If God loves us Why would He send anyone to Hell?

Have you ever been asked the question: “If we believe God loves everyone, do you really think He would send people to Hell if they were a good person?” 

It's a very good and reasonable question.  Let's look at how we could respond.  Here is how I would respond...

First of all, I would thank the individual for the question, let's say its a young adult in his twenties.  I would ask him if he had some time to sit down and talk about this in greater detail. We would meet, and I would explain to him that there is no easy answer to the question of “hell.”

I would explain to him that according to the Bible, we do believe that we are immortal beings, and that our bodies will be resurrected at the end of time. We believe that there will be a day of accountability, when God will judge all peoples. God is the only one who has the authority to render judgment on humanity, because God is holy, timeless, and perfect.

When we see on the news that someone does something wrong, we are pleased that this person is brought before a judge, and punished for their crime. And when you’re at school, and you see someone who is bullying another student, or cheating on a test, and they get caught and are disciplined, you are glad about that right? We all want justice in the world.

The Bible, our guidebook to who God is, says that no one is a good person, not really (Romans 3:9-20). Each of us have sinned. And if we want to test that out we can look to the ten commandments that God gave Moses. God said you must not lie. God said you must have no other gods before me. God said you must honor your father and mother. God said you must not bear false witness. Have we ever done these things? If I’m testing myself I have to say “yes.”

So on judgment day, God is required by the standard of his own righteousness to judge us. And with all of those sins piled up, he would have to send us to hell. But the truth is, God has made a way for each of us to be pure and blameless on judgment day.

God sent his son Jesus Christ into the world, who was Immanuel meaning “God with us.” Jesus Christ was God come into the world (John 1:1-5). God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that anyone who would simply repent and believe in Him don’t have to go to hell, but instead will have eternal joy in heaven (John 3:16).

No one wants to go to hell. But many in this life choose to reject God and live their own way. And those ways are often very destructive to society, and to the world.

God wants everyone to be saved. He holds out his hand all day long, for their whole lives. But often these people still choose to reject God. And in the end they get what they want: Hell is a place where God is not there. Or perhaps better explained, hell is a place where only the wrath of God is present.  Hell is eternal, and it is quite scary and the Bible depicts it in vivid form. 

We should take as much time as we need to wrestle with the concepts of heaven and hell. This shouldn't be quick or easy.  It should be done in weeks, months, and years of prayer, scripture study, and long talks with friends. We should wrestle with God about it, and He will will enter the discussion. 

Honestly, I can't even think on the concept of hell for very long and I just want to break down crying.  It breaks my heart, and it should break our hearts.  It's a place that no one should go when Christ Jesus is available for salvation.  If we aren't willing to cry over hell, then we probably shouldn't be giving answers about it.

The reality of hell should be a reminder to us that God has called us to Christ, and so we should continue to walk with Christ, and live in holiness.

God loves you. And he has gone to prepare a place for you in heaven. The reality of heaven and hell should drive us to evangelize the lost, disciple our people in holiness, and look forward to our eternal future of joy in the eternal city of God.

Related Posts:

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2. Hope for the Drunk, the Drug Addict, and the Deeply Depressed
3. The Judgment Seat of Christ: Heaven, Hell
4. Even to your Old Age & Gray Hairs: I am He
5. Confronting Sin: A Passion for Being Changed
6. Justin's Calling: Are you called to be a Salvation Army Officer?
7. Don't Judge Me! Discernment or Condemnation?
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What does the Salvation Army believe about Sacraments?

The views in this article do not necessarily represent the positions or opinions of the Salvation Army, it's partners or affiliates.  The statements made belong solely to those making them.

The Salvation Army has a unique viewpoint on the practicing of sacraments. Today we’re going to explore the viewpoints of the church in general and then consider and understand the unique viewpoint of the Salvation Army in the administering and practicing of sacraments.  The Salvation Army’s long held belief is that there is no particular outward observance (such as water baptism or the eating of bread and wine) necessary to inward grace, and God’s grace is freely available and accessible to all peoples in all places everywhere (The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine, 2013, p. 296).  Additionally, the Salvation Army affirms the freedom of salvationists to share in communion and water baptism at other Christian services (The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine, 2013, p. 296). 

