The Reality of Hell -- Pt 1

As a pastor of an E-Free church, I hold as a biblical conviction the 12th statement of our "Statement of Faith" which reads:

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.

The reality of hell is not popular subject with most people, but following Jesus is not about popularity. Following Jesus is about trusting Him, loving Him, believing Him and obeying Him. R. C. Sproul writes about Jesus and hell:

Almost all the biblical teaching about hell comes from the lips of Jesus. It is this doctrine, perhaps more than any other, that strains even the Christian’s loyalty to the teaching of Christ. Modern Christians have pushed the limits of minimizing hell in an effort to sidestep or soften Jesus’ own teaching.

I spent some time studying this topic and plan to post some thoughts and quotes over the next few weeks. I will begin by recommending a short article by R. C. Sproul that you can read here.

In Short he makes these points:

1. The suffering of hell is beyond any experience of misery found in this world.
2. Hell is clearly included in the teaching of Jesus.
3. If the biblical descriptions of hell are symbols, then the reality will be worse than the symbols.
4. Hell is the presence of God in His wrath and judgment.
5. There is no cruelty in hell. Hell will be a place of perfect justice.
6. Hell is eternal. There is no escape through either repentance or annihilation.