Would a Loving God Really Send Anyone to Hell?

            I find it disturbing that there are increasing numbers of Christians who question the existence of hell and Satan.  In defense of their position they ask, “Would a loving God really send anyone to a place like hell?”  In an age where we have come to embrace the concept of grace such as many have never done, this question is difficult for many to answer.  After all, God’s grace is offered to everyone, right?  Furthermore, God is love, right?  Jesus died for the world, for all people.  Who of us have a right to judge anyone else?  I mean, we are all sinners, right?  And, for most of us who are enlightened, hell-fire and damnation sermons are just downright offensive.  We want to reach out to the lost (lost to what?) with the love and grace of God.  Because, we all know that perfect love casts out fear.  If we are uncomfortable around people who are practicing a sinful lifestyle we are branded with all sorts of labels.  We are looked down upon as discompassionate, ignorant, homophobic, legalistic, hard-nosed, holier-than-thou, unenlightened, mean-spirited...the list goes on.  This is not to say that there aren’t those who forget to love the sinner, while hating the sin.  There are all sorts of radical people.  But, are we to turn a blind eye to sin?  Are we to condone sinful activity in the name of God’s grace and love?  Is there no line between good and evil?  Are there no consequences for sin?
            Back to the question of whether or not God would send someone to hell.  It’s too simple to point out that the Bible says He will, even though that is true.  For many, simply because the Bible condemns sinful activity, it isn’t enough.  Our world is filled with supposed scholars who have convinced many that the Bible is  unreliable because of its many translations.  However, those same scholars would stand by the reliability of many secular ancient writings that have also gone through numerous translations.  Given the limited faith of many Christians in the veracity of scripture, allow me to make a logical appeal.  Let’s be honest.  How many of us are comfortable to be in the presence of sinful people?  Even those who are caught up in sin themselves are uncomfortable in the presence of someone who is in the process of committing murder or child molestation.  Would a loving God subject His faithful (not perfect) followers to an eternity of having to rub elbows with those who refuse to give up their sinful activity?  And then, I guess we need to ask ourselves if God is a just God.  Do we really believe that Jesus gave His life so that those who believe in Him might have eternal life and not perish?  Is there really to be no consequence for living a life of sin?  If God is just there must be consequences for those who choose to persist in their sin.  Oh, I know for those of you who still believe in the Bible you are shouting at this point, “IT’S WRITTEN IN GOD’S WORD!”  And, you are right.  However, as I stated earlier, there are many Christians who are being brainwashed by scholars who do not believe.
            I know I’m taking a risk by calling sin what it is, but I feel that I am in good company.  Jesus and His disciples did the same and they were persecuted by the supposed religious scholars of their day.  I feel no compulsion to condone the sinful activity of others.  I feel every compulsion to love them in spite of their sinful activity.  I feel every compulsion to remind them that if they persist in living contrary to God’s will that they will one day face His judgement and that they could very easily be in danger of living for eternity in a place called hell – a place that is reserved for a very real Satan and those who have chosen to follow him.  So, I guess if that makes me a little hard-nosed I can accept that.  However, don’t tell me that I have no compassion, or that I am ignorant, homophobic, legalistic, holier-than-thou, unenlightened, or mean-spirited.  I am none of these, and find people who are to be just as repulsive as those who continue to live in sin.  I am making an appeal to all Christians to stand up for what God does and to remember that He is repulsed by sin.  He, in His unlimited love and grace, has offered a way out of sin for all who chose to have faith in His Son.

