Does Love Really Win?

Okay. So I'm jumping on the Love Wins bandwagon controversy and am sharing a few of my thoughts/opinions here. Before you judge me for forming an opinion before I've read the book, understand that my thoughts are coming from Rob Bell's quote below, and that I do plan on reading the book when it comes out for a bigger picture of Bell's perspective.

(For those of you who don't know, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived is Rob Bell's newest book coming out towards the end of March.)

I discovered this quote while reading an excellent article reviewing the book. You can read the full article here: www.challies.com/book-reviews/love-wins-a-review-of-rob-bells-new-book

"A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better…. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear." (ibid)

Here's the thing that gets me. When Bell states "A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell..." I wanna shout "YES! That's true! That's why Jesus died for us!"

He died to save us from torment and punishment in hell. It is concerning to me that so many believers seem to buy into Bell's idea that hell is not real. This perspective raises questions like: "Why would our Savior suffer such a terrible death to save us from anything but hell? Why do I want to witness to my neighbors, my colleagues, my friends?" To save them from hell, that's why! The Bible teaches that hell is a horrible place that the Lord does not desire for any of his children to experience. Unfortunately, because of our sin, it is what we deserve. Thank God for Christ reconciling us to him through his work on the cross so that we don't have to spend an eternity in hell! PRAISE THE LORD, PEOPLE!

To me, Bell raises questions that I believe can and should be raised in the church. It is okay to ask questions like: Is hell real? Why would a loving God condemn is children to such a horrible place? etc. Unfortunately, his controversial stance undermines the Word of God and the power of Jesus' work on the cross.

If you would like some Biblical answers to the questions Bell raises, I encourage you to read this book: Hell Under Fire by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson.