Over the last twenty years, I have preached on hell once.

Of course, I mention the doctrine every so often, but

always in passing. This, I am convinced, is an error on my

part, especially since the doctrine is rapidly falling into dis-

repute among those who once embraced it.

The Doctrine

As a doctrine, hell is solidly biblical. Certainly Jesus is

abundantly clear on the reality of hell. In Matthew 25:41,

Jesus states: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart

from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared

for the devil and his angels.’” Jesus concluded his remarks on

the sheep and goats judgment by saying, “Then they will go

away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life”

(Matthew 25:46). Note that both heaven and hell are eternal.

Those who believe in annihilation at death for non-Chris-

tians cannot have it both ways. If heaven is eternal, hell must

be as well. (For further research on the subject, see Matthew

5:29; 8:11-12; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:19-31; 2 Thessalonians

1:9; Jude 6; Revelation 14:10-11; 20:10; 21:8.)

What is Happening to Hell?

The biblical doctrine on hell has long been standard in

mainstream Christianity. In his sermon, The Great Assize,

John Wesley said, “It follows that either the punishment lasts

forever, or the reward too will come to an end; no, never,

unless God could come to an end, or his mercy and truth

could fail.” John Calvin wrote: “But the whole Scripture proclaims

that there will be no end of the happiness of the elect,

or the punishment of the reprobate.”1

Cults and Sects

The Christian-based cults – the Jehovah’s Witnesses,

Mormons, Christian Scientists, and so on – deny the existence

of an eternal hell and substitute some other circumstance

that awaits the non-believer. This seemingly reasonable

and charitable approach is one reason for the appeal of

these cults. “Ah, the hated, unfair, and unreasonable doctrine

of the professors of Christendom is shown to be false,” the

cults’ ministers boast to the prospect. Is this a quote that has

a citation reference?

The Adventists, a sect of Christianity (not now so doctrinally

aberrant to earn the designation of cult) have long

stressed the theory of annihilation. Their view is that life

for the unconverted ends forever. (The Jehovah’s Witnesses

were influenced by this Adventist idea and changed it only

slightly – Jehovah God slays all non-Witnesses and unfaithful

Witnesses.) In any case, both the cults and certain so-called

Christian sects, like the Adventists, deny the biblical teaching

of an eternal punishment in hell.

The Church Growth Movement

Hell is not faring well with those churches that are committed

to a contemporary marketing and branding strategy

that downplays or ignores the embarrassing doctrine of hell.

1 The Institutes, Book III, chapter 25, section 5.

The doctrine simply will not help get people into the pews.

Whether the ministers within the movement believe it or not

is unknown and irrelevant. The determinant factor is that

disquieting doctrines must be hidden from view, as they do

not serve the greater purpose – getting people in the door.

The result, though, is a slighting if not a downright rejection

of the biblical truth. And this will ultimately serve neither

the seeker nor the unchurched, because they will not realize

their desperate need to come to Christ.

Summary

The operation methods of the cults and the contemporary

efforts to attract the unchurched are already clear. However,

there is something else afoot that is of greater concern.

Leave it to Ignorance

Philip Yancey, noted and respected among American

evangelical Christians, admits in an article entitled, “The

Encyclopedia of Theological Ignorance,”2 that doctrines like

an eternal hell bother him. He asks: “Will hell really involve

an eternity of torment?” Essentially, he says that hell is a

marginal doctrine, obscure and not plain. He wonders why

the Bible does not give clear answers to the marginal doctrines.

Yancey differentiates between doctrines that are clear

and those that are not. He appears theologically orthodox in

general, but indicates that what the Bible says about hell is

unclear. He includes the doctrine of hell in his “Encyclopedia

of Theological Ignorance” as he does the subject of infant

salvation. Yancey says that the issue of infant salvation is

unclear in the Bible (perhaps so). Therefore, we should trust

a loving and merciful God to do what is right and not attempt

to clear up this marginal doctrine. He advises to take hell in

2 Christianity Today, 6 September 1999, Vol. 43, No. 10, p. 120.

What is Happening to Hell? 59

the same way. The Bible is then, according to Yancey, unclear

on the subject. This is amply demonstrated in the conclusion

of his article.

I must insist that the other important answers about

heaven and hell – who goes where, whether there are second

chances, what form the judgments and rewards take, intermediate

states after death – are inconclusive at best. Increasingly,

I am grateful for that ignorance and grateful that the

God who revealed himself in Jesus is the one who knows the

answers.

Opaque?

