Why our beliefs about Hell and the Doctrine of Conditional Immortality are Important

I am often asked to provide biblical evidence that the doctrine of conditional immortality is true. I’ve tried to do that in a number of blog posts and videos. But sometimes I am asked a different question: Why is it important? Why should we spend time on this? In fact, I was just asked this again yesterday. It’s a good question. This blog post is my answer.

First, let me say that while I feel that God has led and continues to lead me to spend time on this topic (conditional immortality and the nature of hell), I don’t feel like it as important as some other topics and other ministries. Perhaps general practitioners and emergency room doctors are more important than dermatologists, but if you have certain ailments, you sure will thank God that there are dermatologists. In the same way, the fundamentals of the faith are more important than secondary issues like the nature of hell, and yet, understanding the truth of conditional immortality can and does help a lot of people. God has humbled me enough so that I don’t feel like I need to always be doing “the most important of all the important tasks.” I can be thankful to be called to serve at all (which I don’t deserve, it is only by grace), even if sometimes I am called to areas of service that in some ways are not as important as the ways in which others are serving. Still, working to spread the truth about conditional immortality is important.

Before I share some ways in which conditional immortality practically helps people, let me point out three facts that indicate that we should expect this topic to be worth studying (at least worthwhile for some of us to study):

1. It’s in the Bible and there are quite a few Bible passages which either explicitly mention or else at least allude to the final fate of the unrighteous and the conditional nature of eternal life. This alone makes it far more important than the types of things many people spend a lot of time thinking about, worrying about, and discussing.

2. Almost everyone thinks about what is going to happen to people after they die and how everything will turn out in the end. A lot of people think specifically about hell and what it is like and why it is the way it is.

3. This topic (the nature of hell) is being discussed by many people in many settings. I see it everywhere. It pops up repeatedly pretty much everywhere that I see Christian theology being discussed.

Now, I’ll share a few ways in which I think conditional immortality helps and can make a practical difference. (DISCLAIMER: while we expect doctrinal truth to be helpful, I am not here sharing why conditional immortality is true, but why it is practically helpful.)

In general, if someone specializes in helping people with a certain type of problem or issue, they become much more aware of how many people struggle with that problem or are affected by the issue. Someone who ministers to people with substance abuse issues quickly realizes how widespread and serious substance abuse is. The same is true if you minister to people who have been hurt by sexual abuse. Those who have not specifically been affected by a problem (or at least are not aware of it!) and who have not been involved in ministry related to that problem may not realize how widespread some issues are. A little over 5 years ago, I went public with my belief in conditional immortality when I preached on this topic and then shared the two part sermon on YouTube (see part 1 here, and part 2 here). Since that time, I have seen many examples of how this issue impacts people. It is far more important than most people realize.

Here are some specific ways that the wrong view of eternal torment hurts people and the right view of conditional immortality can help:

1. More and more Christians are “deconstructing” and either walking away from their faith completely, or shifting to less biblical forms of Christianity (which sometimes are not even truly Christian). Specifically they often wander into various forms of progressive/liberal Christianity. Many of these Christians mention the doctrine of eternal torment as one reason they felt driven away from an evangelical faith. Hell is not the only issue, but it is an issue they mention with considerable passion. A more biblical view of hell consisting of annihilation rather than eternal torment can help with this a great deal. (I wrote a blog post on this issue here:  Al Mohler reveals one of the reasons that correcting the error of eternal conscious torment is important.) On a related note, many atheists (including some famous ones) have mentioned hell (by which they mean the eternal torment version of hell) as a major reason to reject that Christian faith. As the truth about conditional immortality spreads, it will remove one major factor in people rejecting biblical Christianity.

2. Some Christians live with the idea that many of their friends, family members, and neighbors will be tormented forever and it does not bother them a lot (is that good?). But I have listened to many others who were severely affected by their belief in eternal torment to the point that it understandably caused them a great deal of anxiety and mental anguish. Some have testified how much they have been helped by being shown where the Bible actually teaches conditional immortality, not eternal torment. While this is true, I have not found belief in conditional immortality to lessen my evangelistic zeal at all. Since seeing conditional immortality in the Bible I have been willing to take risks, face dangers, and make sacrifices for the sake of the gospel. The doctrine of conditional immortality makes the threat of hell emotionally bearable without removing it as a motivation for evangelism and missions. The Christian most well known for defending annihilationism is perhaps the late John Stott. He noted the emotional strain that belief in eternal torment causes. He also was well known for his  leadership in evangelism and worldwide missions.

