If you haven't heard of this book, good for you. It probably means that you have better things to do than waste lots of time on the Internet reading about books that you don't need to read. But lots of Christians out there are talking about Love Wins by Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Church and author of books like Velvet Elvis and Sex God. The book has stirred controversy because in typical Bellian fashion, the author raises provocative questions from the beginning of the book. He tells an anecdote about an art fair at his church. An artist incorporated a quote by Gandhi into her artwork, and someone attached a note to it saying, "Reality check: He's in hell." This leads Bell to ask, first, how anyone knows what Gandhi's eternal destiny is. But this is the broader question that this leads to: "Of all the billions of people that have ever lived, will only a select number 'make it to a better place' and every single other person suffer in torment and punishment forever? Is this acceptable to God? Has God created millions of people over tens of thousands of years who are going to spend tens of thousands of years in anguish? Can God do this, or even allow this, and still claim to be a loving God?"
And we see where Pastor Rob is headed. In a later chapter, he criticizes churches who give a summary of their beliefs on their websites and state their belief that those who do not believe in Jesus will be sent to eternal punishment in hell. It's as clear as Rob ever gets that he doesn't like this, that this notion of eternal judgment is contradictory to a God with whom all things are possible.
But that's it. That's all I've read--the Amazon preview. And I don't need to read any more to tell you that I don't need to read this book. Clearly Rob is questioning the doctrine of judgment and hell, and I really don't have any questions about that. It isn't that I know all there is to know about the Bible and its teachings--far from it. But I am Reformed, and Reformed believers have the great blessing of historic creeds and confessions that provide summaries of what the Bible has to say about the major doctrines of the church. These confessions were written by theologians, godly men who studied the Scriptures and summarized their teachings. And these same confessions have been upheld by other godly Christians and church bodies who have studied the matter and affirmed that--yes--this is what Scripture teaches on this subject.
And so what does the Heidelberg Catechism have to say about eternal judgment?
Q. How does Christ's return "to judge the living and the dead" comfort you?
A. In all my distress and persecution I turn my eyes to the heavens and confidently await as judge the very One who has already stood trial in my place before God and so has removed the whole curse from me. All his enemies and mine he will condemn to everlasting punishment: but me and all his chosen ones he will take along with him into the joy and glory of heaven.
And the catechism gives Scripture references to support what it says: Luke 21:28; Romans 8:22-25; Philippians 3:20-21; Titus 2:13-14; Matthew 25:31-46; 11 Thessalonians 1:6-10.
I don't need to read all of Rob's distorted catechism questions with no answers to find the answers to questions that have been answered thoroughly and biblically from the Scriptures centuries ago, especially when he's offering us a heresy that has been rejected already many times through the centuries. I don't need to revisit what I've been taught about hell from my childhood because what I've been taught is the truth of God's Word.
Of course there are those of you out there who are wondering how fair it is of me to judge that Pastor Rob's ideas are all wrong when I haven't even heard him out or read his arguments. Again, this is a non-issue for me, so I don't need to hear him out. But this is one of the great blessings of the information age--the Internet. There are plenty of theologians out there who are willing to read this book and review it. And because I know that reviewers like Carl Trueman, Kevin DeYoung, and Mark Galli are reliable, wise, and discerning, I can take their word for it when they tell me that Love Wins contradicts the truths of Scripture and history.
So I close, not with questions about hell, but with the answers that have stood the test of God's Word and history:
Hell and judgment, the Bible teaches, are acceptable to God. They are part of His plan.
Really.
God has created millions, billions of people who will suffer eternity in anguish.
Truly.
This is acceptable to a loving God. In fact, this is the requirement of a loving God, a God with whom all things are possible.
And this is sad. Some will spend eternity apart from him.
But here's the good news: God gave His Son, Jesus, to die for the sins of the world, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life.
This is all about justice,
mercy,
and--yes--love.