In Across the Spectrum (Boyd & Eddy, 2009) the authors outline two primary viewpoints of the Lord’s Supper, the spiritual presence viewpoint and the memorial viewpoint (p. 215-226).  This dichotomy could be further broken down to four categories: Transubstantiation (the Roman Catholic viewpoint), Consubstantiation (the Lutheran viewpoint), the Reformed view (Calvinist viewpoint), and the Memorial viewpoint (Protestant evangelical, Baptist, E-free, etc).  The Roman Catholic view sees the body and blood of Christ as physically present in the wine and bread, but it cannot be tasted or seen physically.  The Lutheran and Calvinist viewpoint both are variations of the “spiritual presence” of Christ in the wafer and wine, with Lutherans leaning toward more physical presence and Calvinists leaning more toward a spiritual/dynamic presence. The viewpoint of many protestant denominations is the memorial viewpoint, that the elements of the sacraments are symbols only. The practicing of the Lord’s supper and water baptism are then seen as representative outwardly of inward realities of Christ in salvation and being reborn in the washing of the Holy Spirit.  In regard to water baptism, there are two primary viewpoints regarded by the Across the Spectrum book, those being “the believer’s baptism” viewpoint and “the infant baptism viewpoint (Boyd & Eddy, 2009, p. 214-225).  Some Christian’s (protestants) believe only a believer who is old enough to have made a personal decision for Christ should be baptized (the believer’s baptism) while other Christians (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Orthodox) believe that infant baby’s should be baptized and then brought up in the faith through catechism and confirmation (the infant baptism viewpoint). 

Now that we’ve explored the larger universal church viewpoints on the sacraments, let us consider the Salvation Army’s viewpoints on sacraments in greater detail.  According to Call to Arms (2014) a resource for soldiership training in the Salvation Army, the Salvation Army’s viewpoint on the sacraments is unique in the church, and in fact is only shared by one other subset of the universal church, known as Quakers.  Most protestant denominations see the sacraments according to the memorial viewpoint, and thus see sacraments as symbols.  The Salvation Army and Quakers took this even further to mean that since these practices are only symbols, they are not intrinsically necessary to salvation (Call to Arms, 2014).  The non-practicing of sacraments was instituted to emphasize the importance of each believer individually encountering Christ (Call to Arms, 2014).  Each Christian individually must see their need for real, internal salvation, rather than adherence to rigid sacramentalism.  The Salvation Army in effect sees the practice of the Christian life as an expression of the true sacrament: A lifestyle of obedience to Christ.  In other words, the Salvation Army sees the way a Christian lives as a “set apart” holy life before God. This is then a true expression of living a life of sacraments. Therefore, the Salvation Army does not actively practice sacraments like water baptism, the taking of the Lord’s supper through wafers and wine, confirmation, ordination, last rites, or other practices typically considers sacraments by other church denominations (Call to Arms, 2014).

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think the Salvation Army’s viewpoint on sacraments is correct? Were you baptized or did you take bread and wine in other churches prior to the Salvation Army? How did those things impact your experience of salvation?

2. Why do you think the Salvation Army wanted to make it clear that salvation was about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and not outward symbols?

3. Do you think the best interpretation of Luke 22:17-20 sees the bread and wine as the institution of a sacrament or a symbol of an inward reality? Explain your answer.

4. Read 1^st Corinthians 11:17-34. What is the biblical principle in this passage in regard to eating together in fellowship?

5. If you were attending a different church service would you be able to partake of the bread and juice during the giving of sacraments?  Why or why not?

6. How can you live a lifestyle of sacramental set-apartness toward God almighty? Think practical weekly activities.

7. If you were a Salvation Army officer would you be free to baptize or administer the bread and juice as a sacrament? What about as a “love feast”? 

