Driven by emotions?

With this argument, the proponents of hell distract from the biblical passages quoted by opponents of a doctrine of hell. One distracts by defining emotions as the cause. What’s wrong with it?

It’s a cheap argument that could just as easily be applied in reverse to hell-lovers. Let’s try this here so that the absurdity of such considerations can be shown. You could paraphrase it like this:

“Insecurity and self-righteous behavior lead some people to create the image of a merciless God who does exactly what they themselves have no answer to: The injustice they experience from people is brutally reciprocated by God himself. God, not man, has invented a hell for this purpose. The whole division into “believers” and “unbelievers” merely conceals their own history, which leads to abuse through these teachings. This self-created god condemns the vast majority of people to eternal torment. This devaluation and condemnation of other people under divine pretense suits the hell-teachers just fine and seems to bolster their self-worth, which I interpret as a sure sign of insecurity. One longs, perhaps hurt oneself, for compensatory justice. It’s just wishful thinking. This fails to recognize that Christ is the answer to human injustice, not the faith of individual people.”

I have now reversed the nature of the argument. Is it helpful to think like this? No. They are unreal arguments, even if they happen to be true for a specific circumstance one day. They are inauthentic because they have nothing to do with the matter at hand. Also, my assessment of emotions as outlined here above, while based on possibilities, has nothing to do with the reality of many hell-lovers I’ve spoken to. I would imply something like the hell teachers do with their argument of “wishful thinking and emotion”.

The real accusation made by hell-lovers is that people are accused of relying solely on emotions and not taking the Bible seriously. However, this is demonstrably not the case. This accusation fails to recognize that there are good biblical arguments against hell and for an all-reconciliation. This is not an opinion, but a statement, based in Scripture (check this website). Both sides refer to the Bible and both are often “triggered” by the other side, causing them to get into each other’s hair.

I think that’s unnecessary and not a good testimonial.

Why emotions count as justification

Wishful thinking is wrong because God is not guided by our wishes. That is of course correct. But are we following our emotions and cultivating wishful thinking when we refer to the Bible? That would be logical, but is not recognized as such. With the doctrine of hell, you are not allowed to question it and anyone who does is probably a heretic.

Hell-lovers who firmly claim that their views are in the Bible, generally do not respond well if you argue with Bible passages and biblical know-how. As soon as you refute hell with good reason, you shake the self-image of these people. This is not appreciated. That’s why they counter with threats, or with the claim that it’s all just emotional wishful thinking.

God’s emotions

Human characteristics, including emotions, are attributed to God (such as anger, Num 22:22; pain, Gen 6:5; love, John 5:42). These are figures of speech intended to describe a characteristic of God. Human qualities are attributed to God (Greek: anthropopatheia. In the book Figures of Speech used in the Bible, by E.W. Bullinger, there is an analysis and listing of many variants starting on page 871). Such figures of speech make God more understandable to us. However, there is one major difference: nowhere is God himself described as being dominated by emotions, as can happen with us humans.

One could ask whether God gets stuck in negative emotions? This is contradicted in Michah and other books from the Bible. There is hope, quite different from what hell-lovers preach. We read something like:

“Who is a God like you, who forgives iniquity and overlooks the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? He does not keep his anger forever, for he delights in kindness.”
Micah 7:18

Human emotions and the Bible

It is normal for a person to have feelings. It is also normal to take feelings into consideration. However, you can decide not to be determined solely by feelings. That would be sober minded and it often proves helpful. I always plead for this.

When clarifying theological questions, for example, one can decide to deal conscientiously with the text of the Bible and not allow oneself to be determined by feelings alone. That would be the situation we are dealing with here. Let’s now question the emotions a little more.

One can say, for example, that hell is “perceived as unjust”. Perhaps that stems from the way we feel today. This is how some hell-lovers imagine it. They then think that this feeling belongs to the present day, but that the Bible has eternal value and should therefore be valued more highly. In this way, emotion is devalued and one’s own teaching is enhanced. I regard such conclusions as attempts at manipulation.

But there are other ways of dealing with it.

The heartless God

Let’s ask the question again: “I find hell unjust because I cannot reconcile it with the image of a loving God”. Supporters of hell often respond with a little empathy. Like this: One understands the reaction, but unfortunately there is not only God’s love, but also God’s justice. It is then suggested that God’s love will one day be overtaken or replaced by God’s justice if people “do not want to convert” and “reject God’s love”. Responsibility is deliberately shifted from the Creator to creation. In this way, God is freed from the shame of hell and man becomes the creator of his future. The “burden of eternity” now rests on people. Such a conclusion is part of the basic repertoire of hell teachers. This justification is intended to provide an explanation and calm emotions.

Personally, I find it outrageous that people are satisfied with such an answer. The injustice of hell is not invalidated by the fact that God no longer loves from day X, but the contradictions are merely confirmed. God supposedly has an expiration date on His love, after which He strikes mercilessly. This no longer has anything to do with a God of love. Hell-lovers naturally try to down-play this impression. I have heard many excuses for this, but I have never read a biblical justification for it. Such arguments seem to me to be the height of impertinence.

The problem is shifted from the love of God to the justice of God. Everyone should pay attention to this. It is a trick, because this cannot be derived from the Bible. Two things, love and justice, are linked here in a way that does not exist in the Bible. This is where we should start and ask whether God’s justice can be achieved through endless punishment and torment? How do you get to your destination when you are traveling for all eternity? Conclusion: Once you move away from the biblical statements, it will be difficult to return to the Bible.

Is God’s will wishful thinking?

The apostle Paul writes to Timothy:

“God, our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
1Tim 2:4

What does God want? He wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. One would think that this quite clearly reflects God’s intention and who has ever contradicted God? You might think so. But they didn’t count on hell-lovers. Especially with teachers of hell, you will often read that this will of God is merely wishful thinking.

Amazing, then, that the hell-lovers even accuse God of wishful thinking. Here, pious words are used to make the following point: God wants to save all people, but that is merely the intention. This can only be realized if people want it. The will of man seems omnipotent. The will of God is merely wishful thinking. God thinks, but man directs. What a strange world the hell-lovers live in.

On the other hand, it is quite clear how it works. A God who deserves this designation simply does what He wants. No more and no less. That is why Paul writes about this God:

God, who “brings about everything according to the counsel of His will”.
Eph 1:11

And Solomon has already recorded his understanding as follows:

“The heart of man devises his way, but Yahweh directs his steps.”
Prov 16:9

Man thinks, but God directs. This is the understanding of God that is turned upside down by hell-lovers. The Bible is quite clear that God determines, not man. That doesn’t make us puppets. However, it is emphasized that God himself has the last word and determines the outcome of all things (Rom 11:33-36; 1 Cor 15:28).

This is not a wish, but a declared goal. I find that credible. It leads me out into the distance and establishes my confidence. This is not an emotional justification for universal reconciliation. I justify universal reconciliation with Colossians 1:20, because that is exactly what it says in that verse. However, the consequence of my trust in such statements is that I can look to the future with gratitude and confidence, i.e. full of good emotions.