The Gospel of Hell

All my life I believed that the Gospel was basically that Jesus died for you, and if you would ask him into your heart you get to go to heaven when you die instead of Hell. However, while you are on earth you can’t drink, smoke, cuss, go to R rated movies, or have pre (or extra) marital sex. Any of these actions (among others) will take you out from “under the blood” of Jesus and until you confess that sin you can’t be in right standing with God. That is to say if you died with an un-confessed sin you would go straight to Hell.

This caused me to spend the majority of my youth thinking about not sinning. And as my mind was focused on not eating the forbidden fruit I was reminded of how good that fruit would be. I could practically taste it as I struggled to keep from eating. Eventually, I could no longer resist the “pink elephant” and did whatever it was I struggling against. It was as if sin had power over me.

After gorging and wallowing in myself I would always come to place of fear again. I would realize that I didn’t want to go to Hell and knew I needed to get back in right standing with God. As I got older these lines became more blurry, and I thought less about Heaven & Hell. Yet, even as I became insensitive to the whole process the pattern was the same: law, effort, desire, overpowered, wallow, grovel, repent, law.

This is the mentality and cycle of religion. This is not the “good news” this is the “old news.” This is Christians trying to be Jews; trying to obey the law for their righteousness. It is people trying to save themselves, or keep themselves saved, with will power. This is the human attempt to please God. It is not the Gospel.

GOSPEL OF POWER