Book Review - A Gathered People: Revisioning the Assembly as Transforming Encounter

A Gathered People

[Authors: John Mark Hicks, Johnny Melton, Bobby Valentine]

Over the decades of my Christian walk I have cherished the assemblies of the elect. In recent years I have made an error in judgment by making way too much/or too little of the purpose/purposes of gathering in the name of the Lord. I have often expressed my feelings by quoting Hebrews 10 concerning the need for mutual provocation to love and good deeds. And I have said out loud on several occasions, "Our meeting is more for us than for Him." Now that I have read A Gathered People by co-authors John Mark Hicks, Johnny Melton and Bobby Valentine, I have a far grander view of our purpose for meeting togther. Somehow I missed who authored each section, but seeing it as a collaborative effort, that is a minor consideration.

The chapter headings goaded me to keep reading so I could explore the next chapter. Though heavy reading to be sure, I found it hard to put the volume down. That many of us in the Stone/Campbell heritage have taken an anti-sacramental view of worship is unfortunate. Our penchant for making baptism some litmus test where we insist that a point of conversion must be embraced or else has also alienated us from a broader Christendom. The loss of theological substance is noted by the authors as they point out our evolved contemporary practice of liturgy, something some of us may even insist we don't practice since it somehow sounds "denominational."

The assembly is not merely for mutual edification. It is for drawing near to the presence of the Almighty in a transcendent sense. So many paragraphs beg to be lifted and quoted. I will do just that with the authors' permission in my church publication and in future articles. The word studies on the most frequent words translated worship is worth the price of the book. And the awesome truth that service to others is just as much worship as serving the Lord's Supper is noted. Pointing to the old order of Moses, the authors identified the trap of thinking rituals and cultic practices somehow absolved those involved from their self-serving lifestyles.

The shalom that was lost in the garden has been rediscovered in the fellowship of God's children within the assembly. The authors also acknowledge something many of us have missed, i.e. that Paul, nor any other New Testament writer, has given us an orthodox and limited set of divine/timeless rules for conducting an assembly of the saints. That the authors chose not to weigh into the "worship wars" over multiple trivialities is refreshing, for such miniscule matters are indeed trivial in comparison to the purpose of drawing together as a people to the very throne of God. The assembly constitutes the body as a visible reality. So many nuances are offered that enlighten that as I was reading it was difficult for me not to highlight section after section. One in particular points out that "some churches are victims of worship which fosters private emotionalism; some are victims of private rationalism. Both are missing the point" of assembly. Worship ala John 4:24 must be both emotional and rational.

This book is not an easy read. A myriad of scripture references keeps the reader on his alert. Are they using texts in context? Is their exegesis solid? Does their hermeneutic seem consistent? Yes to all of those. Every other margin was highlighted by me with asterisks for future reflection. Formats and formulas for assemblies are secondary to the purpose of assembly. This is discussed in vivid detail, which was one of the parts of the volume I enjoyed most. Every assembly must be worthy of the gospel of Christ. If they are not, the purpose for our gathering has been thwarted. And the discussion of "body worship" [bending knee/bowing head/raising hands/prostrating/clapping/standing/sitting/dancing] was especially enlightening and provided a broader perspective for how we express our adoration in a personal way. 

The climactic epilogue at the end of the book especially captured my attention. It lists the plethora of matters about which the book failed to address...on purpose. Such weighty concerns as multiple cups, instrumental music, drama, invitations, electronic devices and scores of others matters that have caused much grief and discord among patternists who have demanded a blueprint for every move within the assembly. These three amigos have done a masterful job of reminding the readers of how special, how awesome, it is to gather with those of earnest faith in celebration of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the glory of Father God. This wasn't just a triple, but a grand-slam, out of the park, home run.

Feelings

Feelings & Toxic Turmoil

How many of us make daily decisions based on feelings? You flirt once again with that redhead at the water cooler. Or you eat an entire large extra meat pizza on the way home from your annual physical that revealed your triglycerides are three times higher than the health standard. Why? You felt like it. It comforted you. Or worse, you cross the line and begin a torrid affair of adultery, betraying vows to your mate by way of serial infidelities. When asked by your confessor figure why you did it, you clumsily explain that you felt the need for validation that you were still attractive to the opposite sex. Or perhaps you had the feeling your mate took you for granted and a new partner might fill a vast ego need.

Feelings. The bank has been robbed. The thief is now in custody. He’s grilled under hot lights. Why? He explains under duress that the feeling was overwhelming that there was no other recourse. He had lost his job. He was behind on house and car payments. He felt helpless and emasculated. He didn’t want to do it. He didn’t mean to do it. It just sort of happened.

Most adults have developed some code of ethics, or at least a moral standard for determining right from wrong. Those of us who use the Bible as our source for understanding moral behavior should have an advantage over others who have developed their moral values within a secular mindset. If that is the case, why do the elect of Christ behave as secular souls by basing their decisions and actions on feelings rather than on moral principles based on objective truth?

Adults are not children. Why state the obvious? Because we seem to forget that “foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.” Children act on impulse. They “react” rather than thoughtfully act. They push. Why? Because they feel like it. They grab; whine; posture; spit; stick out their tongues; cry and consistently do as they please. Why? They feel like it. There is little cognitive evaluation of any given scenario. Why? They have yet to be taught. They have yet to learn and to mature so as to be able to make wise and moral decisions. Chaos ensues.

