Does imagining something make it true?
When John Lennon sang, “Imagine there’s no heaven / It’s easy if you try / No hell below us / Above us only sky,” many loved his song. But when a loved one dies we tend to agree with only half of it. Suddenly the idea of a heaven can become very appealing.
More people seem to have trouble with the idea of hell than heaven, right? Why is that?
When I was a child I had no doubt my parents loved me. But I learned early in life that good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior is punished. Why should the afterlife be any different?
“Now hold on just a minute!” How could a God of love send people to a place like hell?”
Well, according to the Bible, hell is designed to be a place of eternal punishment for the devil and his fallen angels. God doesn’t want any human to go there. But he won’t stop you from going if you’re determined to go.
“Whoa—hold on! Why would anyone choose to go to hell?”
In the same way that people choose behaviors that lead to skid row, the cancer ward or the coronary care unit. At first the decision to consume an alcoholic beverage or use tobacco seems like a freedom of choice. But it can quickly lead to a form of slavery called an addiction.
Once enslaved by such a habit, it’s only a matter of time until the consequences hit. That is unless the belief behind the behavior is changed to the point that something else (like living healthier and longer) becomes more important.
Usually what happens is that the pleasure of the experience becomes more important than the consequences. So much so that reality is ignored and we believe the lie: “Nothing bad will ever happen to me!” And the same thing can happen to us spiritually.
The Bible tells us that we were made to live for God. Instead we look to love, work, achievement, or morality to give us meaning and worth. So every person, religious or not, is worshiping something—a functional savior other than God—to feel worthwhile.
Rather than trying to prevent us from enjoying life, God warns us about things that will ruin our health and our lives. Only worshipping him brings contentment, joy and satisfaction in life.
Sin is really worshiping anything but God—and the wages of sin in this life is slavery.
What’s sad is that many people would rather have their freedom (as they define it) than salvation. Why? Because salvation, according to the Bible, is trusting Jesus Christ to save us from hell instead believing (mistakenly) our own goodness will do it. It puts God in control.
Only God can save us; we cannot save ourselves any more than a drowning man can.
Hell is really the freely chosen eternal skid row of the universe. As author C. S. Lewis put it, Hell is “the greatest monument to human freedom.”
We go to hell only by choosing to ignore Jesus Christ’s work on the cross.
The universal religion of this world is that we develop a good record, give it to God, and then he owes us. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that he developed a good record, gives it to us and then we owe him. He doesn’t force us to trust him, he invites us to come to him and be forgiven.
So you can imagine with John Lennon that there’s no hell, or you can believe the Bible when it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Go to hell? The choice is yours. But don’t blame God. He doesn’t want you there.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
3 comments:
Great column Chris! I supppose people will have things to say about it and it wll be interesting to see if they are willing to "go public" with their comments. The Gospel really is black and white, plain, simple, and to the point. Oh how the Christian community has clouded the waters.
blessings,
Terry
Very well put!
I did not use to understand how God could allow or instruct the harsh justice of the Old Testament till I read a lot of the Bible daily for a few years. Now I believe the Church basically is unaware of the judgment of God to come.
I know that we don’t understand when I see how the church gets so concerned when 100,000 starve and become homeless in another country and we all send food and go aid the needy.
Now this is good and what we are to do but if we really understood the magnitude of the justice of God that is coming to this earth… we would all be going to the aid of the lost and doing so in droves.
Revelation speaks of monumental things like 1/3 of the earth (millions) will perish this way and 1/3 will perish that way and they will curse God until the end and yet that is not even what I am talking about.
As we daily sit in compliancy… the millions and millions that currently die without God or salvation, do so not to a mere short and painful earthly death but to await “eternal justice”.
So is the Church living in ignorant bliss when we reach out to help 100,000 starving or homeless who are still alive… while we do nothing to help the millions who die and become… “eternally lost?”
Where is our concern for that and where is our urgency and do we really understand what the justice and judgment of God will be? I don’t think so or we would be torn for others.
Start reading many chapters of the Bible each day with an open heart and it will move you into action and your heart will be torn for others. By seeking you will find and God will give you a message to the lost and dying.
Well written Pastor Chris. I wonder if those who have passed on and believed that there were no hell or God, could have thier last 5 minutes back of life, would change thier mind? So many people have made decisions on thier death bed and many didn't. Either way they didn't get to enjoy the blessing and joy of knowing that Jesus saved us from having to go to hell, as you said. Still many will continue thier style of life without worry when thier last 5 minutes may be. Bless you and your Church, continue to grow!
Kevin
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