Adding Hell To God’s Plan For People’s Lives

He said, “I already have a wonderful life, thank you.”

This was a response we received often when presenting the Gospel to our dorm mates in college using the evangelism tool when had been trained to use.

Something was Missing

Obviously our friends didn’t know the fullness of the wonderful life they were missing by not having Christ.  And some of them surely didn’t have a very good life and were covering this up.  How could we get through to them?

As we (our discipleship group of four) examined our Gospel presentation more carefully, we realized that a very important point was absent—the reality of hell.  Sin was discussed but only as preventing good things in life.  Honestly, most of our friends at this school were greatly privileged and didn’t really see it that way.

So, we figured out a place to insert this discussion with a couple Bible verses.  Hopefully, this would open up some discussion.

Hebrews 9:27 ESV “. . . it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” 

2 Thessalonians 1:9 ESV “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

A New Approach

Every week we would go out evangelizing in the dorms, so the following week we tried our new approach.  As a result, the conversations got more serious, personal and lively.   We were pleased.

Many of our friends hadn’t thought about the consequences of sin due to offending an infinitely holy and just God.  Then, when we talked about the love and mercy of God in Christ there was more interest, overall.  The Cross and Resurrection of Christ became a topic of curiosity.

I think we improved the evangelism tool.  It over-emphasized the love of God and the benefits of being rightly related to Him.  It under-played the justice and righteousness of God.  But, no tool is perfect or complete in itself; it is just a tool to be used with creativity.

The best part was that many of our conversations with people no longer fell flat and just ended.  Many wanted to continue talking about the Bible, their lives, religion, world issues and such.  And a good number were interested enough to join in discussion groups or small group Bible studies on the person and work of Christ.

What Might You Improve?

What tools are you using?  Are they as effective as you think they should be?  You don’t have to throw them out and criticize them.  Perhaps, you could make some improvements.

O Lord, Smite My Enemies, But In A Loving Sort Of Way

Many of the Psalms contain imprecations, that is requests for God to bring judgment upon one’s enemies.  There are over a dozen Psalms with this as a major theme; and many others that contain such requests somewhere in the Psalm.

The first occurrence is in Psalm 3, and it is a strong statement.  Notice the certain confidence in the request in verse 7, “Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.”

What place do these Psalms have in our lives and ministries today?  We need to resist our urge to be repulsed and reject them as expressions of an outdated Old Testament religion.  Rather, how do we honor the Word of God, and value and use these passages of Scripture?

It is by considering the larger story of redemption that such prayers can become our prayers.

The Progress of the History of Redemption

We need to recognize the historical development in God’s plans which modifies our use of the imprecatory Psalms a bit.  For example, though we might experience similar situations as David, we still are not completely like David.  He was a directly anointed King over God’s people and had the ark of God’s presence in his midst.  We live at a different point in redemptive history.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came and established the New Covenant, inaugurated the Kingdom of God, and has given the Holy Spirit to His Church to preach His Gospel to the world in power.  We have a different task to perform, and different interests to protect, and different methodologies to employ.  The People of God today are a spiritual people united to Christ, and not embodying a political state; not until Christ returns.

We know we are to “love our enemies” and speak the Gospel of Christ to them, and so it doesn’t seem right to pray for opportunity to slaughter them with a sword.

Three Prayer Modulations for Moderation

We have to learn to pray the imprecations in a New Covenant manner, such as “Smite them on the jaw, and shatter their wicked teeth . . . but in a loving way, O Lord.”  This may sound strange, but it is not too poor of a way to express the change of tone required in our prayers.

First, we are not to give up on righteousness being upheld, but to pray and work for it earnestly.  Justice is a good thing.  We certainly must not take our own vengeance, but do pray that God will uphold His glory whatever it takes.  And a good test of our own heart is that we must be willing to see this glory and righteousness displayed even in our suffering and growth.

Second, we should enter humble self-examination before, and every time, we pray imprecations; and yet we can and should rejoice at God’s vindication of His holiness and our righteous cause when it comes.  Ultimately, we should desire our enemies’ salvation and even relational reconciliation as the best outcome.

Third, sometimes it is best that we pray our imprecation in a more general and eschatological sense, and less specifically upon individuals for the here and now.  This lifts our thoughts and sets our minds on the glory of God, and can be a safeguard against thoughts for personal vengeance.

2 Thessalonians 1:6–10 ESV “since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”

These Psalms Address Our Experiences

Undoubtedly there are many times in our lives when concerns for justice and righteousness overwhelm us, whether it is a personal situation of ours, or it is the general condition of a society, or it is the suffering of the weak, or often most painfully when it is someone we know.

And the spectrum of injustice in the world is wide, from daily wrongs we endure all the way to the most infamous crimes of humanity.  These seemingly uncommon type of  Psalms actually address our common concerns in this world.

So, go ahead and use these imprecatory Psalms to pray for glorious victories and blessings from the Lord.  Look to God for more than just refuge, but for full deliverance, in such a way that you wake up each morning with confidence, joy, and song in your heart for the Lord’s new day!

(See related blog:  When Your Enemy Falls.)