Rob Bell’s latest book; “Love Wins; A book about Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived” has stirred up quite a bit of controversy within the Christian community. If you haven't heard of him, he is a Pastor of the Mars Hill Bible Church inGrand Rapids, MI, who has, in the past, created very useful tools for ministry. The reason for the uproar and controversy with his new book relates to his interpretation of heaven, hell and even God, Himself, as a Loving Father. Pastor Bell has come to the conclusion that in the end God’s love wins over hell and that no one really goes there, because, there is no literal hell. Hell is here on the earth now.  He writes that God's love will win over even His harshest enemies, even after death. While he acknowledges that salvation comes only through Jesus, people need not know that to be saved. There are many paths that lead to God because God is inclusive. He also suggests that God is not angry about sin. How could a God of love be angry about sin? [http://bit.ly/fFkm9n] Oh my.... I can see why there is controversy over this book. There should be. I have only reviewed portions of this book and what I have read is a distorted view of what the Bible actually says regarding these issues.

Brian D. McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity and Naked Spirituality writes; “In Love Wins, Rob Bell tackles the old heaven-and-hell question and offers a courageous alternative answer. Thousands of readers will find freedom and hope and a new way of understanding the biblical story - from beginning to end.”  [amazon review] A new way of understanding the biblcial story?  Did God intend for us to create a “courageous alternative answer” to the heaven and hell question?  If only we understood that the Word of God is just that- God's Word. It is God speaking to man. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.[John 1:1]"  It is God instructing man; "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.[Romans 15:4] "God gave it to us because He wanted us to have hope. Not hope in a "new alternative answer" Hope; in what was already written.  But, if, as Rob Bell believes, God is all inclusive, universal and all paths lead to Him without us even doing anything to get there, then, why do we need any hope at all?  It would be wonderful to be able to say that many paths lead to God. But the fact is that Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. [John 14:6]" Far too many people find this statement offensive and too hard to believe. They want God without Jesus or the cross. But, First John 2:23 says; "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also."  and John 3:36 says: "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." The wrath of God? The word "wrath" is a pretty strong word. The definition of this word being "strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentfulindignation; ire." [dictionary.com] This stirs up another pondering thought of Pastor Bell's book; if God is Love then how can He be an angry God? Love and anger just don't seem to mix, do they? After all, that seems to go against God's nature, doesn't it? Pastor Bell asserts that because God is love, He could never create hell as a place of eternal punishment. So, no one is going to hell. It's going to be an empty place. Because love wouldn't do that to anyone.  Hell is here, on earth, now. Was God just kidding when He wrote about His wrath and judgment? Has God changed His mind about what He said regarding eternal life and the choice we need to make about where we want to spend eternity? Maybe God's not wrong about what He said about hell, maybe we are wrong in our interpretation of what He said. And maybe hell isn't the only thing we are wrong about.

Could it possibly be that we don't understand love, correctly? Might it be that our minds just can't comprehend what REAL love-the Love of God, looks like? We live in a society that views love as: feelings, sexual, material and nonconsequential. God's love is far different. His love is based on giving: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.[John 3:16]"  On obedience; " For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.[1 John 5:3]"  On mercy: "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.[Jude 1:20-21]"  On justice; "For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His saints.[Psalm 37:28a]" "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice;  Righteous and upright is He.[Deuteronomy 32:4]"  When we read about God being a Just God, or hear about his wrath, naturally we can become fearful. But, First John 4:18 tells us that "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear." Oh that we would learn to love as He loves. His love is so balanced, so perfect, if we could only wrap our minds around the beauty of it! Then we might better understand real love.

Unforunately, we don't want to see a God of Justice. We want to believe in a God that loves like we love and that's not the truth of Who God is. He is a Just God with righteousness and justice being the foundation of His throne [Psalm 97:2] and when we deny that we bring forth the wrath of God. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. [Romans 1:18-19]" Sometimes His mercy even gives way to judgment. It happened with the Israelites and they were His chosen people. [Joshua 11:20] If it can happen to them, what makes us think it can't happen to us?We must be very careful with our interpretations of the Bible. We are warned not to add to or take away from His Word. "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Bookof Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.[Revelation 22:18-19]" I understand that it would make life easier on us if we could do whatever we wanted and still have God in the end. But, know what? That's not how it works. Whether we like it or not. We should take heed to Paul's words: "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it![2 Corinthians 11:3-5]"  Once again that 'ol serpent is back whispering; "Did God really say"?? And when we allow ourselves to ponder that question for too long- we tend to want to change the book.

