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How Can I Believe In A God that Tortures People In Hell?

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An unbeliever asks, “How can you believe that God tortures people forever in Hell?” Now, wait a second; let’s think this through. First of all, the most startling thing is that God punished His very own Son (and Self) on the Cross two thousand years ago. In fact, the word excruciating comes from the Latin word for cross. Keep in mind also that the pain God inflicted on His Son was not only physical, but spiritual in nature. Jesus endured the guilt of our sin. He was tormented in body and spirit for our wickedness, though He is God and completely perfect. (II Corinthians 5:21)

Secondly, God “tortured” Himself, if you will, in order that we might be freed from the penalty and punishment we justly deserve. He deserved none of it, for Jesus is the perfect Son of God (I Peter 3:18). In effect, God does not send any person to eternal and tormented separation from Him without first offering the torment of His own Son (and Self) as the primary sacrifice … and the way out of anguish for all believing humans.

Thirdly, we are finite creatures sinning against an infinitely holy God. It is one thing for me to sin against another human being (and God holds us accountable for that), but in every sin we are ultimately offending God (Psalm 51:4). Sinning against an infinitely holy God obviously demands an infinite punishment. And, my friend, only an infinite God could absorb the world’s sin in a moment of time. That’s exactly what Jesus did! His infinitude allowed Him to absorb the totality of sin in one event of history. We finite creatures, however, would have to carry our own guilt on ourselves forever in order to pay it off. (John 3:36) Hence, Hell is an everlasting punishment.

So, before we get disturbed by the concept of Hell, we need to get amazed by the concept of Calvary. There, God inflicted immeasurable spiritual, emotional, and physical pain on His own Self as Jesus suffered and died. Jesus is our Way of escape from the misery of Hell, which is brought on by our own rebellion and refusal to believe in the measureless love and perfectly just plan of God.

First and foremost, we must understand that God placed our well-deserved penalty on Jesus, the Perfect One, who deserved no chastisement. Our punishment rightly follows if we sinners refuse to accept this great plan of unimaginable love. (Isaiah 53:10)

The Toad and the Lawnmower

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As my husband was out of town, I decided to mow the lawn. Up and down the rows of grass I went, mowing and thanking God for the day and the health to work. As I ducked under a low-hanging branch of our plum tree to avoid entanglement, I saw movement on the ground to my right. Upon further inspection, I recognized a little toad – no more than an inch-and-a-half long. He no doubt hopped as a response to the vibration of the ground because of my mower. When I reached the end of that particular row of grass and turned the mower, I thought, “I have to keep my eyes peeled for that little toad which will now be to my left.”

I began cutting the new row – toward the plum tree again. And sure enough, the toad was hopping in the grass to the left of me. Then he stopped. Maybe he froze in fear; I don’t know. But what I do know is how I instinctively responded to the situation. Without a second thought, I stopped cutting, bent over, and pushed the toad out of the way of the mower’s deadly blade. I think I even said aloud, “Hey, little buddy, get out of the way and be safe.” Imagine! I talked to the tiny amphibian and pushed him to safety!

I realize not everyone may have done such a thing, and I certainly pass no judgment on that. Toads come and toads go in this world, and they are not generally pets. However, as a side note, I would like to point out the basic principle of God’s Word regarding animals that “belong” to us, “The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel” (Proverbs 12:10, NLT).

Now, back to my toad/lawnmower encounter … This incident stopped me in my tracks in more ways than one. As soon as I pushed the toad aside to save it from a cruel death by lawnmower blade, I stopped my mower a second time beside that plum tree and thought to myself, “Shelli, you will pause and make the effort to reach down to a tiny amphibian to save it from death, but how many times do you refuse to reach out to unsaved people who are right in your path and present the Gospel to them – their escape from the danger of eternal death?”