References

Bible Gateway. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.biblegateway.com/

Boyd, G. A., & Eddy, P. R. (2009). Across the spectrum: Understanding issues in evangelical theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Call to Arms: Soldiership Training for the Salvation Army. (2014). Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://www.sarmy.org.au/Global/SArmy/Resources/training/call-to-arms/CTA-Supplementary-Doctrine7.pdf

Salvation Army. (n.d.). Why does The Salvation Army not baptise or hold communion? Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://www.waterbeachsalvationarmy.org.uk/what-to-know-more/why-does-the-salvation-army-not-baptise-or-hold-communion/

The Salvation Army handbook of doctrine. (2013). London: Salvation Books. 

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Behold the Creator enters His Own Masterpiece: God becomes a Man

Audio Message:


God our eternal designer, the architect and sustainer of the universe, of all reality, of space and time, and of the human body and soul, came into his own creation as a human.

Imagine all the great writers and painters, and all the books and paintings they’ve created. Imagine if Monet, could jump into one of his own paintings, and walk the majestic the trails through the hanging gardens. Imagine if Van Gogh could finish a painting, and then climb into the canvass, and walk around inside his own artistic creation. Imagine, if C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien could slip through the wardrobe, or fly on eagle’s wings into the land of middle earth.

Well, we worship a God, a creator, a sustainer of the universe, and our home, this planet, who not only carefully designed the mathematics, architecture, science, and laws of physics for our universe, but upon creating the masterpiece of Earth, in all its nature, animals, and people, God, seeing his people lost and in trouble, decided he would come into his own creation, as a human, and come on a rescue mission to save humanity.

All the way back to one of the oldest books of the Old Testament, the book of Job, we see reference to the future hope of when God would come into His creation to save us. Job said, “I know that my redeemer lives, and one day he will stand upon the Earth.” Job was saying and knowing that Jesus was indeed alive even during his time, thousands of years before the virgin birth, and he was also saying that he knew God would one day stand on the Earth. And that’s what we celebrate, is the fact that God came in human form to save us. 

The implications of this fact are far reaching. It could be said that the three short years of Jesus’ life and active ministry did more to transform the world than any other person in history. It only took three years of active ministry, for Jesus to bring forth a message that would take root in a few thousand disciples, and then spread into the Roman empire and far beyond, across the entire planet, across country lines, across language boundaries, and all the way to the other side of the planet, to where we are in Rochester, Minnesota, today, where we center our lives on this Jesus Christ who lived two thousand years.

The author of The Lord of the Rings books, J.R.R. Tolkien who was himself a Christian and a contemporary of C.S. Lewis, wrote these words and put them into the mouth of the character Gandalf: “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

We don’t overcome the kingdoms of darkness by marching with guns and armies to defeat it. Instead we do things like serve homeless people food. We share the gospel with people we meet in the community. We share scripture on social media. We invite friends over for dinner. We pray for the salvation of our families, friends, and community.

Similarly, it was surprising to the ancient nation of Israel that Jesus Christ came not as a conqueror with millions of angels at his side, but came instead helplessly, as a little baby, born to insignificant young parents. He didn’t descend down in the clouds in a chariot of fire, he didn’t march on the gates of Rome with tens of thousands of holy troops arrayed in shining armor. Instead he came on a secret mission, the mission of the kingdom of God, that would not invade through warfare, but invade through proclamation, discipleship, and evangelism. The kingdom of God would spread through the word of God, because of what Jesus Christ would do.

Jesus did not come in power, instead he came in weakness. He did not come through the wealthy and affluent, he came through the ordinary and everyday people. The church is often a motley crew, of outcasts, socially awkward types, foreigners, weirdos, and the seemingly rejected of the world who have become, and are becoming the family of God across the world. 

But is Jesus really real? That’s often what we ask ourselves. What about the doubts we have? What if the atheists are right? What if Jesus is nothing more than another Santa Claus or Easter bunny, something fake or mythical? I often hear atheists and agnostics say “I don’t believe in Greek gods, so why should I believe in the Christian God?”

And I must admit, early in my life, around the age of 15 or 16, this is what I thought of Christianity. I thought Christianity was an old, outdated tradition, based on anti-scientific nonsense that needed to drift into the past and die. But when I researched the facts about Christianity later in life, I was absolutely dumbfounded.

