Theological Essay
Ellen Olson
THEO 202-C04
1. Statement of Topic:
Chapter 14: Doctrine of Last Things: The Doctrine of Hell:
Examining the doctrine of hell, I will provide Biblical proof, through Scripture, that hell
exists. Per Akin, “Christian theology faces a theodicy problem,”1 when discussing hell.
Throughout the age of the church, the major concern seems to ask, “why do the guilty seem to go
unpunished?”2 Christian eschatology can answer this question. Eschatology is an important part
of learning theology, as it examines the life of the prophets and apostles and their importance as
it relates to today.
2. Philosophical Foundations or Presuppositions
From a theological perspective, in examining the doctrine of hell, one must examine the basis
of Scripture that refers to hell. The understanding that, how can a loving God send anyone to
hell, is what many are hoping for, for their life of sin. One only needs to read the Book of
Revelations to see what the future for mankind will be. In Revelations 20:10-15, John speaks
about the great white throne. Revelations 20:10-15 reads as follows:
“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the
beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever
and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled
from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small,
1 Daniel L. Akin, Bruce Riley Ashford, and Kenneth Keathley, A Theology for the Church,
Revised Edition, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee,
2014.
2 Ibid., Daniel L. Akin
standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the
book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in
them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades
were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was
not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (NIV).3
Today, the churches are moving away from the concept of hell, believing that a loving God
would not allow for sinners to live a life filled with torment. The Catholic Church, still holds
onto the belief that one can avoid Hell, instead, going to Purgatory for sins that are not Cardinal,
will eventually give them a pass to enter Heaven. Per an article posted by the Christian
Apologetics and Research Ministry, it is stated;
“But even the doctrine of hell is not without its controversy. Some say it is only the
grave with no conscience. Others say it is a place of correction and punishment that is not
eternal. Others say it is an endless agonizing punishment in fire.”4
Whatever man chooses to say about hell, the fact remains, that it is a place without God’s
presence. There are those, who cannot possibly conceive of a loving God sending someone to
hell for all eternity. In Chapter 20 of a book entitled, GOD’S PLAN FOR ALL,, “The
Absurdities of the Doctrine of Hell,” states; “that not only is the doctrine of hell unbiblical, it is
3 Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, Copyright
1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.
4 Matt Slick, Hell, CARM Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, accessed on 11/14/2016,
https://carm.org/hell.
also absurd, illogical, and nonsensical.5 The chapter goes on to claim that, “hell completely
contradicts the loving, merciful, forgiving, and gracious nature of God.”6 As stated in Daniel
Akins’s book, “A Theology for the Church,” he states, “The question for God’s reputation is not
why do some people go to hell, but rather why do the guilty seem to go unpunished?”7
3. Biblical Evaluation
Throughout, the Bible, references, to hell are seen. The wicked do not believe that God
sees and hears the wickedness that is in them. Psalm 94:1, states; “O Lord, the God who
avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth” (NIV).8 Since God is a holy and just God, He
will protect His people from the severest of punishments that awaits the wicked. Again, the
wicked do not think that the Lord sees and knows all their wickedness, but the fact is, that He
is Lord and He is aware of everything.
The New Testament writings, speak about Hell. The most relevant Book, is Revelation,
where the Apostle John, is taken up to a heavenly realm where God shows John what is to
come. The apostles all taught about hell, for example, John 15:6 states; “If anyone does not
abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered and they gather them into the fire, and
they are burned” (NIV).9 In essence, Jesus is letting mankind know, that unless one does not
accept God’s Doctrine, that like the withered branch, they to, will be burned in the fire.
5 GOD’S PLAN FOR ALL, The Absurdities of the Doctrine of Hell, Chapter 20, accessed on
11/14/2016, http://www.godsplanforall.com/absurditiesofhell.
6 Ibid., GOD’S PLAN FOR ALL.
7 Ibid., Daniel Akin
8 Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.
9 Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.
Matthew throughout his writings, speaks of hell. If one looks at the Book of Matthew,
one will see the warnings that are given to avoid the fiery furnace. Matthew 13:49-50 says;
“So it will be at the end of the age. The angles will come forth, separate the wicked from
among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of
teeth.”10 Again, Matthew 23:33 proclaims; “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape
the condemnation of hell?”11 Luke 13:3 states; “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will
all likewise perish.”12
4. Historical Development
The Ancient Church (100-590 AD)
The Early Church Fathers taught that anyone who dies in a state of mortal sin will suffer
for all eternity in hell.13 At the time of the Early Church, there was only one belief, that of
Catholicism. The Early Church Fathers agreed that there was a hell. From the beginning, the
earliest Christians wrote about hell. From Barnabas (70-130AD) to Cyril of Jerusalem
(350AD), these individuals believed in hell. Per an article by Jim Warner, “What Did the
Early Christians Believe About Hell?” “Did They Believe It Was a Place of Eternal
Conscious Torment?” states, “As we assemble the teachings of these first church leaders,
10 Ibid., Holy Bible
11 Ibid., Holy Bible
12 Ibid., Holy Bible
13 NYer, “The Early Church Fathers on Hell-Catholic/Orthodox Caucus,” 2/6/2007, accessed on
11/14/2016, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1780301/posts
several patterns emerge related to the nature of Hell”14 There were very few exemptions
from those who believed that Scripture did explain that there was a Hell. The Early Church
Fathers certainly believed that hell existed and that those who entered there, would be forever
tormented.
