Question two was much tougher. Why to people go to hell? Of course this questions did not stop there. We soon found ourselves chasing down who goes to hell and if there was more than one way to get to God.
I have to say, I really didn't like the answers I had to give to these questions. While I am confident in the accuracy of my answers, I could not have been more uncomfortable with them.
Let's break down the conversation a little:
Why do people go to hell?
Because they choose it. They reject God's free gift of forgiveness, love and grace. In doing so, they communicate that they do not want God.
What if they never hear about God?
Romans tells us that we are without excuse. Even creation is meant to point us towards God.
Is it true that Jesus is the only way?
Yes. Scripture could not be more clear. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father execpt through me."
There you have it... A simple conversation which made me very uncomfortable.
My discomfort derives very simply from the fact that no matter how I answered the questions, someone was going to hell. I could not dance through scriptures without tripping over that fact. I hate it. I hate that hell is an option. I hate that I have to believe in a hell. I hate that I have to believe good people will populate hell without Christ.
I love that the evilest, most violent, most depraved among us has hope of heaven through Christ. I despise that moms and dads, students, grandmas and grandpas who give generously to cancer research, work hard to support one another, get good grades, remain faithful to one another, enjoy good books and movies and music will find eternal residence in hell without Christ.
I fully understand and agree with the theological arguments of how we are all guilty and all sin is equal in God's eyes. Understanding and agreement do not equate liking and comfort with these ideas.
So I am left to wrestle with how do I deal with these answers. I cannot change the answers to the questions. If I could some how convince God to blot hell from scripture and remove the option of eternal punishment from humanity, I would quickly dedicate my days to doing so. But I know that is not going to happen.
The only response I have to such answers is to carry the message of Christ to as many as I possibly can. You see, I think the idea of people going to hell is supposed to make us uncomfortable. I think it makes God uncomfortable. It made him so uncomfortable that he came to this earth, lived among us and felt our hurts, and then took our, guilt, shame, and punishment on a cross.
My prayer is that God will never let us be comfortable with the fact that people around us will one day find themselves without hope in an eternal separation from God. I hope hell always makes us uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact, that we are forced to do something about it...
"snatch others from the fire and save them" - Jude 1:23
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