We live in a world of chaos. Why? Because mature people behave immaturely. They make small and large decisions based on emotions and what drives them to feel a certain way. “You shot that man because you felt like it?” Society suffers from toxic turmoil because feelings trump thoughtful contemplation. Spontaneity pushes aside reflection. The higher moral ground gives way to the need to feed our feelings. The result? Lives are destroyed. Economies collapse. Marriages crumble. “She said I was sexy. I couldn’t help it.” Battles are waged. Disorder wins.

What is the point? Satan wins every time—every single time when we allow our feelings to override the will of God. Those who know not God and haven’t a clue concerning the rules of engagement that produce joy and peace and hope at least have some reason for their errant choices. But we are without excuse. We have tasted the heavenly gift. We have been enlightened by the living and abiding word of God that is able to save our souls.

Love God and do what he says—even when you don’t feel like it. Turn right and go straight—even when you don’t feel like it. Jesus didn’t say, “If you love me do what feels good/right at the moment.” No. He said, “If you love me, obey me.” It seems to me that most of the woes we bring upon one another are created by actions based on feelings. Feelings aren’t bad or wrong per se, but they must be sifted first through the word of God, the Bible.

Next time feelings fight to dismiss better judgment, ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” Better still, ask, “What would Jesus have me do under the circumstances?” Then do it. Why? We aren’t here to feel good but rather to glorify God and obey him regardless of how we might feel at the moment. Feelings aren’t sinful, but they surely aren’t to be obeyed. Feelings are to be felt, that’s all.

                                               

The Guilt of Joy

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice" [Philippians 4:4]

The Guilt of Joy

Am I the only one who feels this way? There has always been the gnawing feeling that I needed to enjoy it as much as I possibly could. Life, that is. I desperately tried my best as I was growing up in the Midwest to relish every moment. But often there was the drudgery of  schoolwork, sickness and just getting through the day. Yet in spite of those setbacks, I would attempt to plan for some joy sooner or later.

Here is the rub. To enjoy life as a kid was to be able to go over to my friend’s house for some “ketch” or maybe get to go to Longacre Swimming Pool on Saturday. Getting Barbara Flaskamp to notice me at school brought not only a sense of embarrassment, but also of joy. “Yeah. She probably thinks I’m cute.” But soon Life 101 encroached and the moments of joy seemed to morph into other requirements. Surely one didn’t need to get drunk in order to enjoy life. Should promiscuity really be tried as many of my friends suggested? Surely a good church-going lad of my culture and upbringing couldn’t go there.

So a life of commitment and self-control ensued as I did my best to serve the Lord who gave us all good things to enjoy. So why didn’t I find the joy in life I was told to embrace? Why did I feel guilty when I let my hair down and went to a movie or just kicked back and played a game of Scrabble or went on a self-serving vacation? Perhaps I didn’t understand what joy was. Or maybe I didn’t know how to enjoy life. And if that was the case, not only would I be missing one of God’s marvelous graces, but also I would probably been sinning as well. How can I not enjoy life?

It’s taken me a few years to discover that we need not feel guilty for relaxing. Loafing is one thing—relaxing another. We all need some quiet time to ourselves. Don’t feel guilty about it. Enjoy it. And as serious as life and eternity are, I see no prohibition from the Lord to avoid having fun at all costs. Perhaps some of us were schooled too severely in the notion that fun was somehow sinful. Church ought to be fun. So should life. So, go ahead, grab for all the joy you can get this side of glory. Rejoice!

     

“We know the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:21).

The Pain Dilemma

by Steven Clark Goad

          Amazingly, one of my favorite chapters in the New Testament that is so full of hope also contains the verse above. How do we keep our faith in light of all the suffering in the world? Should not the famines and tsunamis and hurricanes and poverty and homelessness and AIDS and wars and cancer and birth anomalies and divorce drive any thoughtful person to as least some serious doubts about a supposedly loving Creator God?

      Charles Templeton, a protégé and friend of Billy Graham at the beginning of Graham’s ministry, was so moved by an image in Life Magazine that it altered his life dramatically, robbing him of his faith. It lent a stamp of approval on all the doubts he had been visiting in his mind. The gut-wrenching image was a photo of an African woman holding up the body of her lifeless baby. Lack of rain had caused a famine and countless people were dying. He reasoned that since God was in charge of the rain there must not be a God who would allow innocents to die for lack of water and food. Templeton, the varsity to Graham’s reserve, lived into his old age without prayer or faith or hope of eternity.

Personal Observations

          Though I do not consider myself an expert on the topic of suffering, I‘ve had my share. My mother died when I was 16. She was 43. That challenged my fragile new faith greatly. The few other hardships I have had in my life pale in comparison to that African mother and others who have suffered in extremis. When I compare my life to Job or the apostle Paul for example, it has been a cakewalk. But what of those who cannot process the horrendous doses of pain in their own lives or what they see in the lives of others? How do we exonerate a good and loving and beneficent God over against the image of abject pain and suffering?

Some of us living in the USA have little vision of the daily horrors of life in third world countries. Filth. Children living on the streets. Gutters used for toilets. Nakedness. Festering sores. Hunger. Flies and rats and pestilence. No pure water. Some children are born on the sidewalks, live their lives on the sidewalks, and die prematurely on the sidewalks.

The Long View

          We don’t have the mind of God to see the entire picture. When I was a boy one of our cocker spaniels got his foot caught in the garage door. My sister ran to help him. All she wanted to do was rescue him. She was bitten through her thumb for her efforts. Why? Because our cocker didn’t know the mind of my sister was to aid him. All he felt was his pain. Life is like this at times for us. Since much of our pain is self-induced, we strike out at some other cause instead of admitting we have brought it on ourselves. I think of people putting themselves in harms way constantly and suddenly when they are hurt they seem to look for someone else to blame.

