According to Pew Research, 55% of Americans believe in both heaven and hell, yet 17% believe in heaven but not hell. C.S. Lewis, the great apologist for Christianity, once said our problem with heaven and hell is that we have too low a view of sin. We do not fear hell and its judgment. He said our desire for heaven is too weak. Most people today avoid any discussion about heaven or hell or about having to give account to God for the way we live. Yet the Bible is very clear that God holds us accountable for our actions. To make this point to early Christians, the Apostle Peter cited three events when God judged wickedness. We read in 2 Peter 2 “God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness … God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family.” And “God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people.” So people who think God simply ignores injustice and wicked deeds need to think again. God forgives those who repent and turn from evil, but he reserves judgment for those who persist in evil.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
