How Can a Good God send anyone to Hell?

Welcome to the fourth in our big questions series.

This is another really difficult one.

Maybe many of you, maybe all of us have wrestled with this at some point.

How can a good God judge anyone?

How can a good God send anyone to hell?

What I want us to do before thinking about that question

is to hear one of the many places where Jesus teaches about heaven and hell.

We're going to listen to a parable that we find in Luke chapter 16,

Luke 16 · chapter mention

beginning at verse 19.

So this is Jesus teaching.

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen

and lived in luxury every day.

At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus,

covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table.

Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The time came when the beggar died

and the angels carried him to Abraham's side.

The rich man also died and was buried.

In Hades, where he was in torment,

he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.

So he called to him,

Father Abraham, have pity on me

and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water

and cool my tongue

because I am in agony in this fire.

But Abraham replied,

Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things

while Lazarus received bad things.

But now he is comforted here and you are in agony.

And besides all this,

between us and you a great chasm has been set in place

so that those who want to go from here to you cannot,

nor can anyone cross over from there to us.

He answered,

Then I beg you, Father,

send Lazarus to my family,

for I have five brothers.

Let him warn them

so that they will not also come to this place of torment.

Abraham replied,

They have Moses and the prophets.

Let them listen to them.

No, Father Abraham, he said,

but if someone from the dead goes to them,

they will repent.

He said to them,

If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,

they will not be convinced,

even if someone rises from the dead.

I think this is most likely the hardest question

that we have to tackle.

As Christians,

one of those questions that we face,

perhaps most often the challenges we face most often,

some of the reasons why it's so difficult.

First of all,

there's an emotional response that we have to it, isn't there?

It's unpleasant to think about,

to talk about,

judgment and hell.

And that can very easily trump the question,

Is it morally right?

We go with our gut

and it's hard to think beyond that.

Another challenge that presents itself

is views of tolerance

that we have in society.

So many people

reckon that we are free

to decide our own moral values.

So that the idea of objective values

coming from God

are very unpopular in some places.

The idea of a God

who would judge

sincerely held beliefs

is confusing to people.

The idea of a final judgment,

a judgment day

doesn't make sense to many.

It's one of these places

where Christianity challenges

our culture

here on the topic of tolerance.

I think from a Christian point of view,

we fear being labelled as judgmental,

that we might seem to be proud,

arrogant in some way.

Nobody wants to be considered judgmental

and so we can easily shy away

and struggle to know

how to deal with the question.

We also have the obstacle

of popular views of God

and in particular,

that view that says,

well, I believe in a God of love,

a God without justice,

a God who is loving.

And so there's no room there for justice,

certainly no room for hell.

We need to understand, of course,

that that is a modern invention.

There are no religious texts.

There are no religious cultures

at any point in history

that simply had a God of love full stop.

That is in itself a leap of faith,

but nevertheless,

it does make it difficult

when we come to the question

of hell and judgment.

But what I hope we can do

is take an honest look

at a hard subject

to think about what the Bible teaches

and especially to think about

what Jesus has to say.

But let's begin with the question,

how could a loving God judge anyone?

I want to follow three distinct lines

of thought at this stage.

First, to recognise

that we are free moral agents.

At issue is the question,

is God right?

Does he have the right

to hold us morally responsible?

Now, somebody like Sam Harris

would argue no.

He believes in a thing

called scientific determinism

and would argue that

we cannot control

our neurological processes

and therefore we cannot

be held responsible

for our behaviours.

Here's a quote from Sam Harris.

The idea that we,

as conscious beings,

are deeply responsible

for the character

of our mental lives

and subsequent behaviour

is simply impossible

to map onto reality.

Our question

is, does that make

the best sense of reality?

if we say that

nobody is accountable

for their actions,

it will, in a moment,

destroy our justice system.

It will also

stop us from praising

what we see as heroic

or noble on the other hand.

So we cannot condemn

someone as guilty

because it's just

their brain processes

and sort of automatic

responses and behaviour,

nor can we praise

great acts of courage

or of self-sacrifice.