By “opaque,” Yancey means unclear. He does believe in

heaven and hell, but in a way that negates or blunts their

reality. A person persuaded by Yancey might well reason,

“Hmm, I don’t have to take the doctrine of hell seriously. I

don’t have to believe in it. I don’t have to teach or preach it.

I don’t have to warn anyone of the danger of going there. I

don’t have to fear it myself – because it is not a clear Bible

doctrine. Yes, I will leave it all up to God and, after all, he is

merciful and loving.”

What has Yancey done? He has muddled an important

doctrine. He has told the watchman to come down from the

tower, because there is no enemy. It is as if to say, “Why all

this scary talk about judgment and hell? It is not clear, and

whatever is not clear we should disregard and assign to The

Encyclopedia of Theological Ignorance.”

Accountability

Can we accept what Yancey advocates?

Personally, I cannot, though it would be nice if I could. If

I could relax about the doctrine of hell and convince myself

that it is a marginal doctrine, I would not need to warn and

plead with the unconverted. It would reduce the risk of scar

ing them away. My reputation among the unconverted and

especially the Christianized might improve. However, I cannot

do it. I do not like the idea of hell any more than any

other Christian. But the Scriptures teach it; the doctrine is

beyond question. To say that the doctrine of hell is opaque is

to both impugn the integrity of Jesus and deny the authority

of Scripture. Worst of all, it gives the unconverted false hope

and comfort. How very dangerous; how very awful.

Emotional and Personal Reasons to Reject the Doctrine

of Hell

Hell is a doctrine that Christians find difficult, not usually

for theological nor biblical reasons but for emotional and

personal reasons. I understand this.

My mother, who gave me life and loved me unconditionally,

died not trusting in Jesus. As best I could, I shared the

gospel with her, but she steadfastly rejected it. Moreover,

my wife’s family, siblings, parents, and grandparents are

strangers to the promise of eternal life in Christ. So, I have

many reasons why I might want to obscure the doctrine of

hell. How comforting it would be to downplay hell, perhaps

develop a theology of second chances, and accept the notion

that beloved family members could yet find safety and salvation

in heaven apart from grace, or even suggest some sort

of universalism. While one of these notions might ease some

pain and anxiety, it would do no one any good.

A dear friend recently confessed to me that he was terribly

upset that his father might die in his sins and be condemned

to hell. I was actually tempted to comfort him by

minimizing the reality of hell. Would it have helped? Would it

have been the honest thing to do? As Christians, we must face

these hard truths. We did not make them up, and whether

we believe them or not does not and cannot alter the truth.

A Clear and Present Duty

Preachers (and we are all preachers) of the whole counsel

of God and the fullness of the gospel have to warn of hell.

However unpleasant it is, however many people designate

us to be hopeless literalists, the truth must be made clear.

Ours is a higher duty than to falsely comfort the unconverted

as Philip Yancey has done.

Preachers of the gospel have been made watchmen who

will give account of their ministry.

When I say to the wicked, “O wicked man, you will

surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade him

from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin,

and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if

you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways

and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you

will be saved yourself” (Ezekiel 33:8-9).

To and From

If I did not believe that the unconverted would end up in

hell, I doubt I would preach much of a gospel. What would be

the point? What would I, the watchman, need to warn about?

If there is nothing to be saved from, why preach a gospel of

salvation? Someone might respond, “Well it is still better to

have faith and be positive, even if it is for this life only.” Is that

really all we have to offer? How can I follow the example of

Jesus and do anything he commanded me in this life, if he has

lied to me about heaven and hell? I would have to assume

other falsehoods as well. No, we are saved to and from something.

We are saved to being in Christ now and enjoy the

abundant life he gives us, and then finally to being with him

in heaven. And we are saved from being separated from him

forever in hell. This is an essential part of the gospel.

What Happens to Hell is not Marginal

What will the minister who does not believe in hell

preach? Perhaps he will deliver sermons about justice,

self-improvement, the poor and disadvantaged, and more

– all important subjects. But since there is a judgment that

follows the resurrection of the just and the unjust, it will be

an incomplete ministry. As Jesus said, “What good will it be

for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

(Matthew 16:26).

I am not suddenly going to become exclusively a “hell-fire

and brimstone” preacher. But I will preach on it as occasion

arises; I will warn of a terrible judgment upon all those outside

of Christ that will surely result in an eternal hell. I will

preach it, because it is the truth, and people need to know

the truth so they would seek him out and be found by him.