Blogging, or Sharing our Journal

            Seems these days that a lot of people are blogging.  Why, even my eleven year old grand-daughter has a blog!  I guess we just like to share with others.  I can only speak for myself, but I find blogging to be a good method of sharing thoughts that I believe are worth sharing.  I write because I like to write, never fooling myself into believing that I am a gifted writer, I just try to put something of value on the printed page.  Whether it is of value or not depends on the reader’s perspective.
            I like people.  I have always like people.  I love to just sit and observe the actions of those around me.  However, the thing I like most about people is our ability to communicate with each other.  Blogging is just another aspect of communication.  So, I write blogs and I read blogs.  Whenever I read a blog I try and leave a comment.  I hardly ever receive a comment on my blogs, but I would like to.  Therefore, as a tenet of the Golden Rule, I leave comments because I would like others to leave comments on my blogs.  However, there are times I leave comments because I’m hoping to spur on a dialogue.  I enjoy a good discussion.  Unfortunately, this hardly ever happens.  Is it because we are just too busy for such a discussion?  I hope that’s it.  It would be sad if it were because we just don’t care to carry on a dialogue with our fellow man.
            Most people journal because they believe they have something important that needs to be preserved for posterity’s sake, and I think this is valid.  Everyone has value and the ideas and thinking that goes into making each of us unique is of infinite worth.  My grand-daughter likes to read, and then share her critique of what she has read.  Are her views any less valid than those written up by book critics?  Of course, I’m her grand-father, but I really like to know how an eleven year old feels about a book she has read.  Furthermore, I enjoy listening to or reading any child’s thoughts on what they have read.  I read another blog written by a fellow who attended a Bible school with me.  I don’t really think he cares whether I do or not, but I find it interesting to see where he has come from and where he is going.  There’s another blog written by a young man in his thirties who was a teen when I preached at his church in Texas.  Again, I find it interesting to read about his life’s journey.  My daughter shares her personal struggles, and the blessings of life she enjoys, through her blog.  She writes well and has something important to say.  I find her blog both enlightening and entertaining.  All of these people blog for different reasons and in various manners.  All are of equal value to me.  The blog gives them a voice, and for those who take the time, that voice enriches their lives.  It only takes a few minutes to click on that link and read what they have to say.  And then, when you’re done reading, take just an extra minute to leave a comment.

Revelation

            A woman from our congregation recently asked me to read a book written by member of our church and then give her my opinion and feedback.  The book is a commentary on the book of Revelation.  As my wife and I sat visiting with this ninety-two year old woman, I briefly scanned the book, noting that it is not written from a scholarly perspective, rather by a man who has spent most of his life doing pulpit work within the Restoration brotherhood.  To be honest, I really wasn’t looking forward to reading what I could see is a book that has very little value to my life, or anyone else’s for that matter.  So, I explained to this fine Christian woman that if she really wanted me to read the book and give her my feedback I would, but first I wanted to give her a short synopsis of my feelings on the book of Revelation.
            Over the years I have found that a lot of new Christians want to study Revelation.  I’m not sure why all the fascination with a book that can be so confusing.  I find that the greatest value comes from the first few chapters, and, quite frankly, most of us don’t really understand their significance.  Jesus speaks to seven churches in Asia and finds serious fault with six of them.  However, all seven are referred to as the Lord’s church.  None of them are alike, they differ from each other in spectacular fashion.  Yet, it would appear they all have fellowship with one another.  If Christendom really understood these first few chapters we would not see the disunity that is so prevalent.  The world would see a church that is diverse, imperfect, and a lot less hypocritical.  They just might see Christ’s love being demonstrated within the church, instead of enmity.  But, we don’t get it.  We would rather point out the flaws of the six churches of Asia and smugly say, “We’re sure glad we aren’t like them!”
            Now we get to the meat of most peoples request to study Revelation – the prophecy.  As a young man, just getting started in ministry, two of my most valued mentors held opposing views of the millennium, which is what most of Revelation is talking about, right?  I mean, we get a glimpse of heaven and hell, but mostly we want to find out about the apocalypse, the end times, Christ’s reign over the earth.  You know, those kinds of things.  In short, the millennium.  Well, one of my mentors was pre-millennial, while the other was post-millennial.  And then to round it out, I tend to be amillennial.  Truth is, no matter which millennial view one chooses, the end result is the same – we win!  Prophetical scripture is interesting with its word pictures and descriptions of things spiritual and other-worldly, but let’s face it.  The only time anyone has known for certain what the prophecy meant is when it is fulfilled and revealed.  Even then, there are those who question the validity of the fulfillment.  It doesn’t take a lot of scholarship to read much of the Old Testament prophecy and see how it was fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus Christ.  However, there are very scholarly people who do not see the fulfillment that seems so obvious to we Christians.
            It just seems to me that we have much more important matters at hand than trying to interpret prophecy that is, or has, coming, or came, or will come, or whatever, to pass.  Aren’t we Christians assured of our salvation?  Don’t we know that however Revelation is interpreted we will be with the Lord for eternity?  If this is so, and it should be, then shouldn’t we be redeeming the time we have in this life in a more productive manner?  I don’t see the apostles spinning their wheels with prophecy.  They were too busy trying to help win the world for Jesus!  Isn’t it enough to be about our Father’s business?  Sure, read Revelation, but read it at face value.  Enjoy it, cherishing it as a portion of God’s word.  Then, turn back to the Gospels and learn more of the Christ, our vanquishing hero of the apocalypse.  Find out how He wants us to live our lives.  See if you are going to have enough time in this life to fulfill His design for our lives.  I just bet you’ll find out that our time is too short to even begin to accomplish the Lord’s edicts.  Oh, by the way, our ninety-two year old friend agreed to not burden either of us with the commentary.  Whew!