I was horrified at the thought of my negligence of caring for the eternal souls of people when compared to my compassion for the earthly life of an animal. God used this situation to grip me – to shock me back to the reality of the unseen realm. He sharply reminded me of the spiritual world in which exist eternal souls – and an eternal Hell. A lawnmower blade is nothing compared to isolation from God forever and the misery of eternal guilt without hope of relief. Even Jesus cautioned His disciples, “And do not fear those [the devil, people] who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him [God] who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28, ESV).

God, please help me. Help me to take seriously the eternal souls of my fellow human beings. Assist me in reaching out to people and saying (in effect), “Hey, buddy, Jesus is the way to safety from sin and Hell! Let me help you go His direction.”

Remember Romans 10:13-15 (ESV) when you think of the toad and the lawnmower. I am sure my little amphibian friend liked the look of my feet in the grass that sunny morning!

    “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Spinach in Your Teeth?

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When you flash your pearly whites with a big piece of green spinach between two of them, it’s quite embarrassing. There’s that sinking feeling that comes when you’ve talked to a group of people and realize after the conversation that your smile had been compromised by a vegetable! Indeed, it’s a good idea to look in a mirror after certain kinds of meals (or at least consult a trusted friend).

Mirrors are important in life. We use them often, but we rarely stop to ponder their significance. I use a mirror to give me a realistic picture of what I look like … not what I wish to look like … but what I actually look like. And if – after peering in that glass – I find spinach in my teeth or a clump of hair sticking out, I fix myself. After all, isn’t that the point of looking in the mirror? What kind of fool would I be to walk away from a mirror after seeing spinach in my teeth and not do a thing about it?

Walking around all day with a glaring glitch in my appearance that could have been fixed after a consultation with the mirror is a ridiculous thing to do. An even more foolish thing to do is to look in the mirror of God’s Word and walk away unchanged. God has something specific to say about that in James 1:22-25 (ESV):

    But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

It’s a simple precept. The Bible acts as a mirror for us; it shows us what we really look like – not what we wish we looked like. The only true standard for a right-functioning human is God’s standard. He made us, and He knows precisely how we need to be. His Word is the glass into which we gaze and get a true picture of our glitches. Only, let’s be honest, those glitches are sins. And sin leads to death (James 1:15).

When we open the Bible and find we are selfish, we need to change and dislodge ourselves from the center of our world. When the Lord shows us we are unforgiving, we need to forgive with the love of Jesus. When the Holy Spirit shows us as we read the Bible that we do not have the passion for God to which we are called, we need to pursue Him more…with all our heart. When Jesus shows us that a relationship is out of His will, we need to make changes. And the list goes on.

To walk around with spinach in your teeth is one thing, but to walk through your days with glaring sin in your life is dangerous. God has given us His Word to show us what we need to see about ourselves. And His command is clear, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22, ESV). In other words, we are lying to ourselves when we claim to follow Christ but refuse to act out the change that needs to take place based on the standard of God’s Word. As much as you want your friend to tell you there is spinach in your teeth before you talk in front of a crowd, you desperately need the Bible to point out your sin before you stand in front of God face to face.

The Lord promises freedom to those who “take the spinach out.” We will always be bound up inside as long as we refuse to deal with the sin to which God points in the mirror of His Word. We will be restless and tied up in emotional, spiritual, and even physical knots. The Bible is the “law of liberty” (James 1:25) that sets men and women free by enabling us to deal with the reality of our specific sins.

Be blessed today by looking into the Bible and reacting to the accurate reflection you see. The Bible promises that if you persevere each day in this, you will find God’s mysterious and abundant blessing.

You most likely don’t give up on checking your physical body in the mirror each day – even when it’s difficult to face! You react to what you see in order to look good. But what is the status of your spiritual self? That’s a life and death situation. Don’t give up looking in that mirror! Open up the Bible…and react. Pull out that spinach and be blessed!

What Demons Know

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There is an appointed time and place of God’s unbelievable judgment. Demons know this. Though they continue to wage war against God, they are fully aware of their own coming demise. Demons also know of the current power of Jesus Christ to command their comings and goings, for they acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. Demonic powers recognize the God-Man and His dominion. They react to His kingship now to the degree God ordains in this age, and they will finally be demolished to the absolute degree at God’s appointed time.

