The Word Hell

[SH89]

After attending my church(or rather, a building holding the church)for about a year, i have noticed that in all of the sermons, i have not heard the word "HELL" be used once!

I found this quote online:
John MacArthur said, "We need to adjust our presentation of the gospel. We cannot dismiss the fact that God hates sin and punishes sinners with eternal torment. How can we begin a gospel presentation by telling people on their way to hell that God has a wonderful plan for their lives?"

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.-mark16:16

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.john3:36

There are tons and tons of scriptures that say that if we reject Jesus we will be damned!

 

[trying_ 2B_wheat]

come to think of it, i dont hear it very often either. but we spend less time on telling people whats gonna happen if you dont believe and more on telling people how to become more Christianly

 

[New_Wineskin]

My focus is on the Lord . I have a relationship with Him - not Hell . Since it has no bearing on my life , I don't need to hear about it once a week or even once a month . I don't need to hear about it at all .

 

[whitmorris]

I agree with new_wineskin. Why should we focus on telling people that they are damned? That only turns them away from the ministry. We need to preach the greatness and glory of the lord and not make him look like a merciless condemning God.

 

[Sketcher]

You can't have a true Gospel message without hell, and you can't give a true picture of God if ou're just focusing on hell all the time. Hell needs to be worked in there sometime.

 

[iglesia]

After attending my church(or rather, a building holding the church)for about a year, i have noticed that in all of the sermons, i have not heard the word "HELL" be used once!

I found this quote online:
John MacArthur said, "We need to adjust our presentation of the gospel. We cannot dismiss the fact that God hates sin and punishes sinners with eternal torment. How can we begin a gospel presentation by telling people on their way to hell that God has a wonderful plan for their lives?"

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.-mark16:16

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.john3:36

There are tons and tons of scriptures that say that if we reject Jesus we will be damned!

The central message of the gospel is salvation through faith in Christ. Although, the scriptures certainly reinforce the emptiness of eternity without Christ, this is not the Good News which makes the gospel special. The Good News is that we don't have to rely on our best efforts to overcome that emptiness (which would make such a goal impossible), but that it is offered to us as a gift for those who would accept it. I see nothing wrong with a church that focuses on this good news (even at the expense of talking about Hell). In fact, I would have a problem with a church that doesn't.

 

[Sketcher]

The central message of the gospel is salvation through faith in Christ. Although, the scriptures certainly reinforce the emptiness of eternity without Christ, this is not the Good News which makes the gospel special. The Good News is that we don't have to rely on our best efforts to overcome that emptiness (which would make such a goal impossible), but that it is offered to us as a gift for those who would accept it. I see nothing wrong with a church that focuses on this good news (even at the expense of talking about Hell). In fact, I would have a problem with a church that doesn't.

But what is this emptiness? Is it hell you are talking about, or the general dirt and emptiness of this life?

Christianity should never be reduced to a happy medicine. God never intended it to be that kind of thing anyway. Take two men who are on a plane. A stewardess comes by passing out parachutes. To one, she says, "Here, put this on, your flight will be more comfortable." The man takes it, puts it on, but immediately starts getting frustrated. He's not more comfortable, rather it's making the flight a lot LESS comfortable, no matter how hard he tries to adjust his seat and position. But to another man, she says "Here, this will save your life if the plane crashes." He gladly accepts it, and the extra bulk is not much of a concern to him because he knows what it is for and why it will come in handy.

Christianity is much like that. Christians under persecution are holding onto something beyond worldy comfort - they know that as bad as their imprisonment, torture, and execution may be, they are avoiding something far worse and going to something far greater.

Jesus, who was full of good news and grace, talked about hell more than anybody else did in the whole Bible. It was in fact a major subject. Without at least touching on hell, people are not getting the fullness of the Gospel message.

 

[ChristianMuse]

My focus is on the Lord . I have a relationship with Him - not Hell . Since it has no bearing on my life , I don't need to hear about it once a week or even once a month . I don't need to hear about it at all .

It is certainly true that Christians have no need to avoid hell since that has already been accomplished in each believer's life. Yet...

Not all who attend church are saved.
1/ The visitor.
2/ There are also some people that call themselves Christian who are not saved for they do not understand the gospel.

What about those who do know the gospel and are saved? They need to be reminded from time to time about the price that was paid and the cost for not believing. This is specially true for those churches who's ministry is more evangelistic.

Hell is a big part of the gospel message. It is a small part of the christian message. In a well rounded (educated) church an understanding of hell and what it represents is neccesary.

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

Although I'm not a fan of fire and brimstone messages, I think in many churches an unbalanced view of Christianity is portrayed. Many Christians want to hear the fluffy purpose-driven messages and not focus as much on anything uncomfortable. We like the stuff that 'tickles our ears'. I think many Christian churches are failing to present the total message.