Oh, Those Thorny Roses!

                    Roses grow.  They grow with very little care given to them.  They grow without special treatment to the soil and in adverse conditions.  And they are some of the most sought after of all flowers.  Indeed, when one wants to show their love and appreciation, the gift given is likely to be roses.  Furthermore, although red is the most popular, roses come in many colors and styles to suit just as many varied occasions and purposes.  What makes this so?
                    Of all the lessons life holds, diversity within unity is perhaps the most important, and the most beautiful.  Diversity happens whether we like it or not.  However, unity is the acceptance of the thorns among the very stems that give diversity life.  One cannot appreciate the rose without feeling the thorns.  Once this is accepted, true love of the beauty can be drunk in, filling the soul with joy.
                    There is, among any and all, a greater gift which defines the individual.  Along with that gift comes rough edges that must be honed to a sharpness that brings out the beauty of the gift.  Accept the rough edges, glory in them.  For, without them, the gift would not be.  Embrace your own gift without looking to find it in others.  Instead, while refining that which you have, encourage others to do the same with their gift.  With this, unity is not only possible, but probable.  We take the bunch of roses, with its many varieties, carefully avoiding the thorns, and present them in all of their God-given beauty.

Does God Really Change People?

                I was twenty-four years old with a three-year-old son who’s mother was doing everything she could to keep me from seeing him.  His mother was my second wife.  The first one was supposed to pick me up at the hospital when I was being discharged after a seven month stay.  She didn’t show because she had run off to Mexico with a friend of mine.  On the rebound I met my second wife.  She was trying to get off drugs and was leaving her two daughters with family until she succeeded.  We started living together with the goal to bring her daughters back to their mother.  Shortly after the birth of my son we went to Reno and got married so we could continue to get welfare money for me and the baby.  A little over a year later she decided I was in the way when she wanted to bring guys home from the bars.  So, she kicked me out and filed for divorce.  I was devastated!  We had been together for three years.  I was a father to two beautiful daughters, one of which was an illegitimate child who had never known any other father, and a son who was the apple of my eye.  I was being denied fatherhood rights to the girls and would have been denied the same rights for my son if not for the courts.

                My lifelong dream of having a family had been stripped from me.  I became bitter and started acting out.  Women became useful for one thing and I sought out as many as I could find for that one thing wanting nothing else.  That is, until I met a young girl who looked past the bitterness and fell in love with me.  After a short time of dating Una informed me that if I was going to continue to date her I would have to give up the other women.  I agreed to her demands.  In due time she asked me to marry her.  I was still bitter, but I thought to myself, “Sure.  Why not?  What’s another divorce?”  As we made plans for marriage she told me that she wanted nothing to do with any church because they were all fanatics.  I quickly agreed because I felt the same way.  Three days after Una turned sixteen, her mother, my dad and his family, along with my eighty-three year old aunt, took a drive to Carson City, Nevada.  We were married at a cute little chapel.  I had no hope that this would be any different than the other two marriages.  However, being married made life easier than being single and seeking out dates.  I felt no real sense of commitment and I am sure that if something dramatic didn’t happen that I would hurt Una, and that it would be ruthless.  I think that I would have taken all the frustration from the others out on her.

                About a year after we were married, having a small baby daughter who was born about nine months after we had exchanged vows, I met up with a young man who was destined to help lead us to Christ.  Not long after Warren and Alice Bennett came into our lives Una asked me why I never tried to get even with people.  I thought about it and told her that I think it has to do with a lesson I had learned as a child.  My family had gone to a little church for about six years.  The one thing I took from that tenure was the golden rule, do unto others what you would have them do to you.  I told Una that I had always tried to live by that rule.  She said that she hoped our children would be like that.  I said that if we would raise them in a church they probably would.  So, we started going to church.  It wasn’t long before I was faced with a decision.  I knew that if I chose to accept Jesus my life would never be the same and that there would be no turning back.  It was scary.  When I committed my life to Christ I committed myself to Una.  I was transformed in some ways almost immediately.  However, the complete transformation is a lifelong process.  What happened quickly was a new attitude toward life.  I gained a new perspective and my wife gained a new man.  God had changed me.  He had done what nothing else could do.  Until I turned it over to Him I could only accept failure.  Everything in my life had failed and that was all I knew.  I had been counseled by secular counselors, had read self-help books, taken well-meaning advice.  Nothing had worked until God took over.  Since then my life has been a wonderful series of successes.  Una and I have been happily married for thirty-six years.  We raised two fantastic daughters who are now living legacies to what God has accomplished in our lives.  I have enjoyed three successful careers and earned three college degrees, as well as, completing a three-year ministerial program.  Success is a normal function of my life now that God has changed me.  He continues to work through me.  I am now proudly witnessing His transforming power at work in my son’s life.  He has given Rodney five years of a new life free from drug addiction and is providing new and exciting opportunities for him in the church and in his personal life.  Can God change lives?  What do you think?