If only we human beings knew of God’s power and judgment! And, of course, I mean “knew” in the sense of acting upon the information. I fear the people of God live far too timidly in this dark world and experience far too little victory and hope. Jesus is Lord over the domain of darkness and self-destruction. Let’s recognize Him as such and take Him at His Word.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all explain the account of Jesus casting a legion of demons out of a man in the first century A.D. While Matthew tells us of two demon-possessed men, Mark and Luke focus on only one of the demoniacs at the scene. The demons had such horrid effects on this human life that no other people could come near the man. He was violent, self-destructive, out of his right mind, and living among the tombs of the dead due to the influence of Satan’s minions. Matthew tells us of both the demon-possessed men that they were “so fierce that no one could pass that way” (Matthew 8:28, ESV). Mark explains the horror: “He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:3-6, ESV). The physician, Luke, informs us that the demoniac wore no clothes while living among tombs instead of in a house. We have, therefore, a terrible and comprehensive description of Satan’s influence on this person. The demons wrought devastation in this life – and the effects were obvious to all.

And yet, despite all the damage the demons could do, they yielded to the awesome power of Jesus. Even though no human could get near these demons inhabiting a man, when Jesus came close, they met Him and cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29b, ESV) Notice three things about the demons’ knowledge:

    1) They recognize and name Jesus as the Son of God, and
    2) They realize there is a specific, future time of their punishment; and
    3) They admit that Jesus has the power to torment them.

Though Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), even His demons must acknowledge the Truth of God in Jesus Christ. Satan makes it his business to slander and lie by twisting the truth and withholding it from us, but Jesus stands as the Truth of God in Person. Lies cannot stand up to Jesus, who is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Though they rebel against His way, the demons realize their rebellion is, in fact, against the very real God of the universe.

The demons function in futility. They work hard to torment and enslave, knowing all the while the final doom they face. As Matthew recorded, they know the time is coming. Luke says, “And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss” (Luke 8:31, ESV). Satan and his disgusting servants are aware of the material of the book of Revelation, as well they should be; for hell itself was originally prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41)

    Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while … And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10, ESV)

The demons’ awareness does not stop them. Jesus made clear that “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10, ESV). The devil will battle to the bitter end. Knowing his fate is sealed, it appears his goal is to take as many people with him as he can.

We notice that although the demonic forces torment willing humans, demons recognize that Jesus has the power to torment them eternally. For every bit of destruction Satan has brought upon mankind, he will be repaid. His cohorts know this. Justice will be served by the holy God who sees everything and rights all wrongs.

My prayer is that we would act on the knowledge we have. Demons know much, but they have no saving faith. In a discussion about faith and works, James tells us that true faith will result in action. He brings to our attention demons – who believe in the sense of knowing – but are not saved from damnation. He says to the church, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!” Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? (James 2:19-20, ESV)

James here expresses a vital truth. At the very least, we need to know what demons know about God’s power and judgment. However, we must also ACT on our knowledge, for that is true belief. Angels and demons are who they are from now into eternity; humans alone are the objects of God’s wonderful salvation. In fact, when Peter tells us of this good news of salvation through Jesus, he adds that they are “things into which angels long to look” (I Peter 1:12b, ESV). In other words, angels do not know of the glorious experience of being loved despite sin — to the point of Jesus paying the price for their lives. Only a redeemed human can know the depth of that love. Angles and demons remain who they are – with their end already determined, glorious and damnable, respectively. People, on the other hand, must decide to act on the truth we have been given. We must believe to the point of a changed life.

If we as Christians acted out our belief in 1) Jesus as the Son of God, and 2) His power to bring about His specific, future time of punishment; the world would be different. I would worship Him more intensely and prayerfully witness to unsaved people with increased fervency.

Knowing the fear demons had of Jesus’ power, I should act more boldly in the spiritual realm. Putting on the full armor of God, I should stand firm. (Ephesians 6:13) Waging war against demonic strongholds on a regular basis, I should actively access divine power and begin destroying the work of the enemy in my life. (II Corinthians 10:3-4) After all, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8b, ESV). Obviously, even the demons know that!