To go down that route

that says we're not

free moral agents

is to strip away

our moral fabric,

to strip away

a significant part

of our dignity

as human beings

and instinctively

in our understanding

that there is

right and wrong,

there's beauty

and ugliness,

we are people

who recognise

justice,

we recognise

that people

are making choices

and so it makes

best sense

of the evidence

to say that we are

free moral agents.

The second

line of thought

at this stage

is to recognise,

although it seems

initially

a paradox

that love

and justice

can coexist.

For many

the idea

of a God

who has

wrath

or anger

against sin

seems

sub-God,

it's beneath

God.

the question

is posed,

well can't we

just remove

judgement

to have

only

love?

But others

have noticed

a problem.

The opposite

of

love

is apathy

or indifference.

So a God

who didn't

care

about

evil

a God

who was

not

concerned

with

injustice

would not

be more

loving,

rather

it would

be a God

not worthy

of our

worship.

To make

things personal

for a moment,

suppose you

were to see

a friend

or a family

member

be mocked

or abused.

what feelings

would we

have?

Well surely

there would

be a sense

of anger

at wrongdoing,

there would

be a desire

for justice.

And the

more love

that we

have for

a person,

the greater

that sense

of justice

would be.

Think about

how we

respond

to the

horrible

things we

hear about

in the

news,

whether

that's

trafficking

or dictators

or racism.

We respond

as moral

agents.

We feel

that certain

things are

wrong and

the more

we love,

the more

we feel

that.

Now bearing

in mind,

as the

Bible tells

us,

people are

God's

image

bearers.

If we

feel

and recognise

and respond

with a

desire for

justice,

we cannot

deny that

to God.

When he

sees evil

and injustice,

we cannot

expect him

to just

turn a

blind eye

to them.

He is too

loving for

them.

We need

to recognise

that our

feelings

of anger

and injustice

are just a

drop in the

ocean

compared

to God's.

God is

righteously

angry

against the

horror of

sin that

is destroying

and ripping

apart the

beauty and

the peace

of his

creation.

Before we

move on,

a few years

ago I came

across the

writings of

Miroslav

Wolf.

He is

a theologian

who grew

up and

lived through

the Balkan

wars of

the 90s.

And for

Wolf,

he understood

that only

a genuine

belief in

the final

judgment of

God was

able to

stop the

cycle of

killing and

revenge.

That it

leaving

vengeance in

God's

hands

allowed

people the

freedom to

forgive and

to move

on.

So love

and justice

can co-exist.

And the

third line

of thinking

I want us

to pursue

for a couple

of minutes

is that

the punishment

that's described

in the

Bible does

fit the

crime.

one

significant

struggle that

we have

in the

question of

how could

God judge

anyone

is that

we have

made sin

a small

thing.

It seems

like no

big deal.

And coupled

to that we

have lost

sight of

the

perfect

holiness of

God.

That he

is morally

perfect,

his glory

is far

above

us.

And when

we lose

sight of

the seriousness

of sin

and the

holiness of

God,

we imagine

God can

simply sweep

sin under

the rug.

He can

let everyone

into

heaven.

We can

follow the

logic,

well,

God forgives

everyone,

that's his

job.

God is

unchanging

in his

character.

And the

ugliness of

sin,

if God

was simply

to ignore

it and

sweep it

under the

rug,

it would

mean God

being

untrue to

himself.

God is

unchanging

in his

character.

He cannot

act in

ways that

are unjust

or unholy.

And so

for our

whole

understanding

of this

question,

we need

to recover

the view

that God

is perfectly

holy.

And we

need to

reckon

with sin

being directed

against this

holy God.

And it's no

small thing,

rather, as

R.C.

Sproul put it,

it's an act

of cosmic

treason.

Our sin

is an

infinite

offence

against the

infinitely

holy and

glorious

God,

and as

such,

it deserves

infinite

punishment.

A picture

to help

us.

If you

were to

go behind

my back

and to

plot

against me

for some

reason,

I would

find that

sad,

obviously,

but at the

end of the

day, it

would be

no

big

deal.

