Why Hell Is an Integral Part of the Gospel

I'm sure you were excited to learn that Mark Dever's 9 Signs Ministries devoted an entire issue of their magazine to the topic of hell. It's definitely one of those topics that makes us look away and think about something completely different.

For some, the horror of the doctrine of hell—a place of eternal, conscious torment where God’s enemies are punished—leads them not just to look away and think, but to deny its existence.

«Of course,» they say, “hell is a fiction created to oppress people with fear; a God of love would never allow such a place to exist.”.

There is certainly some emotional force to this argument. No one, least of all Christians, enjoys the idea of hell.

At the same time, this doctrine is not just «decor» on the periphery of the Christian worldview, having no bearing on the very fabric of the faith. Likewise, the doctrine of hell is not some unpleasant, outdated part that we are forced to believe in simply because we have been taught to believe it.

On the contrary, the doctrine and reality of hell actually allow us to see clearly the greatness of the gospel. It helps us realize how great God is, how corrupted we ourselves are by sin, and how incredible it is that He shows us His grace at all. Moreover, recognizing the reality of hell—if we do not ignore it—will help us focus on the main task: proclaiming the gospel to those in danger of eternal punishment.

With that in mind, let's look at five biblical statements about hell that, taken together, demonstrate why hell is an integral part of the gospel.

1. Scripture teaches that there is a real place called «hell»

I will not dwell on this point; others have already proved it with unquestionable clarity. Suffice it to say that the doctrine of hell was not invented by medieval bishops to frighten the peasants; they got it from the apostles. And the apostles did not invent it to frighten the pagans; they got it from Jesus. And Jesus did not borrow this idea from the Zoroastrians to frighten the Pharisees; He was God and knew that, that hell exists, that's why he spoke about it. Besides, the reality of hell was already revealed in the Old Testament.

So, at a basic level, if we claim to be Christians and believe that the Bible is the Word of God, we must acknowledge that the Bible teaches the reality of hell. But that's not all.

2. Hell shows us how heinous our sin is

Have you ever heard someone argue that no human sin can merit eternal punishment in hell? It is an interesting argument that says a lot about the human heart. Why, then, when people think about hell, do they always conclude that God is to blame, not themselves? The doctrine of hell opens our hearts: When we think about our own sin, we tend to minimize it, to say that it is not so bad and that God is unfairly judging it to be worthy of such severe punishment.

The reality of hell is a tremendous denial of our self-justification. Unbelievers always view the horrors of hell as an indictment against God, but as Christians who know God as Just and Righteous, we must understand that these horrors are actually an indictment against ourselves. The fact that God has determined our sin to be worthy of eternal punishment should remind us that this is no small offense. This is an exceedingly great evil.

3. Hell shows us how unchangingly and impeccably just God is.

Throughout history, people have often been tempted to think of God as a corrupt judge who disregards the demands of justice simply because He likes a particular defendant. «We are all God’s children,» they say. «How could God pass such a harsh sentence on any of them?» The answer is simple: God is not a corrupt judge. He is perfectly Just and Righteous.

The Bible emphasizes this again and again. When God reveals himself to Moses, he declares himself merciful and loving, but he also says: «He will by no means clear the guilty.» The Psalms say that «righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.» If God is to remain God, he cannot simply set aside justice and silence sin. He must punish it—resolutely and with unwavering justice. When God finally judges, no sin will receive more punishment than it deserves. But neither will any sin receive less than it deserves.

The Bible tells us that on the day when God condemns his enemies to eternal torment in hell, the entire universe will acknowledge that his judgment is perfectly just and righteous. Isaiah (chapter 5) says, «Therefore Sheol opens its mouth wide and opens its mouth wide.» Yet, it is precisely because of this, Isaiah declares, that «the Lord of hosts will be glorified in righteousness, and the Holy One will be holy in righteousness.» Similarly, Romans 9:22 says that through the torments of hell God «will make known his wrath and make known his power» in order to «make known the riches of his glory on the objects of his mercy.».

We may not be able to fully understand it now, but one day hell itself will proclaim the glory of God.

4. Hell shows how terrible the cross was and how great God's grace is.

Romans 3 says that God presented Jesus as a propitiatory sacrifice «to demonstrate his righteousness.» He did this «because in his forbearance he had passed over the sins that had previously occurred.».

Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Because it was the only way God could justly avoid sending us all to hell. Jesus had to take upon Himself what we deserve, which meant that He had to suffer the equivalent of hell while He hung on the cross. This does not mean that Jesus actually went to hell. But it does mean that the nails and the crown of thorns were only the beginning of His suffering. The real climax of His suffering came when God poured out His wrath upon Him. When the darkness came, it was the darkness of damnation, the wrath of God. It was the darkness of hell, and in that moment Jesus was suffering the full fury of it—the wrath of Almighty God.

When you see the cross in this light, you begin to understand more clearly how great God’s grace is to you as a Christian. The mission of salvation that Jesus took upon Himself included the decision to bear God’s wrath in your place, to take upon Himself the hell that you deserved. What an incredible display of love and mercy that is! However, you will only see and understand this expression of love clearly when you realize, accept, and shudder at the horrific reality of hell.

5. Hell focuses our thoughts on the task of proclaiming the Gospel

If hell is a reality, and if people really do risk spending eternity there, then there is no more urgent and important task than to do exactly what Jesus commissioned his apostles to do before he ascended to heaven—to proclaim to the world the good news that forgiveness of sins is offered through Jesus Christ!

I think John Piper is absolutely right when he said, «It’s very hard to give up the Gospel if you believe in hell…» There are many good things that Christians can and should do! But if hell is real, it is important—no, vital—to remember that the one thing Christians can do that no one else in the world will do is tell people how they can be forgiven of their sins and avoid an eternity in hell.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the doctrine of hell is terrible. It is terrible because the reality of hell is truly terrible. But that is no reason to turn a blind eye to it and ignore it, much less reject it.

Some people think that by rejecting the doctrine of hell, or at least not mentioning it in their sermons, they are making God more glorious and loving. But that is not true at all! In fact, they are unknowingly diminishing the glory of the Savior Jesus Christ, as if what He saved us from was… well, not so terrible.

In fact, the terrible nature of what we have been saved from only enhances the glory of what we have been called to. Moreover, as we become more and more aware of the horror of hell, we turn with greater love, greater gratitude, and greater adoration to Him who endured that hell for us and saved us.