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Five Myths About Hell: #4

by Joe Thorn on August 12, 2010

Myth #4 Hell is the Absence of God

You’ve probably heard this myth as well. The worst part about hell, some people reason, is that you are alone. Hell is isolation, and since we are made for fellowship (with God and others) this is what makes hell such a terrifying judgment.

Of course, the truth is that there is no place our omnipresent God isn’t. It isn’t the absence of God that makes hell terrifying, it is his nearness that makes it so. Hell is not the absence of God, but the absence of his mercy and grace. Oh yes, God is present in hell to exercize perfect justice and judgment.

Our gospel confidence is that in Christ our sins have been atoned for, and we are at peace with God. In Christ we have the true and lasting intimacy with God we were created for. Therefore, the nearness of God is our good, and we can draw near to God as he sits upon a throne of grace and expect grace, not judgement.

About Joe Thorn

I am the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship in Saint Charles, IL, and author of Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself. Jen is my wife, and Katherine, Elias, Madeline and Kilian are my kids.

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  • http://renewingthoughts.wordpress.com Charlie

    excellent point about God’s relationship with Hell.

    It takes faith to except hell. Faith that God’s justice an righteousness are demonstrated perfectly by hell.

    However, when God is removed from hell, then His perfect justice and righteousness are removed as well. All we are left with is eternal torment for torments sake.

    • http://www.joethorn.net Joe Thorn

      Good word, Charlie.

  • http://jchrisland.blogspot.com Chris Land

    It is amazing how pastors would say hell is eternal separation for God when the fact that Psalm 139 talks about the omnipresence of God. If hell is the place where God pours out his wrath on people who did not confess Jesus as Lord and if God is not there then who is giving the punishment? I do not think the demons are because they are bring punished too.

    • Ryan

      The pastors who are saying hell is eternal seperation from God are most likely referring to relational seperation seeing that is what was broken when Adam sinned. Jesus didn’t just appease God’s judgement but even better, brought us back into a state where we can have a relationship with Him also.

      • http://www.joethorn.net Joe Thorn

        I’m not really talking about people who use that language, but about those who say God isn’t there. “Hell is the absence of God.”

        But since you bring it up, that expression is also somewhat unhelpful. I understand we all sometimes talk without precision about heaven and hell, but the problem with that expression is that unconverted men are already “relationally separated” from God before death and judgment. Hell is different than mere relational separation. It is also the outpouring of his wrath, the manifestation of his justice against sin.

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  • Ryan

    If or since hell is the absence of God and the unconverted man is absent of God, i.e. the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you could look at it as that persons hell has already begun. Jesus does speak of those who don’t believe as both being aready condemned and already dead.

    In speaking of life and death, our human thinking is that life is to be alive as running/jumping/playing and death is a coffen but biblically life is the presents of God and death is the absence of God. Now if hell is the absence of God than death and hell are one in the same? I think of hell as a place so maybe we could conclude that hell is a place absent of God making it a place of death with some other unpleasent extras… a thirsty wormy place.

  • ethan25

    I do not believe that Hell can be the absence of God, because who else can have the authority to punish for sins? I suppose it is possible that God is using His mighty angels to accomplish some of the punishment. However, the justice, wrath and vengence all stems from the Almighty Holiness of God, and without God, there is no vengence, as He has said “vengence is mine”. I would find it hard to believe that God would be absent from judgement, as without Him, there is no judgement.

  • http://harvesterchristian.org Patrick

    Come on guys, when people say hell is separation from God you know what they’re saying. It’s not an argument of where God can/cannot be.

    • http://www.joethorn.net Joe Thorn

      Patrick,

      As I said above, in my post I’m not talking about people who use that language (“Hell is separation from God”), but people who make the argument that Hell is the absence of God. This is a myth I have heard frequently enough to warrant dealing with here.

  • David Rogers

    If one holds to a eternal conscious torment position, it follows that the eternal conscious torment is done in the presence of Jesus, and if we are with Jesus eternally in his presence then the torment of the wicked is done in the redeemed’s presence also.

    Rev. 14:10 NASB
    he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

  • http://www.studentanfamilyministry.com Sam Byers

    I’ve always thought it was interesting to hear people talk about separation from God or a “Christ-less eternity”. Joe, you’ve done a great job dealing with the big concepts. One interesting passage in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 that talks about the judgment Jesus will bring at His return. In the ESV verse 9 says that the unrepentant will experience destruction away from the presence of the Lord, but the footnote says or “destruction that comes from the presence of the Lord.” It would seem more consistent with what you’ve said here for the wrath of God against unrepentant sinners to be not because of the absence of his presence, but the nearness of his presence.

    Great series!

    • http://www.joethorn.net Joe Thorn

      Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Sam!

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  • Matt

    This is a pretty hard thing to think about. I will admit that I’ve always heard the statement that “hell is separation from God” but have never thought through what that means. I’m wondering what Biblical passages support what you are saying. I’m definitely not disagreeing with you, just wanting to look into it a little more. Thanks for this! I’ve really enjoyed all 5 myths.

  • http://www.aramblingguy.wordpress.com Michael Tinker

    Interesting stuff – thanks for engaging this issue. Revelation 14:10 seems quite key in saying that Jesus is ‘present’.

    But I wonder how we then understand the ‘cry of dereliction’? It seems to me that the Father is cutting himself off from his Son. This would then link with the ‘away from me, I never knew you’ statements of Jesus’ parables. People are put ‘outside’.

    Could you perhaps engage a little on these? I’d be interested to hear what you have to say.

    Thanks again

  • John Smuts

    I’d want to look at 2 Thessalonians 1: 9 a bit more closely first.

    The preposition ‘apo’ does commonly mean ‘away from’ as in separation.

    I don’t disagree with the logic from elsewhere in the scriptures but this is a key verse which bears closer inspection, ISTM. If the NIV (and ESV apart from footnote) have translated it accurately then it does run directly counter to your argument.

  • po3sia89

    still doesn’t make since why God would send us to hell or why he’d be there watching us suffer. I don’t understand 

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=502681121 Doug Economou

    “Hell” is an anglo-saxon word that derives from the Norse pagan goddess Hel – basically the equivalent of Hades, the Greek god. 

    There is nowhere in the Bible that says that eternal torment is the punishment for sin or that “death” actually means  separation.

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