But

if we

do the

same to

the

Queen,

well, that

could become

an act

of treason.

And that

could land

you in the

Tower of

London.

We need

to think

about who

we're dealing

with, who

we sin

against.

So where

have we

got to

so far?

We have

considered that

we are morally

responsible for

our actions

and our

decisions,

and that

includes

how we

respond to

God and

especially how

we respond to

Jesus as

Saviour.

We show

in everyday

life that

to love

is to

care about

justice.

And we've

seen that God

is no different.

In fact, God

is the perfect

example of

that.

And we've

also considered

that we're

dealing with

an absolutely

holy and

perfect God,

also rejecting

and rebelling

against him

is very

serious.

And those

three realities,

they underpin

the teaching

of the Bible,

the teaching

of Jesus

on judgment,

on heaven

and hell.

So let's

turn there

next.

And what I

want us to

do is to

think about

heaven and

hell in

terms of

relationship

to Jesus.

Now typically,

heaven and

hell, we

think about

them as

places,

and maybe

those places,

if we go to

one or the

other, it

depends on

our actions,

but it's

better, I

think more

helpful for

us, to

see that

those places

are tied up

to our

relationship

to Jesus,

the response

we make

to him.

And as we

begin to

think about

the subject,

let's just

remember Jesus

regarded by

many Christians

and non-Christians

as the most

loving person

who ever

lived.

This is the

Jesus who

wept over

the city

of Jerusalem

knowing that

they had

chosen to

reject him.

This is the

Jesus who

prayed,

Father,

forgive them

of his

enemies who

are nailing

him to a

cross.

It's this

Jesus who

taught more

about heaven

and hell

and the

judgment of

God than

anybody else

in the

whole Bible.

And so we

need to

recognise that

its foundation

as truth

is not

hateful.

Rather,

in the

hands of

Jesus,

in the

teaching of

Jesus,

there is a

loving invitation

to receive

him and

receive the

joy of

heaven and

there is a

loving warning

to receive

Jesus and

avoid the

danger and

the punishment

of hell.

In the

teaching of

Jesus,

in his

parables,

he used

lots of

different

pictures,

heaven is

pictured as

homecoming,

it's pictured

as wedding,

it's pictured

as a

great feast.

All of

those pictures

speaking to

us of joy

and life

and celebration

and all

about

relationship.

And Jesus

emphasised

relationship to

himself and

to God as

Father.

And in

those same

parables and

teachings,

hell is the

opposite,

hell is the

shut door,

hell is the

outer darkness,

hell is the

agony and

the wailing.

And the

point that I

want us to

really to take

away and to

consider is

what we're not

doing is

choosing

heaven or

hell

fundamentally.

what we're

choosing today,

what you and

I are choosing

today is

am I

accepting

or rejecting

Jesus?

He offers me

forgiveness,

he offers me

life,

he offers me

heaven,

he offers to

save me from

hell,

do I accept

or do I

reject him?

And I want

to see this in

the parable

that we read

at the beginning,

Luke chapter

Luke 16 · chapter mention

16,

the story of

the rich man

and Lazarus

that Jesus

told.

We see

two extremes

in their

life as

Jesus paints

a picture

for us.

This rich man

lives in

extreme luxury

whereas Lazarus

lives in

extreme poverty

just outside

his gate

with dogs

licking his

sores and

desperate to

get even the

crumbs from

the rich man's

table.

But then the

story moves

on and we

see two

extremes

in eternity.

They both

die and

Lazarus

finds himself

in Abraham's

bosom,

a place of

comfort and

security.

Abraham,

the father of

faith,

Abraham who

received covenant

promises from

God.

Here is a

picture of

Lazarus

enjoying

blessing

in God's

place

among God's

people,

knowing peace

with God

and joy

of life

made perfect

but the

rich man,

the contrast

is stark.

We are told

he is in

torment.

He says

that he is

in agony.

We are told

that he is

in the

fire.

Now it's

important to

recognise

that some

of the

imagery of

hell is

just that.

It's a

picture fire

here.

