Heaven & Hell: Hard Conversations

The Book is called, Love Wins. The author of course, is Rob Bell. One thing I appreciate about Bell is that he likes to push the envelope and stretch us to think through our Christian tradition. He wants to challenge the status quo and make us think outside the box for Jesus. He really wants us to re-engage in a conversation that we thought was finished a long time ago.

A conversation we don't like having because of the implications it could have on our family members, friends, aquaintences, even that obnoxious co-worker, who always says bad things to the boss about you.

Do only a select few make it to heaven?

Would a loving God really allow those who did not believe in Jesus to be punished in hell for an eternity?

Tough questions, hard conversations.  

In Love Wins, Bell addresses these issues and refers to the traditional view as "misguided" and "toxic," doctrines that have subverted the message of Jesus, which revolves around love, peace, forgiveness and joy. 

Again, it's a hard conversation.  

So, has Bell uncovered truths in Scripture that most of Christendom has missed? Is he a modern day Martin Luther, who will reform the church and its traditional interpretation of heaven and hell?

I realize many would side with Bell, including some Christians, and say his arguments are convincing. But most would base their beliefs on how they feel, and not  view the Bible as the inerrant, inspired, and the revealed word of God, like Bell claims it is. I can respect those folks because they won't use Scripture as a prooftext for their position. They just don't believe it!

Not Bell. He tries to convince us it teaches universalism.

I want this to be true? It is a message my "itching ears" wants to hear.

But is it true?

Bell thinks so, and here are some verses he uses in Scripture to support his basic premise that most everyone will make it to heaven. Remember the book is called, Love Wins for a reason.  His argument can be summed up in a few words. All, means all. Everyone.

• All will be made alive in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22)

• Therefore, just as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. (Romans 5:18)

• For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, (Titus 2:11)

That's it. Everyone is going to heaven. On the surface, this reading sounds pretty convincing. All should mean all. The problem is that it usually doesn't. It could mean:

All humanity.

All Christians. 

All men.

All women.

The only way you know is based on the context.

I learned that the hard way when I saw a BBQ put on by a local hospital at a county fair. I was told all were welcome. As I was about to grab a plate, there was a sign that said, Welcome all Good Samaritan employees. Oops, all did not mean me. Had to put my fork back.

The moral of the story is to know the context.   

• All made alive in Christ refers to all those who have trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, which means Christians.

• The justification for all men, means salvation is available to all,  but does not mean everyone is automatically saved. In the end some accept; others reject Jesus.

• The grace of God bringing salvation to all people, once again, means it is available to all people regardless of their age, gender, or social stautus. It does not mean everbody will be saved on the planet. It means God does not discriminate

Bottom line: Know your context. All doesn't always mean all. Bell knows that. It just didn't fit in with his argument.

Is Jesus the Only Way?

Bell really stradles the fence here. He agrees, well sort of.

Quoting 1st Corinthians 10:4, Bell states, that Jesus manifested himself as a rock, literally, during the time of Moses. He ignores the possibility that Paul the apostle was using this as a spiritual metaphor, describing how Jesus was present with the Israelites as a source of refreshment and ultimately one of judgment (vs. 9).  

What's Bell's conclusion? Christ does not have to be a man, or a set of religious Christian beliefs. Instead he can manifest himself as anything, an energy, a spark, electricity, a force, peace and joy, a white light in a near death experience, or something good from another religion. Of course, this opens the door for Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or other folks from different religious backgrounds. It opens the door to good atheists.

Bell's belief is nothing new, it is known as Christian inclusivism. The idea simply stated, means that good people are Christians and they may not even know it. Billy Graham, now believes the same thing. You can check him out here.

Again, I love the idea of everyone going to heaven despite their religious convictions. But as much as I like it, is this what the Bible teaches?

John 3:16 states, For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in him will receive eternal life (John 3:16).

Seems pretty straightforward. The belief is in him.

Not a force.

Not a religious system

Not a good person

Not a rock

My "Itching ears" wants to hear something else, but Scripture says otherwise.

Now in the end, this narrows the list significantly.   

Hell: Eternal Punishment or not? 

Okay, now things are really getting hot, okay bad analogy.

Bell devotes an entire chapter on the reality of hell. He concludes hell is real, but not like Christians have understood it from Scripture. For him, hell is the present reality of suffering people.


Children that have lost limbs because of war.

Women who have been physically and emotionally abused.

People that have experienced devastating personal setback.


In fact, he goes on to say that Jesus never spoke about hell in a future context. Instead he was talking about the city dump and animals gnashig their teeth as they wrestled for food.

What about passages that suggest people will suffer eternally? Bell says, the Greek word, aion, was translated wrong, it it better understood as age, or period of time. Consequently, people may experience hell in this life for a period of time. People may experience judgment from God for a period of time. But in the end, it will be all good. People will come to Jesus. Love Wins. 

But here's the problem. What do you do with John 3:16, which also uses the same Greek word? Bell doesn't say, but if you applied his hermeneutical approach, it would read that Jesus will give believers in him, life, but only for a period of time.

Another thing Bell mentions is the idea that people will have a second chance to accept Christ after they die, completely ignoring Hebrews 9:27, which states, we live once and then face judgment. He even quotes the great reformer, Martin Luther, being open to the possibility based on a letter he wrote to a colleague. What he doesn't mention is what Luther writes next to complete his thought, namely,

"No one, however, can prove that he does do this.....But whether he gives faith or not, it is impossible for anyone to be saved without faith. Otherwise every sermon, the gospel, and faith would be vain, false, and deceptive, since the entire gospel makes faith necessary." (Works, 43, ed. and trans. G. Wienke and H. T. Lehmann [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1968], 53-54; WA 10.ii, 324.25-325.11)

So is eternal punishment a primitive fear tactic used to make others feel guilty? Maybe for some, like the "burn or repent" sandwichboard guy, but I don't think most Christians focus on that conversation with others.

Instead they want to focus on the love of Christ. The forgiveness of Christ. The peace of having Christ in their lives.



Final Thoughts.

I admit, the traditional understanding of heaven and hell is....

Hard to swallow.


Hard to chew.


Hard to digest.

It is not a fun conversation. It is not something my itching ears wants to hear.

I like Rob Bell. I like his heart to reach a gargantuan amount of people for Jesus. I like his desire that heaven will be grossly populated. I like he doesn't want to fathom a literal hell where people suffer eternally.

But what I don't like is that he is moving even further away from the fundamental  biblical teachings of Christianity. The teachings men and women gave their lives for as martyrs because of their refusal to deny Jesus and his teachings. What I don't like is that he selects certain verses, and ignores their context, repeatedly throughout his book. 

 Yes, he still claims to be a Evangelical Christian, but my sense is that it is only because he does not want a clean break at this stage in his ministry. 

The doctrines that he calls misguided and toxic, unfortunately are part of the package. If someone were given a chance at life, even though they would eventually die, wouldn't they choose life?

The issue is how one looks at Christianity? I choose to present it as one filled with love, hope, forgiveness, and peace.

How do you look at your own life? Do you choose not to live because you are going to die? No, you live. You don't focus on the negative. It is there. But so is beautiful life ahead.

In the end, the focus on the Christian message should be....

To live.

To love

To worship

To acknowledge the works of Jesus, the Christ, the Savior.


Why?

Because Love has Won!