I am not good in math. In fact, I am terrible in math. I struggled with math throughout my entire education, kindergarten through graduation. I’m pretty sure that my sixth grade math teacher, Mr. Heslick, got so frustrated with my inability to comprehend his math problems, that he just passed me to get rid of me. Ninth grade Algebra? Oh algebra, how I did not like you! Mr. Priest did the best he could but, I think he did the same thing Mr. Heslick did. Passed me with a 65. The only reason I passed Business math is because I had Pat's book. He had taken the class before me and couldn’t resist my begging (crying, pleading) for his help, so he gave me his book. Why am I confessing my lack of math skills to you? The sins of my stealing a math book? No one changed the math book for me. No one ever told me that I didn’t have to come up with the right answer. 2 + 2 always equaled 4. I could say that it equaled 5, but that didn’t mean that it really did equal 5. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t understand the "formula" that correctly solved it. There was only one correct answer to  the problem and it was my job to look at the examples that were written for me, listen to the instructors that had wisdom to teach me and trust that whoever had written the math book, knew what they were talking about. I may not have liked math. I may not have liked what the instructors had to say but that didn’t change the fact that it was good for me to learn and understand. I may never completely understand how the formulas work to solve a math problem, but somehow they work! The same can be said about God’s Word. We may not like what is said to us because it goes against our nature. It is hard to understand the "formula", and honestly, we like our sin. It feels good to us, it's easier to give in to our flesh than to deny it. But God has promised us that His ways are not too hard for us, nor are they out of reach for us. [Deuteronomy 30:11] God knows the formula- He created it. Our job is to trust in it.Rob Bell says that in the end Love Wins. Well, I believe that Love has already won. Love won when God  refused to give up on His people. Love won when God sent His One and Only Son to die. His blood was the Atonement for all of mans sins. Mine and Yours. Every sin was put on Jesus Christ at the Cross. For those who choose Him- eternal life. For those who don't- separation. I know it's a hard truth to swallow but ultimately the decision is ours alone to make. Once we make the choice that we want Christ and all He died to give us, we have this incredible promise; "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8: 37 & 38]" Love won when God breathed His Life into His Word that allowed us to know Him so intimately."For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.[Hebrews 4:12]"  Love won when He sent His Holy Spirit to live inside of man and make it possible for us to change and become new creations. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.[2 Corinthians 5:17]" 

Yep. Love Won.

On March 11th, 2011 I learned that a young lady from our hometown was killed in a tractor accident in Iowa. She was 23. I know that people all over the world are dying, some die young and some die old. In fact many lives were lost on the same day in Japan because of the Tsunami and Earthquake. The reason that this young ladies death is so shocking and hard to take is because in a small town where everyone knows everyone, there have been at least 10 deaths in the last 5 years- all under the age of 25. These losses have caused many in the community to ponder that question we all ask at one time or another; “Why is God allowing this?” A sudden death shakes people to the core. It unravels faith and causes us to consider what we really believe about God. I know from experience. Our family was hit with a sudden death 19 years ago that shook my faith and understanding like an earthquake.

It was on a March morning in 1992 when we got the phone call that our brother-in-law and best friend had been killed in a tragic car accident. The events of that day led us to our hometown where friends and family gathered to mourn together. Those events also led me to grow angry and resentful towards a God, Whom I had been taught was loving and good. While we were at the funeral home for calling hours a woman of incredible faith, whom had mentored me in mine, came through the line. “Where was God when Brad died and why did He allow this?” I asked her quite bluntly (and with a little bit of attitude). “Oh hunny” she said, wrapping me in a big hug. “He was right there and He is right here even still.” “I just don’t understand” and she then she said to me; “He will show you if you seek Him and ask Him.” I didn’t know if I really wanted Him to show me anything. I was so confused and so sad in my heart for Brad’s wife, who was pregnant and his little girl, Allie. He had so much to live for. Who won in this situation? How could God be so cruel to allow this? 

Our family walked through the preparations and calling hours together, not wanting to believe that we had lost such a great guy at such young an age. It was during the funeral that I did begin to ask God where He was when Brad died. It was also during the funeral that He answered me. The Pastor spoke; “Many of you are asking the question; ‘Where was God when Brad died?’ and I am here to tell you that He was in the same place He was when His Only Son, Jesus, died. On the throne.” At that moment I felt as if I were the only one sitting in the church and a spotlight were shining directly upon me. I had forgotten that God had watched His Son die too. I had never understood that He had been separated from His Only Child as He hung on the cross. I knew at that moment that God was speaking directly to me and something in my heart began to change as I realized now that my greatest need was to know the truth about God. Not what I had been told about Him from others or what my own perceptions led me to believe. But Who God really was; His Character, His ways, His thoughts, His plans and the only place I could discover that was the Bible. So that is where I began.

If we go back to the beginning when God was creating, to the book of Genesis, six times we see this statement; “And God saw that it was good.” Once He was nearing completion of His work Genesis 1:31 says; “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” So what happened that made the world that was very good in God’s sight, not so good now? We discover the answer to that in Genesis three when Eve was approached by a serpent and deceived into believing that God was withholding something from them. That serpent was Satan. The Devil himself and he has been deceiving people from the beginning of creation until this very day. “Has God really said?” he spoke to Eve on that day in the Garden and he whispers the same question to us today.“And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”  Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”[Genesis 3:2 &3 NKJV]  Well, guess what; God wasn’t kidding. One act of deception, one act of disobedience cost the entire world God’s best. Once Eve believed the lie was better than the instruction of God a curse was brought upon the entire world. And death was part of the curse. “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” [Genesis 3:19 NKJV] We suffer loss and death because of sin and because God has an enemy. His name is Satan and he wants people to believe his lies over God’s promises and truth. He will steal, kill and destroy people with his subtle lies and deceptions.

Four years ago we lost another very good friend of ours in a car accident. He was a strong Man of God and was really looking forward to living for Jesus. Yet, suddenly, without warning he was gone. While the loss and separation is hard for us, this time we had a deeper understanding that we experience death, not because God delights in our pain, but because of an enemy who wants us to believe that God causes all bad things. Satan is really good at getting us to forget about him in bad times and turn all our blame on God. Bad things will happen but I find such hope in Romans 8:28; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” My hope is in Jesus. God sent Him to die on a cross for all sins. God was not selfish when He sent His only Son to die for every sin so that in death, we might have life. John 10:10 says; “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Abundant life is found in Jesus. Peace in the midst of trials and storms is found in Jesus. Hope of seeing those who have gone on before us is found in Jesus.It has been 19 years, several churches and many teachers later and I have discovered that God is full of Grace and rich in Mercy. He is Who He says He is in His Word and He does what He says He will do. He can be trusted and He wants to be known. And when He had the world just the way He wanted it, it was good.