PANU DISCUSSIONS with Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland and Dr. Charles L. Feinberg
Q. Tucson, Ariz. — “Did Jesus have to suffer the torments of hell to com pletely atone for our sins ? I f He did, how could this be since the Bible in dicates that hell is not occupied to day?” A, We believe that hell is a real place. It was prepared originally for the devil and his angels. If anyone chooses to go there that is his per sonal responsibility for rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep in mind that the worst torment in hell will be separation from God and all that is good. In that sense, Jesus suffered the torments of hell, because He cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He was absolutely alone, parted from His Father, for the only time in all eternity. God the Son was separated from God the Father. Our finite minds cannot begin to comprehend the full impact of the divine picture. Perhaps this thought would help. If it takes an eternity for a finite being to atone for his sins, then an infinite being could do it in an instant of time. Dying on Calvary’s cross, Christ accomplished our redemption in that span of time. Hell is a translation of the Greek word gehenna. It is a place of eternal torments. In our Bibles, however, translators have also used the word hell for the original word, hades, which is actually the abode of the
dead. Before Christ’s death, hades was composed of two compartments. The abode of the righteous dead, re ferred to as Paradise or Abraham’s bosom, was emptied of the believers who were taken to heaven when Christ ascended which is where all believers who die go today. Q. Seattle, Wash. — “I ’m confused by Prov. 17:19 which says, ‘He loveth transgression that loveth strife; and he that exalteth his gate seeketh de struction.” A. This verse has reference to the one who seems to take delight in causing agitation and strife. You know people of this stripe who want to pick a fight whenever anything happens. This, of course, always leads to transgression. To avoid sin, we as believers should love peace. Don't put yourself on a pedestal above your neighbor. You know, they say that the people who look down on others usually live on a bluff! Q. Yuba City, Calif.— “I heard a speak er recently who said that we shouldn’t leave money in trust to Christian schools. He cited Yale and Harvard which went the godless route after an original evangelical stand. It was suggested that colleges deviate from God’s Word. He said C h r is tian s should place their all in Christ’s work all the time.” 26
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