          Faith could not exist if it weren’t for the challenges to it. Faith is not an easy thing to obtain. It requires effort. If God protected us from our own bad choices, there would be no need for faith. Some of the greatest strengths in life derive out of hardship and suffering. The man who has just cheated on his income tax and has just abused his wife and children is not in a position to ask, “If there is a God, why is there so much evil in the world?” God has left so many clues for us so that we might find him that we often take them for granted. Some frequently use him as a scapegoat for their own indiscretions. That’s a mistake.

Finite Human Reasoning

Some reason as follows: 1) If there was a loving and generous God, there would be no pain or turmoil in the world. 2) There is much pain and turmoil in the world. 3) Thus, there can be no God. This was Templeton’s assumption, driven home by the image of the grieving mother. Another reasons as follows: 1) If there is an omnipotent God who could do anything, he would not allow suffering and evil to exist. 2) Suffering and evil exists and nothing is being done about it. 3) Thus, there can be no all-powerful God.

          Life is full of speed bumps. Does this disprove God? Consider Job. Robbed of his wealth, his family and his health, with friends accusing him of sin, with a wife goading him to denounce God and die, Job cried out, “But I have not sinned to bring this upon me.” Since Job did not know the future nor could he determine the outcome of his tragedies, he is not unlike the rest of us in that regard. Judging God is like reading half of a novel and then putting the book down and critiquing the author for not presenting a climax. Job was right. He was not suffering because he was an unrighteous man. In John 9:3 Jesus noted that suffering cannot always be passed off as sinful living on the part of the sufferer. Certainly babies born deformed have done nothing to deserve that.

The Free Will Factor

          We often suffer because we abuse the laws of nature. Our free wills open the door to suffering. If our wills were removed, we would become robots programmed by God never to skin a knee or harm someone else. We have the choice to do good or bad. When we choose the wrong paths, we end up often paying a painful price. Eve had the freedom of choice. She chose to disobey God. She, and we, are still suffering the consequences of that choice. And this is one of the great causes of human anguish and misery. We live in a world where those around us who make wrong decisions in life harm the rest of us who live among them.

         Distress and torment can produce positive results. In Roman 8 Paul tells us all things can work out for the good of those who love God. All things would include hardships. Our primary purpose on earth is to honor God. Everything that takes us from that objective is evil. Everything that draws us closer to God is good. This view allows us to understand world events in a different, more positive, light.

  

The Comfort Factor

For example, it is quite possible that living in an affluent society that tempts us into caring more for the size of our HD plasma television set than we do for the spiritual growth of our children might cause a great deal of heartache. “A man’s life consists not in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). It is even conceivable that illness, loss of income, or even the death of a loved one might ultimately serve some good purposes. I reflected more on God in my hospital bed than I had in the days of my health and strength.

          It is often in suffering that we experience the most powerful force in our lives. It is difficult to be arrogant when you’re slowly dying. The things that seemed so glamorous become meaningless in such crises. David said, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I may learn God’s ways” (Psalm 119:71). David experienced heartfelt grief. He lost his son with Bathsheba. He lost his beloved Absalom. He was closely acquainted with suffering. Yet he was drawn closer to the Almighty because of it.

Feeling No Pain

If God removed suffering from the lives of those who followed him, they would serve him out of self-interest. We are not promised immunity from pain. Jesus told his disciples he didn’t want them removed from the world, but to minister to the world. He told them clearly their ministries would involve hardships and great disappointments.

           The Lord has not promised immunity from pain if we love him. C. S. Lewis wrote: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks clearly in our consciences, but shouts at us in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Many have been driven to repentance out suffering. That we suffer because of others is part of the price we pay for being neighbors with humanity. “For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself” (Romans 14:7).

          Three things leap to my mind. 1) My own suffering. 2) Those who complain about it most. 3) And those who benefit from it most. I surprised myself recently for thanking God for suffering I was experiencing. Without getting into details, I had one of those “why not me” epiphanies. Though I was upset and beside myself about the physical dilemma that intruded into my life unannounced, it drove me closer to God rather than to a posture of accusing him.

Oh, yes, have you noticed those who complain the most about suffering? It is typically the well fed who are comfortable in their lives and routines. The mother with the malnourished kids will do all in her power to find the next bowl of rice. Only the affluent have the privilege and resources to navel gaze about their wardrobe or which restaurant to visit today. And third, it has often been those who have experienced the greatest suffering who have produced the most shining examples of the indomitable spirit that rises above it.

A Broken World With Imperfect Souls

          We live in a broken/fallen world. Every cause has its effect. Sin results in suffering. Free will causes hardships and tragedy. Living in a world bombarded by the unwise decisions of others results in suffering. Perhaps the sin of a drunken driver will snatch the life of an innocent family, or leave a child orphaned. Whom do we blame? God? The distiller? The bartender? The man who didn’t know when to stop imbibing? The auto manufacturer? Living with others brings pain—no doubt about it. Yet living with others also brings some of life’s greatest joys and most cherished memories. Most of us, if given the choice, would choose to cast our lot with our fellows, even if we must risk a few inconveniences along the way.

          Two parrots are talking to each other in a pet shop. One says to the other, “I’d like to ask why God allows all of the pain, hardship and injustice in the world?” The other parrot replies, “Aren’t you afraid God might ask us the same question?”

SIDEBAR: It is by those who have suffered that the world has been advanced. —Leo Tolstoy

Thoughts On Weinergate

Thoughts On Weinergate

   We are a fallen race. There is no doubt about it. When our brightest and strongest succumb to the silly and ever-present temptations that goad us into embarrassing and out-right stupid compromises, we know full well we are a weak and desperate people.

