Ask the Pastor

By Pastor Scott Denham of Harvest Fellowship, Shambaugh, IA

The Clarinda Herald Journal, publication date : 2/8/2006

 

H-E-Double Toothpicks

 

Pastor Scott,

       “Is there really a Hell?”

 

       It is with profound sadness and a sense of infinite loss that we must address this topic. I am acutely aware that we must approach the subject of Hell with the utmost gravity and awe, with the understanding that Hell is really what we all justly deserve: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 6:23]

       The Scriptures teach that our all-wise, all-loving, just God, will judge all of mankind. Those who believe in Christ and obey His commands will inherit their eternal reward in heaven, living with God forever. Those who reject His Son, or who live in continuous sin and disobedience, will experience everlasting punishment--this we call “Hell.”

       I say this is what “we” call Hell, because biblically speaking, Hell is a temporary holding tank awaiting the final judgment--when its residents are cast into the Lake of Fire, for all eternity. Therefore, when we say Hell, we mean the everlasting part.

       To fully grasp the weight of eternal damnation, consider 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9. "He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power."

       Growing up in our culture, where justice and mercy have been so redefined as to lose all proper meaning, it is no wonder that God’s just use of Hell is questioned. Anymore, you’d think that love and punishment could never co-exist. This distortion has generated schools, homes and courtrooms that have abandoned punishment, to the detriment of society.

       Recently in the news, a judge refused to jail a habitual child molester, because in his view imprisonment wasn’t fair. Fortunately, the public outcry to this decision reveals that people understand more of God’s divine justice, than they let on. True justice promotes love--the protection and well-being of all--and at the same time, appropriate penalties for the offender. That eternal punishment is the appropriate penalty for the unrepentant, is far beyond our ability to fully comprehend, except that every act of disobedience is an offense against an infinite being.

       Truth is, even Bible-believing Christians may wrestle with the severity of Hell precisely because; they do not understand the depth of the wickedness of sin, nor the pure unbiased justice of a Holy God.

       That leaves us with two options. One, we can reject the authority of God’s Word, and enter the rank-and-file of the cafeteria Christian, picking and choosing those doctrines which are most appealing while rejecting those that are distasteful. Alternatively, we can accept by faith, that the “Judge of all the earth will do what is right” [Gen 18:25].

       I choose to believe. Not believing has eternal implications.

       --Pastor Scott

To submit your anonymous question for Pastor Scott, you may write to: Ask The Pastor, PO Box 98, Shambaugh, IA 51651, or harvest@heartland.net and on the web at www.askpastorscott.com