Introduction
The concept of hell, though varies across different denominations because of theological perspectives and interpretations of scriptures, has some important tenets: divine justice, eternal punishment, moral responsibility, and the existence of moral evil.
Main Points: Matthew 25:31-46
- Divine Justice: This passage underscores the importance of our actions and decisions, for ultimately, they determine eligibility for eternal life or eternal damnation: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats". The final judgment, in the "Great White Throne Judgment" Revelation 20:11-15 symbolizes the ultimate separation of good and evil.
- Nature of Hell: The traditional, biblical understanding of hell consists of three parts: eternal, conscious, and punishment.
- Eternal: the duration of hell is eternal. Because people are made to last forever, they will either live eternally in heaven or eternally in hell: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" Daniel 12:2 .
- Conscious: those in hell are not asleep or annihilated; instead, people are awake and aware of their experience. Jesus said, "While the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" Matthew 8:12 .
- Punishment: hell is a just punishment for sins, for it is not an unearned sentence but a lawful condemnation of sinners who deserve the penalty they receive: "Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire" Jude 1:7 .
Memory Verse
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life— John 3:16
Eternal, conscious punishment in hell is a serious matter. Anyone who values their eternal soul wants to avoid hell at all costs. Thankfully, God has secured for us a rescue from the just sentence of hell for our sins. God sent his Son Jesus who satisfied the righteous requirement of the law that condemned us to hell. In one of the most famous passages in the Bible, we learn, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life".