   The recent Weinergate debacle is a case in point. A young and multi-term congressman is found to be as narcissistic as anyone else in the general public. We have, in the past, expected our elected officials to set proper examples of themselves for others to emulate. Should we lower our standards and expectations? It is a twisted society that expects its leaders to operate at a level below it. Yet over and over we find those we look up to and trust to have feet of clay and hearts disingenuous.

   Notice the reactions to such behavior. First, there is the knee-jerk, holier-than-thou judgmentalism. “I would never do that. How dare he expose himself like that!” I recall one congressman who scathingly denounced President Clinton for his indiscretions with a Whitehouse page all while he himself was engaged in an adulterous affair with one of his own staffers. He divorced his wife later and married the staffer. Such hypocrisy is palpable!

   A second reaction is to yawn and say, “Everyone is doing it, so why condemn him?” Is this not giving up the asylum to the inmates? Have we no shame or standard of right and wrong in our nation? Must we either throw stones or completely look the other way? Is it really an either-or matter?

   Frankly, I am pained when I see the sad lengths to which men and women will go to look for love in all the wrong places, or to massage their egos. With the internet there is an ever-present opportunity to not only text, but engage in what is now called sexting. Counselors are even asking the question, as if the answer might be nebulous, “Is having an online affair actual adultery if the parties are married?” One egghead even went so far as to applaud it as the safest sex possible in our era of STDs. Have we really arrived at this modern stage of Sodom & Gomorrah-ism?

   We should weep for those caught up in Satan’s schemes, whether they be celebrities, politicians or the family next door. Rather than a rush to judgment and eagerness to engage in the gossip mongering, ought we not first offer a prayer for the fallen ones? Was President Clinton not worth at least that? And is not Congressman Weiner, a highly popular and successful seven-term pol, not worthy of our sincere concern rather than looked upon as an easy target for comedians and journalists to mock and humiliate?

   Church, sin is sin no matter who engages in it. Right is right and wrong is wrong and we really don’t want to blur our vision regarding it all. There is no excuse for what Mr. Weiner did. Our own recent California governor has fallen into disgrace and has caused his wife and family untold emotional distress. Some of us seemed to take great delight in that sad news. Do we find satisfaction in seeing the high and mighty fallen? I hope not.

   May we not engage in the kind of rabid voyeurism that is available to the public via slick TV programs and tabloid journalism. Shall we never be conformed to the image of this world!            

“Your attitude should be the same at that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Attitude Adjustments

by Steven Clark Goad

Chiropractors would give us adjustments now and then. They probed and poked and pushed and pressed until our spines would crackle. We were told our spines had to be aligned for proper health. Working in a health club I soon realized that a half-hour after the adjustment the spine could be “popped” again. Sort of like popping your knuckles. The manipulation felt good but I have gotten along just fine without my weekly tweaking of the “subluksation of the lower lumbar region” or some other such malady needing continual attention.

Something most of us need now and then are attitude adjustments. From the very beginning of our adventure with God we have needed to be reminded that our attitude determines our altitude. God warned Cain early on. “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?” said He (Genesis 4:6). The nemesis of anger can fuel fires that seem to last forever. Uncontrollable outburts can leave memories of us that cling to the minds of those watching. Once that anger is displayed people will think we’re temperamental. Beware!

Anxiety is an attitude that needs constant monitoring. It has been said by those in the know that 95% of the things we worry about never occur. What is so debilitating about being anxious is that it displays a patent lack of trust in God. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7). Wow! That is the kind of attitude adjustment we all need. God was in charge before we got here. Let him be in charge now.

Bad attitudes lead to bad decisions. Remember the grumbling that took place at the foot of the mountain when Moses was in conference with God at Sinai? The people were distraught. The more they grumbled the more they wept. “If only we had died in Egypt” (Numbers 14:2). They were nearer to God than they deserved and all they could do was bellyache. “We had garlic in Egypt. We had places to sleep in Egypt. We had safety in Egypt. Let’s depose Moses and head back to Egypt.” If anyone needed an attitude adjustment, it was Israel.

Trusting God to guide us is the best attitude we can possibly have. “Whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25). But this is a hard lesson to learn for some folk. When we forget that the Lord is in charge and that nothing can truly harm us but our lack of faith, it is then we can rejoice in the Lord and the strength of his power. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the field produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17,18).

There is no place for pride in our attitudes. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). It’s the gentle heart we admire. We cherish the friendship of those who have their negative emotions under control. The meek and mild are rarely weak and wild. They are attempting to allow God control of their behavior and to give them positive attitudes about life. If they/we can control our temperaments, then we can control the verities of life that make our probation time on the planet tolerable. This is merely temporary residence. Eternity is forever.

Her name was Emily. She had a perpetual smile. I was amazed at her ability to maintain her positive outlook in the midst of trying circumstances. She had a gentle spirit. When I was around her I also smiled. She actually accepted Paul’s charge to “rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near”(Philippians 4:4). She sensed God’s proximity. When I was with her, I felt closer to God as well. Emily had more pain and hardship than most. Yet her amazing attitude of courage and joy in the middle of affliction was a powerful influence on others. 

Paul knew what it was like to live with daily pressures that often seemed unmanageable. Yet he persevered. It was Paul who wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). How can one be down-cast when he realizes he is just a heartbeat from stepping into a room full of angels? "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (Philippians 1:22-24). Have we this attitude? Are we eager to keep on living so we may work for our Lord?

