Erasing Hell

In his latest book, Erasing Hell, Francis Chan tackles one of the Bible's most difficult doctrines with sensitivity and humility. In the introduction of the book, Mr. Chan writes,

"The saddest day of my life was the day I watched my grandmother die. When the EKG monitor flatlined, I freaked out. I absolutely lost it! According to what I knew of the Bible, she was headed for a life of never-ending suffering. I thought I would go crazy. I have never cried harder, and I don't ever want to feel like that again. Since that day, I have tried not to think about it. It has been over twenty years" (pages 13-14).

The author understands the gravity of the doctrine of hell. He understands that the fate of people depends on our understanding of hell. If there is no hell and he warns people about it, he could waste his life scaring people about a destiny that does not exist. If there is a hell and he tells people to not be concerned about it, he could lead many people to a horrible ending.

In this book, Francis Chan defends a biblically orthodox view of hell. He rejects all forms of universalism. He describes hell as a reality of the future. He teaches that hell is a place of punishment, not a place of purification. He warns that it is eternal. (Mr. Chan, however, does recognize some degree of ambiguity concerning Jesus' statements about whether a soul is annihilated or whether it suffers forever in hell. He sides with the traditional view that a soul suffers forever, but admits that the other side makes arguments worth considering. In either case, hell is a horrible place.) He acknowledges that degrees of punishment exist in hell, although the details about those degrees are vague. He teaches that faith in Christ is essential to being saved from hell.

Perhaps the best part of the book came in the fifth chapter, where Mr. Chan detailed some of the implications of the biblical doctrine of hell. Here are a few quotes from Chapter 5:

"Jesus threatens hell to those who curse their brother (Matt. 5:22). He's not warning drinkers or smokers or murderers. Jesus preaches hellfire against those who have the audacity to attack a fellow human being with harsh words. It's ironic--frightening, actually--that some people have written books, preached sermons, or written blog posts about hell and missed this point completely...Whoever calls his brother a fool may find himself guilty of hell. Have you called your brother a fool lately? On a blog? On Facebook? Have you tweeted anything of the sort?" (page 118).

"And how about Matthew 7, probably the scariest passage on hell in the entire Bible?...The most frightening word is many. Jesus says, 'Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" (Matt. 7:22 NASB)...How will Jesus respond to your laundry list of Christian activities--your Easter services, tithe, Bible studies, church potlucks, and summer-camp conversions? Are you sure you're on the right side? What evidence do you have that you know Jesus?" (pages 118-119).

"Or take racism. The Christian church in many ages and in many places has stood on the wrong side of this issue, and it's damnable--literally. What's racism got to do with hell? you may ask. According to Jesus, it's got everything to do with it. In Matthew 8, Jesus smuggles a warning about hell into the context of racism and ethnocentrism (the belief that your ethnicity is superior)...We need to see the glaring contradiction in saying we believe in hell while making no effort to tear down the walls of racism and ethnic superiority" (pages 120-121).

"And what about the poor? While Jesus is ambiguous at times about the nature and duration of hell, He's crystal clear about the necessity of reaching the poor. Yet many hellfire preachers are overfed and overpaid, living in luxury while doing nothing for the majority of Christians who live on less than two dollars a day. Contrast that with Jesus, who in His longest sermon about judgment made helping the poor a vital criterion of who goes where...There's a literal hell, and helping the poor is essential. Not only did Jesus teach both of these truths, He saw them as necessary and interrelated" (pages 121-122).

Erasing Hell is a challenging book. It's a short book with numerous footnotes. It will motivate the serious Christian to believe the warnings of Jesus and the apostles and to live differently because of what they have said and written. It's very much worth reading.

Francis Chan on Hell

Francis Chan's new book on hell is due to be released on July 5, 2011.

Francis Chan on Humility

This video features Francis Chan's challenging sermon at the recent Desiring God Conference. He spoke from the text in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3.

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that 'all of us possess knowledge.' This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God" (1 Corinthians 8:1-3).

