Love Wins?

I've been pretty busy lately so I haven't had much time to post, but I have about five post ideas, so we'll see if I can start getting some of them written soon.

Today I want to talk about a book that recently came out titled Love Wins by Rob Bell, the pastor of the mega church Mars Hill. I haven't read this book, but I have read the FAQ page about it on the Mars Hill website, as well as several commentaries about it.  It is causing quite a stir in the Christian community.

From what I can gather, Rob Bell is challenging the traditional idea of hell as a place of fire and suffering where everyone who rejects Christ must spend eternity. The FAQ page says that the book is clear that Jesus is the only way to be saved, and that it does not promote universalism, that all people go to heaven regardless of their faith.

However, there are some quotes that are troubling to me.


"He is proposing that God’s love is so big that the invitation to God’s grace may extend into the next life so that all could be saved."


"There are many who accept the invitation of the life of heaven and many who reject the invitation. Those who reject the invitation experience a
purifying “fire” of judgment in hell, yet there is hope. We live in the hope that the redemptive work of Christ is beyond what we can ask or imagine. Love Wins helps us have a biblical imagination that leaves room for the hope of the redemption of all while recognizing humanity's free will to continue to reject God."


He may not be openly preaching universalism, but it seems to me like he's flirting with the line.


I have not studied heaven or hell.  I don't know what the word in Hebrew/Greek means or what Biblical scholars think they will be like.  However, one parable of Jesus comes to mind.


¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
   ²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
   ²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
   ²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
   ²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
   ³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
   ³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

I know this is a parable, but it is clearly in opposition to the theology in Love Wins.  According to this passage, there is a great chasm between heaven and hell so that nobody can cross over.

It seems that Rob Bell is so focused on one attribute of God, love, that he misses all the other ones.  God is full of love for His people and hates to see someone reject Him.  He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  But he is also just and jealous, cannot tolerate sin, and is sometimes wrathful.

Nahum sums it up pretty well:

 ² The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;
   the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The LORD takes vengeance on his foes
   and vents his wrath against his enemies.
³ The LORD is slow to anger but great in power;
   the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
   and clouds are the dust of his feet.
⁴ He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
   he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither
   and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
⁵ The mountains quake before him
   and the hills melt away.
The earth trembles at his presence,
   the world and all who live in it.
⁶ Who can withstand his indignation?
   Who can endure his fierce anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
   the rocks are shattered before him.
 ⁷ The LORD is good,
   a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
 ⁸ but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh;
   he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.

If you only focus on one of God's attributes, you miss SO much!  The danger here is that you make God into someone He is not, and then you are worshipping a God that you made up in your mind, not the God of the scriptures.

It may be easier and more comfortable to ignore the "less fun" attributes of God and believe that He is only love.  Let's face it, the God that Nahum talks about is scary.  But the Bible does not support that belief.

This is a pretty controversial issue, so what do you think?