It was great to hear Parker Tennant quoting from Tim Keller's The Reason for God in his sermon on Sunday. This is the current selection being read by the book club I mentioned in the August 1 posting, and we all agree it may be the most significant book we have read to date.
Parker made a great point concerning the parable of Lazarus and the rich man: the rich man was still unrepentant in hell - demonstrating denial, blame-shifting, and spiritual blindness. In this illumination from the lips of Jesus Himself, we do not see a hell populated by humble people acknowledging God's justice and appealing for deliverance.
I particularly appreciate the next paragraph:
"In short, hell is simply one's freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity. We see this process "writ small" in addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling, and pornography. First, there is disintegration, because as time goes on, you need more and more of the addictive substance to get an equal kick, which leads to less and less satisfaction Second, there is the isolation, as increasingly you blame others and circumstances in order to justify your behavior. 'No one understands! Everyone is against me!' is muttered in greater and greater self-pity and self-absorption. When we build our lives on anything but God, that thing - though a good thing - becomes an enslaving addiction, something we have to have to be happy. Personal disintegration happens on a broader scale. In eternity, this disintegration goes on forever. There is increasing isolation, denial, delusion, and self-absorption. When you lose all humility you are out of touch with reality. No one ever asks to leave hell. The very idea of heaven seems to them a sham."
No comments:
Post a Comment