Introduction

Here in the Shenandoah Valley and many other places, the weather has relented and given us a reprieve from the temperatures that it has inflicted on us for the last couple of days. Our neighbor to the North has given us a haze of smoke that has caused some people respiratory problems. That, too, is diminishing – at least for now.

It has indeed been hot. But we need to think about a reality that will be much hotter than it has been here at any time in history. What could that be? Can it be avoided? Let us see.

Jesus Came to Save Sinners

Jesus said in 1 Timothy 1:15, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” Jesus had made similar statements Himself. He said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

So Jesus came to save sinners. But from what? As a part of Paul’s inspired definition of the gospel (which was “according to the scriptures”), "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

So Jesus came and died so that our sins might be taken away. You see, God does not want us to die because of our sins. Yes, you and I are all sinners (Rom. 3:23). The wages (consequences) of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). This is not physical death. Physical death will come to all of us at some point (Hebrews 9:27). The wages of sin is, in many instances, physical death, but that is not what the apostle references when he says, “The wages of sin is death” in Romans 6:23. He is talking about spiritual death.

What is spiritual death? Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…” Isaiah speaks of this in Isaiah 59:1-2:

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. ²But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

Spiritual death is a separation from God. Sin separates us from God. That means we need a way to get back to God, or we will be dead for eternity.

When Paul wrote in Romans 3:22, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” he continued in verse 24, “… being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” When he wrote in Romans 6:23, “ For the wages of sin is death…” he continued, “…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When God proclaims the consequences of death, He provides a way to escape that death!

What is God’s way of escaping the wages of sin? Both passages speak of a gift that comes through Jesus Christ. We will discuss what that gift is and how to obtain it in a later article. In the meantime, if we can help you in a more personal way to learn how you can avoid the wages of sin, please contact us at strasburgcoc@yahoo.com or 540-3311-8833.

Jesus came to save us from Hell

Jesus came to save us from spiritual death due to sin. Spiritual death, if not corrected by accepting the gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ, will be eternal. Eternal death will be in a horrible place called hell.

There are three Greek words in the New Testament often translated as “hell” - geenna {gheh'-en-nah}, hades {hah'-dace}, and tartaroo {tar-tar-o'-o}. Hades (hades {hah'-dace}) is the place of departed souls, that is, where every soul goes when we die to await judgment (Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27; Rev. 20:13-14). Tartarus (tartaroo {tar-tar-o'-o}) is the part of Hades where the sinners’ souls go to await judgment (2 Pet. 2:4 – Greek, tartaroo {tar-tar-o'-o}, but translated, “hell”). Hell (gheh'-en-nah}) is the place where sinners go after the final Judgment to endure eternal punishment.

Jesus is the first, and only one in the New Testament, except James (James 3:6), to use geenna {gheh'-en-nah}. He told His audience in Matthew 5:22:

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

He warns a few verses later in the same sermon (The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:29-30):

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Jesus made a similar warning in Matthew 18:8-9. He said in Luke 12:4-5:

My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

Let us go back to our Lord’s statement in Matthew 5:22. In the last part of the verse, Jesus says, “Whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (“the hell of fire” ASV, ESV, RSV; “the fire of hell,” NIV; “Hell fire,” NKJV). Jesus makes it clear that hell is a place of punishment in fire. He does the same in Matthew 18:9. He takes it a step further in Mark 9:46-48, “it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, ⁴⁸where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” John M. Criswell writes:

Hell fire" (geenna tou pyros) has reference to the Valley of Hinnom, a ravine south of Jerusalem, where once the pagan god Moloch was worshiped (2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 7:31). When Josiah abolishes these pagan practices, the valley is turned into a fiery dumping ground for filth and the corpses of criminals (2 Kings 23:10). The term "Gehenna" is borrowed by Jesus to denote the final eternal punishment of the wicked (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:29-30).

Hell Is Hot!

Sometimes we joke about hell being hot. Actually, hell is not a joke. Hell is a real place that will be the place of punishment for those who leave this life in a state of spiritual death, where they will experience eternal fire (“where the fire is not quenched,” Mark 9:46-48).

But hell is not inevitable. As we have seen, Jesus came and died so that we might avoid eternal punishment (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Paul writes in Romans 5:8-9:

⁸But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Conclusion

Yes, hell is hot. But God sent His Son to die so that we might avoid hell and live. Jesus tells us that to be saved one must hear the gospel (the good news that Jesus died for us), believe the gospel, repent of his sins, confess faith in Christ, and be baptized into Christ and into His death for the remission of sins (Mark 16:15-16; John 3:16; Luke 13:1-6; Matt. 10:32-33; 28:18-20) and live an obedient life (Luke 7:21-27; John 12:44-50).

If we can help you learn how you can avoid the wages of sin and have eternal life, please contact us at strasburgcoc@yahoo.com or 540-3311-8833.

Strasburg church of Christ