Rethinking Hell

Rethinking Hell PDF

Author: Christopher Date

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2014-04-15

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 1630871605

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Most evangelical Christians believe that those people who are not saved before they die will be punished in hell forever. But is this what the Bible truly teaches? Do Christians need to rethink their understanding of hell? In the late twentieth century, a growing number of evangelical theologians, biblical scholars, and philosophers began to reject the traditional doctrine of eternal conscious torment in hell in favor of a minority theological perspective called conditional immortality. This view contends that the unsaved are resurrected to face divine judgment, just as Christians have always believed, but due to the fact that immortality is only given to those who are in Christ, the unsaved do not exist forever in hell. Instead, they face the punishment of the "second death"--an end to their conscious existence. This volume brings together excerpts from a variety of well-respected evangelical thinkers, including John Stott, John Wenham, and E. Earl Ellis, as they articulate the biblical, theological, and philosophical arguments for conditionalism. These readings will give thoughtful Christians strong evidence that there are indeed compelling reasons for rethinking hell.

Galatians

Galatians PDF

Author: N. T. Wright

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2021-05-25

Total Pages: 519

ISBN-13: 1467462179

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The first major biblical commentary from the pen of N. T. Wright While full of theological import, Paul’s letter to the Galatians also captures and memorializes a significant moment in the early history of Christianity. This commentary from N. T. Wright—the inaugural volume of the CCF series—offers a theological interpretation of Galatians that never loses sight of the political concerns of its historical context. With these two elements of the letter in dialogue with each other, readers can understand both what Paul originally meant and how his writing might be faithfully used to respond to present questions. Each section of verse-by-verse commentary in this volume is followed by Wright’s reflections on what the text says about Christian formation today, making this an excellent resource for individual readers and those preparing to teach or preach on Galatians. The focus on formation is especially appropriate for this biblical letter, in which Paul wrote to his fellow early Christians, “My children—I seem to be in labor with you all over again, until the Messiah is fully formed in you!”

Hell Fire

Hell Fire PDF

Author: Joe Crews

Publisher: Amazing Facts

Published: 2009-03-12

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9781580190411

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Does it burn forever someplace in the middle of the earth with the damned being cooked by the devil? Hell, every religion seems to have some version of it. Some beliefs make God and Satan out to be equal sovereigns reigning over their respective domains, heaven and hell. Other beliefs make hell a place of eternal unhappiness. Many people have turned away from belief in God and many others are confused about His loving character all because of a misunderstanding of Hell. Find out what the Bible really says about hell and put the confusion to rest. God is a God of love, mercy, and justice, and a correct understanding of Hell is essential to understanding God's plan to get rid of sin forever.

Philippians

Philippians PDF

Author: N.T. Wright

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2011-09-12

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 0830869212

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With a scholar's mind and a pastor's heart, N. T. Wright helps us learn from Paul's writing in Phillippians the art of seeing God's purposes working out through problems and difficulties, and deepen our own confidence in God's power. Includes eight sessions for group or personal study.

Faith's Checkbook (Sea Harp Timeless series)

Faith's Checkbook (Sea Harp Timeless series) PDF

Author: Charles H. Spurgeon

Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers

Published: 2022-09-20

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 0768471621

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Throughout Scripture, God promises the impossible to those who believe. For many Christians, the promises of God have lost their power. Deemed as irrelevant or simply misunderstood, God's promises—of triumph, abundance, redemption, and countless blessings—are often ignored, forgotten, and seemingly unfulfilled. However, for Charles H. Spurgeon, God’s promises were timeless. In fact, they seemed to grow in power and hope over the course of his life. In Faith’s Checkbook, Spurgeon shares his personal experience testing and proving Scripture’s promises and his ongoing discovery of a relentlessly good, kind and faithful God. He urges believers to treat God’s promises as they would a check—to receive them, endorse them and actively "cash them in." Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), renowned 19th century Baptist preacher, is best known for his 1866 publication Morning and Evening. Over 20 years later, Spurgeon wrote Faith’s Checkbook, a yearlong devotional that inspires believers to see and experience God’s goodness. Written near the end of his life, in the depths of a season marked by incredible loneliness, spiritual controversies and health complications, Faith’s Checkbook is full of honest, heartfelt and mature hope. Spurgeon’s breathtaking sincerity and provoking thoughts will encourage believers to: Study and engage God’s promises throughout Scripture Expect these promises to be fulfilled in their daily life Participate by receiving God’s promises and praying for their fulfillment Glimpse God’s boundless goodness and faithfulness Discover a renewed, child-like trust in Him In Faith’s Checkbook, the reader will encounter God’s outstretched hand—through promises of provision, wisdom, fruitfulness, presence and much more—and be invited to respond with hopeful anticipation.