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

Christianity should never be reduced to a happy medicine. God never intended it to be that kind of thing anyway. Take two men who are on a plane. A stewardess comes by passing out parachutes. To one, she says, "Here, put this on, your flight will be more comfortable." The man takes it, puts it on, but immediately starts getting frustrated. He's not more comfortable, rather it's making the flight a lot LESS comfortable, no matter how hard he tries to adjust his seat and position. But to another man, she says "Here, this will save your life if the plane crashes." He gladly accepts it, and the extra bulk is not much of a concern to him because he knows what it is for and why it will come in handy.

Now this is a good analogy.

 

[StevenL]

Which "hell" are you talking about? What is the derivation and meaning of the English word "hell"? Anybody really know? Are you talking about "sheol" that was translated as hell? Or "hades"? Or "gehenna"? Or "tartarus"? Which hell do you mean?

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

Which "hell" are you talking about? What is the derivation and meaning of the English word "hell"? Anybody really know? Are you talking about "sheol" that was translated as hell? Or "hades"? Or "gehenna"? Or "tartarus"? Which hell do you mean?

(asked politely because I really am interested)

Does it matter?

 

[Lynn73]

You can't have a true Gospel message without hell, and you can't give a true picture of God if ou're just focusing on hell all the time. Hell needs to be worked in there sometime.

I agree. Hell is a reality for the lost and it shouldn't be ignored. I can't remember the last time our pastor preached on hell.

 

[gazza2000]

Yes but the Lord does have a wonderfull plan for everyone so I see no reason not to tell someone that. Have yo uever walked up to osmeone and said "Your going to hell become a Christian", it's not going to work.

 

[ChristianMuse]

Yes but the Lord does have a wonderfull plan for everyone so I see no reason not to tell someone that. Have yo uever walked up to osmeone and said "Your going to hell become a Christian", it's not going to work.

Too many people think of Christianity as a philosophy. The church is where the club meets and expresses itself in various activities. Too many people do not realize that there are eternal consequences for sin. Too many do not understand the nature of man. Too many think that there are many paths to the truth. Too many are going to be lost. The gospel is a witness to people about these truths. It is not whether they all will accept it. Nor is it that few will believe. It is the call to the world to repent. It is the prophetic message. And few there be that find it.

 

[New_Wineskin]

It is certainly true that Christians have no need to avoid hell since that has already been accomplished in each believer's life. Yet...

Not all who attend church are saved.
1/ The visitor.
2/ There are also some people that call themselves Christian who are not saved for they do not understand the gospel.

What about those who do know the gospel and are saved? They need to be reminded from time to time about the price that was paid and the cost for not believing. This is specially true for those churches who's ministry is more evangelistic.

Hell is a big part of the gospel message. It is a small part of the christian message. In a well rounded (educated) church an understanding of hell and what it represents is neccesary.

Well , I disagree that Hell has a major part of the gospel . That would only create people who want salvation from hell and not a relationship with the Lord .

Be that as it may ( and back to the discussion ) ... many people go to these meetings for the sermon ( I don't but many say that is one of the major reasons for attending meetings ) . If the message is about the gospel or basics , that can be mentioned in advance so that those who already know about the topic may take the opportunity to do something else and , perhaps , somewhere else . One could always speak on something else and any unbeliever present can ask questions about the topic which may lead to the gospel . After all , it isn't as if many people will speak on something as a discussion - more of a lecture . That doesn't help people who want to ask questions about what they hear .

 

[StevenL]

(asked politely because I really am interested)

Does it matter?

It does if we want to understand what was actually said at the time it was written. If not, we can just lump all the ideas into one at our whim...and call them "hell."

The word "hell" comes from the same root as "hole"... It means ...hidden, concealed, unseen, not perceived.

We have many ideas about "hell" that did not come from the original language and speaker. Like devils and pitchforks....laughing as they poke the damned.

Hades and gehenna are both translated as hell. Revelation says that hell (hades) will be thrown into the lake of fire (hell). So.... hell will be thrown into hell? That is confusion.

A tongue can be set on fire by "hell" (gehenna). So is "hell" a place way over there after death.....or is it here now?

Souls and bodies are destroyed in hell (gehenna) fire.

The rich man is tormented in hell (hades)....but....hades is thrown into the lake of fire. Was that his eternal state?

Our God is a consuming Fire.

There are many things we don't quite get about "hell" and there is much much confusion. And, I believe, false doctrine.

As far as "hell" being part of the good news....we should use the words and ideas of the original Scriptures and not preach confusion.

 

[Athanasian Creed]

The Good News IS that despite deserving a Christless, everlasting torment in the Lake of Fire, Christ died for us so that we could be spared.

Before one can fully appreciate that Good News, one needs to understand the Bad News first and foremost !!


Ray

 

[Asaph]

Does the word "hello" derive from the word "hell"?

If so, I wish I'd have known that before that last wife greeted me the first time. Would have saved me a passle of torment.

Asaph

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

You'll never guess what a part of our sermon covered today, hell. The message was discussing God's grace.

Having been a part of the 'fluffy' churches, I appreciate a church with balance.

God bless