian faith, and without it, there isn't much need for the salvation that Jesus offers. I believe this is one of Satan's schemes to destroy the Church, and as false teachers continue to teach false doctrine, people will continue to listen and believe what their itching ears want to hear, luring them away from the Truth of Jesus Christ - the Truth that Jesus saves.

Below I have listed several reasons of why hell does exist. The reasons subscribe to what I understand of God's character from what the Bible, the Word of God, teaches.

If there is no hell, then...

• there is no need for a savior. Jesus would never have had to be sacrificed as a sin offering; He would have suffered and died for nothing.
• we can live in sin and do whatever we want because there are no consequences for our actions.
• there is no need to be forgiven of sin.
• there is no need to repent of sin.
• there is no need for evangelists (Ephesians 4:11), evangelism (Luke 15) or missionaries. 
• there is no need to have a relationship with God; there is not even any need of God.
• Jesus, the apostles and countless other faithful believers throughout the ages who gave and are still giving their lives for the Gospel did and are doing so for nothing.
• there is no need for the Church.
• there is no need to share the Gospel and reach the lost and unreached.
• Christianity is a lie because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, so that we who believe in Him can spend all of eternity with Him. This is the foundation of Christianity (John 3:16-36; 1 John 5:10-12).  

With these groups who reject the doctrine of hell, often what I see is that their mission is not to point people to Jesus who will save them from the bondage of their sin and from hell, but to prove that they're right. They are not concerned for lost and unreached peoples because if hell does not exist, then there is nothing to be concerned about. 

The Bible tells us that God is Love (1 John 4:8). Love is the very essence of His being. Because He is love, He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). So much so, that He will do anything to seek out and find His lost children, and when He does, all of heaven rejoices (Luke 15). God's love for us is what motivated Him to sacrifice His Son, Jesus, so that when we believe in Jesus, and repent of our sins, He will forgive us our sins, and give us eternal life with Him.

Throughout the Bible, God continuously warns His people to turn away from evil, to hate evil and  not to delight in evil. If they do not turn away from evil, if they do not hate evil, and if they continue to delight in evil, they will be punished. Because of their disobedience towards God, they will not spend eternity with Him as these groups believe, but they will be eternally separated from God in hell.

When I think about this, and I look at the world in which we live, I thank God that His presence is among us. Even though there are all kinds of evil things taking place in the world, God is still here. The beauty of His creation and wonderful people who deeply love the Lord are evidence of this. His blessings are abundant each and every day, which declare His holy presence in the world.

These things are not in hell. God's presence is not in hell. His beautiful creation, His people within whom He dwells, nor His blessings exist there. People who choose to live their lives without God, get what they always wanted: life without God. They choose to spend eternity in a Godless place that Jesus describes as utter darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. This means that people who reside in hell are alive and are suffering for all of eternity.          

The somber reality of this ought to haunt followers of Jesus. We should have the same love and concern for lost and unreached peoples as He has. It ought to motivate us to reach the lost and unreached with the gospel of Jesus so they will have the opportunity to be saved from hell and spend eternity with God. Make this your priority as a follower of Jesus. You might be the only "Jesus" the world ever witnesses. The lost and unreached peoples of the world are in need of you.