Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We Made Up by Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle

Author:Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: love, Christian Life, Rob Bell, General, Religion, Crazy Love, Satan, Forgotten God, universalism, hell, Love Wins, Francis Chan, Jesus
ISBN: 9780781407250
Publisher: David C. Cook
Published: 2011-07-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

What Does This Have to Do with Me?

If you’re a Christian and wondering what all of this has to do with

you, keep reading.

The other morning, I woke up to start writing as I’ve been

doing for the past few weeks, and I decided to do something

different. I closed my laptop and just read through all of these

passages on hell.

I didn’t think about writing; I didn’t try to figure out all the

nitty-gritty details of the text. I just let the New Testament speak

in its power and simplicity, and here are some of the shocking

things that God hit me with.

You Fool

Jesus threatens hell to those who curse their brother (M att. 5:22).

He’s not warning drinkers or smokers or murderers. Jesus preaches

hellfire against those who have the audacity to attack a fellow

human being with harsh words. It’s ironic—frightening, actually—

that some people have written books, preached sermons, or

written blog posts about hell and missed this point completely. In

fact, some people have slammed their Christian brothers and

sisters in the process, simply because they have a different view of

hell, missing the purpose of M atthew 5: Whoever calls his brother

a fool may find himself guilty of hell.

Have you called your brother a fool lately? On a blog? On

Facebook? Have you tweeted anything of the sort?

So often these hell passages become fodder for debate, and

people miss the point of the warning. Jesus didn’t speak of hell so

that we could study, debate, and write books about it. He gave us

these passages so that we would live holy lives. Stop slandering

one another, and live in peace and brotherly unity. Jesus evidently

hates it when we tear into our brothers or sisters with demeaning

words, words that fail to honor the people around us as the

beautiful image-bearing creatures that they are.

But Jesus, Didn’t We …

And how about M atthew 7, probably the scariest passage on hell

in the entire Bible? The most horrific word in this passage isn’t

hell; it isn’t fire, furnace, everlasting, gloom, darkness, worms, or

torment. In fact, none of these words occur in this passage. The

most frightening word is many. Jesus says, “Many will say to M e

on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and

in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many

miracles?’” (M att. 7:22 NASB). This is judgment day. This is the

end. There are no second chances. This is the last peaceful breath

that “many” will breathe before they spend the rest of their life in

hell. Put yourself there for a second. Fast-forward your life to that

day. Will you sound like the many who call out in desperation,

“Lord, Lord, did I not ___________ and _____________ and

______________ in Your name?”

How will Jesus respond to your laundry list of Christian

activities—your Easter services, tithe, Bible studies, church

potlucks, and summer-camp conversions? Are you sure you’re on

the right side? What evidence do you have that you know Jesus?

Please understand my heart. I believe I am asking these questions

for the same reason that Jesus gives the warning. It’s the most

loving thing I can do! “M any” will go to hell even though they

thought they’d waltz into paradise.

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