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut PDF

Author: Brad Jersak

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2010-01-01

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1630871281

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Everlasting hell and divine judgment, a lake of fire and brimstone--these mainstays of evangelical tradition have come under fire once again in recent decades. Would the God of love revealed by Jesus really consign the vast majority of humankind to a destiny of eternal, conscious torment? Is divine mercy bound by the demands of justice? How can anyone presume to know who is saved from the flames and who is not? Reacting to presumptions in like manner, others write off the fiery images of final judgment altogether. If there is a God who loves us, then surely all are welcome into the heavenly kingdom, regardless of their beliefs or behaviors in this life. Yet, given the sheer volume of threat rhetoric in the Scriptures and the wickedness manifest in human history, the pop-universalism of our day sounds more like denial than hope. Mercy triumphs over judgment; it does not skirt it. Her Gates Will Never Be Shut endeavors to reconsider what the Bible and the Church have actually said about hell and hope, noting a breadth of real possibilities that undermines every presumption. The polyphony of perspectives on hell and hope offered by the prophets, apostles, and Jesus humble our obsessive need to harmonize every text into a neat theological system. But they open the door to the eternal hope found in Revelation 21-22: the City whose gates will never be shut; where the Spirit and Bride perpetually invite the thirsty who are outside the city to "Come, drink of the waters of life."

The Evangelical Universalist

The Evangelical Universalist PDF

Author: Gregory MacDonald

Publisher: SPCK

Published: 2012-11-15

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 0281068763

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Can an orthodox Christian, committed to the historic faith of the Church and the authority of the Bible, be a universalist? Is it possible to believe that salvation is found only by grace, through faith in Christ, and yet to maintain that in the end all people will be saved? Can one believe passionately in mission if one does not think that anyone will be lost forever? Could universalism be consistent with the teachings of the Bible? In The Evangelical Universalist the author argues that the answer is ‘yes!’ to all of these questions. Weaving together philosophical, theological, and biblical considerations, he seeks to show that being a committed universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the biblical texts and of historic Christian theology.

Four Views on Hell

Four Views on Hell PDF

Author: Zondervan,

Publisher: Zondervan Academic

Published: 2016-03-08

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0310516641

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Recent years have seen much controversy regarding a unified Christian doctrine of hell: Do we go to heaven or hell when we die? Or do we cease to exist? Are believers and unbelievers ultimately saved by grace in the end? By focusing on recent theological arguments, Four Views on Hell: Second Edition highlights why the church still needs to wrestle with the doctrine of hell. In the fair-minded and engaging Counterpoints format, four leading scholars introduce us to the current views on eternal judgment, with particular attention given to the new voices that have entered the debate. Contributors and views include: Denny Burk – representing a principle of Eternal Conscious Torment John Stackhouse – representing a principle of Annihilationism (Conditional Immortality) Robin Parry – representing a principle of Universalism (Ultimate Reconciliation) Jerry Walls – representing a principle of Purgatory Preston Sprinkle concludes the discussion by evaluating each view, noting significant points of exchange between the essayists. The interactive nature of the volume allows the reader to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of each view and come to an informed conclusion. BONUS CONTENT: Includes entire first edition of Four Views on Hell to help readers grasp the history of the discussion and how it has developed over the last twenty years.