God and hell
For as long as anyone can remember, the church has taught that an unrepentant sinner who dies without knowing Jesus will be judged and sent to hell for all eternity. What does the Bible really say about hell?
By far, this is the longest section, since this was the longest focus of my deconstruction. This article ran so long that I ended up breaking it down into several parts.
Church beliefs about hell
Before we get to my deconstruction on hell, we need to discuss something that not a lot of Christians know, and many of the ones who do, don't understand: there are actually three views on hell, and eternal punishment of sinners is only one of these views.
Any time we read the Bible, we undergo a process that scholars call "negotiating with the text". The reason is simple: the Bible doesn't always agree with itself on any topic! And why should it? Remember, the Bible is not the word of God! Its many authors have different opinions on what God will do and when, and under what circumstances. So in order to arrive at a consistent theology, we necessarily look at some texts that support our views, and downplay other texts that don't. You may not even realize that you do this, but you do. If you don't think you do, then your pastor does on your behalf.
For example, many Christians use Leviticus 19:28 to condemn people who get tattoos. However, those same Christians almost always ignore the rest of the chapter. For example, the previous verse prohibits shaving. Verse 18 prohibits vengeance and mandates loving your neighbor as yourself (sounds like someone else I know). Verses 33 and 34 prohibit mistreating strangers and immigrants from other lands...but I digress.
I bring all this up because each of these three views on hell have their proof texts in the Bible; none of these beliefs is "unbiblical" because each of them shows up in the Bible, which disagrees with itself. The epistles of Paul shaped a great deal of Christian theology, but Paul didn't even always agree with himself; for example, Paul's early works mention the destruction of sinners, while his later works (especially Romans) have strong overtones of universal salvation.
Eternal conscious torment (aka ECT, infernalism)
Eternal conscious torment is the belief of most Christians today, and if you're reading this, chances are it's what you believe too. Proponents of ECT believe in some variation of the following:
- A sinner lives and dies without ever knowing Jesus as their savior
- This sinner is resurrected at some point in the future to face judgment
- God finds this sinner guilty in a sort of divine trial
- This sinner is sentenced to burn in hell for all eternity as punishment for their sins
There are variations on this theme. For example, some believe that all sinners suffer equally in hell, while others believe that Hitler and Mao are punished more severely than regular people who simply never knew Jesus.
For examples of when the Bible teaches ECT, see Matthew 25:46, Revelation 14:11, and Revelation 20:15.
Annihilationism
Annihilationists believe that when the Bible speaks of the "destruction" of sinners, it means a literal destruction. This is the belief of some fringe denominations today, such as Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses, but it was much more common in the past, prior to the ascension of the Roman Catholic Church. Proponents of annihilationism believe in the following:
- A sinner lives and dies without ever knowing Jesus as their savior
- ???
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
For some annihilationists, they believe that that's it. Sinners aren't resurrected to face judgment, nor do they enter the lake of fire. Others believe that God will resurrect sinners so they can stand trial, then they do get cast into the lake of fire. Some annihilationists believe that sinners are consumed immediately, while others believe that God demands his pound of flesh from each person before granting them the mercy of their Second Death.
For examples of when the Bible teaches annihilationism, see Matthew 7:13, 2 Thessalonians 1:9
Universal salvation (Christian universalism)
Universalists believe that God's punishment is always intended to lead sinners to Jesus, both in this life and in the next. Universalists put more emphasis on God's love and longsuffering, and note that even when God demands justice, he also extends mercy. Christian universalism is distinct from Unitary Universalism, which is a pluralistic, non-creedal faith that believes all roads lead to God. Christian universalists believe in salvation through Christ alone, but there are a variety of different views on how this works.
- Some universalists believe that all people are already saved, and that Christ's work on the cross is immediate and final (John 12:32, Romans 15:18, 1 Timothy 4:10)
- Some universalists believe that sinners will eventually be reunited with God after suffering the full punishment for their sins (Matthew 18:23-35)
- Some universalists believe that sinners will be punished in the age to come, but that there is an age coming after that when all will be reconciled to God (Matthew 25:46 in Greek, Revelation 14:11 in Greek, 1 Corinthians 15:28)
- Some universalists believe that all people will eventually be saved by grace through faith, based on the idea that the Bible never explicitly states that opportunities for salvation end at death
This last point shows just how close universalism can be to the traditional view of most churches today. In this view, a lost sinner will die, be resurrected, face judgment, and go to hell. The only difference is that, while in hell, sinners still have the opportunity to repent of their sins. This is very close to the belief of C.S. Lewis, who once described a sinner in hell moving closer to heaven, and if enough change was made, the sinner could ascend to glory. Lewis was not, strictly, a universalist. However, he was also not a strict proponent of ECT.
Does the Bible condemn sinners to hell? Who qualifies as a sinner deserving of hell? If a sinner goes to hell, is it permanent and eternal, or are there second chances beyond death?
This is a huge question, and it's going to take several parts to get through it. I originally wrote this article as a single long article with several smaller asides in other articles, but this broke down the cohesion of each section, so I decided to just make this one section of my deconstruction into a series of articles instead.
I want to make it clear now: I now consider myself a Christian Universalist. My views are influenced strongly by universalism versions 2, 3 and 4 above. (I can quit eternal hell, but I can't quit punishment altogether. Punishment for sinners is still the view of every author of the Bible who made thier opinions known, even if that punishment isn't eternal.) In the coming articles, I will make a humble argument for the universal salvation of all people.