Does Hell really exist?
Rob Bell doesn’t seem to think so. Or does he? Maybe he does, and I’m just confused at his evasive indirectness. If he does believe in a literal hell, he’s seems very quiet about it — especially for somebody who apparently has graduated from seminary. At least, that is what I gather after reading this recent interview where he simply dodges answering the question in a very Emergent kind of way:
You recently preached a sermon called “God wants to save Christians from hell.” I was discussing the message with a guy who after hearing this message was a bit disturbed and somehow came to the conclusion that you didn’t believe in a literal hell. Let me ask you, do you believe in a literal hell that is defined simply as eternal separation from God?
Well, there are people now who are seriously separated from God. So I would assume that God will leave room for people to say “no I don’t want any part of this”. My question would be, does grace win or is the human heart stronger than God’s love or grace. Who wins, does darkness and sin and hardness of heart win or does God’s love and grace win?
I don’t know why as a Christian you would have to make such declarative statements. Like your friend, does he want there to be a literal hell? I am a bit skeptical of somebody who argues that passionately for a literal hell, why would you be on that side? Like if you are going to pick causes, if you’re literally going to say these are the lines in the sand, I’ve got to know that people are going to burn forever, this is one of the things that you drive your stake in the ground on. I don’t understand that.
Especially when so many fail to recognize the hell that many people are experiencing today and do little about it.
Yeah, I would think it would be your duty as a Christian to hope and long and pray for somehow everybody to be reconciled to God. If you are really serious about evangelism, as I’m sure you friend would claim, and you wanted to save people from hell, then wouldn’t your hope be that everybody reconciles with God? Why would you hope for anything else? It would be your duty to long for that. I would actually ask questions about his salvation.
It is very disheartening to hear a supposed “pastor” to say this.
[quote]I am a bit skeptical of somebody who argues that passionately for a literal hell, why would you be on that side?[/quote]
Wow, this is disheartening. What is it about preachers who are afraid to tell the truth about the Bible. God doesn’t need us to apologize for Him.
Thanks for posting this.
Just a funny asides: he talks about naming Mars Hill for wanting Christians to be in the middle of culture and idea swapping but then goes on to say stuff like “I don’t read reviews, I don’t read blogs, I don’t Google my name…it just has no place in my life, I don’t know what good that would do.” Now, I don’t know if he knows, but it seems our culture is all about getting opinions out for the world to see and I know no other place more popular than the blogging community for idea swapping… Just a thought.
[...] at Six Steps, Alex S. Leung writes: Does Hell really exist? Rob Bell doesn’t seem to think so. Or does he? [...]
It also doesnt make sense that Rob Bell would question the salvation of the friend of the interviewer. Rob questions his salvation from what (if not hell)? Its not about what we hope its about, “What said the Scripture?” If we believe and “hope” that there is no hell, to some degree or another, will that not affect our evangelism?
What Mr. Bell forgets is that the grace of God is found only in Christ and no where else. And this gift of God in Christ is obtained only through faith. Its not a matter of sin being more powerful than Gods grace but more a matter of God allowing sinners to exist. And Gods grace does win over sin as evidenced by those in Christ.
As for those outside of Christ, Mr. Bell also forgets that God never overrides the will of men, however flawed it maybe, as it would destroy it but persuades them convincingly with the light of the knowledge of God causing them to repent and believe. The reformers believed that though man is a fallen creature he is still capable of being reasoned with. Come now let us reason together - should ring a bell.
He does talk like origen the universalist. Guess it is inevitable if one separates the grace of God from His holiness.
Also reminded me of a quote from Jonathan Edwards - Sinners in the hands of an angry God: Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it
Thanks for visiting and commenting, brothers.
As is visibly apparent, Bell rejects hell even though there are a dozen or so times in the Gospels where Christ Jesus Himself speaks of it as the place where those who disobey His Word go.
His overt emphasis of grace over sin neglects the reciprocal wrath of God for those who do not repent of their sin and come to faith in Christ — the result of which is eternal separation from God in the next life.
A half truth masquerading as the whole truth thus becomes a complete untruth. And further, Bell blurs for us where Scripture has been very clear.
SDG