2. The Medieval Church (590-1517 AD
The Medieval Church from around the eleventh century to the fourteenth century put
great emphasis on hell. One could surmise that the teachings of hell resulted as a part of
original sin. In addition to original sin, the church believed that one should pay penance and
that there was a lessor place in hell, called purgatory. The idea, that individuals who had died
before one had completed penance, would enter purgatory until they had endured sufficient
pain, allowing them to enter heaven.
3. The Reformation and Counter Reformation (1517-1648 AD)
In the 1500’s, Martin Luther and others were involved with the Reformation movement.
God opened the heart of Luther, who began to understand the teachings of the Catholic
Church. The Catholic Church emphasized the sinfulness of man and its punishment in
purgatory and hell. Though the Bible clearly makes no reference to purgatory, the Catholic
Church figured out a way to make money and to make people feel that they would suffer less
in purgatory. The fact is, that the Reformers strongly rejected hell and purgatory. Wycliffe,
Tyndale, and Luther, taught that death was an unconscious sleep. Calvin, taught that sinners
went to hell after death, and certainly did not believe in purgatory. Many of the Reformed
Churches believed in the immortal soul and hells-fire. The Counter Reformation came from
14 Jim Warner, What Did the Early Christians Believe About Hell? Accessed on 11/14/2014,
https://mail.google.com/u/1/?shva=1#label/Doug/134051c752d77ddd.
the Catholic Churches, need to reform their own morale. The Catholic Churches Counter
Reformation movement was a way to resist the Protestantism movement.
4. The Modern Church (1648-present)
Many of the modern-day churches believe that every person has eternal life and that
their soul is immortal. For believers, that the body dies, the soul goes to heaven to be with
the Father and that the body will be raised up in when Christ returns. Hell, is also a very real
place for those who are unsaved where they will spend eternity. The literal or
traditional/historical beliefs are that hell is a place of punishment that is eternal. The Bible
does not suggest that hell is a temporary place or that one can escape hell. Within the
Catholic faith, the continued preaching of purgatory, where as soon as one dies, they are
immediately judged. Depending on the depths of one’s mortal sins, that have not been
repented or redeemed through the sacraments will go directly to hell. There are many other
Christian organizations that would like one to believe that because God is love that no one
will go to hell.
5. Theological Formulation
Examining the different theological formulations, i.e.: Anthropology and Hamartiology,
dealing with the study of man per Scripture, and biblical doctrine of sin including its origins,
nature, transmission, effects, and judgements respectively. Soteriology refers to the biblical
doctrine of salvation. “Eschatology refers to the end times as written in Scripture and deals with
personal eschatological issues i.e.; death and the intermediate state, as well as more generally or
corporate themes. These themes include the return of Jesus, resurrection, judgement, tribulation,
millennial kingdom, and the eternal state”15. Writing about hell, I believe that eschatology would
be the best formulation for my paper. The New Testament writers speak about hell throughout
Scripture. Per an article from Bible.org, “this passage claims that the sheep will go into eternal
life and the goats will go into eternal punishment”.16 The Book of Revelations offers the most
theological facts of the existence of hell. Though churches today, would rather speak of a loving
God, who would not send anyone to hell for all eternity, Scripture clearly states that hell does
exist and that redemption is possible.
6. Practical Application
The Doctrine of Hell, is vital to my understanding of Scripture that presents a place
where individuals will either spend eternity in heaven or hell. Many churches today are denying
that heaven and hell are real places. Many are preaching, that because God is love, that He
would never send someone to hell for eternity. If this was the case, then Jesus’s death on the
cross would have no meaning, and He would have died for nothing. It is sad to think, that one
can spend their entire life in sin and not have to suffer any consequences for that lifestyle.
Society no longer regards any form or Supernatural existence, and deny that Jesus suffered on
the cross and was resurrected from the dead, claiming that he was but a mere man. According to
Greg Herrick, “The triumphant hope living through the pages of the New Testament rests on the
facts that Christ rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and will certainly someday return”.17
15 Greg Herrick, Eschatology: End Times, Bible.org, https://bible.org/seriespage/9-eschatology-
end-times.
16 Greg Herrick, Eschatology: End Times, Bible.org, https://bible.org/seriespage/9-eschatology-
end-times.
17 Greg Herrick, Eschatology: End Times, Bible.org, https://bible.org/seriespage/9-eschatology-
end-times.
For the saved believer, the fact that Christ will one day come for his people is comforting and
awaited for.
Bibliography
Daniel L. Akin, Bruce Riley Ashford, and Kenneth Keathley, A Theology for the Church,
Revised Edition, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee,
2014.
GOD’S PLAN FOR ALL, The Absurdities of the Doctrine of Hell, Chapter 20, accessed on
11/14/2016, http://www.godsplanforall.com/absurditiesofhell.
Greg Herrick, Eschatology: End Times, Bible.org, https://bible.org/seriespage/9-eschatology-
end-times.
Jim Warner, What Did the Early Christians Believe About Hell? Accessed on 11/14/2014,
https://mail.google.com/u/1/?shva=1#label/Doug/134051c752d77ddd.
Matt Slick, Hell, CARM Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, accessed on
11/14/2016, https://carm.org/hell.
NYer, “The Early Church Fathers on Hell-Catholic/Orthodox Caucus,” 2/6/2007, accessed on
11/14/2016, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1780301/posts.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, Copyright
1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.
