Not too long ago, I received word that someone from my old neighborhood had died prematurely.  While discussing the matter with another old acquaintance, the latter confidently asserted his belief that the deceased was now enjoying his eternal reward.  I replied: “We can hope.”

The truth is, for as well-intentioned as my interlocutor undoubtedly was, I regarded his sentiment and the certitude with which he expressed it as the function of a Biblical illiteracy that pervades our culture.  Had the person to whom he referred been known for his Christian virtue or even a more general Godliness, I doubtless would have found my old friend’s remarks less noteworthy.  Yet even when it comes to the passing of those recognized as having lived decent lives, the ease with which untold numbers of self-styled Christians unhesitatingly suppose that they will inherit theKingdomofGodis a curious phenomenon deserving of comment.

From a psychological perspective, it is no mystery why most people—including most Christians—are disposed to uncritically reject as unthinkable the traditional Christian notion that the godless will be subjected to God’s wrath in the afterlife.  Such a notion induces in us no small measure of discomfort; more to the point, it pains us, for there is nothing more terrifying than the idea of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Being visiting his justice upon us.

Sociologically speaking, it is also no wonder why in the contemporary Western world generally, and the United States in particular, the idea of a wrathful God would be unpalatable.  When Jesus informed His disciples that only those who passed through “the narrow gate” would enter the Kingdom of Heaven, He was doing nothing more or less than reiterating the central theme of His ministry, namely, that only those who believed in Him would have eternal life. Now, this wasn’t a tough sell in a religiously homogenous, exclusively Christian culture.  Yet in the sort of “multicultural,” militantly secular society in which we reside, matters are obviously otherwise, for in our quest for peaceful co-existence, prudence would seem to dictate relegating the idea of a judgmental, wrathful God to the dustbin of history.  

But from a theological vantage point, it really is quite puzzling that any Christian so much as remotely familiar with his religious heritage would even consider banishing the idea of Divine Judgment from his mind.  From the book of Genesis to that of Revelations, his Sacred Scriptures speak with a single voice on this issue: God is Mercy itself, yes, but He is also Justice. 

And Justice demands that each person receives his due. 

What this means, though, is simply that those who insist on rejecting Christ will be deprived of eternal life while those who affirm Him will enjoy it.

Although Christianity is clear enough on this score, Christians continue to quarrel amongst themselves as to what exactly this means.  So, the reader ought to guard against either drawing any hasty conclusions from this assertion or assuming that its’ meaning is straightforward.  There are several considerations to bear in mind.

First, since only one who has had the opportunity to embrace Christ could either affirm or reject Him, those who haven’t had such opportunity in this life will not thereby be deprived of it in the next. To lack a belief in “X” is not synonymous with disbelieving it.  For example, that I do not believe that you have a friend named so-and-so doesn’t necessarily mean that I disbelieve it; I may not believe it only because I know neither you nor any of your friends.  Non-belief is one thing; unbelief is something else.   

Second, if God can reach out to non-believers in a post-Earthly mode of existence, then it isn’t at all unreasonable to think that perhaps He will as well use it to provide unbelievers another chance to set things right.  This, after all, is what the Catholic notion of “purgatory” is all about.

Third, that affirming and rejecting Christ consist in the fully conscious production of explicit statements of one’s faith is anything but the axiomatic proposition that many Christians—Protestant, Evangelical Christians, especially—take it to be.  That is, a person who never expressly proclaimed Jesus as his Lord and Savior may very well be more Christ-like in his conduct than one who has.  Conversely, a person who gives glory to Christ with his lips may habitually betray Him with his deeds.

The nature of genuine belief and the relationship between belief and conduct are particularly complex issues.  Fortunately, we need not explore them here.  However Christians decide to understand the specific terms in which God will judge us, the point is that they must understand that God will judge us. 

Along with such concomitant ideas as evil, the idea of Hell has fallen on hard times indeed.  In fact, I suspect that it is largely because talk of evil has subsided that talk of Hell has as well.  As a practicing Catholic, I can assure you that except for when the members of my congregation collectively renew their baptismal promises, the language of both “Hell” and “evil” is conspicuously and consistently absent from the pulpit.  On the other hand, the idiom of “compassion,” “equality,” and “social” and “economic justice” is abundant.

Yet the benefits to be reaped from the Christian’s revisiting his tradition can’t be overestimated.

God’s compassion is a reality to which no Christian should be oblivious.  However, neither do Christians achieve as clear an understanding as they could of God’s character and the life He calls us to live unless they also comprehend His abhorrence of evil and the wrath that He reserves for those who purvey it.

In addition to the intellectual reward of reacquainting himself with the concepts of Hell and evil, there is as well a moral return of inestimable worth.  The Christian is called by his God to be a light unto the world, to “overcome evil with good,” as Christ said.  The Christian is no less impervious to the seduction of evil than anyone else, but his confidence that the Godly and the evildoer will indeed alike one day receive their just desserts is a powerful spur to strengthen his resolve in his pursuit of moral excellence.

Third and finally, in regaining the knowledge of a just God, the Christian will have some inkling of what to expect in the wake of his death—something he will never have as long as he continues to be treated to sermons on “social justice.”

Jack Kerwick, Ph.D.