What Must I Do to Avoid Hell? Part 3

Subtitle: What does Hell mean to me?

I've been reviewing the effects of removing the doctrine of Hell. So far we've managed to view the assault the character of God. The damage there would call into question Justice in general. The injury to Justice would minimize Sin. And the hits just keep on coming.

I need to say that the doctrine of Hell isn't a fabrication of Man. I mean, that's a nasty idea no matter how you cut it. And, to be honest, we generally identify more with Man than with God, so it just wouldn't be something we'd want to make up. So where did the Church get the idea for an eternity of damnation? Well, it's in the Bible. I did a quick check in a Naves Topical Bible and found these two listings. The first is on the topic of "Wicked, the Punishment of" and the second is on the use of the term "Hell" as a place of torment. (Note: The Bible also uses the term "Hell" or "Sheol" as a reference to the place of the dead. That's why Revelation 20:14 says that "death and hell" are thrown into the lake of fire. The temporary place of the dead is thrown into the place of eternal torment.) I know, I know, it's too long; you won't read it. But, at least, you have a reference ... and a sense of magnitude.

The Punishment of the Wicked
Genesis 2:17; 3:16-19; 4:7; 6:3,7,12,13; Exodus 20:5; 32:33-35; 34:7; Leviticus 26:14,16-39; Numbers 15:31; 32:23; Deuteronomy 7:9,10; 11:26,28; 28:15-68; 30:15,19; 31:29; 1 Samuel 3:11-14; 12:25; 2 Samuel 3:39; 7:14; 22:27,28; 23:6,7; 1 Kings 21:20,21; 1 Chronicles 10:13,14; 15:13; 28:9; 2 Chronicles 15:2; Job 4:8,9; 5:3,14; 8:20,22; 10:14,15; 11:20; 15:20-24,28-30; 18:5-21; 19:29; 20:5-29; 21:7-33; 27:8-23; 31:3; 34:22; 36:12,17; Psalm 1:4-6; 2:4,5,9; 3:7; 5:5; 7:11-13; 9:5,17; 10:15; 11:6; 18:14,26,27; 21:9,10; 28:4,5; 32:10; 34:16,21; 36:12; 37:1,2,9,10,13-22,34-38; 39:11; 50:22; 52:5; 55:19,23; 56:7; 58:6-9; 59:5,8; 62:3; 64:7,8; 68:1,2,6,21; 73:2-21,27; 75:8,10; 78:1-67; 89:10,31,32; 91:8; 92:7,9; 94:13,23; 97:3; 101:8; 104:35; 106:18,43; 107:17,34; 109:6-19; 119:21,118,119,155; 129:4; 139:19; 145:20; 146:9; 147:6; Proverbs 2:22; 3:33; 6:12-15; 10:3,6-8,24,25,27-31; 11:3,5-8,19,21,23,31; 12:2,3,7; 13:2,5,6,9,21,25; 14:12,19,32; 16:4,5,25; 18:3; 19:16; 21:12,15,16; 22:5,23; 24:20,22; 26:10; 28:14,18; 29:1,16; Ecclesiastes 2:26; 7:17; 8:12,13; Isaiah 2:19; 3:11; 5:11-14,24; 9:18; 10:3; 11:4; 13:8,9,11; 24:17,18; 26:21; 28:18-22; 33:11,12,14; 40:2; 48:22; 50:11; 57:20,21; 64:5-7; 65:12-14; Jeremiah 8:12-14,20-22; 9:1; 13:14,16,22; 14:10,12; 16:18; 21:14; 25:31; 36:31; 44:23; 49:12; Lamentations 3:3; 4:22; 5:16,17; Ezekiel 3:18-20; 5:4,8-17; 7:4-6; 9:5-7,10; 11:21; 18:1-32; 20:8; 22:14,20,21,31; 24:13,14; 25:7; 33:7-20; Daniel 12:2; Hosea 2:9-13; 5:4-6,9; 7:12,13; 9:7,9,15; 10:8; 12:2,14; 13:1,3; 14:9; Joel 2:1,2; 3:13-16; Amos 3:2; 5:18-20; 8:14; 9:1-5,10; Jonah 3:9; Micah 2:3; 6:13; Nahum 1:2,8-10; Zephaniah 1:12-18; Zechariah 5:2-4; Malachi 3:17,18; 4:1; Matthew 3:7,10,12; 5:19-30; 7:13,19,23,26,27; 8:12; 10:28,33; 11:23; 12:34; 13:12-15,30,38-42,49,50; 15:13; 16:26; 18:7-9,34,35; 21:19,41,44; 22:13; 23:14,33; 24:50,51; 25:30,32,33,41,46; 26:24; Mark 4:12,25; 8:36,38; 9:43; 11:26; 12:1-9,40; 14:21; 16:16; Luke 3:7,17; 6:49; 8:18; 9:24-26; 12:4,5,46,47; 13:3,5-7,9,24,27,28; 16:22-28; 17:1,2; 19:26,27; 20:18; 22:22; 23:30,31; John 3:15,16,18,36; 5:14,29; 7:34; 8:21; 12:40; 15:2; 17:12; Acts 1:18,25; 3:23; Romans 1:18; 2:5,8; 5:12,21; 6:16,21; 8:2,6,7,13; 9:22; 11:22; 14:23; 1 Corinthians 3:17; 5:5,13; 6:9,10; 9:27; 10:5-11; 15:21,22; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Galatians 3:10; 5:19,20; 6:8; Ephesians 5:5,6; Philippians 3:18,19; Colossians 3:25; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9; 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 1:20; 5:24; 2 Timothy 2:12,13; Hebrews 2:2,3; 6:8; 10:27-31; James 1:14,15; 5:1-3,20; 1 Peter 3:12; 4:17,18; 2 Peter 2:3-9,12-17; 1 John 3:14,15; Jude 1:5-7,11-15; Revelation 2:22,23; 3:3; 6:15-17; 9:4-6,15,18; 11:18; 14:9-11; 16:2-21; 18:5; 19:15,17-21; 20:10,15; 21:8,27; 22:19

