“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but are made manifest unto God, and I trust are also made manifest to your consciences.” 2 Cor 5:11 (Amp)
The word ‘Hell’ is no longer fashionable today and no longer holds the terror that was once associated with it. I remember asking a friend, a former Muslim why she became a Christian. Her response was enlightening as well as sobering. She said, “I don’t want to go to hell”. I kept in contact with her for a while until we inevitably drifted apart. The next time I heard about her I was told that she had died during childbirth after slipping into anaesthetic-induced coma and never woke up. Of course, I grieved her loss because she was very young, but then consoled myself with the fact that she knew God. She was not motivated primarily by God’s love, but by His righteous judgement and determined that she would avoid the wrath of God. As the bible says, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. She proved to be a very wise woman indeed because she understood the terror of God’s wrath and also accepted His provision for avoiding that terror. She is now in God’s presence where she is bathed in God’s love and where God’s love casts out every form of fear.
I once worked with a man whom I tried to gossip God to. While looking for a way to bring our discussion round to the matter of his soul, I asked, “Scott, do you believe in heaven and hell?” His response both surprised and saddened me. He said, “Yes, I believe that heaven is somewhere up there and hell is here on earth. I’ve been there. When you see your dad beat the hell out of your mum, that is hell.” I never really managed to convince him about the true nature of hell. Domestic violence was the epitome of hell for this young man, but the reality of hell and the pain is much worse, for it is a place of torment and pain reserved by God for Satan and his demons as well as those who follow him or repudiate God’s love. It is a place of eternal damnation, separation from God and death.
The Apostle Paul knew this fact, hence his statement above. He understood that while He is love, God is also just and righteous and He judges sin unequivocally because He is always true to His righteous character. The main reason why many people choose to live oblivious of God’s judgement is because they have lost the sense of the fear or terror of God’s judgement and are consequently not taking Him seriously or giving Him the honour due to His name. The reason why some continue to indulge in sin is because they are taking undue advantage of God’s love and His propensity to forgive our sins once we repent of them. Let us understand that hell is real just as heaven is real and that if we die in sin, we will surely end up in hell. Let us ensure that we do not take God’s love for granted since He can call us home sooner than we expected. As much as we should be motivated by His love, let us also not forget the severity of His wrath on sin and after we have internalised this fact, let it motivate us to share this sobering truth with those who are slipping into a Christ-less eternity. We owe them that much to give them the opportunity to make an informed choice about where they ultimately end up. It is your responsibility as a Christian to tell others about Christ. Start right now and your obedient action could impact and change someone’s eternity.
Prayer:
Father, I am sorry that I often take your love for granted. Instil in me today the terror of your righteous judgement so that I might apply my heart to wisdom and also be motivated to tell others to live right through you. Amen.