Jesus Came to Save Us

Understanding Salvation and Hell

Understanding Hell

What is Hell?

“How could a loving God send someone to hell?”  This is a question that many non-believers have asked for centuries.  Many Christians are stumped when this question is directed towards them, causing them to even doubt their own faith.  This idea is rooted in “Hellfire and Brimstone” theology.  A message from a group of people who live as if the sole reason Jesus came to this earth was to punish those who have sinned, but this was not Jesus’ purpose for.

“Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14a

Before we get too far into this I want to make a point that hell is not the final destination for those who sin.  There are many people who try to convince you that hell is not what Christians claim it is, and they are right.  Hell isn’t the place of eternal punishment - the lake of fire is.  Hell, Hades, Sheol, they are somewhat interchangeable, but we can simplify it as this.  It is the land of dead where those who pass from this life await judgement.

“The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side.  The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.  And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’” - Luke 16:22-24

There is a small portion of people that believe hell is not a place of punishment and they are right… partially.  Not everyone who went to Hades were tormented, but there were some who were.  The passage above makes it clear that Hades had a place for the righteous of God as well as a place of fire for the unrighteous.  I do want to emphasize the word had though.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” - John 8:51

“Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ (In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions of, the earth?” - Ephesians 4:8-9

There is a lot of biblical backing that suggests that the only people who remain in Hades are the unrighteous awaiting judgement.  Ephesians 4:8-9 strongly suggests that Jesus went into the depths of the earth (Hades), and ascended with a host of captives.

At the end of the day, some can dispute this theology, and some will, but there is one thing that is indisputable: The unrighteousness will experience torment, and the righteous will not.

Was Hell for Us?

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surly die.” - Genesis 2:17

Now that we have a better understanding of what Hell is - it is easier to answer this question.  Hell is death, and yes - death is the punishment for man.  Many say that Hell was created for Satan and his angels, but Satan and his angels are eternal beings.  There is no reference of Satan or any or his angels experiencing any form of death.  Death is the punishment for man partaking in the sin of Satan.  It is important to note though that hell itself wasn’t designed in God’s greater plan to be eternal.  It is a temporary place until God fulfilled his greater plan of salvation.  The lake of fire is the eternal punishment of God.

What is the Lake of Fire?

“Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” - Matthew 25:41b

The Lake of Fire is a place created for Satan and his angels.  A place to separate God’s creation from the sin that corrupted it in order to restore it’s broken state back to perfection.  Unfortunately as Satan introduced sin into humanity - we were cursed by the same darkness.  As a result we became unclean and in need of restoration.  Though the lake of fire wasn’t designed for us - we are linked to Satan through the curse of sin.  Those who are not cleansed by the blood of Jesus will at the end be cast into the lake of fire along side Satan and his angels.

Eternal Separation

“You shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil, and the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.” - Exodus 26:33

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die.” - Leviticus 16:2

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit, and behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” - Matthew 27:50-51

At the end of the day our focus shouldn't be on the hellfire,  it shouldn't be focused on the brimstone.  The greater punishment is the eternal separation from God.  That separation doesn’t just take place at death - it takes place now.  When sin entered into the world God separated himself from the unrighteous.  Jesus came to the earth to restore the presence of God in our lives, however we don’t just access the presence of God when we die - we have access to it now.

Understanding Salvation

Jesus Came To Save The World

“For God so love the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Nothing makes it clearer.  Jesus didn’t come into the world to kick out the sinners.  He came to save us.  It is his intent that nobody should perish.  It would be theologically dishonest to suggest otherwise.

“The lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9

We have been waiting for over 2,000 years for Christ to return, but Jesus loves us so much that He wants to give every second He can for us to repent.  This further points out that it is not in the heart of Jesus for us to go to hell, but the opposite:  Jesus doesn’t want anybody to go to hell.

Jesus is the Only Way

“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way the truth, and the life.   No one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6

The reality is this.  Jesus is the only way - period.  There is no way you can accept anything about Jesus without accepting this one simple fact.  These words were out of the mouth of Jesus himself.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9

At the end of the day - Jesus didn’t come to deal with the bad guys.  God already did that when he created the lake of fire for Satan and his angels.  He isn’t hovering over you waiting for you to stop sinning before he sends you to hell.  He came to save you!  Hell is your destination without Christ.  Christ is what frees you from the eternal separation from God.  You just need to trust him and follow him before he returns.

Christ’s Return

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!  The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” - Revelation 19:11

Though Christ came to save - it is important to remember that he is coming back, but at this point there is no more waiting.  At this point a line is drawn.  This is why it is crucial to accept the love of Christ now.  He longs for you to be a part of his kingdom, but he also will do anything in his power to protect and care for the ones who love him.  This means eventually separating the ones who have rejected Jesus and accepted the curse of sin from the ones who accepted him and his salvation.

“‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’  And he who is seated on the throne said, ‘Behold I am making all things new.’  Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” - Revelation 21:4-5

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Reflection Questions

1 - Do you truly believe that God wants to reconcile with you?

2 - Do you accept Jesus’ free gift of saving you from hell?

3 - Are you ready to follow Christ into your freedom from sin?