Mission Hills Church
For most of history, people didn’t think of God as a “problem” so much as a solution. But times have changed. Today, belief — let alone trust — in God seems to be hard to reconcile with science, evil and suffering, hypocrisy in the church, questions about the reliability of the Bible...and more. Whether you’re wrestling with these questions yourself — and who doesn’t sometimes? — or know someone who is, you won’t want to miss a single weekend of this series.
We received this comment recently: “Honestly I believe in God, just not hell. And as a result not in Jesus as God’s son. I believe he existed and was a [dang] cool dude, but for him to be the Son of God fits into the narrative of God being evil.”
“if your God will punish people for all eternity for sins committed in a few short years, no amount of clever marketing or compelling language or good music or great coffee will be able to disguise that one, true, glaring, untenable, unacceptable, awful reality... sometimes the reason people have a problem accepting “the gospel” is that they sense that the God lurking behind Jesus isn’t safe, loving, or good.” (Rob Bell)
Why would a loving God create an endless hell?
Jesus didn’t see a contradiction between God’s love and hell.
Is it possible that Jesus saw hell as a consequence of God’s love, rather than a contradiction with it?
The people most opposed to the idea of hell are often those least impacted by evil here on earth.
Can those who have experienced hell on earth believe that God is good if there is no justice for the evil that has so scarred them?
Matthew 11:23-24 NIV
“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows." - Luke 12:47-48
Luke 12:47-48 NIV
Jesus taught that hell isn’t the same for everyone.
Matthew 13:41-42 NIV
The root cause of sin is the insistence on self-determination.
Gnashing = animosity and rebellion.
No one stops rebelling just because they’ve stopped breathing.
[they]… will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:12)
Jesus teaches that hell is complete, self-imposed isolation from the God of all light and love.
Let's review:
1. Jesus didn’t see a contradiction between God’s love and hell.
2. The people most opposed to the idea of hell are often those least impacted by evil here on earth.
3. Jesus taught that hell isn’t the same for everyone.
4. Jesus taught that no one stops rebelling just because they stopped breathing.
5. Hell is complete, self-imposed isolation from the God of light and love.
A truly good and loving God can neither deprive his creation of justice nor force his children into relationship.
Romans 6:23 NIV