We can’t have peace of mind while giving others a piece of our mind. If one is enjoying the promised peace that passes understanding, how can he live daily with the constant pressure of anxiety and hopelessness? It is counterpro-ductive to the mission God has given us. We are not attractive to those who seek that spiritual dimension in their lives. We must be winsome to win some. How can an angry soul invite a distressed soul to come and worry with him? That is not the invitation our Lord offers. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28,29). Now that’s an attitude I can get my heart into.

            Life’s speed bumps jar our sensibilities at times. We do not deny it. There is nobody getting out of this thing alive. There are no guarantees that we will not catch the West Nile Virus day after tomorrow. But why should I allow negative possibilities to ruin today? Too many of us experience daily lives of not-so-quiet desperation that we fail to see the sunsets or smell the lilacs. The past is prologue. Today is all we have to manage. One day at a time is all we can handle. Tomorrow is a mirage on the desert sands and cannot be experienced until it arrives. And then it becomes today. My son once asked me, “When will tomorrow get here?” He was anticipating his birthday. At least it was a positive attitude. Well, sort of. What attitude? Let’s live like we are dying trying. What other alternative do we have? So go ahead. Rejoice!

Thoughts On the Punishment of the Wicked & Unbeliever

Thoughts on the Punishment of the Wicked

by Steven Clark Goad

Several have privately emailed me wishing my “best” arguments
for the Conditionalist position regarding the punishment of the wicked. Here
they are. First, I will ask some leading/suggestive/rhetorical questions that almost answer themselves. Second, I will give you my best shot at convincing you of my understanding of the biblical position in as few words as possible. This is a labor of love and not done because I relish being marked for promoting some so-called heresy. Our present traditional view of hell, borrowed from Catholicism, Platonism and paganism, is no more biblical than the doctrine of limbo. Scriptures must be twisted to say the opposite of what they actually teach in order to keep promoting the idea that God is a loving Creator who will keep souls alive forever just to torment and torture them, souls he knew would not accept him when he crated them. This is not the God of the Bible I see. Consider.

Rhetorical Questions

Why does Jesus' reference to those in danger of the fire of hell not mention
that it will be "eternal" tormenting (Matthew 5:22)? And why do we make
words such as "destroy" mean different things, unless it is to support a
preconceived doctrine (Matthew 10:28)? If Satan is not to be feared because
he can only destroy our bodies, then why are we told to fear HIM who can
"destroy" both soul and body in hell, especially if we won't be "destroyed"
(Matthew 10:28)? Why do we assume the word "destroy" in this verse means the exact opposite of its normal meaning? Why do we assume "destroy" here means to live on and on eternally and yet not be destroyed?

Why does not the translation of words meaning grave (Sheol & Hades) and
garbage pit (Gehenna) into the same word "hell" not signify the deliberate
tampering of Scriptures by translators? What if they had done that with
other completely separate words with different meanings and translated them
into the same word? For example, what if our Bible translators took the
Greek words for "marriage, wine, spirit, and house" and translated them into
the single noun sandle? Why would translators take a Greek noun (Gehenna)
referring to a specific place and translate it into another noun, the same
noun used for the grave and death and Tartarus? Is anyone as baffled by this
as I am?

Why can we not see that the fire of Gehenna (hell) that was unquenchable and
where the worm (maggot) thrived describes the valley of Hennom that Jesus
alluded to when he said being lost would be like being tossed into that
consuming garbage dump outside Jerusalem’s walls (Isaiah 66:24; Mark 9:48)? Why cannot believers understand that "unquenchable" fire meant fire that would not go out until that which is consuming or "destroying" is gone? Why do so many of us perpetuate the notion that Gehenna is a symbol of "torture" rather than a place of punishment and destruction? How can we escape the idea that maggots consume the dead? How can serious Bible students make the Greek word for "maggot" mean some part of human beings that lives on and on eternally?

Why does the traditional teaching on hell refute the clear teaching of Peter
that everything we know will be "burned up" and "destroyed" (2 Peter
3:10-12)? Why does Malachi refer to the evil ones as "stubble to be burned
up" with nothing left if evil ones are to somehow be tortured unendingly by
a loving God (Malachi 4:1)? If Paul clearly teaches that those who do not
know God will suffer "everlasting destruction," why do traditionalists teach
that it won't actually be destruction but will be never-ending, eternal
"destroying" (2 Thessalonians 1:9)? Why can't intelligent people
differentiate between "destruction" and "eternal life in a state of
perpetual torture and destruction"? How is it possible for thinking and
studious minds to refute the very teaching of the apostle Peter who writes
of the "destruction of ungodly men" (2 Peter 3:7)?

Isn't it clear that even in his parabolic teachings Christ presents what
represents the "evil unbelievers" (the chaff & tares) being burned up by
unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12; 13:40)? Is it not clear that fire is never used by God to depict continual torment and torture of so-called eternal souls? Why won't thinking minds admit that the "eternal fire" that burned up
Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7) is not now burning but only burned until that
which it was destroying was ultimately consumed? Isn't this one of many
examples where the word "eternal" does not mean "never ending"? And why on
earth does the writer of Hebrews describe God as a "consuming fire" rather
than a "torturing/tormenting fire" (Hebrews 12:29)? Why cannot clear
thinking minds see that the story of the rich man and Lazarus cannot
successfully be appealed to as grounds to teach eternal torment, for it is a
parable with people still living on earth that need to be taught the gospel
(Luke 16:19ff)? Hell isn’t even mentioned in this parable.