Did you know the New Testament scriptures are themselves more historically attested to than any other historical source? Did you know there are 5,868 ancient Greek manuscript copies of the new testament? Did you know that when compared to one another they are 99.5% accurate? The only differences between these manuscripts are minor spelling and grammar errors that don’t impact the meaning substantially.

Did you know that Jesus Christ as a historical person is mentioned outside the Bible by all these ancient historians: Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Josephus, the Babylonian Talmud, and Lucian among others.

This is just historical and manuscript evidence for Christianity, we could go into scientific evidence for the existence of God, fine tuning in nature, the first cause argument, and irreducible complexity, but we don’t have time for all that today.

But honestly, when I did this research and discovered all the evidence for Christianity, unlike any other world religion, I was angry. I was angry, because I had to ask myself the question: Why had no one told me these things? Why was this information hidden from me? And I came to the realization that in our modern society, media, and academia, there is a bias against God. So if the world out there is telling you to reject belief in God, don’t be surprised. We are revolutionaries in a time of mass marketed sin.

All of this to say that yes, you can believe in Jesus Christ, who was born and lived two thousand years ago. You can know that Christ is real. We’re not here to celebrate a mythical nativity tradition, but a historical nativity that is factual and evidential.

So Jesus was born in Bethlehem. We know a lot about his birth, and the shepherds, the wise men, and so on and so forth. But today we’re talking about a week after Jesus’ birth, when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple. Essentially Mary and Joseph were going about a tradition Jewish practice of presenting their first born son to the Lord. They arrive there with the baby Jesus, and they encounter two people who would be forever changed and encouraged by Jesus.

There were two people that saw the baby Jesus in the temple, on the day he was set apart for service to God. Their names were Simeon and Anna. It says the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon, and the spirit brought him to the temple that day for the purpose of encountering Jesus. You ever go somewhere and know within that it’s a divine appointment? I’ve had that a lot in the past few years. I felt the Spirit drawing me to Chicago, to the training college. But I had to wait patiently on God.

Simeon had waited his entire life. It says he lived a righteous and devout life. Is that easy? No it’s not. Now he was an old man. But the Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that before he died, he would see the savior. And when Simeon saw Jesus, he took Jesus in his arms and proclaimed: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 

Glory for Israel, and a light to the whole Earth. Simeon waited for hope, waited for change, and now he finally saw it.

Next, there is a woman who is described as very old, her name is Anna. It says that she got married at the traditional time, which would’ve been between the ages of 12 and 16 in Jewish culture, and that seven years later her husband died, and she had been a widow since then, to now the age of 84. It says she constantly fasted and prayed. She was a godly woman. She wasn’t waiting in sin, she was waiting in godliness, praying and fasting regularly. It says “she never left the temple, but worshiped God night and day.” Amazing. She had lost her husband at a very young age. She had waited all her life. But she didn’t wait in bitterness or regret. She waited in daily worship.

Finally, the day came, and it says Anna came up to Joseph and Mary, and she gave thanks to God. And it says she started speaking to everyone around who was waiting for the redemption of Israel. She was a prophet after all, anyone know a lady like that? I’ve met a few. And they gotta tell everybody!

So God had come into human history. Even at only one week old, Simeon and Anna were blessed to recognize that Jesus was the promised savior. They waited faithfully, and God showed himself to them.

God hadn’t come as most might’ve expected at the time. He came humbly, quietly, as if he were a secret agent, smuggled into his own kingdom. There were attempts on his life, even as a baby. He was nearly murdered by the purge ordered by Herod. Yet God’s plan could not be thwarted by the will of men.

No massive armies of thousands marched with Jesus, but instead a Holy Spirit was upon Jesus, conquering quietly through his words and deeds. Jesus through the word of God began a conquest of human hearts and souls that would spread itself across the whole world, today proclaimed in every nation on the Earth, in thousands of different languages, and it all began with God coming into human history, born as a baby, to young parents, in the deserts of the middle east. God always tends to surprise us with how he does things.

