Week 4: Hell. No?
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Matthew 23:15 - 15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
What is hell?
Hell - gehenna - γέεννα
Valley of Hinnom
Unquenchable Fire
Heaven & Hell
CS Lewis - “Hell is the greatest monument to human freedom.”
Hell means:
Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT)
Annihilationism (or Conditional Immortality)
John 3:16 - 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Ultimate Reconciliation (or Christian Universalism)
Romans 5:18 - Just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
C.S. Lewis - "Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.”
Center Set
If you’re hungry, I am the bread of life, come and have your fill.
If you’re thirsty, I am the living water, come and be satisfied.
If you're lonely, I am the good shepherd, I will be with you.
If you’re excluded, I am the door wide open to receive you.
If you lack fruit, I am the true vine
If you’re in darkness, I am the light of the world
If you’re disconnected, I am the way, the truth, and the life
If you’re as though dead, Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life.
John 1:9-13 - 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Ben Witherington - Hell, in the New Testament, is a constant reminder that there is a final accountability for our beliefs and behaviors in this life, whatever the particulars and temperature and durability of Hell may be. It is a reminder that this life is basically the time of decision, and the decisions we make now can indeed have eternal consequences in the afterlife. And, frankly, this is not bad news. It is a part of the Good News that in the end justice as well as mercy, righteousness as well as compassion, and holiness as well as love wins.
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Each Sunday we come together we offer an open invitation into the way of Jesus. An invitation to enter into sacred rhythms - to draw near to God through singing, giving, learning, and praying.
As a community that desires renewal in Des Moines as it is in Heaven, we recognize that we cannot offer what we ourselves do not have. We cannot lead where we ourselves have not been led; in turn, these questions aim at reflection. Reflecting on God’s word and making space for his leadership.
After watching or listening consider the following discussion questions as a large group or in groups of three to four:
What stood out from the teaching?
Why does a conversation on hell matter in the church today?
In what ways has the tradition doctrine of hell impacted how you’ve followed Jesus? Was it the impetus to start following in the first place?
How does Jesus’ language about hell as literal - but more than literal place - change your perception of hell?
Of the three views - Eternal Conscious Torment, Conditional Immortality, and Ultimate Reconciliation - which do find the most compelling/tenable?
How does the Bible’s story of the reunification of heaven and earth help you understand hell? (Consider watching the Bibleproject’s video on Heaven & Earth