The Need to Examine What We Believe

Thanks to Wes Woodell for sharing this video.

Receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit

This is an excerpt from Forgotten God by Francis Chan:

"A multitude of people had gathered. Peter preached a powerful sermon, and when they heard his words, they were 'cut to the heart' and asked how they should respond. Peter answered, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself' (Acts 2:28-39). The text says that on that day around three thousand people became part of God's kingdom and accepted the gift of the Holy Spirit.

"...When I was preaching through this passage at my church, my seven-year-old daughter, Mercy, understood. She came to me afterward and said, 'Dad, I want to repent of my sins and be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' I loved the simplicity and greatness of her faith. She didn't need to debate the finer points of how and when, exactly, the Holy Spirit would come. She just wanted to obey the passage to the best of her ability. I realize Mercy doesn't have the biblical knowledge many of us do, but I wonder how many of us have the faith she has.

"Is that your response to the Word? Is it clear to you that you're supposed to repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit? If so, have you done it? If not, what keeps you from doing it today?

"Why do we sometimes feel that we need to debate this endlessly, running through every possible hypothetical situation and answering every theological question first? When will we simply respond to the truth we have heard and then work through our questions from there?" (pages 68-69).

The Euphemism of Taking Up One's Cross

This is from Forgotten God by Francis Chan:

"'Taking up my cross' has become a euphemism for getting through life's typical burdens with a semi-good attitude. Yet life's typical burdens--busy schedules, bills, illness, hard decisions, paying for college tuition, losing jobs, houses not selling, and the family dog dying--are felt by everyone, whether or not they follow the Way of Jesus.

"When Jesus calls us to take up our cross, He is doing much more than calling us to endure the daily, circumstantial troubles of life. The people in Jesus' day were very familiar with the cross. Having witnessed crucifixion, they understood the commitment and sacrifice of taking up a cross.

"It is a call to radical faith.

"Jesus is calling us to be willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the gospel. His call is to love those who have cheated us in business; those who have spread nasty rumors about us; those who would kill us if they could; those who disagree with us politically, practically, and fundamentally. His call is to consider everything a loss for His sake. His call is for total surrender. He calls us to give up our lives as a living sacrifice. His call means realizing that His power is made perfect in our weakness, that when we are weak we are also strong (2 Cor. 12:9-10)" (Pages 124-125).

"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me'" (Luke 9:23).

The Unnoticed Saints Among Us

I appreciate the unnoticed saints among us...the men, women, boys, and girls who serve quietly and humbly in the name of Christ, but who never seem to be noticed by others. I recently read about such a saint named Nathan Barlow in Crazy Love by Francis Chan. This is his story:

"A medical doctor who chose to utilize his skills in Ethiopia for more than sixty years, Nathan dedicated his life to helping people with mossy foot. Mossy foot is a debilitating condition primarily found in rural districts, on people who work in soil of volcanic origin. It causes swelling and ulcers in the feet and lower legs. The subsequent deformity, swelling, repeated ulcerations, and secondary infections make people with mossy foot social outcasts equivalent to lepers.

"I met Nathan shortly before he died. His daughter, Sharon Daly, attends my church and brought him to her home from Ethiopia when his health started to fail. After only a few weeks, he couldn't handle being in the States. The people he loved were still in Ethiopia, so his daughter flew him back home so he could spend his last days there.

"Once, Nathan got a toothache, the pain of which was so intense that he had to fly away from the mission field to get medical attention. Nathan told the dentist that he didn't ever want to leave the mission field for the sake of his teeth again, so he had the dentist pull out all of his teeth and give him false ones so he wouldn't slow God's work in Ethiopia.

"This amazing man was the first to help these outcasts, and he spent his life doing it. Yet he died quietly, without a lot of attention; no one really knew about him.

"It surprised me that such a man of God would faithfully serve for so many years, despite minimal recognition. It is a beautiful thing to witness. The work Nathan started continues through his Web site, http://www.mossyfoot.com" (pages 150-151).