So in conclusion, Jesus came as a baby two thousand years ago. He did his work, and completed it. Then he ascended to heaven. Today we know that Jesus Christ is coming back one day soon, to set up his kingdom on Earth. And many of us may be expecting for our savior to come again as a meek and mild servant, but the book of Revelation tells us that Jesus Christ will come in great glory, and every eye will see Him. And he will judge all the nations, and smash them to pieces like pottery, as he sets up his new kingdom. This is why we must be ready, waiting patiently, day in and day out, year by year, faithfully serving God, forgiving others, and loving our neighbors. We are in this for the long haul, all the way to death and eternal life.

Just like Simeon and Anna waited for the birth of their savior Jesus, we also wait patiently for the return of Jesus to Earth. Is that just a pipe dream? No. It’s not. It’s real. It’s true. Jesus Christ is alive, and He will return. It says in Revelation chapter 19: 11-16: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the wine-press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.” 

Jesus came as a baby.

Jesus lived a perfect, holy life.

Jesus was crucified as a substitution, as payment for our own sins.

Jesus resurrected from the dead after three days.

Jesus showed himself to be alive to many witnesses.

Jesus ascended to heaven promising to return.

And Jesus will return in power and glory, to reign over the whole Earth, and judge the nations.

Therefore, let us be ready. Let us wait patiently, just as Simeon and Anna did, their whole lives. We will see God face to face one day, just as they did in the temple. Bet your life on it.

Let it be said of us, that we ran the race, and finished it. Let it be said to each of us one day: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Related Posts:

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What is the True Meaning of Christmas? The Christmas Tree & the Candy Cane

Merry Christmas season! This brings to mind the important question: What is the true meaning of Christmas?  Why do we celebrate Christmas?

The truth is Christmas is all about Jesus Christ.  Jesus was born into the world.  God who made Earth, who made the stars, the moon, and all the galaxies, He came to Earth as a little baby. 

At Christmas we partake in traditions that remind us of Jesus. 

Look at the Christmas tree. Traditionally the Christmas tree is chopped down and brought into the house for the Christmas season.  In fact in my family each year it was our tradition to go out to a tree farm, pick a tree as a family, cut it down, and bring it home together.

But why?  Why do we do this?  The Christmas tree represents the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  The tree represents Jesus.  Yet despite the fact that Jesus was killed for our sins, he reclaimed his life three days later.  In the same way, we cut down the Christmas tree, but then put it in water, and it remains alive for the Christmas season.  This represents how Jesus rose to life, to give us life.

We decorate the Christmas tree, to remind ourselves that Jesus is alive right now, in heaven with God the Father. And Jesus is glorified.  He is “decorated” in a way, with great glory, and honor, and majesty because of His great victory to free us from sin.

And Jesus is coming again soon to be king of the Earth.

Unfortunately, in our country many of the people here have lost touch with these traditions.  Everything we have in the USA is because of God.  All the technology, medicine, food, entertainment, and freedom, it’s all from God.  But sadly people in America have forgot that fact, and they’ve started to believe that all this wealth we enjoy is from themselves, and not from God.

But I encourage you children today to realize and believe and know that all we have is because of Jesus Christ.  He is the one who gives every blessing.  Honor God during the Christmas season, and worship Him. 

What about the candy cane? Let it be a reminder of Jesus.  The candy cane is shaped like a “J” to remind us of Jesus.  When you flip it around the other way, it’s shaped like a shepherd’s staff. Jesus is our shepherd, and we are his sheep. It’s striped the color red, because Jesus our Lord bled for us on the cross. Its striped white as well, because Jesus washed away our sins and made us white as snow. The design of the stripes reminds us that Jesus was scourged, whipped, terribly, and by his stripes, we are healed.

When we eat the candy cane it’s sweet, which reminds us that Jesus’ love for us grows sweeter every day.

So this Christmas season children, as you eat good meals, and receive gifts and give gifts, remember that we give and receive gifts because we’ve been given and have received the greatest gift imaginable: Eternal life, to live forever, because Jesus Christ, our God, the one who made the world, came into the world He made, on a rescue mission to save you and me from our terrible sins.  Jesus loves you.  

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