“Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:46
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” How could a reader ever forget those words from Dante’s Inferno (1320)? And how awful to arrive at your destination to see written over the gates that there is no hope, no joy, no Savior. Entering there would mean complete separation from the only being in the universe who has the power to save you. This is hell.
Puritan pastors preached often on the fire and brimstone of hell. But it’s not so politically correct today to talk about punishment of sin to any degree, much less to the extent of eternal damnation. Many Christians even block the thought of hell from their minds altogether, ignoring consequences which would await their unsaved friends and family members.
Jesus spoke of hell, not to scare people into believing in Him, but to present the full significance of what He did for us on the cross. What is Jesus saving us from if not the punishment we justly deserve for our sin? Jesus implores us to come to Him, not abandoning all hope, but clinging to His perfect grace for all eternity.
Puritan pastors preached often on the fire and brimstone of hell. But it’s not so politically correct today to talk about punishment of sin to any degree, much less to the extent of eternal damnation. Many Christians even block the thought of hell from their minds altogether, ignoring consequences which would await their unsaved friends and family members.
Jesus spoke of hell, not to scare people into believing in Him, but to present the full significance of what He did for us on the cross. What is Jesus saving us from if not the punishment we justly deserve for our sin? Jesus implores us to come to Him, not abandoning all hope, but clinging to His perfect grace for all eternity.
Scripture Focus
Matthew 25:31-46
Insight
The horror of hell is of spending an eternity separated from God. But the hope of heaven is of being welcomed into His arms.
Bible In A Year
- Numbers 21-22
- Psalm 72
- John 13