Does not Paul teach that the "destiny" of the enemies of the cross is
"destruction" (Philippians 3:19)? Why do some force "destruction" into
"eternal life" in a state of torture? Have some of us been brainwashed so
thoroughly that we miss these evident and clear truths? Is it possible to be taught something so long by those we trust that we accept it without personal study to see if it is true? Does not Peter clearly teach that undiscerning blasphemers will be destroyed just like the beasts that perish (2 Peter 2:12)? Why does the traditional position on hell (Gehenna), a word referring to an open and continually burning city garbage dump, continue to mislead and diametrically change the meaning of clear passages that teach God will ultimately consume his enemies? Is it not because Satan, from the beginning in the garden of Eden, told Eve that she would "not surely die" and we have been perpetuating this doctrine of the devil ever since? Why are we so afraid to accept Scripture's clear teaching that eternal life is conditional (1 Corinthians 15:54) and "immortality" is not a given but rather a gift? Why are we eager to keep spewing the very false doctrine that goes against the very nature of God as one who is just and will do right? If God is going to torture the very ones he created in his image and loved so dearly that he allowed his only begotten son to die in their places and knew beforehand would not accept his grace, surely the Bible would teach such, would it not?

Is there one single Scripture that teaches humans are "immortal souls"
unconditionally, souls that will live on forever and forever either in the
blissfulness of heaven or the torturing torment of a Gehenna fire that will
never go out and will not consume what is put into it? Isn't it strange that
God would refer to the lake of fire as the "second death"? Why did he not
know to call it the "eternal burning of those created in his image"? Isn't
it because such false teaching cannot be found in all of Holy Writ?

In summation, isn't it strange indeed that most believers have taken a "real
place" (Gehenna) referred to by Jesus himself as a metaphor of destruction
and have changed in into another made up/fabricated "real place" (hell)
where souls (spirits, living beings, whatever) will be tortured unendingly
by a loving heavenly Father? If Gehenna is a metaphor of "hell" as it is
traditionally taught, isn't it a poor one, for Gehenna (the Jerusalem city
dump of Jesus' era) was a real place of destruction and consummation with no
torment and no torture involved, while "hell" is a made up place of torment
and torture with no destruction at all? Is this twisted thinking the height
of misguided thinking? By the way, the garbage dump in the Valley of Hinnom is no longer burning and consuming its refuse, is it?

Is Satan pleased with all of this? Surely it isn't wrong to ask; is it?


Hell, You Say?

The traditional concept of hell originated in the minds of pagan
philosophers and has been assimilated into the church at large, along with
purgatory, prayers to saints, and other like doctrines, via Roman
Catholicism. The vestiges of Catholicism still exist within much of Protestantism and can be seen in the perpetuation of this false teaching as well as in our liturgies and many other practices. The false teaching that hell is a place where eternal souls are tormented and tortured forever and ever, unendingly, by a just God, was opposed by Protestant reformers such as Luther and Tyndale as well as restoration leaders such as Moses Lard. Hell and other pagan teachings were introduced into our Bibles by scholars mistranslating four words some 57 times in the King James Version: Hades, Sheol, Gehenna, Tartarus. The mere "translation" of four different words into one single word alone should cause red flags to go up in discerning minds. No wonder we have such outlandish misconceptions regarding the state of the wicked and unbelieving dead after judgement.

Lest someone suppose I have a hidden agenda or wish to change the
unchangeable, allow me to say here and now that I am a believer in heaven as
well as hell. I just don't believe what has been falsely taught regarding
hell all these centuries since the New Testament was penned. I am not saying those who have taught this and those who have believed it did so with evil intent. I can’t possibly know that. I know as I believed this misguided view of hell much of my life, I certainly didn’t entertain the thought with malice or evil intent. I simply trusted those who taught me and believed they must surely have known more about it than I did. Something Charles Hodge taught me years ago comes to mind and I have repeated it often. “We aren’t compelled to believe what people say the Bible teaches, but we surely need to believe what the Bible actually teaches.” 

Jesus warned against holding to the traditions of men (Mark 7:8). We are not compelled to believe what men say the Bible says regarding hell (Gehenna) or any other biblical subject, but only what the Bible actually teaches about it. Some of the catch phrases that we often hear when dealing with this matter are
surprisingly unbiblical. The terms "eternal hell" and "endless punishment"
and "immortal soul" cannot be found in Scripture. These are constructs of human minds. Jesus spoke of "eternal punishment" but he never hinted of continual eternal torture of souls that live on and on in some state of anguish and torment.

There is a great deal of difference between "punishing" and "torturing"
someone. If we punished a child for disobedience we might spank him or take
away some privileges or even ground him for days or weeks. Under the Old
Law, children were stoned for disobeying their parents. They were never
tortured, however. If we held fire to a child's hands who was caught
stealing and kept the fire there until blisters were present someone might
suggest that we had stepped out of the realm of punishing into the realm of
torture. We would immediately be arrested for child endangerment. Yet we have believed and perpetuate the notion that our God will do far worse with us—keep us alive to burn us unendingly with no remedial purpose in mind.

There are four words in our Bible translated into a single English word,
"hell." These are: 1) Sheol, 2) Hades, 3) Gehenna, 4) Tartarus (found only
in 2 Peter 2:4 in reference to the abode of "the angels that sinned"). Most
scholars realize that the Hebrew "Sheol" and the Greek "Hades" refer to the
gave or the abode of the dead. It is the word "Gehenna" that has us ensnared
in a cloud of misunderstanding. Gehenna was the place outside Jerusalem
that was the city dump. It was located in the valley of Hinnom and was
continually burning up the trash, garbage, and even corpses of criminals and
animals. It was a place of filth and consumption. The flames and smoke were
continually belching up their destruction of the refuse tossed into it.
Along with the flames at the outer edges were maggots that were ever gnawing at the carcasses, thus the expression from Mark 9:48 "the worm that does not die." Someone along the way, someone with a vivid imagination, decided that worm somehow mean the soul of a human being. A maggot became a soul.