An accuser is someone who accuses someone of a crime or offense—says that they are guilty of it.

The person against whom the accusation is made can be described with the adjective accused. Accused is also used as a noun to refer to a person or people who have been charged with a crime, often as the accused. 

Jesus was often accused; here are some examples from the Gospels in the New Testament.

Matthew 12:9–12           A Man with a Withered Hand

[9] He went on from there and entered their synagogue. [10] And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. [11] He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? [12] Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” (ESV)

Here we find religious leaders who considered restoring a person to health on a Sabbath day, from Friday evening to Saturday evening, unlawful.

Mark 15:1–5         Jesus Delivered to Pilate

[1] And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. [2] And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” [3] And the chief priests accused him of many things. [4] And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” [5] But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. (ESV)

Luke 23:1–2          Jesus Before Pilate

[1] Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. [2] And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” (ESV)

Jesus was accused of many things, and this incident before Pilate directly led to Jesus’ being crucified.

Luke 11:53–54

[53] As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, [54] lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say. (ESV)

John 7:53-8–11   The Woman Caught in Adultery

[1] but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. [2] Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. [3] The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst [4] they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. [5] Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” [6] This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. [7] And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” [8] And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. [9] But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. [10] Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” [11] She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]] (ESV)

Now then, if Jesus was accused by religious leaders during His ministry, how could it be that His followers should not be accused?

Revelation 12:7–12 Satan Thrown Down to Earth

[7] Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, [8] but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. [9] And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. [10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. [11] And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. [12] Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

The passage from Revelation 12 describes Satan’s work as the “accuser of our brothers.” And the accusing is relentless, “day and night before our God.” However, such accusations have no real teeth since Satan has been stripped of his power.

The passage is somewhat confusing. Though the strength of Satan is at minimum lessened, it (I do not like giving Satan the respect of using the term “he.”) still continues the accusing agenda, and this aimed at or directed at followers of Jesus. What do we make of this?

One point, we can expect to be accused, and sometimes we earn this by doing that which is against the Word of God. Yes, I am still a sinner despite the fact that all my sin, from day one, till my last day, has been all bundled up and placed upon Jesus when He bore our sins on the cross. This is a fact.

Does it seem strange that even the sins I have yet to commit have already been atoned for by the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross? Certainly, it does. Let me attempt an explanation. And this requires the explanation of a biblical paradox.

There are two words used in the Greek New Testament for time. One is Kairos and the other is Chronos. Kairos is God’s time, which is always now, and Chronos, and from which we get the word chronology, or the passing of time that we live in. In Kairos time, God’s time, all my sin was placed upon Jesus on the cross. How this happens is beyond our understanding for sure but correct biblical doctrine all the while. I experience my sinning as time goes on, chronos time, but God is not bound by my experience of time. God is outside of time.

So, then the paradox is evident: all my sin has been forgiven, yet it is up to me to ask my Savior to forgive me of this ongoing sin. If you are still perplexed, join the crowd.

Satan is stuck in now time, and forever.  And thus, it accuses us of our sinfulness, hoping to harm, even crush us. But that will not do as we know it’s agenda.

Over the years, almost sixty years of being a saved sinner, I have committed some egregious sins. I have to admit these are more awful for me now to recall than when I sinned them. I am not sure how this works, but it is how it works for me, and as a pastor for fifty-two years, I have found the same in so many of these in my congregation(s).

And this is precisely why I am writing this essay. I know precious folks who yet suffer under the weight of grievous sins they have committed in the past, near or far. For over 34 years I did ministry out at San Quentin Prison, just a 10-minute trip from where I am writing this essay. Eighteen of those years I was as the baseball coach, first our team’s name was the Pirates, then the Giants, and finally the A’s. (Two long and boring for an explanation of how the name changes occurred.) The years before that was cell to cell ministry out of the Protestant chapel, and Earl Smith was the chaplain during those years. I spent hours assuring grieving convicts that in the saving work of Jesus, all their was gone, forgiven, and forgotten.

Right now, I am trying to encourage a man who played three years on the baseball team at SQ and is now at another California State prison, who is hoping after nineteen years, to be granted parole. He is a follower of Jesus now, and his sins, which were many and awful, are causing him great dismay. Over the phone I try to tell him sin is gone from the perspective and reality of the Great Judge. He has such a hard time grasping this and will sometimes break down on the phone.