3. Conditional immortality allows us to frame the gospel in a way that resonates more deeply with what God has hardwired into people’s hearts. Just yesterday I watched a short YouTube video of someone sharing the gospel with a young man. The young man objected that it wasn’t right for people to be tormented forever for sins they committed in just 80 years or so. The evangelist tried to justify eternal torment. It didn’t seem to go well. But what if, instead of people asking why anyone deserves to be tormented forever, we could shift the narrative to asking why anyone deserves eternal life? It is fairly easy to convince people that they are not so good that they deserve to live forever in a perfect world. The alternative is that they will not live forever (that doesn’t require any complex logic, does it?). Further, presenting the gospel this way will resonate with the God given conscience that even unbelievers have (although they try to suppress it):

ESV Romans 1:32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

4. Conditional immortality provides a far better defense against universalism. Universalism is almost always (not quite, but almost always) associated with a whole set of sub-biblical progressive/liberal Christian views. It is dangerous and harmful. I’ve read two books where Christians argue for universalism. I have also interacted with quite a few universalists. One of their most common (and, unfortunately, effective) arguments goes something like this:

“There is just no way that a good God would torment people forever, therefore universalism is true.”

The above argument is sometimes made with much more detail and considerable rhetorical skill. But it still boils down to being a false dichotomy. If eternal torment and universalism are the only actual options, then the universalists have some pretty strong arguments. But those are not the only two options. Conditional immortality offers a biblical alternative that can answer the universalist arguments far more effectively than those with an eternal torment view can (I wrote about this in more detail in this blog post: The Universalist’s False Dichotomy).

5. The whole biblical story, literally from the opening chapters of Genesis to the closing chapters of Revelation, is framed as a life vs. death issue. This framing is more clearly brought out as eternal life vs. perishing in the New Testament, but this does not change the basic framework laid out in the Old Testament. Conditional immortality harmonizes with this life or death theme that runs all through Scripture far better than the error of eternal torment does. Seeing the truth of conditional immortality adds to the overall harmony and unity of the whole Bible, which is one of the evidences that it is not merely the work of many human authors spread over many centuries (although it is that), but it is also the work of one Author, God, who inspired and spoke through all those human authors.

6. Conditional immortality helps us to see death as the enemy of humanity that it is and the gospel as God’s solution to death. It also helps us to see every example of death, whether it is a possum that became road kill or a news story about people killed in a falling building, as a reminder and warning of the wages of sin. (See Romans 6:23, and Luke 13:4-5)

7. Perhaps the most important reason that our view of hell is important is that it can affect our view of God. When I believed in eternal torment, I also believed that God was truly and totally good and loving. I didn’t see the inconsistency, and neither do many Christians who believe in eternal torment. But others understandably see that if God has designed the world in such a way that billions of people will end up in torment for billions of years and then on for eternity, this makes God look really bad. In fact, it seems that God is then in some way responsible for far more human suffering and misery than all the evil tyrants, rapists, abusers, and evil people combined. In fact, even the devil has not caused that much human suffering. Many people understandably feel that if the doctrine of eternal torment is true, then God must be an evil, cruel god. At the very least, the doctrine of eternal torment causes many to doubt or be confused about God’s goodness. I discussed this, and how it relates to the first request in the Lord’s Prayer, in a short, two part video here (part 1) and also here (part 2). About a week ago, a Christian shared with me how she related to the struggle I describe in those short videos. Conditional immortality helps us to see that God really is entirely good with no darkness at all in Him.

 

Sadly, many people treat conditional immortality vs. eternal torment as a primary issue rather than a secondary issue (I discuss accusations of heresy in a blog post here). I’m glad to worship and serve beside brothers and sisters in Christ who believe in eternal torment, even though I think they are mistaken. Tragically, the reverse is not always true. I know pastors who have been fired and Christians who have been blocked from ministry that they were well qualified for. They were fired or blocked simply because they came to believe in conditional immortality instead of eternal torment. This is one more reason I want to work to see conditional immortality become a widespread, acceptable view among evangelicals.

In addition to the specific ways that the doctrine of conditional immortality helps people, I see signs that this is God’s time to correct the long-held and widespread error of eternal torment. I thank God for being able to play even a small role in this. You can help, too, by sharing material that explains and defends the doctrine of eternal torment with your friends. I have a whole collection of this material (my own, and links to some great stuff produced by others) here:

Mark’s Resources on Hell

 

If you’re not sure what is best to share, consider starting with this 10 minute video I made:

Why I believe in annihilationism rather than eternal torment

 

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .