I might as well join the hundreds of bloggers and thousands of twitters with an opinion on Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins, in which he postulates there is no hell because a God who loves his children would never send them to eternal torment.
Let me begin the conversation by saying that clearly there is a separation taught by Jesus. "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." Separation is not a question. So therefore, one must consider where one is separated into.
Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. "
That one used to scare me considerably lest I accidentally say the word fool.
But clearly Jesus taught the doctrine of hell, if one can believe that is Jesus' words that are recorded, as Bell must not.
I know many persons who have the problem of putting the most loving person who ever lived, this Jesus, into the category of the one who sends people to eternal torment. I get that. But do we get to decide our own theology or do we take what the book gives us and live that? I think that is more Bell's question and than anything else.
This I know, though. Romans 10 says this, "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Added to that statement is no dialogue about heaven and hell, abortion or homosexuality, even murder or whatever else you can name. Declare, believe and you will be saved.
See, all this is about Jesus. It's not about deep theological thinking.
Jesus. Saved.
Period.
Let's simplify and believe, why don't we?
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