Do you have a problem with the idea of a loving God condemning people to an eternity in hell? Well, you should. Because no-one ever had a bigger problem with this idea than God himself. In this series of articles we will examine Jesus’ teaching on this subject, in an effort to understand the nature of this problem. Have we misunderstood and exaggerated what Jesus said, or have we seriously under-estimated the near-impossibility of eradicating evil without eliminating ourselves?

This is a highly controversial and, in places, speculative subject; and we are not claiming to know all the correct answers. We ask only that you prayerfully weigh the evidence presented, whilst seeking fresh insights into the nature and ways of God that may surprise your current understanding. Space has been included for comments at the end of each chapter: so it is hoped that these will lead in time to further insights from which we may all learn.

The following is a brief summary of the topics covered. We have attempted to organize these so that you can either read them ‘book-fashion’, from beginning to end, or else dive directly into the topics that most interest you.

Click here to start at the beginning, or on any of the topics below:

The Human Perspective

It is clear that what we choose to believe will radically affect how we value both our own lives and those of others. In these opening chapters we will start by examining what part our human experience and perspectives have played in shaping our understanding of the Biblical teaching on this subject.

• What Does God Say, or What Do We Think?
  If there is no supreme justice, how can the powerful be held to account? But if there is, then we should recognize that our limited human viewpoints are prone to serious bias.
• The Historical Background
  Man began by knowing God: but having broken faith he faced death not knowing what would happen next. God promised restoration: but how He would do it remained a mystery.
• The Vocabulary of Jesus
  By the time Jesus came some concepts were well established in Jewish thought; but their contemporary meanings did not always tally with the explanations that Jesus gave…

The Relationship between Love and Evil

We humans can also be surprisingly naïve concerning the nature of the relationship between ‘good’ and ‘evil.’ In these chapters we explore the real nature and interrelationships of goodness, love, freedom, selfishness and corruption to help us grasp why these moral issues are of such huge consequence in the light of eternity.

• Why is God so Strict?
  So much is said about Jesus’ love and forgiveness that we often suppose Jesus has a more liberal attitude towards sin than God had in the past. In fact, his standards are much tougher.
• The Impossibility of Compulsory Love
  No English word has ever been more dangerously devalued than ‘love.’ To ask, ‘If God is omnipotent, why can’t He make us more loving?’ turns out to be a logical self-contradiction.
• Evil’s Vicious Spiral
  Why, given time, can we not improve? Don’t most of us really want to simply love and be loved? So why does evil tend to multiply in a downward spiral?

The Message of Jesus

We now take an in-depth look at Jesus’ own descriptions of what will happen when we die and how God will ultimately intervene to put a stop to all the evil in this world.

• Was Jesus Exaggerating? Rabbinic teachers often used deliberate exaggerations to make a point. Wasn’t Jesus simply doing the same thing?
• What Do We Know So Far?
  Before moving on to consider the teaching on this subject elsewhere in the New Testament, it would be helpful to summarize what we can definitely say on the basis of Jesus’ own teaching.
• The Struggle to Understand
  Jesus’ own assertions, plus some unresolved questions about his exact meaning, leave us facing an intellectual and emotional struggle to understand and accept his message.

God’s Dilemma

No-one ever had a bigger problem with the idea of condemning people to eternal destruction than God himself. In these final chapters we will consider the extremes of pain which He has endured so that none of us need suffer such a fate.

• The Grief of God
  Before drawing this study to a conclusion I want us to make an attempt to comprehend God’s own perspective on the wrongs we have done.
• Hell to Win?
  The span of history is littered with the ruins of once-great and seemingly invincible civilisations. So far human life has survived. But is our ‘luck’ about to run out?
• Or Heaven to Pay?
  We are accustomed to being told that if we fail to “win through” there will be “hell to pay!” But the truth is that we can never win or earn a place in heaven, no matter how hard we try.

Appendices

• Appendix A – How Long is an Aeon?
  Does eternity ever end?
• Appendix B – The Buck stops Where?
  How can there be a permanent end to guilt and shame?
• Appendix C – Is Death Forever?
  Can there be any end to a person’s suffering in Hell?
• Appendix D – The Unforgivable Sin
  What is this, and why is it unforgivable?