Sorry. For those of you who are attempting to keep up with me and Helen, I haven't updated for two weeks. But you are basically up to date. Helen, her sister Melanie, and their good friend (Helen's mentor), Stephanie, are busy planning our wedding. I have a little to contribute, but can't get too involved because of distance...thankfully! It stresses me out. They are doing a wonderful job of taking care of everything: Melanie and her husband Jeff are preparing the food; Helen has got her dress and shoes; Marie is doing photography; and Stephanie is doing all the important behind-the-scenes stuff. As a matter of fact, I know very little about what all is going into my wedding! LOL! But I know without these people and others, we would be better off just going to the courthouse! So thanks to you all!
Two weeks ago, on Halloween, I thought it wouldn't be inappropriate do a study of the doctrine of Hell. I did this, rather than go outside to experience the mayhem and debauchery of Halloween in Times Square. As an aside, it was not surprising to see a man dressed as a bloodied Christ walking by the church (Billy told me about this guy. I didn’t actually see him). I don’t know what this man’s intentions were, but it only serves to remind me that even in New York City, the public’s awareness of Jesus Christ is alive and well, even if they do not wish to be mindful of Him.
About three weeks ago I noticed the new billboards which have been proudly hoisted on the dingy subway corridors of Manhattan. The billboards were sponsored by the Big Apple Coalition of Reason, and they read: “A million New Yorkers are good without God…Are you?” It initially makes me think of what Paul points out in Romans 1:18-32, but I’m only going to quote a portion from verses 18 and 28:
“What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them… And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind…”
Apparently, over $25,000 was spent on this billboard campaign—(see http://friendlyatheist.com/2009/10/19/atheist-subway-ads-get-publicity-in-new-york-city/). My big question is WHY? At a time when money is scarce anyway, why waste time and money promoting something like this? If you ask the Big Apple CoR, they will tell you it is “to increase awareness of secular-minded groups throughout New York City.” and to “[promote] wider acceptance of a more rational and realistic view of the universe.”— (see http://newyorkcity.unitedcor.org/). Now I can understand why evangelicals would be willing to spend that much money on a billboard campaign, since it would serve the purpose of reminding people of God and their need of a Savior, and to produce faith in them towards Jesus so that they can be saved from sin and death. The cost is worth it in that case because the outcome and the rewards are eternally significant. But I cannot understand why atheists would bother to spend ANY money to discuss something in which they do not even believe. For that reason, a billboard campaign smacks of something more than meets the eye. At least I can appreciate the honesty of the billboard’s statement. Notice that it is not making the oft tried and audacious claim that God does not exist. Instead, the atheists are merely denying God; they are proudly asserting their independence from God and proclaiming that they are “good without [Him].” But if they were really honest they would just come out and say what their real desire is and their real reason for being so willing to spend so much money on atheistic propaganda. It is because they want people to rebel against God, like they themselves do. Despite their obvious rebellion against deity, they—dare I say—arrogantly maintain their own goodness without God. Proverbs 20:6 clearly says that most men will do this:
“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”
Who, indeed, can find a faithful man? Who is even looking for one? Jesus asked a provocative question, (as He was known to do), in Luke 18:8,
“When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Needless to say, when Jesus comes back, He will not be looking for “good people.” Jesus is looking for people who are full of faith towards Him; He is earnestly searching for “the faithful man.” That brings me back to the issue of Hell which I was studying on Halloween.
I began my perusal into Hell with C. S. Lewis’ classic work, The Problem of Pain. I reread the chapter on Hell. Contained therein is one of the most eloquent and witty treatises about the doctrine of Hell. In it, Lewis deals with some common objections to this “most intolerable doctrine.” The whole chapter is good enough to quote at length, but since I wouldn’t want anyone to rush through or circumvent Lewis’ writings, I will quote but a brief, yet poignant, excerpt:
“I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside…In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell, is itself a question: ‘What are you asking God to do?’ To wipe out their past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty and offering every miraculous help? But He has done so, on Calvary. To forgive them? They will not be forgiven. To leave them alone? Alas, I am afraid that is what He does.”—(Problem of Pain, pg. 130)
By far the predominant argument against the existence of (i.e., surrender to) God is the problem of evil—the very theme of Lewis’ book. The problem is indeed felt, but it is not reasonable, for how can the atheist raise the problem of evil? For the atheist denies the very moral foundation by which he condemns God as unjust; the atheist, in his naturalistic, humanistic framework, has no moral basis for judgment one way or the other. I cannot here expand on that question and its entailments. Furthermore, much abler men and women have dealt with that problem and I would merely be borrowing from their surplus of knowledge in order to answer the question. Suffice it to say that the atheist and the rebel often times wants to indict God for being immoral and unjust for allowing things like Hell, and events of seemingly meaningless or unmerited evil and suffering. But the fact of the matter is that Jesus endured damnation—complete separation from God by becoming our sin on the cross—for them and all of us. They have no excuse to remain angry with God about the reality of Hell. Jesus says it so plainly:
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”—John 3:17-20
It is not because God hasn’t done everything that He can to save people. He has. Some people, as Lewis points out, will not to be forgiven. They are not condemned any longer because of their sins; they are condemned because they have not trusted Jesus as their salvation. Elsewhere Jesus explains that Hell wasn’t even made for men; it was made for the devil and his angels. But what else can God do with men who adamantly do not want to be with God? To force them to come to heaven apart from their free choosing of it would be equally as torturous to them as hell itself, and worse I guess they would even disrupt the joy of everyone else who loves God and wants to worship Him forever.
I ended my exploration of hell with the video testimony of Bill Weise (it can be found on YouTube or at http://www.soulchoiceministries.org). In November of 1998, at 3:00 in the morning, Bill Weise had an out-of-body experience of hell. His testimony is called 23 minutes in Hell and is one of the most sobering and terrifying, yet hopeful testimonies I have ever heard. (I also supplemented my study with two articles; one by Timothy Keller and one by the Catholic Encyclopedia. They can be found at http://www.redeemer.com/news_and_events/articles/the_importance_of_hell.html and http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm, respectively.)
Hell is real. Jesus doesn’t want us to go there. He paid our way out, if only we’ll take it.
Pray for the 200 plus Times Square Church members who are on mission in Greenock, Scotland as I speak. People are being saved from hell daily because of their outreach. I rejoice in their work! Also pray for Pastor Rick Hagans and our friend Sunil McWan as they are in India on a mission trip. I’m praying for God to do mighty works through them and that the Lord will separate for Himself many Indians whom He will call through them. So far the trip hasn’t been easy. Pastor Rick has already been deported once. But in typical Rick Hagans fashion, he returned to India only 2 days later after getting the problem with his VISA fixed. God is moving and I believe He is bringing in the fullness of the Gentiles into His body, the Church. We need to get involved. The Holy Spirit wants us to co-labor with Him to preach the gospel to all people. And then the end will come.
