For obvious reasons, the biblical doctrine of hell has never been a favorite theme for Christian people, even amongst the most fervent of puritan preachers. The very thought of an endless separation from God and his presence, where communication and community are utterly negated, is an intolerable thought to the one who loves God. It is a doctrine we do not like and often do not understand, especially since scripture identifies our moral barometer as broken.

However, the doctrine of hell does not stand alone to be rejected. It holds serious ramifications for our understanding of God and his purposes, for the moral fabric of the universe He has created – indeed, for the very notion of salvation itself. This can be difficult to grasp, particularly given the ways in which these notions are both subtly and overtly undermined all around us. In our culture where we celebrate tolerance, God's sending of his Son to die seems an intolerable form of child abuse.

It is little wonder many struggle even more with the doctrine of hell, which seems terribly non-inclusive and even hostile to the lifestyle choices of many. Yet Jesus speaks repeatedly and in the starkest of terms about hell (cf. Matthew 10:28, 11:23, 18:9, 23:15, Mark 9:43-47, Luke 12:5, 16:23), not to mention his many parables about a kingdom of great rewards and terrifying punishments. The rest of the New Testament is equally clear and uncompromising. Clearly, we cannot dismiss the doctrine like an inconvenient parking ticket just because we do not like it.

What is particularly interesting to me as a Christian apologist is that I am very rarely questioned about the "immorality" or "injustice" of hell by non-believers. In fact, I find a remarkable recognition amongst non-Christians that if God is real, He must punish evil. On the contrary, it is usually struggling Christians who wrestle with the notion that God will judge sin in an ultimate sense with an endless separation from God.

Central to our modern crisis regarding the notion of hell and judgment itself is the problem of abstractionism in our thinking. We tend not to think of good and evil in terms of God's revealed law and character, but in abstract categories. In many of our minds, for instance, there is a typical lauding of "love" as good and "hate" as evil. But love and hate are not things in and of themselves. It is clearly good to hate injustice, blasphemy, and bigotry, just as it is obviously evil to love lies, murder, and fornication. All manner of sin today is routinely justified on the basis of "love." But this is putting the preference for abstractions to reality, and when we regard good and evil in this way we will view the doctrine of hell as a monstrosity.

In this we may discover that hell is not just a place; it is also a condition of heart and mind, a state of fixed rebellion against God. C.S. Lewis notes that heaven is the abode of those that say to God, "Thy will be done," and hell is the dwelling of those to whom God will eventually turn and say, "THY will be done." In other words, hell is the rejection of relationship and meaning, the insanity of a self-imposed isolation where "man is the measure of all things." Having affirmed himself as his own god, man lives in hell with the full consequence of this faith.

Thus, hell assures us that there is an unbridgeable chasm between right and wrong as defined by God, and to deny it is to advocate the triumph of evil. If we refuse to believe Christ's doctrine of hell, we are denying that God is on the throne. Hell assures us justice is real and it is God's.

But finally and critically, hell assures us that heaven is home. We must remember that hell and salvation are related doctrines in the Christian faith. If hell is not real and Christ's teaching is some form of subtle illusion, then there is no damnation, and if there is no damnation, then there is nothing to be saved from, and nothing to be saved to or for. Far from this, the Christian faith cries out in need for the very thing Christ offers – forgiveness and a place within the kingdom. Heaven is indeed home to those who will have it, a place of community turned toward God with total meaning in Him, lived under his law and purposes.