Grabbing Lions by the Beard on an Ordinary Day

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Young David – without armor – slays a 9’9″ tall enemy warrior in an amazing and unexpected upset. So what’s actually behind one of the most famous confrontations of history? Believe it or not, this one success can be traced back to an ordinary young man performing seemingly insignificant duties for countless days – but doing so with extreme devotion at great personal risk.

We usually hear preachers talk of or children’s books tell of only the face-to-face encounter between David and Goliath, and we rejoice in God’s underdog seeing victory. We think only of that glorious moment and neglect to consider the tedious preparation that led to the pinnacle experience.

For the full story, we need to take note of David’s response to King Saul when the king tried to discourage David from fighting Goliath since the giant had so much war experience and David had none (I Samuel 17:33-37a, ESV):

    And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has stuck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Let us not carelessly discount the importance of this section of God’s Word! Here we learn that David’s confidence – while ultimately rooted in the Person of God – was directly connected to his endless hours in fields with nothing but sheep for which to care. Although David could have perceived those times as rather unexciting and unimportant, he obviously chose to regard his shepherding assignment as a high calling from His Lord.

The young shepherd testifies that he would risk his life for sheep! He clearly explains that he would go after lions and bears that took his lambs, and David would deliver the sheep directly from the mouths of the beasts! In fact, he goes on to specify that at times he would take a lion by the beard and strike it and kill it. I don’t know about you, but to me, that kind of personal dedication and risk of life and limb for the sake of the job is remarkable … even … supernatural. David took most seriously his care of the sheep to which God had entrusted him.

As he walked the fields each day with his animals, David could not have known about the giant Philistine who he would one day face. His only concern was doing the right thing for the animals to which both his earthly father and his heavenly Father had entrusted him. In the mundane tasks of life, David lived with a God-given passion. And he obviously had a daily trust that the God who called him to watch over the sheep would enable him to protect the sheep, even if wild beasts were involved.

When David arose from the ordinary stream of life to an extraordinary moment such as the battle with Goliath, every ordinary moment’s purpose suddenly became evident. The trust in God that grew each time David saved a sheep from a lion with his bare hands now culminated as David saved the Israelites from the Philistine giant and his whole evil army.

What David practiced daily in the trivial enabled him to succeed in the pivotal, because – actually – the small things are the big things. Our character is formed in the trenches of everyday living and our hope in God is built in the daily grind of life.

Interestingly, David compares those wild beasts that attacked his sheep to the man Goliath who was now attacking Israel. Recall that he said, “Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for h has defied the armies of the living God” (I Samuel 17:36, ESV).

I think one reason David makes this comparison is that even though the lions and bears were only attacking various sheep (which seem of little value in the scheme of things), they were attacking what David was called by God to protect. This defiant giant is no different really; he is attacking what David is called by God to protect … the reputation of His Lord!

And so the trivial is inextricably tied to the pivotal. Living out “regular” days for the reputation of our God produces supernatural victories. We must remember, however, that living with God-given zeal will not be easy. It is costly. It requires great faith. And any time you need a boost, picture the shepherd, David, grabbing the beard of a lion for the sake of a sheep. Then remember that one day he took down a giant enemy of God for the sake of God’s people.

But for the greatest inspiration, we look to Jesus. He willingly chose the title, “Son of David” (Matthew 1:1). One reason I believe Christ chose to associate so closely with David is because of something particular they had in common. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd … I lay down my life for the sheep” (Matthew 10:14-15, ESV). Do you see it? Each time David risked his life to care so much for a little lamb, he was foreshadowing the selfless love of Jesus in dying for us – his sheep!

David functioned as both shepherd and warrior. He was shepherd first, and then became victorious in battle. In the same way, Jesus came first as our shepherd to give His life for us, and He will come again to be the victorious Warrior against our greatest enemy and all his evil army! (Revelation 19:11-21, 1 Corinthians 15:22-25).