Jesus, in describing the future of those who were disobedient and wicked, chose to use the most horrifying of descriptions to paint a picture of the awfulness of it. When heaven is described in Scripture, or the Holy City, words are used that convey preciousness to us: gold, pearl, living water. When speaking of the
ugliness of being cast out from God's presence forever, the most frightening
words to human ears and eyes are used to describe it: outer darkness, lake
of fire and brimstone, bottomless pit, burning chaff, et al. What scares us
the most? Being burnt. Being alone in total darkness. Falling. So our Lord
chose words to convey the horror of being lost and cut off from God.

When Satan began his lying to us in the Garden, he began with a promise
that flew in the face of what God had spoken. God said that if our original
parents ate of the forbidden tree they would "surely die." Satan came along
and altered the word of God by inserting a single word of his own. "You will
NOT surely die." And in our traditional view of hell we have been parroting
Satan's lie once again. We tell people the exact opposite of what God has
said. God calls the state of the ungodly the "second death." But we presume
to edit God and tell people they will not really die, but that they will
live on in constant agony and torture. Jesus clearly taught us to "not be
afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be
afraid of the One who can DESTROY BOTH SOUL AND BODY IN HELL" (Matthew 10:28). Jesus uses the word "destroy." We correct him, as well as God and the Holy Spirit, and substitute the words "live on and on and on." Whom shall students of God's word believe? God's word even makes a distinction between the soul and the body and hints that we need to fear the God who can "destroy" both. He didn't say to "fear him who can torment and torture the soul and/or body." He didn't say to "fear him who can inflict pain to the
soul and/or body unendingly without mercy."

Jesus teaches that God will destroy both soul and body in hell, but we mimic
Satan and say, "Oh, no!" We have been teaching that God will keep us alive
forever unconditionally and heat up the flames and darken the darkness and
keep the pit open so that we will be tormented and tortured forever. There
is not one Scripture that teaches such in all of the Bible! Find it. It is a
doctrine that found its origin in Paganism, Phariseeism, and Catholicism and
adopted by most of Protestantism, but not one taught by our Savior.

In a recent conversation with the esteemed Professor Emeritus Jimmy Allen,
of Harding University, I was informed that he was "rethinking" and
"restudying" his traditional understanding of hell. He shared with me more
than confidentiality will allow me to repeat at this time, but brother Allen
sent me a copy of a paper by Moses E. Lard, printed in 1879 by the title "Do
the Holy Scriptures Teach the Endlessness of Future Punishment?" Lard, in a
magnificent word study on the Greek "aion" draws many of the conclusions I
have outlined here. I am indebted to brother Allen and share the Lard
lecture simply to point out that this understanding isn't new or something a
few harebrained fanatics have thought up recently to stir controversy. No,
this teaching that I am presenting goes back to the Bible itself. When
someone says to me, "Goad, you have gone liberal," I am happy to respond
with a smile, "No, brother. I haven't gone liberal, but I have gone
biblical." The familiar we must view more closely.

Then how have we been duped all these years? Glad you asked. We have taken
as literal, figurative expressions. And we have made figurative language into literal expressions. The fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was said to be
"eternal," but it is no longer burning. The result of the fire was eternal,
not the burning itself. The fire of Gehenna, from which Jesus made his point
of destruction, is no longer burning in Jerusalem, in spite of the fact that
it was called everlasting (aion). The "results" are forever, not the
consumption itself.

"Eternal" and "everlasting" do not always mean "never ending." For example,
it was spoken of the Passover (Exodus 12:24), the Aaronic priesthood (Exodus
29:9), Caleb's inheritance (Joshua 14:9), Solomon's Temple (1 Kings
8:12,13), and Gehazi's leprosy (2 Kings 5:27), to name just a few, but these
are all completed. Why do we understand the accommodation of words in some
contexts but ignore them in others? The punishment of the wicked will be
directly commensurate with their level of disobedience and administered
without partiality by a just and merciful God, of this we may be sure. In
Matthew 25:46, Jesus has the goats cast away in to "eternal punishment" not
"eternal punishing." Big difference!

Solomon wrote, "Will he not repay such person according to what he has done" (Proverbs 24:12b). Peter wrote, "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them" (2 Peter
2:21). God is the one who will punish the wicked and evildoer. He doesn't
need our help.

Satan tells us to tell others that they "will not surely die." But consider
what God has to say about those who are disobedient. "The way of the wicked
shall PERISH" (Psalm 1:6). "God's fire will CONSUME the wicked" (Psalm
21:9). David said of those who lacked understanding that they are "like the
beasts that PERISH" (Psalm 49:20). David calls death the "land of OBLIVION" (Psalm 88:12). "God will DESTROY them for their wickedness" (Psalm 94:23). Solomon wrote, "When the storm has SWEPT AWAY, the wicked are GONE" (Proverbs 10:25) and "...the lamp of the wicked is SNUFFED OUT" (Proverbs 13:9; 24:20).

God is never pictured in Scripture as an eternal tormentor. He is not a God
who "tortures" those he loves. That is not good news. But he has promised to
punish and "destroy" those who are not in his grace. "If we deliberately
keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no
sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and
of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God" (Hebrews 10:26,27). This familiar verse reminds us again to look more closely at what we think we understand. There are nuggets of truth hidden from us because of our preconceptions. This verse has been used to beat up people with concerning attendance at assemblies. We have practically ignored the details of what God will do with those who turn from him. God is not a torturer of his own creation, but rather "our God is a CONSUMING fire" (Hebrews 12:29).

