Within a Christian framework, it is possible to envisage why Christians would emphasize Hell as a form of retribution for doing bad actions. However, one must understand that this is only an aspect of the way Christian theology explains the problem of sin and salvation within the larger framework of the Christian faith. Indeed, for some Christians, the stress on Hell may seem rather strong and strident, especially in light of Jesus’s message. This paper will argue that the emphasis on Hell is somewhat over-stated when weighed against the Christian understanding of God’s desire to be with his people. Instead, Christians should be encouraged to focus on the joy of heaven, being with God and each other, thus stressing what is good and the possibilities for redemption rather than the stresses related to sin in the world.
Explanation Of The Problem Of Hell And Redemption
The basic problem with evil and sin in the Bible is that humans cannot seem to avoid sinning. Humans need to choose between good and evil. Good choices bring about good consequences, and evil ones lead to bad consequences. The first time humans were created, their progeny began immediately to commit evil (Gen 4:1-6). If there were no punishment for sin, humans would find no reason to choose good over evil and so would live in constant enmity with God as well as with each other. However, humans need to be redeemed because they cannot simply stop sinning. Even those who are dedicated to living just lives can still sin even if these occurrences are infrequent compared to others.
The Bible indicates that humanity fell into sin. We know that the devil tempted Eve and she succumbed (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve’s failure to obey God is the cause of all later human sins. Their decision to disobey God led to two main kinds of problems. First, they died. There is death as a result of sin as well as sin bringing along with it other types of death like the death of humanity’s fellowship with God. Second, the human race lost its blissful innocence and as a consequence could not replicate that innocence. Because they chose to turn away from God’s path, they became tainted. Both these aspects continue to plague the human race, and we now live in a broken relationship with God. Sinners die and we are unable to go back to God in our current form.
The Bible is clear that sin caused death and thus the loss of life, but sin also caused us to lose our fellowship with God. When our ancestors ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they distorted our relationship with God. From that day forward, we have been alienated from God and His righteous kingdom (Col 1:21). As a result, we cannot re-enter God’s righteous kingdom until we are cleansed of our sins. To put it another way, we remain on the outside of God’s kingdom until we repent and change. In short, we are alienated from God and while we are aliebnated from him, we do not possess life (Psa 49:7-15). Accordingly, we require divine intervention to restore our relationship with God, and we must accept and honor the conditions of that relationship. In return, we receive the blessings of salvation. It is in this context that the Biblical warnings against disobedience to God are found.
From Genesis to Revelation, God repeatedly warns his people of the severity of the sin against Him. For example, Moses was told to warn Israelites of the wrath of the Lord (Deut 8:19-20 and Deut 11:4-7). In fact, if Israel disobeys God, He will remove them from the Promised Land. They will be scattered among other nations. These are harsh warnings, but God promises to bless the people if they repent (Deut 30:1-6).
Response To Sin
God warns of two responses to sin: disobedience brings negative punishment, while obedience results in a positive reward. A Christian framework sees God responding to both and the actions of humans that are guided by their conscience in response to both. The Bible teaches that God punishes sin, and human consciences certainly respond in kind as well, especially due to the development of Christian conscience. This is seen in the story of the fall as the most significant moment in history, the point at which humanity fell and the beginning of their misery. It is a story in which Adam and Eve turned away from God in favor of following their own self-interest, thinking they were free to choose their own path. Once man was no longer content with his master, sin entered into the world. Once sin is present, people suffer its pain and sorrow. Yet, at the same time, their consciousness responds positively to this behavior by placing a penalty on those who follow in the footsteps of their forebears and also a reward for those who manage to resist the urge to sin.
How a person responds when confronted with the need to choose between good and evil depends on how the person was raised. It is hard to determine where guilt came from since, upon careful examination, guilt seems to be a natural part of the human condition, yet there is a strong case that it is acquired through teachings and examples set forth by parents (Shiomi Kawakita 2006, p 60). Therefore, we can see where a person chooses to act comes from in terms of what was instilled in them from a young age or, alternatively, from their personality. If a person naturally has strong self-discipline and sees the importance of their decisions, then they tend to make wiser choices; this is how one can see a correlation between moral conscientiousness and psychological trait conscientiousness; however, in reality there is not much difference (Stephens, Nave, McHugo, & Richards 2012, p 74) as this is probably due to a lack of strength of mindset and discernment. In our modern world, we may lose sense of what is appropriate to do because of the environment we live in. If a person is strongly influenced by religion, then they will be more likely to engage in behaviors that avoid sin. Therefore, depending on the strengths and weaknesses in our personalities, we will end up performing acts that will either lead to rewards or punishments in the afterlife.
Punishment Of Sin Through Death
We see the consequences of disobedience to God’s law because we get caught in the trap. For instance, if we try to obey the second commandment which warns of the false gods, we can suffer from bad consequences. Or even if we commit adultery, that will result in dire consequences. Or if we steal property from others, we will also suffer severe outcomes. While there are penalties for breaking God’s laws, there are also rewards when God’s law is observed. Thus, in the end, we are simply trapped between suffering consequences for disobeying God’s law or enjoying the blessings of obeying God’s law.
When we break God’s laws, we do not merely harm ourselves; we harm God’s kingdom, and he chooses to punish us through separation from himself. He continues his punishment of our disobedience until we decide to repent and come back to him under the condition that we follow the rules of his kingdom. In this process, we will be rewarded with eternal life – and this reward is greater if we observe God’s commandments throughout our lifetimes without disobeying any of them along the way. Those who obey all the commands are said to “live forever” in the Holy City (Rev 22:5). Conversely, those who break the law receive punishment in the form of death (Exod 31:14), i.e., eternal separation from God’s kingdom. Since Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, the punishment of death was serious (Gen 2:17).
Therefore, the punishment of death is connected to one’s conscience.
A conscience is defined as “the capacity for moral judgment; moral awareness or sensibility; the faculty by which man recognizes the moral quality of his own motives or actions” (Funk & Wagnalls New World Dictionary of the American Language, 2d ed. p 271). One’s conscience bothers him/her when one breaks the law of God and one feels guilty about it. Guilt is the general feeling of having done something wrong. Guilt feelings arise when someone has violated a social norm or broken an established custom. They also arise when a person commits a crime against society, country, or religion. Guilty feelings result from doing things that violate one’s conscience; these include acts of transgression, criminality, dishonesty, etc. If we do not pay attention to our consciences, then eventually we will face the punishment of death as we would break God’s law.
The Importance Of Confession As Well As Repentance
In order to avoid death and eternal