I am thanking God today for recording the history of the life of David … and its connection to our Jesus. I am also thanking God for the ability to grab the lion by the beard in the course of everyday living.

Questions for Reflection and Application:

1. What is the “field” in which you work for countless days that makes you feel your life is insignificant?

2. Will you ask God to help you see how your dedication to His calling in these daily tasks will enable you to promote the reputation of God to the world?

3. Though our “Goliath” is ultimately Satan, what “lions and bears” are you facing? Do you see how God empowers us to grab those lions and strike them down?

4. When we care for what God has entrusted to us, we are reflecting the heart of Jesus in His care for His “sheep.” For what has God called you to care deeply and self-sacrificially?

5. Will you rest ultimately in the promise that Jesus is not only our Shepherd, but our Warrior? We will see the conclusive victory with Him!

Torture or Trust

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Read this paragraph carefully:

    As she lay there suddenly unconscious, he hovered over her body with his glistening knife. His accomplices nervously awaited his every move as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead despite the well-thought-out plan. He lifted his arm slightly … and then … it happened. His gloved hand began its descent toward her chest. The intense breathing could be heard from behind his mask. Then, swiftly, the glistening knife pierced her skin and went deeper, deeper.

This scenario sounds pretty awful, doesn’t it? However, before you make a judgment call, read the end to the story:

    Within minutes the doctor had removed the deadly bullet which had been lodged perilously close to her heart. She would recover.

Do the last two sentences change your whole outlook of the account? What at first appeared to be a horrendous act of cold-blooded murder … was actually an act of life-saving mercy. The masked man is a surgeon, his accomplices comprise the medical team, and his goal is to save life – not end it.

When we lack proper knowledge, what is good can be mistaken for bad. For example, try telling a two-year-old boy whose own mother is holding him down as a doctor jabs an IV into his arm that the adults are actually trying to help him and not torture him. Explaining this to a child is a difficult – if not impossible – task. The qualitative and quantitative gap in understanding between a baby and an adult is a large one. But, in a few decades, the gap will disappear. A twenty-year-old young lady can comprehend the need for IV hydration. She would not accuse her parents or the doctor of some cruelty. She can accept that while the method for healing is painful, it is necessary.

It is easy to see why a baby being injected for an immunization might be very confused by his mother’s participation in such a painful and mysterious event. A baby needs a few decades to grow in order to have the understanding of an adult, which would give him proper perspective on this protective action.

So, picture if you would, that you are a little child on the lap of God. And He is allowing some mysterious “injection” of pain and struggle to come to you. He is holding you, but it hurts. You have no idea what good this trial could possibly be accomplishing. It makes no sense to you from your limited perspective. All you feel is the agony, and God is holding you there. Should you assume that He is just torturing you? Of course not.

If a finite gap in understanding between children and adults causes a child to confuse necessary healing procedures for seeming torture, how much more could the infinite gap in understanding between humans and God cause us to confuse His ways of healing for what appears to be only misery?

I never expect a baby to comprehend the need for an injection of medicine via a sharp needle. That expectation is unrealistic. I can only hold the baby and hope that he will continue to associate my regular pattern of love and comfort with my current actions, even though he can’t possibly figure them out. One day, after the child has grown, my actions will make sense. He will look back and know that I had his best interest in mind all along.

If we can’t expect a child to grasp the healing work of adults just because fifteen years of growth stands in the way, why do we demand to grasp the method of all of God’s work in our lives when an infinite gap of wisdom stands between us and Him? By doing so, we are placing an unfair demand on our supreme, supernatural, and loving God.

When I get to Heaven, I expect to begin growing in understanding in a way that I simply couldn’t while in this world and bound by sin. Eternity and a new likeness to Christ (I John 3:2) will help me to see all the ways God was making me better through the pain. Until then, I will sit on His lap, and I will trust Him even though it hurts.

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15, NKJV)

Confident Conscience

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A tormentor and murderer of believers. A man so fixated on his own, false religious zeal that he despised God’s own people and threw them into prison. This was the apostle Paul in his early days. So, if anyone had reason to bear a guilty conscience and be left in the misery of regret, it was Paul.

