Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
If Anyone Is Going to Hell, It’s the Christians

If Anyone Is Going to Hell, It’s the Christians

Last updated on: May 22, 2018 at 3:22 pm by Matthew Distefano

If Anyone Is Going to Hell, It’s the Christians 2018-05-22T15:22:59-06:00 Matthew Distefano

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Courtesy of Pixabay

Although I no longer engage in theological discussions on Facebook all that often, I still get into it with folks from time to time. What I find fascinating is the level of certainty with which many Christians approach whatever topics are being discussed. Especially confounding is how many of these “believers” offhandedly talk about the fate of non-believers. In essence, everyone is going to hell. Muslims. Atheists. Jews. Even Christians who theologically see things differently than them are one day going to find themselves consigned to the eternal barbecue.

Talk about judgment!

To that end, I’d like to remind these Christians of a few things with the hopes that they will slow their roll when it comes to consigning others to hell.

First, let’s focus on Matthew 7:21–23, a favorite prooftext some Christians use to argue that others will one day be forever lost to the flames of hell. But before we tackle these verses specifically, let’s take a look at how chapter 7 begins. Jesus states:

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”

This type of warning should give us great pause. It should make us feel a bit uneasy. Why? Because we should all see ourselves as the one with the ginormous eye-plank. That’s the point. And I don’t know about you, but I know that I’ve yet to get all my shit together. I still sin. I still hold grudges. I still withhold mercy and grace. I still act like a damn fool from time to time. Hence, I should be the last to turn to my neighbor and start talking about all the sin in their life.

What about you? Are you so holy and righteous that you feel the need to talk about the planks in the eyes of others? Or, should you take it easy when it comes to the sins of others?

Think about it.

Now, let’s jump forward to verses 21–23, which read:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’”

Ouch.

If the warnings in verses 1–5 were harsh, these that follow are worse yet. But notice who Jesus is talking to. It’s not the unbelievers. It’s not the pagans. It’s not, if I may be anachronistic for a moment, the New Atheists, or Muslims, or other “non-believers.” It’s those who profess to following Jesus—those who prophesy and cast out demons in Jesus’ name—who are told to scram. In other words, if anyone is going to hell, it’s those who say “Lord, Lord”—i.e. Christians—but then refuse to act like “little Christs.”

The same thing could be said about Matthew 25:31–46— yet another favorite prooftext Christians use to “prove” that some will burn in hell. What is deliciously ironic about this is that the point Jesus is actually trying to make is really the opposite of what many Christians would have us believe.

Let me explain.

You see, when Jesus divides the nations into the two groups—wicked goats and righteous sheep—notice that both the sheep and the goats are surprised by their standing with the Lord. In other words, those who think they are sheep but still refuse to aid the starving, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned, are going to be surprised when they end up on the left, as a goat, consigned to “eternal punishment.” While those who have no idea who Jesus is, but who still help those in need, will find themselves on the Lord’s right, are counted as sheep, and who then gain “eternal life.”

Again, like the passages from Matthew 7, this warning should be a sobering wake-up call for us all. What is made fairly clear is that we cannot simply rest on the fact that we take on the name of Jesus. Rather, we need to not only aid those who need it the most but need to resist the urge to judge those who don’t, lest we find ourselves condemned by our own judgmental logic.

The Apostle Paul emphasizes the same point in his letter to the Romans. After listing all the vices folks in the early churches were succumbing to, he then drops the following hammer on those who judge others for engaging in these vices: “Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.”

Again, that’s some pretty harsh stuff. It should really cause us to pause. Because let’s just be real for a second: we are all doing these things. Even Paul did. Remember his admission? “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate . . . For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” And again: “All fall short of the glory of God.” Paul included. Me included. You included.

So again, judge not lest you be judged. Cast not others into hell lest you cast yourself into hell. Beware of your own planks, not the specks of “those sinners over there.”

All this being said, I still believe God will one day “reconcile all things unto himself.” This even includes those who follow Jesus and yet still condemn others for not. The point I am trying to make, however, is that if anyone is going to end up in hell, it’s not those whom we judge. It’s us. We’re going there. We’re the ones retaining sins, not Jesus (see John 20:19–23).

So, to that end, may we lay down our swords of judgment and start showing others mercy in the same way our Father shows mercy to us (Luke 6:36). May we bless our enemies in the same way our Father blesses them (Matthew 5:45). For that is what it means to be perfect like our Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). That is what it means to be holy.

Previous Post

May 18, 2018

A Quick Note to Kevin DeYoung

Next Post

May 29, 2018 Direct Experience vs. The Bible: Some Initial Thoughts

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement Book Review Early Church Eschatology eternal torment Hell Hermeneutics LGBTQ+ Mimetic Theory Mysticism News Old Testament Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Religion Sacrifice Satire Soteriology Theology Uncategorized Violence

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 June 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian group traces its roots to John Calvin’s teachings?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Lutherans Baptists Presbyterians Methodists

Books by This Author Books by All Set Free

See All Titles »