The Christian image of a torturous hell and a God who weighs and judges has not helped us to know, trust, or love God in any way. Those attracted to the idea of hell operate out of a belief that there is not enough Divine Love to transform, awaken, and save.
The word “hell” is not even mentioned in the first five books of the Bible. Paul and John never once used the word.
We cannot be more loving than God; it’s impossible. If we understand God as Trinity—the fountain fullness of outflowing love, of relationship itself—there can be no theological possibility of any vengeance in God. Divinity, which is revealed as Love Itself, will always eventually win. God does not lose (John 6:37-39). We are all saved totally by mercy. God fills in all the gaps. Reincarnation or a “geographic” hell or purgatory are unnecessary.
Knowing this gives us peace, not living in fear, but from an endlessly available love. To the degree that we experience intimacy with God, we need not be afraid of death because we’re already experiencing the first tastes and promises of heaven. Love, grace, and mercy are given undeservedly now, so why would they not be given later also? Growth, change, and opportunity never cease.
To God, no one remains dead to sin, everyone is alive to Him.
Luke 20:38 “So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”
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