I think about the real man, Paul, as he sat chained in an underground Roman prison. The tables are turned, and the redeemed Paul is now the one being persecuted for his faith. He knows his execution is near, and he is left with his thoughts and his God in the dark, damp, disgusting dungeon.

If Paul was a human like you and me – and HE WAS – then his mind had to have drifted back a few years to Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. After Stephen witnessed to the crowds of God’s love in Jesus, the crowd rushed at Stephen and stoned him to death. And guess what leader was there approving of Stephen’s execution? Paul! In fact, as Acts 8:3 (ESV) details, “But Saul [Paul] was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” With all this in mind, we can only surmise that Paul had to be pondering the irony of his situation. The persecutor has become the persecuted. The murderer is about to be murdered.

Now we might conclude that Paul’s psychological position at this point would be one of weakness. Feeling sorry for himself, he might have thought, “Well, I deserve this.” If I were Paul, I would have been tempted to believe the worst – that because of all my sin, I was finally going to get what I had coming to me. God’s care of me might have been seriously clouded by my own guilt. Could I even call on Jesus now to help me … after all I’ve done? Why should God deliver me from circumstances exactly like those to which I had sinfully committed other people? Why should God help me, when I had been so evil?

Miraculously – and I mean by the actual miracle of God’s grace – Paul’s psychological bent at this point in his life was one of strength … and a confident conscience. Against all odds of human tendency, Paul penned the following words from his dungeon soon before he was beheaded, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18, ESV).

Can you believe it? Paul was not drowning in guilt or pity. He believed God would rescue him from every evil deed – despite the evil he had done. Paul was fully convinced that Jesus had already taken the hit for his sin when He died on the Cross. Paul – even in his last days – lived by the truth of the full forgiveness we find through Jesus Christ. The blood Jesus shed was truly a healing salve for Paul’s guilty conscience, broken heart, and haunted mind.

Jesus gave to Paul not only a clean conscience, but a confident conscience. Jesus enabled Paul to live above both the physical and psychological circumstances that would seem to hold him down. History upholds the execution of Paul under Emperor Nero. He did not recant. His head was placed on the chopping block, but his conscience was unbroken. At the moment of his death, I wonder if Paul was recalling the words he had written in Romans 5:1 (ESV), “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”?

Personal Reflection Questions:

1) For what sins should your conscience be broken and guilty?

2) Have you really trusted that the substitution of Jesus enduring the wrath of God on your behalf has cleared your guilt before God?

3) Will you, as Paul, trust God today for a clean conscience through Jesus AND a CONFIDENT conscience for all the future holds?

Believing God is Greater than the Obstacle

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Sometimes what you see can really get in your way. And I mean it can slow you down and discourage you to the point of near destruction.

There comes a time to determine to look past what is visible, obvious, and looming. God works in an unseen realm that is infinitely more powerful than the immediately evident.

Take for our example, Moses. Though standing clearly in his way was both the anger of the most mighty earthly ruler and the obvious temptation to stay in Egypt and enjoy tangible riches beyond measure, Moses left Egypt. If circumstances dictate defeat, but God has promised victory, it becomes critical to fix your eyes on the invisible One and refuse to be tripped up by the noticeable. Hear it in God’s own words, “By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27, ESV, emphasis added).

Let the words resonate in the core of your soul, “He endured as seeing him who is invisible.” Another version declares, “He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27b, NLT).

Will you “keep on going” despite the major obstacles and foreboding details of your life? You can … If your eyes are focused on the unseen. Undetected by the physical eye is the awesome capacity of God who created the universe out of nothing and supports its foundations with His own hand. God is calling you to pray and believe that His invisible power is far greater than both what you can see that is trying to hold you back and what is stretched out before you as an obstruction.

