11/5 Sermon: Questions I'd Ask God, Part 1

For the next few weeks The Family Church here in Gainesville, Florida will be examining common questions related to Christianity that come from our surrounding community.  The question this past Sunday was "How Could a Good God Send People to Hell?".  In presenting his response, senior pastor Philip Griffin focused on Luke 16:19-31, found in the New Testament of the Bible and which you can read through the following link to Bible Gateway: [link]...

Pastor Philip presented three important points to try to answer this problematic and troubling question of the existence...and destination for some...of hell: hell reveals the love of God, it reveals the justice of God, and God has gone to great measures to rescue us from it.  That first one just sounds wrong at first glance, but as Philip explained, God has given us the freedom to choose our identity in him...or elsewhere.  And our identity is where we find our sense of value, justification, and meaning.  God does not force us to depend on him in this regard: it is our choice, and the default choice is separation from God in this life...ultimately leading to eternal separation: in a word, hell.  As far as the justice of God is concerned, Philip continued: we see so much violence today in our world, much of it based on the flawed notion that God won't punish those deserving it, and therefore people have to take vengeance into their own hands to see real justice done.  This idea rings true to those either believing in no God, an impersonal and uncaring God, or that God will allow all, believers or not, into his heaven after death and that there is no hell.  But in this world, the ability to forgive others can greatly depend on the belief that God is just and will hold those transgressors accountable.  As for that third point, God went to the extreme measure of sending his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to this world to live among us and die as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all who accept him as their savior.  As for me, I can't get too intellectual or doctrinal about the concept of hell...let's just say that (1) I believe that it is by definition the eternal separation from God and (2) I really don't want a whole lot of detailed knowledge about it, seeing how I don't want to ever go there anyway.  And I agree with Philip, who emphasized that the primary motivation for us in our faith should be to love and be closer to God and not just to escape hell...

You can watch Pastor Philip's sermon via the church's YouTube video website...here's a link to last Sunday's message: [link]. The Family Church, at 2022 SW 122nd Street, meets each Sunday morning at 9:30 and 11 for the weekly message, beautiful and inspiring music, worship, prayer, and fellowship.  I wonder what the next question will be...