Satan and the church perpetuate the idea that we will live on and on and on
in spite of the truth that Christians "put on" immortality at the resurrection. Our immortality isn't like God's; it's conditional. Only God is immortal in the true sense of that word (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16). Human are mortals. We haven't always been as God has. We are created beings. We will not always be, unless God so wills it. Consider the wise man's words: "I also thought, 'As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the SAME PLACE; all come from the dust, and to DUST ALL RETURN. Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth" (Ecclesiastes 3:18-21). Shall we edit Solomon while we are at it?

Satan told our ancestors they would not surely die. We continue to tell the
ungodly that they will live on and God will torture them without end.
Scripture teaches us "this will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from
heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish (not
torture, scg) those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our
Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction (not
everlasting destroying, scg) and shut out from the presence of the Lord and
from the majesty of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Satan, the Catholic
church, and many of us continue to teach, "There will be no actual
destruction. There will be no second death. There will only be never-ending
horrendous torture and torment by our loving Father in heaven." Absurd!

John the baptizer taught that Jesus would "burn up the chaff with
unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12). Who is represented by the chaff? The
wicked, of course. Peter makes it extremely clear, unless we are wearing
prejudicial glasses and have closed minds, that "by the same word the
present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of
judgment and destruction of ungodly men" (2 Peter 3:7). It is not God's will
that we perish. He desires to save us. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his
promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Even the golden text of the Bible reminds us of our possible perishing if we
do not obey the gospel of Christ. Jesus said, "...should not perish" (John
3:16). How much plainer can it be than in the words of Peter again when he
writes that "the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will
disappear with a roar, and the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the
earth and everything in it will be burned up. Since everything will be
destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be" (2 Peter
3:10-12).

Hard-line traditionalists point out that eternal life for the godly
will last forever. So, too, the consummation and destruction of the ungodly
will last forever. But nowhere is it taught in Scripture that "destruction
will not be destruction" but rather "continual destroying and torture and
agony and pain without end." The Greek word "aionios" which is translated
"eternal" refers to the end result of a process rather than the destroying
process or agent itself. It means the unsaved perish, yes perish, and the
result is forever. Jude 7 has Sodom destroyed by "eternal fire" yet we
realize there is no fire at the site of Sodom presently. The "destruction"
of the twin cities was eternal, not the "destroying." They are not now being
destroyed, are they?

Long ago Isaiah wrote: "And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch,
and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become
burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night or day; the smoke thereof
shall go up forever..." (Isaiah 34:9). In this text the prophet is
discussing the DESTRUCTION of Edom. Edom is now DESTROYED. No smoke ascends at that particular locale today. Why? We know why. Because the "result" of the smoke going up is forever, not the smoke and burning itself.

Jeremiah speaks of Judah's coming destruction. "Then shall I kindle a fire
in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it
shall not be quenched" (Jeremiah 17:27). If one visits Jerusalem today, they
do not find a fire that is still burning (unless we spiritualize this text
to suggest the continual conflict between those semitic cousins who are
still throwing rocks at each other after all these centuries). Unquenchable fire simply means fire that will not be put out until that which it is destroying is utterly consumed.

Does God teach in his word that evil people will be punished? Yes. Does the
Bible tell us of those who have lived ungodly lives being held accountable
for their disobedience and willful sin? Of course. And Scripture even hints
of degrees of reward and punishment. We trust that God will punish in exact
correctness and fairness those who are not among the redeemed. Will not the God of all heaven and earth do right by his creation? He will reward those who are found in his marvelous grace just as his holy and divine will decides. And I realize that these truths will mess up a lot of sermon outlines. So be it. I threw my old erroneous sermons on hell in the fire. They were consumed. Good riddance.

Can any caring person think of a scenario where it would be okay to hold a
blowtorch to the eyes of another person (say a Saddam Hussien, Adolf Hitler,
Richard Speck, Jeffrey Dahmer, Nero, Stalin, Osama Bin Laden) for as long as
strength allowed? Bin Laden was mercifully killed rather than tortured. We shudder at the thought of torture. Certainly this would be looked upon as a heinous and barbaric act. Yet we paint a picture of God who will do far worse than that to billions and billions of individuals and never stop doing it.

When we sit across the table from some poor soul who has just been taught of Jesus'redeeming love and now knows how to receive God's forgiveness, is it good news to tell him, when he asks, and he often does, where his beloved
grandmother will be, or his child, or his wife who has passed on? "Yes,
John, it doesn't sound like the God I have been describing to you, does it?
But, believe me, it is part of the good news of Christ. Your grandmother and
everyone in your family who has not done what I've told you to do will burn
forever and ever in a fire that will never go out." Readers, this is simply
incredible. It is a Satanic distortion of clear truth and an unnecessary
stumbling block put in the paths of the very ones we attempt to convert. How
cunning the devil still is. And we are his pawns when we teach such
ungodliness.

It's difficult to accept new truth, especially when we have presumed to
pretty well know it all the first time we figured things out for ourselves
or borrowed our belief systems from our instructors. It is even harder to
admit that we have been wrong about matters we must admit we have not
thoroughly studied and worked out for ourselves. This truth did not come
easily to me. I swallowed unquestionably what was taught to me by those whom I thought loved me. They did love me. They only taught what they had been taught. We presume often, don't we, that we are above being fooled. But are we?

What shall we do with this new-found knowledge? Shall we hide with is in a
closet like I did for years? Shall we fear repercussions form those in seats
of authority? Yes. For a while some of us will do this. But eventually we
shall have to deal with the reality that our Holy Father in heaven is not
some maniacal torturer of his own precious creation. What good news this is!