It all goes back to the beginning. Hebrews 11:3 (ESV) proclaims, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” EVERYTHING came from the UNSEEN. By FAITH, we grasp that fact. By the SAME FAITH, we endure NOW. The invisible God who made it all in the beginning is the One making your life what is should be today. The Creator is the Sustainer. Your belief in Him as your Keeper should be as strong as your belief in Him as your Maker. The dynamism that enabled Him to form galaxies out of nothing but His Word is the power that enables Him to accomplish His purpose through your life.

Endure. Do not focus on the challenge. Do not gaze at the hardship. Do not look back at what has been. Determine to see nothing but Him who is invisible and is greater than what seems obvious.

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (I Timothy 1:17, ESV, emphasis added)

One Reason It Might Matter to You that God Is Infinite

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God is infinite. Although this is an attribute of His that we may not view as having everyday relevance, God’s infinite nature delivers a very real “where the rubber meets the road” kind of hope. If you’ve ever felt you sinned too much, doubted too often, or “driven God crazy” with your shenanigans; you need to process carefully His infinitude.

To be infinite means to be without limits. We are finite. We are limited in many ways – by time, space, energy, brain power, etc. God has no limits or boundaries.

When it comes to His dimensions, they cannot be measured, for He is omnipresent (present everywhere) [Psalm 139:7-10, Jeremiah 23:24]. In terms of knowledge, His is beyond what we can comprehend, for He is omniscient (all-knowing) [Psalm 147:5, Romans 11:33-34]. When it comes to creative power and sustaining strength, He has an endless supply, for He is omnipotent (all-powerful) [Isaiah 40:28, Jeremiah 23:27]. As to time, God never races the clock, for He is eternal and timeless (Psalm 90:1-2, Isaiah 46:8-10).

While all these attributes are vital to realize, let’s focus on the characteristics God shares with us (in the sense that He created us with the ability to express them – even though in a finite manner). Some of the attributes we share with God to a finite degree are love, mercy, justice, truthfulness, patience, etc. When we think of these characteristics, we understand that God possesses them to a boundless degree, while we express them in very limited ways. Since God is infinite, His love is perfect – or absolute. My love is imperfect and skewed.

We rest in the perfect justice of God when compared to the faulty justice of humans. We may make sincere attempts to serve proper justice in our lives and society, but our knowledge is partial and our motivations are tainted. When God serves justice, we are sure it is exactly what is deserved and fitting. (This is one reason we anxiously await the final judgment of God, where everything will be brought to light) [I Corinthians 4:5].

I would like to emphasize now the patience of God. Have you ever barked at someone, “I’ve reached my limit with you!”? Or “I’ve had it up to here” (with our hand at the top of our head)”? Why do we feel and say these things? Precisely because we DO have limits! We are humans – created beings. We are not infinite. Therefore, we reach a point where we become exasperated or even hateful.

Do you realize that God NEVER reaches His limit in terms of patience? He will never scream, “I’ve reached my limit with you!” When a sincere heart comes to him looking for mercy, God’s perfect patience says, “You can come again.” In fact, Psalm 71:3 (ESV) declares, “Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come” (emphasis added). Yes, continually. People may lose patience with my failures, annoyances, and requests. But God says I may come constantly. Our infinite Lord simply does not grow weary. It’s hard to imagine, but we are limited – even in understanding.

However, remember that while God is unlimited, we are not. He is endlessly patient, but our end will come. Whether by death or His return to earth, a day of final judgment is on the way. Therefore, our decisions matter every moment of every day. Do not take His endless patience for granted, because we have an end.

Go to the Rock of Refuge. Go to Him continually. And sincerely. And thankfully. And now … before your end … not His. (Isaiah 55:6, Hebrews 9:27)

Can You Be Sure?

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Belief in a vague idea of Heaven and Hell is one thing, but confidence in the place to which you are personally headed is another, as I experienced in a recent encounter.

God never meant for our destiny to be unclear in the least. He intends for us to have assurance of the outcome of our lives, and I believe that is one reason the devil tries frantically to steal from humans a true understanding of their eternal condition.