"Hell" in the Bible
Isaiah 5:14; 14:9,15; 28:15,18; 57:9; Ezekiel 31:16,17; 32:21,27; Amos 9:2; Jonah 2:2; Habakkuk 2:5; Psalm 9:17; Proverbs 5:5; 9:13,15-18; 15:24; 23:13,14; Isaiah 30:33; 33:14; Matthew 3:12; 5:29,30; 7:13,14; 8:11,12; 10:28; 13:30,38-42,49,50; 16:18; 18:8,9,34,35; 22:13; 25:28-30,41,46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 3:17; 16:23-26,28; Acts 1:25; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6-23; Revelation 2:11; 9:1,2; 11:7; 14:10,11; 19:20; 20:10,15; 21:8; Matthew 5:22,29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6

So what is my point in providing these vast lists on the topic of Hell? Well, quite simply, if "no Hell", then "no Bible". You can't strip out a fundamental biblical truth without ripping the reliability out of Scripture.

Removing the reliability of Scripture like that has its own ripple effect directly related to the doctrine of Hell (or its absence). It begs the question. If the Scriptures are so unreliable -- they're quite wrong about all that "eternal torment" stuff, after all -- then what does that say about the Church? The doctrine of Hell has always been a component of Church doctrine. Historically, it was never in question. Now, fortunately, we're coming around to the truth that no such thing ever existed. That means that, just as we can't have much confidence in Scripture, we can have little confidence in the Church. Yeah, yeah, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth, and He did! It just took Him a really, really long time. So it would be unwise of anyone to rely very much at all on the Church, its historical accuracy, or the vast numbers of believers who went on before. Genuine truth is what we make it today. And the Church goes down in the flames of rabid individualism.

By simply removing a little and unpleasant concept -- the idea that there is a Hell, a place of judgment for sinners -- we've managed, so far, to topple God, justice, sin, the Bible, and the Church. And ... we're not done yet.