Is There Room in the Kingdom for a Murderer?

                I met a man yesterday who has spent a large part of his life in prison.  At fifty-one he is just beginning to experience a life in the real world.  He has been a heroin addict most of his life.  Having been clean now for about a year and a half he is starting to come to terms with God.  In his younger days he and a partner started robbing drug dealers.  One of these robberies went bad and he ended up killing two of the dealers and kidnaping seven other people.  The judge told him that he showed no remorse.  His response was why should he for a couple of drug addicts.  The judge reminded him that he too was a drug addict.  Over his turbulent life he has been married five times and is now living alone.  He tells me that growing up he was pulled by two different religions, Nazarene and Pentecostal.  This left him confused about church.  He was left-handed and his mother, a clinical psychologist, sought to cure him of his left-handedness.  The institution she committed him to used strategies that broke him and forced him to become right-handed.  I really doubt that this had much to do with his troubled life, but I can assure you that it didn’t help.  His father has never given up on him.  A couple of years ago his dad found out that he had been homeless for over a year and a half.  He brought his son home, gave him a mobile home and small pick-up truck.  Shortly after this his father had a heart attack.  If it wasn’t for this son providing CPR he would be dead.  This young man tells me that he owes his life to his father.  I feel blessed that God has placed me in his life and I pray that I can have a redeeming effect on him.  At this point, he believes in God, but he wants nothing to do with church.  He finds that at times he is angry with God and he has no compunction in letting Him know that he is angry.  Can a man begin life at fifty-one?  I believe it can be done and I pray that it is this young man’s experience.  Redemption comes through the cross.  The same Messiah who gave Himself for me, gave Himself for this man.  God can and will use him to do powerful work in His kingdom if His Holy Spirit will enter his heart and bring acceptance of the salvation offered.  Do you believe this?  I do.

Having Done Evil

            Having done evil, what keeps one from doing more?  The answer for many is quite simple – nothing.  The pleasure derived from the evil is enticing enough to draw them back to that simple pleasure.  Thus, the evil is repeated and often with greater zeal.  This is especially true where there are no consequences or the consequence is minimal.  Unfortunately, consequence is often believed to occur only if one is found out.  For this one, there is no cost for the evil done.  This conscienceless individual cares nothing if another is hurt by the evil done.  In fact, it is this hurt that is often the object of the evil perpetuated.  So, the evil continues, dragging the one caught up in it done to an abyss so full of darkness sight is impossible, life becomes death, and self is no more.  At this state all individuality is given over to the Prince of Darkness and hope is no more.  Which brings us back to the original question.

                Having done evil, what keeps one from doing more?  All are born with an innate conscience.  This conscience is somewhat of a nag.  It is always there to remind us that the cost of doing evil is very high, the consequences can be eternal.  Most of us want more from life than to be given to darkness.  This doesn’t mean that there is no pleasure in evil.  It simply means that the price for the pleasure is too much.  I once tried mescaline, a very powerful illegal hallucinogenic.  It scared me.  Not because it was scary in and of itself.  It frightened me because I liked it and I knew that if I gave myself to its enticement that I would only live for the pleasure it could bring, even though that pleasure was not based in reality.  I wanted more from life, so I never took it again.  I’m not saying that is the only reason people run from evil, but it is a powerful reason.  By our striving to not do evil again we find that life has more to offer.  Life offers more for less than evil does.  There is no abyss when one is given to doing that which is good.  Instead of sinking into darkness, one is transported into light.  Carried to its extreme, goodness introduces us to heavenly treasure.  We find a God who offers gifts that exceed what evil can give to an infinitesimal degree!  Sight is deepened, life becomes eternal, and hope soars.

            We are human and we err.  The question is not whether or not we do evil.  We will do evil, without question.  Thus, having done evil, what keeps one from doing more?  Choose to do no more.  Choose life.