No Hell?

We are powerless to save ourselves, but thankfully, Jesus came so that we might have eternal life, that 
we may be saved from eternal punishment and live together with Him. Romans 3 reminds us, though, of our sinfulness:
(9) we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."

But, later in the chapter, we can read these words:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...

So, as human beings, we are all under the curse of sin, dating all the way back to the Garden, when God's precious human creations made the decision to rebel against Him.  But, fortunately, He did not leave humanity in a state of hopelessness - the Bible begins to talk about a Redeemer, a Savior, a Messiah who would come to redeem fallen humanity and restore us to Himself.  We can choose to live for Him, we can choose eternal life, we can choose to be with Him in heaven forever.

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Romans chapter 5 reminds us of the enormous resources of the love of God, a love so great that enables us to break free from our sins so that we might come to know a living Lord:
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

The classic song encourages the listener to "Imagine there's no heaven...It's easy if you try...No hell below us...Above us only sky."  That's it, the famous viewpoint of John Lennon that is used in what is regarded as an anthem for world peace - just don't believe in anything.  Love, love, love.

Entertainer Sarah Silverman apparently doesn't believe there is a hell, and she is brash enough to say so. ChristianHeadlines.com stated that, "Silverman's remarks were featured in a clip of her show The Sarah Silverman Podcast that was posted on Twitter last Friday." The article says:

“If you’re in the range of my voice right now and you’re someone who believes and fears Hell, let me release you of that fear right now,” Silverman began as she contended, “there is no hell I promise you.”

“I mean it, what do I know?”, she continued,” but I believe it with my whole heart.”

The story goes on to state that "Silverman went on to recount a story that took place between her and some young Catholic students in New York before the pandemic. As the kids were coming out of school, she blurted out, "there’s no hell!'" One of the students asked her about that, and she said, "I’m an adult and I’m telling you, I promise you, there is no Hell.”  The article says:

Alongside Silverman was a friend who told her, “you can’t tell other people’s kids there isn’t Hell.”

In response, the comedian asked, “what am I? Ruining Hell for them?”

Apparently holding and sharing this errant belief makes Silverman feel better, or so she says.  She even dared God to take her out if there is a hell.

The article quotes from Darrell B. Harrison, a Christian who directs social media for the ministry of Grace to You, expressed concern in a tweet, saying, "Notwithstanding her views on hell, what, to me, is concerning about this is that many people who profess to be Christian are living under the same faulty proposition as Silverman in that they believe being a good person (moralism) is how one avoids going to hell after they die."

There are those who question how a good and loving God could send someone to hell.  The fact is, God does not send anyone to hell - that is the choice of the individual.  Because of sin, we deserve eternal punishment.  But because of Jesus, we can avoid that punishment by accepting Him as our Lord and Savior.  We could not pay that penalty ourselves, but Jesus, because He came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, and offered Himself as a perfect substitute for us, we can have the promise of heaven when we die.  

We can steer clear of falling into the trap that if our good outweighs our bad here on earth, then we will go to heaven - that is unbiblical and generates a sense of false hope.  The Bible tells us that no one is truly good, truly righteous.  We cannot live up to God's standards, but we can have hope in our Savior, who has come so that we might know Him and live with Him eternally.  We are lost, doomed, without Him, but we can know His love and hope.