Here is a

picture but

we need to

understand it's

a picture that

speaks to

a certain

reality.

It represents

the horror

of what it

means to

receive

punishment

and to

face

eternal

separation.

In our

story,

reality sets

in and

we recognise

that hell

is real,

hell is

eternal,

and there

is this

great

chasm.

So there

is a

point of

no return,

there is

no crossing.

And out

of this

misery and

torment,

the rich

man responds

by wanting

to sound a

warning to

his family.

and so the

rich man asks

Abraham in

the parable

to send

Lazarus to

his brothers

and the

response is

they have

the word

of God

that that

should be

enough for

them.

They have

Moses and

the prophets.

the rich

man comes

back and

says,

no,

if somebody

comes and

appears from

the dead,

then they'll

repent,

then they'll

believe,

and the

climax of

the story,

if they do

not listen to

Moses and

the prophets,

if they don't

listen to the

word of God,

they will not

be convinced

even if

someone rises

from the

dead.

in Jesus

teaching.

There are

people who

have the

Bible and

don't listen

to its

warnings and

invitations.

There's some

who won't

believe even

in the face

of resurrection.

What's Jesus

driving at

here?

Well, in

one sense,

here is another

way of Jesus

to make the

point that the

whole Bible

is about

him,

about the

fact that

God in

his grace

has

responded to

human sin

and misery

by promising

a saviour,

that saviour

who is God's

own son,

who comes

out of sheer

mercy and

grace to be

Messiah,

saviour,

to become

the sacrifice

for sin

at the cross

and the one

who calls

us to

faith in

him and

to repentance,

to turning

away from

sin.

It also

is pointing

forward to

the reality

that Jesus

would conquer

hell by

his

resurrection,

that faith

in Jesus

is the

only way

to enjoy

heaven and

not hell,

but sadly,

some people

won't believe

even a

risen saviour.

The Bible

teaches that

we are made

for friendship

with God

and sin is

what separates

and what

severs that

relationship.

To lose

God's

presence

is tragedy.

To lose

God's

presence

eternally

is hell.

So Jesus,

in his life,

in his teaching,

he issues a

loving invitation,

an offer that

doesn't last

forever,

and he

speaks of

the reality

of hell

to give

urgency

to the

decision

that we

all have

to make.

Now,

of course,

many people

in Jesus'

day,

they rejected

him,

they chose

another path,

many people

today.

Well,

I have

better offers

on the

table than

the one

to follow

Jesus.

I have

more

freedom

to enjoy

than what

Jesus offers

and next

week we'll

think about

the whole

question of

freedom.

I have

time on

my side,

maybe at

some other

point I'll

consider Jesus,

but we need

to recognise

what we do

with his

invitation

determines

our eternal

destiny.

So moving

from heaven

and hell

and our

relationship

to Jesus,

I want us

lastly to

think about

heaven and

hell and

what it says

about the

love of

Jesus.

God

and perhaps

that in

itself seems

surprising to

put together.

I want to

turn our

usual question

on its

head so

that instead

of asking

how could a

good and

loving God

send anyone

to hell,

I want to

ask how

could a

good and

loving and

just God

allow anyone

into heaven?

Take just a

moment of

honest reflection

and you know

as well as I

do that we

have guilty

secrets,

that we

hide things

from others.

we're very

careful in

the image

that we

project.

We sometimes

in our

church use

the

Christianity

Explored

course to

help people

to investigate

the Christian

faith and it

has a

powerful

illustration

there where

Rico Teiss,

the presenter,

asked the

question if

there was a

big screen

showing of

all the

thoughts

running through

our heads

that was

available for

the world

to see.

How would

we feel

about that?

It sounds

awful doesn't

it?

We would

feel so

exposed and

ashamed.

One of the

ways the

Bible functions

is it

functions as

a search

light.

The light

of its

perfection

exposes our

failures.

