Part two will run tomorrow, or you can read ahead by clicking the link at the bottom of this page to see it on Clarke’s blog.
by Clarke Dixon
Do we need to bring back hell-fire and brimstone? Preachers don’t seem to preach on hell as often these days, and for that some people are very grateful. Others think that something important has been lost. The good folk at Calvary may or may not have noticed I rarely use the word “hell”, preferring to refer to “separation from God”. But is there even such a thing as being cast out from the presence of God? There are those who would say that God is so loving, that everyone will be saved in the end. That might be what we would like the Bible to teach. But is it?
A brief overview of the Bible will help clarify our thoughts on God’s judgement. Let us begin at Genesis:
. . . then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 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 die.” Genesis 2:16-17
Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22-24
The Bible is clear from the get-go that separation from God and His goodness is a consequence of rebellion against Him. Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden, the place where they could fully experience the presence of God, plus the way to the tree of life was guarded. Death became a reality, a sure thing. The gift of life was taken back.
This is reflected in the New Testament:
For the wages of sin is death . . . Romans 6:23
That is the bad news. Now for the good news:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10
While it is clear that judgement against sin results in death, it is also clear that Jesus came to give us life. But perhaps Jesus came to give everyone life?
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16
John 3:16 is a favourite verse for many, but implicit there is the fact that eternal life can be refused. Further Scriptures confirm that there are those who refuse and so are perishing:
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
The Bible is clear that though Jesus came to give us life, people can say “no thanks”.
The Bible is also clear that God is a good father:
Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13
Would we as imperfect Dads go and force an adult child to return home, locking them up in our living room? God invites people to call him Father, but he gives people the freedom to people to say “no, I’m not coming home”.
There is such a thing as being cut off from God and his goodness. Hell is therefore a reality. So, time to bring back fire and brimstone, right?
We will consider that in Part 2.
Clarke Dixon is the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada.
Listen to a 31-minute sermon of this topic.
Christianity 201 
The question that you ask, “Do we need to bring back hell-fire and brimstone?,” is worth consideration and I am sure that you will provide enlightenment in your next post. You quote Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is essential that some clarification is brought to this passage through its translation and its context.
First, context:
Paul has been writing about the need for people (confessors) to have died to sin. A person who has died has no more life and confessors are to “count” themselves dead to sin (Rom 6:11), since they are to have been baptized into his death. (Rom 6:3) They are to identify with his death; it has become their death, in practice. (See 1 Jn 3: 4-10) He concluded his discussion by stating that they have become “slaves to righteousness” (Rom 6:18), and “slaves to God.” (Rom 6:22) Slavery by definition demands obedience to a principle or to a master. He has stated that this slavery leads to holiness. (Rom 6:19, 22) It is in this context that Romans 6:23 follows…”the wages of sin is death.” Although this does refer to unbelievers, it also refers to confessors. (Believers are obedient; confessors merely make an oral proclamation.)
Translation:
“Gift” in “the gift of God,” is translated from the Greek ‘charisma’. Charisma does not generally mean “gift” even today, and the ancient Greek dictionaries did not reference it as such. “Gift” was not applied to the definition until Martin Luther’s time. Charisma really means “persuasion” with the idea of personal charm or magnetism, the ability to influence without the use of logic.” Not only does John 6:23 refer to the power of God through the Holy Spirit to bring “eternal life,” but it reveals the means, the persuasion of the Holy Spirit in the confessor’s life. This verse also refers Christ Jesus being our Lord and that it is though “our Lord”-his sovereignty and authority- that it is accomplished. The wages for those who do not respect Christ and his lordship through the Spirit and who choose to walk as slaves to sin is death. The word “gift” in Romans 6:23 is misleading.
It may be that we don’t need to bring back “hell-fire and brimstone,” although that might be helpful, but confessors do need to recognize that their final justification comes from “what they do,” (Jas 2:24), that they will be judged for things done in the flesh (2 Cor 5:10) and that they can be eternally separated Mt 13:41; 2 Thess 1:8-9) from the one they covenanted (Rom 10:9) to be their lord.
Comment by Russell Young — June 22, 2018 @ 12:10 pm |