Have you ever heard someone say falteringly, “I hope I make it to Heaven” or “I’m trying to be good so I can go to Heaven”? Those who say such things demonstrate a hesitance to declare with boldness a truth about their future … and their present.

After getting a refill on my iced tea at a local restaurant, I paused at the table of an older gentleman with whom I have tried to have several conversations about Jesus. This dear man struggles with guilt about many things – including his service in Vietnam. In the past, I have assured him that we are all on equal ground as sinners and that I am no better off before God than he is. We all have selfish hearts and are corrupted at the core. The only difference is that I have trusted Jesus to be my righteousness for me, because He bore the penalty of God’s wrath against me at the Cross.

On one particular afternoon, this man was sharing a conversation he had just had with a cardiac nurse who was trying to discern whether or not he understood the seriousness of his condition. He told me that he proudly declared to her, “I am not afraid of dying; everyone has to die.” Then he said to the nurse, “The only thing we have to be afraid of is where we go after we die … and no one can know that ahead of time!”

Wow. This confused gentleman actually had the first part of his idea correct to some degree; for Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body [Satan and his followers] but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him [God] who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28, ESV) Obviously, there is validity to a healthy fear of our soul ending up in Hell.

It is the second part of this man’s thought that I had to immediately and gently confront, for it was way off base. His real fear was in the not knowing that he could know where he was headed.

I looked at him, addressed him by name, and said, “Yes you can know where you are going. I know. I know because I believe in Jesus and trust His sacrifice for my sin.” I could have added, “And I have trusted His life for my living”! However, my hurting friend soon changed the subject – still not ready to deal with the main issue of his soul.

The Bible is unequivocal in its assertion that we can know our destiny. The Apostle John proclaims I John 5:12-13 (ESV), “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Notice – amazingly – that our assurance of our place after death is directly related to our current status of life. Those who are certain of Heaven in the future have that confidence based on the reality of Jesus’ life in them presently. If a man, woman, or child has the Son of God as the source of their forgiveness and hope, then that person already has life. Eternal life is a continuum. It begins with true, life-changing belief in Jesus (not simply mental assent) that continues drawing us closer to Him and His will, and then it culminates in the reality of Heaven.

Do you have the Son of God? Really have Him? For you who want the promise of Heaven, He cannot simply be a mental concept or a part of your life. He must be your life. That life He gives you is eternal. He gives it now, and He sustains it past your death and into an infinite future. Amen!

Who Do We Think We Are?

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In the middle of a Bible teaching session about the Trinity last week, I found myself stopping in my tracks as I read a particular verse to the crowd. The question that immediately bombarded my mind was, “Who do we think we are?” We can be so self-focused. We often look at circumstances with a main concern of, “How will this affect me?”

The problem with that attitude is … the Holy Spirit Himself chooses not to be self-focused – even though He is God! The third Person of the Trinity has every right to receive glory, yet He has chosen to glorify Someone Else!

It hit me right between the eyes – that tremendous statement of Jesus about the Holy Spirit in John 16:14 (ESV, emphasis mine), “He will glorify me.”

If the third Person of the Godhead willingly lifts up Jesus with His very existence, what in the world am I doing? Am I thinking I am better than God, as I attempt to serve myself at any given moment instead of pointing all hearts around me to Jesus?

Does my frustration about situations glorify my own feelings instead of God’s sovereignty? Does my anger at people exalt my wish to be placated more than a longing for God to be obeyed? Does my pride in accomplishment turn people’s eyes toward me instead of toward the Savior? Does my fear glorify ominous circumstances rather than the God of all comfort and hope?

Two of the great mysteries of the Trinity are the willing submission of the Son to the Father and the willing glorification of the Son by the Spirit. We simply cannot get around this clear revelation. And what a loving example for us! The three Persons of the Godhead love one another so much that they willingly do what is essential for our redemption.

Holy Spirit, thank You for making Jesus big for the world. Thank You for lifting Him up that we might be saved by His death and resurrection. And Holy Spirit, please help me to make Jesus the biggest thing in my life. You are God, and You give me the power I need to glorify God. I love you!