It is far more common for people, even pastors, to avoid the topic of hell. It’s unpleasant. It’s scary. That is why many people do not want to talk about it at all.
But ignoring hell doesn’t make it go away.
Jesus himself warned about hell many times in the Gospels. The inspiration for this article was Mark 9:43-48. “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter eternal life with one hand than with both hands to enter the unquenchable fire of hell. If your feet cause you to sin, cut them off. “It is better for you to enter eternal life with one foot than to be thrown into prison. And if your eye sins, cut it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the kingdom of God.” Hell, “a place where maggots never die and fire never goes out.”
What Jesus is saying is that our soul is far more important than anything else, even if it is just a part of our body. The next verse says, “For all will be tried by fire” (v. 49). This passage makes it clear that how we live now matters because no one will escape judgment.
The reality of judgment and separation from God is not only a concept in the New Testament, but is also mentioned throughout the Old Testament. For this reason, we must be careful not to ignore this subject. The Bible speaks clearly about it. That means we need to approach it with the same honesty and seriousness.
The clearest explanation of hell I’ve ever heard described it as eternal separation from God.
I don’t know about you, but that idea terrifies me.
It is terrifying to be separated from the God of the universe, the Creator of all things, including your life. I know God and even thinking about it for more than a few seconds overwhelms me. I know God’s goodness, God’s existence, and God’s love.
The thought of existing forever without God would be unbearable.
When we ignore hell, we discount the work that Christ did on the cross. After all, if there is no real danger of being separated from God forever, why did Jesus need to die to save us?
Hell is not a myth or fiction. It is an eternal reality for those who ultimately choose to reject God, not always by words, but often by the way they live their lives.
What Separation from God Really Means
When most people hear the word hell, they immediately think of fire and punishment. Although these images appear in the Bible, they are not always described in the same way. The same thing can be seen in heaven. The Bible frequently uses various pictures and descriptions, each ultimately helping us understand something about a reality beyond human experience.
What all of these accounts have in common is the message that life apart from God is devastating.
The most horrifying aspect of hell is not just the image of fire, but the eternal absence of God’s presence.
Paul clearly explains this reality in 2 Thessalonians 1:9.
“They will be punished with eternal damnation and forever separated from the Lord and his glorious power” (NLT).
Now, all the good things we experience ultimately come from God, whether people realize it or not. As James 1:17 reminds us, “Every good and perfect gift is given from above.”
God is the source of love.
God is the source of peace.
God is the source of beauty and joy.
Even those who do not believe in the Lord experience these gifts because of His goodness. His grace touches every corner of creation.
But hell is a place where that goodness can no longer be experienced, where the presence of the Giver of life, joy, and peace is completely absent. It is very important to accept this reality and realize that there are only two choices in this life. Either you live with God or you live apart from God.
Two paths that God has always given me
The idea that there are only two possible outcomes for humanity is not a new concept introduced in the New Testament. It has been present throughout the Bible from the beginning.
From the first pages of the Bible, God makes it clear that humanity must choose to walk with Him or turn away from Him. God’s people are forced to make the same decisions over and over again: obedience, which leads to life, or rejection, which leads to destruction.
One clear example occurs in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, where God speaks to Israel through Moses.
“Today I call to you witnesses in heaven and on earth; I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses, so that you and your descendants may live and love the Lord your God and obey his voice and hold fast to him. choose life, that you may live, for the Lord is your life and your days, that you may live in the land which he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (ESV).
God does not hide the stakes. God will display them clearly before His people.
Another clear example is found in Joshua 24:15. After leading Israel to the Promised Land, he gathers his people together and makes a decision. he says:
“And if it be evil in your sight to serve the Lord, then decide today whom you will serve: the gods that your fathers served in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in the land where you live. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (ESV).
We see the same pattern reflected again in wisdom literature. Psalm 1 depicts two different paths: the path of the righteous, which leads to life, and the path of the wicked, which ultimately leads to destruction.
The choice between life and death is woven throughout the Old Testament. God calls His people to remain faithful to Him, knowing that life and prosperity are found only in His presence.
The New Testament continues this same message. Jesus speaks of the narrow way that leads to life and the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Accepting God’s body and blood brings life, but rejecting it brings death (John 6:58). Paul writes about dying to the flesh and living by the Spirit daily (Romans 6:6-11; 8:12-13, Galatians 5:24, Colossians 3:5). This choice is not new and has been restated more clearly.
Why Jesus Warned Us Strongly
Jesus’ warnings about hell were never spoken out of cruelty, but out of compassion.
When Jesus warned people about hell, it wasn’t because he wanted to scare them needlessly. He warned us because the danger was real. In doing so, Jesus was emphasizing the message that God has been speaking from the beginning: that life is found in God.
A loving Savior does not remain silent even when His people are moving toward destruction.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly talks about judgment, eternity, and the consequences of rejecting God. These warnings are intended to awaken us to our need for salvation. Sadly, just like when they were first spoken, these warnings are often ignored or toned down. But we should never change God’s word. Doing so will not make you closer to heaven, but quite the opposite.
The very reason Jesus came into this world was to rescue us from the separation that sin creates. Humanity’s rebellion against God always had consequences, but God did not leave us to face them alone.
Jesus took on human flesh, lived a life we could not live, and ultimately gave His life on the cross so that we would not experience eternal separation from God.
The same Savior who warned us about hell also provided a way for us to be saved from it.
Jesus’ warnings are not meant to drive us into fear, but to lead us to the only place true life can be found: eternity with Jesus.
Eternity is real and Jesus is the only way to live with God. The same Savior who warned us about judgment also opened the door to salvation, offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe.
Photo credit: Jon Tyson/Unsplash
Vanessa Lu is a wife, mother, and faith-based writer. She speaks and writes to encourage believers to truly live with God.
