Welcome back to our summer series: What's the Difference?

In this series, we are asking a question: what is the difference between the gospel we teach here at Pathway (along with millions of churches like us) and the religious systems, spiritual traditions, and worldviews around us?

We are not here to mock anybody. We are not here to act superior. We respect sincere people in every tradition. But truth matters because souls matter. And if Jesus is telling the truth, then we need to understand it in order to step into his love.

My talk today is part six in the series. It is called: Universalism and Pluralism.

And I have seven signposts along the road we need to travel.

Pluralism says many roads lead to God.
Universalism says everybody gets there in the end.

Slightly different ideas, but they often blend into one soft cultural slogan: All roads lead to God.

And I need to confess this up front.
My Inner Nice Guy wants that to be true.

No hellfire.
No final judgment.
No knots in my stomach over people I love who do not believe in Jesus.

No hard questions about the sincere Buddhist grandmother, the devout Muslim father, the secular friend who is kinder than half the Christians you know, or the person who never got a decent Christian witness.

Just one gigantic, cosmic happily-ever-after.

Honestly, part of me would prefer to preach that sermon.

It would be easier.

And if you are already tightening up because you think this is going to be one of those hellfire sermons, count me out.

I am sorry if someone ever preached judgment with a bunch of shouting. Or with a smile of superiority. If someone used the fear of hell to scare you, shame you, control you, or keep you spiritually small, that was not the heart of Jesus.

Jesus wept over lost people. (John 11:35)

Paul said he would wish himself accursed if it meant his people could be saved. (Romans 9:3)

 

Peter said God is not willing that any should perish. (2 Peter 3:9)

There are no damnation happy feet in the New Testament.

A London preacher named R.W. Dale once said D.L. Moody was the only preacher who had the right to preach on hell, because Moody couldn't talk about hell without tears in his eyes.

That is the spirit I want today.
Not swagger and not threats.

I preach with an ache in my heart and tears in my eyes.

Because if this doctrine is true, it should not make us cocky. It should make us humble. And it should make us want to do all we can to show everyone we know the way to refuge and forgiveness and eternal life with God.

Which is something I want to do today. So, at the end of my talk today, I'd like to show you how you can receive Jesus for yourself today. It won't be weird, and I won't single you out.

We cannot solve the ache by pretending human choice does not matter, or that Jesus did not warn us, or that the Cross was unnecessary.

Before we go further, I need to make one thing clear.

Hell is not a medieval invention.
Hell is not a scare tactic created by angry preachers.
Hell is a biblical teaching.

And if you debate hell, you are not mainly debating me, or this church, or some harsh preacher from your past.

You are debating Scripture.

And supremely, you are debating Jesus.

Listen to the Bible in rapid fire.

Jesus said: "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

"And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46)

John the Baptist warned that the Messiah would gather His wheat into the barn: "But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:12)

Paul wrote that those who reject the gospel: "Shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

And Revelation says: "Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15)

That is not one obscure verse.
That is Moses and the Prophets' world.
That is John the Baptist, St. Paul, and the Revelation.
That is Jesus.

So you may struggle with hell. I struggle with hell.

You may ache over it. I ache over it.
You may have questions. So do I.

But what you cannot honestly say is that hell is not in the Bible.

And you cannot say Jesus did not warn us.

So the question is not, Do I like this teaching.
The question is, Can I trust the Word of God?