It lays

bare the

darkness of

our thoughts

and words

and actions

and motives

when we

really listen

to it but

yet remarkably

that search

light isn't

there to

condemn us

as criminals

it's intended

to find us

so that we

might be

brought home

that against

the dark

backdrop

of our

sin

and the

consequence

of that

which is

separation

from God

and hell

the light

of Jesus

the love

of Jesus

shines

to bring

hope

and grace

and to

see this

we need to

see what

the cross

of Jesus

is all

about.

So the

night before

Jesus died

he was in

the garden

of Gethsemane

and he

prayed

Father

if it is

possible

take this

cup

from me

yet not

my will

but yours

be done.

Now what

is this

cup

that he

was asking

to be

removed

if possible?

Well we

discover that

image in the

Old Testament

a picture of

God's holy

anger against

sin being

poured out

for his

enemies to

drink.

That anger

of God

that would

come against

nations for

idolatry

for child

sacrifice

for exploiting

the poor

for rejection

of him

and his

word

and when

we look

at the

cross

we need

to see

Jesus

drinking

down

God's

righteous

anger

at sin

my sin

to see

that Jesus

in love

will face

hell

will cry

my God

my God

why have

you forsaken

me to

give me

heaven.

Now the

question then

arises well

how does this

not make

God and

the cross

unjust

if Jesus

is righteous

and innocent

as we believe

then how can

this be just

and we need

to see

that this

isn't

the father

punishing

the son

and the son

is passive

and receiving

the anger

of an

angry father

Jesus

we need to

understand

is God

he is not

a passive

victim

he is both

the judge

and the

condemned

on the cross

he gives

his life

as a sacrifice

but on the

last day

Jesus will

return as

judge

and so

the wrath

of God

against sin

is

the wrath

of Jesus

and there is

mystery there

but we affirm

it to be true

and we also

need to see

that Jesus

cannot be

separated

from his

people

he is the

head

and his

people

the church

is the

body

so he

represents

his people

and we are

united

to him

he becomes

one of us

that he might

bear the

punishment

and face

hell

for us

and united

with him

as it goes

for Jesus

so it

goes

for us

he dies

to sin

so that we

can die

to sin

and live

a righteous

life

with God

and for

God

so when we

look at the

cross we see

both a

demonstration

of God's

righteous

anger

at sin

as Jesus

the sin

bearer

faces it

but we

also see

the cross

as the

loving

response of

God

to rescue

sinners

and invite

us

to heaven

which is

the relationship

with God

and the love

that that

brings

so the choice

we all face

as we come

to a close

is this

knowing that

we have

all sins

that we have

failed to love

God and to

love others

perfectly

knowing that

the just

punishment

for that

is

separation

from God

and hell

for all

eternity

the choice

is simple

will I face

hell

by myself

or will I

trust Jesus

and his

love

and will I

hide myself

in him

the scandal

at the heart

of Christianity

is that

anyone who

believes

will be

saved

because of

God's

free grace

to us

in Jesus

and Jesus

loving

invitation

is open

to

all

so

philosopher

JP

Moreland

is right

when he

says

I believe

that hell

is morally

justifiable

but I don't

feel comfortable

about it

because it's

sad

the proper

thing to

do

is admit

that hell

is real

and allow

our feelings

of discomfort

to motivate

us to

action

whether that's

turning to

Jesus as

saviour

or sharing

the good

news of

Jesus with

urgency

to others

let's pray

briefly

Lord God

as we have

considered

one of the

hardest

topics

for us

to think

about

emotionally

we do

thank you

that we

can look

through the

Bible

and we

can

listen to

the teaching

of Jesus

thank you

that we see

in Jesus

someone who

is loving

and not

hateful

we see

in Jesus

someone who

would give

his own

life

who would

face

hell

so that

all who

would trust

in him

by faith

need not

face

judgment

we pray

that you

would help

us to

honestly

wrestle

with

the feelings

that we

have

but also

to think

about

what the

Bible

teaches

that you

would give

us that

sense of

urgency

that you

would help

us to see

our eternal

destiny

hinges on

how we

respond

to the

loving

invitation

and the

loving

warning

of Jesus

we

ask

that you

would help

us

and guide

us

amen

to

you