The Importance of Hell [4 reasons]

Redeemer.com ^ | Undated | Tim Keller

[presently no screen name]

For when Paul wrote to the Corinthians and reported that Titus had been encouraged and refreshed by their reception of him, he then went on to say that the Corinthian Christians received him with 'fear and trembling'! (2 Cor. 7:15) implying proper respect.

And Paul used the same verbage in working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Respectful and thankful for what our salvation cost.

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:12, 13, KJV)

We are told not to fear. Fear not! And God is working in us as we are told. That's good news, not bad. Perfect love (God) cast out fear.

[Secret Agent Man]

Well, I don’t want to get into it deeply here, but before Jesus’ death, the waiting places for where believers and unbelievers were being kept were not Heaven and Hell, but “abrahams’ bosom” and “hades”. Abraham’s bosom isn’t heaven because Christ’s sacrifice was not yet made, and those believers’ were not yet pure, the price had not yet been paid (they were ‘on Christ’s credit’ at this point, the best way to describe it).

Anyway, hell appears to be a temporary holding place, for it gets thrown into the lake of fire along with death. The metaphor here is confusing if it really is a physical lake or if it’s symbolic. I tend to think it’s symbolic as a form of final, eternal judgment and banishment, and separation from God and His people.

The other thing to note is that hell is described a bunch of different ways. “A place of outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The fire cannot be a physical fire, there is no light in a place of outer darkness. There is no physical thing such as invisible fire. We aren’t talking about radiation on some non-visible spectrum. They will not be in a cosmic microwave. They will be alone. They will have no sustenance, no water, no mercy, no forgiveness.

[piytar]

Wow, one of the best and most enlightening pieces I have ever read on the topic. In fact, for some time I've been leaning toward seeing Hell as a place of annihilation (i.e., you are destroyed) as opposed to eternal suffering. This article has made me really rethink that concept.

[American Constitutionalist]

Those who deny that there is a hell also deny God's grace and God... they want to avoid God at all cost.....
People want to argue that man has free will, not true, the only one who really had " Free will " was Adam... since then, man has been born into sin, therefore, a slave to sin unto he hears the truth ( Jesus Christ ) and the truth will set you free.

[presently no screen name]

I was commenting on having no water - doesn’t sound like a place of physical comfort. There are some books on hell where some claim they went to for a bit only to be returned here. Bottom line - it ain’t pretty for a few minutes - forget about eternity. And, yes, you are alone - so much for some being flippant w/’at least my friends will be there’.

[American Constitutionalist]

When you demand God to be merciful or that God is obligated to be merciful, then, it's not mercy anymore.....
God is not obligated to be merciful to anyone, God does so out of his own free will and love for us........
The same thing with grace, grace is not grace if we think we have to work for it, then, if it's by works, then, it's not grace anymore.....
We can not point our finger to GOD and demand and shout to him that he would be merciful to us.
How can the clay say to the potter " why have you made me like this " ??
Now ? if we admit we are wrong, or have sinned, and come to him humbly and ask him to have mercy, and forgive us, then, God is ready to forgive us.... he wants to forgive us, but, we can't come to him as spoiled brats and demand it from him.
Another point to make, do you actually believe that God would allow one of his beloved children to go out and do what ever he or she wants without and consequences ?
Do you actually think God would not correct us of some kind of behavior that is not pleasing to him ? the bible tells us that he chastises us as a loving father would do...

[Secret Agent Man]

To be honest, when I said ‘alone’ I meant more that the person was going to be separated from God, not necessarily isolated from everyone else there. Since the bible describes it as a place filled with weeping and gnashing of teeth, it would sound like you aren’t alone from the other people in hell, at least some of them. Either way, it won’t be of any comfort to anyone to see anyone else there. They can’t do anything for you, you can’t do anything for them. If anything they will remind you of your own rejection of God while on earth.

[American Constitutionalist]

'" fear and trembling " .....
Proper respect, not being insincere , horse play, or jokingly, but with being of a sober mind.

[presently no screen name]

God knows the heart - there’s no fooling Him. We work out our salvation as we are renewing our mind.

[aberaussie]

bttt

[presently no screen name]

One of satan’s tactics is ‘there is no hell’. Since the soul never dies, it’s going somewhere for eternity - and there are only two choices.

[American Constitutionalist]

" God knows the heart - there’s no fooling Him. We work out our salvation as we are renewing our mind. "

Man looks at the outward appearance, but, God looks at the heart.
We do not know what God is doing in a person's heart, not even the person themselves :
( wax on , wax off, Danielson, paint the fence )
it's like a butter fly in a cocoon .
We renew our minds by washing our minds with the word of God, putting on the mind of Christ.

[presently no screen name]

Yes!

[American Constitutionalist]

HEY FREE ? ..... one day ? you will look back and realize you won't hold that view anymore.... GOD will work on your heart by the Holy Spirit, that is ? if you let him .....
Actually ? I do not believe that is what you really believe, I believe ? you might have been hurt in the past, and in some way, that is your way of dealing with it... FREE ? turn all your pain and cares unto GOD, he is there ready to listen to you, if only you come to him in humility and a sincere heart.

[Sir Gawain]

HELL: Eternal Torment or Complete Annihilation?

[AnotherUnixGeek]

I’m sure you’re enjoying your life of no consequences for your actions......

And I'm sure that my life, which I do my utmost to appreciate and enjoy, is at least as moral as yours, which you presumably spend cringing in terror of some slip-up which will send you off to an eternity of torment.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

We are told not to fear. Fear not! And God is working in us as we are told. That's good news, not bad. Perfect love (God) cast out fear.

Thanks for this clarification - respect and thankfulness are what we should all feel. Fear and trembling...no.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Great post. I really appreciate Tim Keller and his ministry. I love that he doesn't "write off the city" as hopeless and how he encourages Christians to engage the culture without compromising theologically.

[presently no screen name]

The premise is that God respects your choice to reject him and lets you do so in hell.

Why reject Him when you know He loves you? God says He wants no one to perish. If they do, it's not because of God - He gave us a Savior. He did it all for us, our part is to accept His salvation and then renew your mind by reading His Word.

How can anyone expect to have something, if they reject it? It doesn't make sense. We are all sinners; yet saved by grace through faith (believing God). It's a free gift and too awesome to pass up. There's a reason why it's called the Good News!

I believe in an all merciful God. God, in his incomparable love, can’t possibly love me less than my parents do.

You are right on!

[mlizzy]

Am I to believe my loving God would give up on me to indulge greater foolish, stupid mistakes than even my mortal parents wouldn’t tacitly accept? I refuse to accept this premise.

I have read that God gives up on no one, and sends no one to hell ... they send themselves.