Summer is finally here! Kind of funny how the seasons are now determined by the academic calendar, isn’t it? Anyway, I was reading and listening to a few debates the other day and the topic of hell came up. One of the debaters mentioned that Christians try to euphemize hell by saying that it’s “eternal separation from God” instead of the fiery pit the Bible appears to describe it as.

Pick up your favorite systematic theology or topical study guide to get an accurate picture of what exactly hell is, I just want to add my 2 cents.
Jesus, when praying for His disciples and followers, says that “[t]his is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
So apparently eternal life is knowing God. Wouldn’t it make sense, then, that eternal damnation is NOT knowing God but is being totally separated from Him? Of course it does; if our sins on this earth separate us from God (Isaiah 59:2), how much more would we be separated if we die without faith in Christ? Now, in this life, everyone still enjoys the common grace given by God but I believe that will not be the case in eternity where believers will forever enjoy the presence of God and unbelievers His absence.

This description may seem to be a euphemism for some, but in reality it is not any more pleasant than being tortured in flames or dying of thirst; like Jesus put it, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Is it fair that people will have to suffer that kind of punishment for rejecting God? I think so. To describe hell as being eternally separated from God puts this question in the right perspective: People who don’t want God in their lives can die knowing that they will never have to deal with Him again. That obviously means they will never have to love anyone or experience love ever again, either, since God is love. The same goes for all the other good things that flow from God’s nature. Not only don’t they not have to, they cannot.

We shouldn’t minimize hell, it’s a very real and cruel place. But everyone has a choice as to where they will end up after they die. Where will you end up, and how are you living your life in light of that?

Related posts:

1. Why is hell eternal?
2. Homosexuality and Church
3. Shut up, God!
4. Preaching to warn sinners
5. Answer to the Challenge!