Fire and Brimstone

As a pastor, people have often asked me if I am one of those “fire and brimstone” preachers. Traditionally, I have answered with a statement that I am not, but I do preach and teach on the biblical doctrine of hell and God’s judgment. The reasoning for my answer is that when I’ve heard people use that label of “fire and brimstone” preaching, I’ve understood it to refer to a style of preaching that spends a vast majority of its time speaking on the doctrine of hell, to the detriment of other important doctrines. As a preacher I want to make sure that the amount of time and emphasis devoted to any one particular doctrine in the Bible reflects the proportion and emphasis given to that doctrine within the Bible. In other words, I don’t want to have a personal “hobby horse” where I elevate a certain topic to an importance that the Bible does not place upon that topic. Consequently, when I’ve heard people describe a certain style of preaching as “fire and brimstone” preaching, I’ve responded based on such a definition. I was denying myself as a “fire and brimstone” preacher if such preaching was defined as one that gives an emphasis or weight to the teaching in a way that is far greater than what the Bible gives to that doctrine.

More and more, however, I’ve begun to rethink my answer to this question. I’ve increasingly realized that how I defined “fire and brimstone” preaching is not always how the questioner is defining it. Though my concern has been to give a due weight to the doctrine of hell in proportion to the Bible’s own emphasis, I’ve increasingly realized that this may still be considered “fire and brimstone” preaching to many. In other words, I’ve come to realize in conversations that often the questioner is really concerned to know if I preach the doctrine of hell in any capacity.

Let’s face the reality. People today generally don’t want to hear teaching on hell at all. They don’t want to hear about a final day of judgment. They don’t want to think that there is a God who will hold them accountable for not only their actions, but even for their thoughts. They don’t want to hear that they are guilty and have incurred an eternal and horrible punishment by God that’s described with words like “fire and brimstone”. They don’t want to hear that God is calling them to repent of their sin. They don’t want to be grouped into a class of people which the Bible calls “wicked.” For that matter, they don’t even want to believe in a God that has wrath toward sin. And so on so many different levels, the idea of hell bothers people. It’s not politically correct; it’s not “tolerant;” it doesn’t serve our desire of self-justification; it doesn’t let us live how we want to live. Rather, this is a doctrine that is inherently confrontational and offensive.

As I’ve continued to reflect on this, I’ve also wondered if I have even given sufficient weight to this teaching. In other words, in hearing people ask me so many times if I am a “fire and brimstone” teacher, I wonder if I have inadvertently under-emphasized the teaching on hell. In other words, in trying to give due proportion to the doctrine of hell, but in light of pressures to not preach on it, I wonder if I have actually gone the opposite direction. I wonder if my preaching has not given the doctrine of hell enough attention.

I don’t intend to answer that question today. I actually ask it more than anything to make sure I keep putting this question before me. There is ever the temptation to be reactionary one way or another. I need to keep asking the question to make sure I give each biblical doctrine its appropriate weight in my preaching and teaching.

With that being acknowledged, however, I think it would be important to remind us all that though the Bible doesn’t speak of hell in every single verse of the Bible, it is something that does get talked about quite a bit in the Holy Word. Of particular note is Hebrews 6:1-2, which refers to God’s “eternal judgment” as an elementary and foundational doctrine for the Christian. In other words, the teaching on God’s eternal judgment of hell is a basic teaching of Christianity. It will need to have a fairly significant visibility in the church’s teaching ministry in order to not lose something fundamental to the Christian faith.

And so there is a final day of judgment coming. When Christ comes back, everyone who has ever lived will be judged for the works they have done in this life (Revelation 20:12). Wickedness will ultimately be punished. The Bible describes that form of punishment in different ways. It describes it as a lake of fire in Revelation 20:15, which goes on to describe that lake as a lake which burns with “fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8). It says that it will be a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” in Luke 13:28. Jesus, quoting Isaiah, described it as a place where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48). 2 Thessalonians 1:9 describes it as a punishment of everlasting destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.

Much more could be said from Scripture about this punishment we refer to as hell. But the point is that hell is a place of horrible torment given by God to the wicked as a punishment for their sins. The bad news that we find in Scripture, is that every human being is guilty before God, and deserving of such divine wrath (Romans 3:19). However, the good news is that God provided a way for people to flee this coming wrath. The Bible calls us to repent of our sins, to turn to God, and to receive the offer of salvation through the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to bear the wrath of God in the place of sinners. When Jesus cried out of the cross, “My God, my God, why are you forsaking me,” he was expressing how he was essentially experiencing hell on the cross, in the place of the elect. As the eternal Son of God who became man, he was able to fully bear that at the cross in a way that we could not endure.

The result is that we can be forgiven of our sins by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. So, yes, the doctrine of hell is scary. But that is surely meant to awaken us to how evil our sin is in God’s sight, and to call us to repent of it. The good news is that God has provided a wonderfully gracious way in Jesus to be fully pardoned from our sins. And so we do need to hear about hell. But it’s wonderful to also hear the good news of the salvation that is available to all who turn in faith to Jesus. In fact, it’s the doctrine of hell that makes the “good news” so “good”!

About the author: Rev. Reid Hankins is the pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Novato, CA.