C. S. Lewis hoped that his views and references to hell would not arouse speculations about the facts of that dreadful place, or state, or whatever it is. I resonate to that tension. Scripture is oriented to limited but necessary and useful information about God and extensive development of mankind’s experience related to God and immortality. It offers only necessary facets of truth about many topics of normal interest to deliberating persons. One of the topics referred to often, but not fully developed, is hell. The great question for seekers is: How can hell exist in a universe controlled by God, a God of love and mercy? The question from God is: Will you submit to my plan for rescue from hell? The first question puts God in the dock. The second puts mankind in the dock. Logic about God suggests that if there is conflict of interests, God’s view is primary and absolute. We cannot perceive and sort out everything relating to time and eternity. God can.
The Bible affirms the reality of hell without providing fully for mankind’s preferred contexts. What is a flame that does not incinerate worms? In that other future habitat worms do not exist, and there is no natural flesh to be considered for heaven or hell. Jesus suggested as much in his ability to appear and disappear without human effort after his resurrection. His activity after the resurrection, especially in the ascension, offers sufficient evidence that there is reason to accept the hard sayings of Jesus (about judgment and hell) as well as the easy sayings (about forgiveness, love, hope, justice, righteousness, and heaven). We are dealing with infinities, and we are not good at it for heaven or hell – or of an invisible God clothed in glory.
As human logic and experience have it, mankind can only live and work within the boundaries of our senses. But we, by the nature of our mortality with its temporal limitations, flounder about in questions about life, death and the hereafter. To counter that state of being and confusion, God provides helps in a context of faith – for, without faith it is impossible to please God. For those who cannot or will not activate faith, there appears to be no hope that they rest their ultimate outcome with God. As recalcitrant adults they are left to themselves because, in the economy of God, there was found something special in creating a species that would be free – free to accept and free to reject this or that, including God. The Christian accepts Christ to deal with perishing mortality, ending earth-bound freedom. Giving up arrogance and independence of self is a small price to pay for the benefits of immortal, perfect life – perfection necessary to God’s economy.
The point must also be made that God is free to accept or reject whatever he chooses. Because he has, by his divine nature, sufficient resources, he levels the playing field by reciting the plan for human redemption. He cannot, by the oath of himself, reject any one who accepts his plan for eternal welfare. That plan reached its full revelation in the death and resurrection of Christ, followed by the birth of the Church. Absentees from that plan are, as Scripture has it, in certain jeopardy of hell, whatever that hell may be. To be rejected of God, and with no recourse, is hell. One can only leave that meaning to God, who is just and righteous altogether. Hell is part of the biblical story. Christ was open and definite about the declaration of it. We tell it with justifiable trembling, falling back on God’s infinite mercy. We take some time to work out the paradox of suffering permitted by a loving and controlling God. We have some necessary information. When all is known we will approve and God will be vindicated for the paradox. We do not even know but that God may find some redemption plan for hell in relief. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020