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.

We have attempted to organize this information so that you can either read this ‘book-fashion’, from beginning to end, or else focus on those topics, and level of detail, that are of particular personal interest. Space has been included for comments at the end of each section. It is to be hoped that these will lead in time to further insights from which we may all learn.

The material is arranged under the following broad headings:

Click here to return to Hell to Win or Heaven to Pay, or on any of the sub-topics below:

• 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…
• Why is God so Strict?
  So much is said about Jesus’ love and forgiveness that we often think that 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?
• 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.
• 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.
• 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?