The reason for this essay is to proclaim that in Jesus, all our sin is gone, buried, and no accuser can touch us once we grasp this. But, I have to admit I am not completely there yet, gaining some ground, but it seems that as I grow in Christ, those awful sins I have committed and still fall into, cause me deep inward anguish and pain. Sometimes I wallow in it and get confused about it all, wondering how come I am not farther along. And when these moments come, I think my Lord lets me stay here so that I continue to be aware of my sinful tendencies, which helps keep me humble.

In these, my later years, grasping this reality, helps me to remain calm, both knowing my sin is all gone, and that at the same time, I know I am not above sinning. And with that comes the great promise that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is alone is our righteousness.

Let me close with 1 John 2:1. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”[1]

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[1] The if, highlighted in the passage, is a third-class condition meaning that we probably, even most assuredly, will sin again.

From Why I Am A Christian

The pro-gay position among some segments of the

Christian community effectively deprives the homo-

sexual of hope. These persons may be thinking they

are reaching out in love to the gay community, but to theo-

rize that a gay person is born that way and therefore cannot

help being homosexual takes away hope. What may pass for

a tolerant and accepting attitude among certain people, in

fact condemns a person to what many gay people will admit

is an unhappy, even desperate life. It also abandons people

who are committed to homosexual behavior to a dreadful

eternity.

A Frightening Passage

The passage I am about to quote from Paul’s first letter to

the first century church in Corinth is one that is feared, even

hated, by those who assert they are both homosexual and

Christian. It is a passage that has been vigorously attacked

by pro-gay Bible commentators because of its uncompro-

mising and powerful message. The meaning of the passage

is simple and clear, yet it offers, in my view, a great deal of

hope for the homosexual. The first part of the passage states:

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the

kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually

immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male

prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor

the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers

will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians

6:9-10).

I do not intend to browbeat nor scare anyone with the

Bible. I want to present the hope we have in Christ.

An Examination of the Passage

“Homosexual offenders” is a translation of the Greek

word arsenokoite, a word that Paul made up. (Paul made up

or coined about 170 words that we find in his New Testament

letters.) The word he used is a combination of arsenos,

meaning male, and koite, meaning bed or couch. Paul

found these words in Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13,

in the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint.

The Levitical verses forbid and condemn homosexuality.

Paul put the two words together, because he wanted

to describe men who had sex together. It is not homosexual

prostitution or violent homosexual rape that the Law of

Moses is concerned with, as is so often presented by progay

writers. No, the language is clear and straightforward –

homosexual offenders or those who practice homosexuality,

will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Homosexual behavior is not the only sinful behavior

mentioned in the Corinthian passage. There is quite a long

list, and I find some of my own sins there, too. There are the

heterosexuals who are immoral and adulterers who have sex

outside of marriage. There are those who worship gods who

are not gods at all. There are thieves, greedy people, drunkards,

slanderers, and swindlers listed – I find myself here. I

have broken God’s holy ordinance and therefore, barring a

miracle, I will not inherit the kingdom of God. If God’s Word

is true, I am in desperate trouble.

Am I without Hope?

Since I find my sin(s) plainly listed in the passage, am I

then without hope? In one sense, I have no hope, for I cannot

do anything about changing what has already happened, and

to make matters worse, I cannot be assured that I will not

sin again sometime in the future. Though I do not want to

sin and dishonor my Lord, it is more than likely that I will,

because sin dwells within me (see 1 John 1:8-2:1-2). Yet I

am not without hope; in fact, I am most hopeful. I know for

a fact that Jesus has died in my place on the cross; I know he

has taken all my sin upon himself, and that I can be forgiven,

trusting in him as the Holy Spirit enables me. Certainly I can

do nothing, but Jesus, raised from the dead, has already done

what I cannot do. Indeed, he gives me his righteousness,

even though I do not deserve it at all. This is the good news,

the gospel.

The Proof of Hope

Earlier I quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. But I stopped short

of the real point Paul was making to the believers in Corinth.

We need now to look at verse 11, because it contains proof

of our hope:

And that is what some of you were. But you were

washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the

name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Sprit of our

God.

In that Corinthian church were people like me – guilty of

many sins, addicted to some, helplessly in the control of oathtaking. Yet, something happened to them, and Paul used three

words to describe it – washed, sanctified, and justified.

Washed means being granted forgiveness. This involves

a work of the Holy Spirit in applying the blood Jesus shed on

the cross to the sinner. With the shedding of blood there is

the forgiveness of sin, even sin like my own and also sin like

homosexual behavior. I cannot forgive my own sin; neither

can a church or a priest or a minister or anyone or anything

else forgive sin. Only Jesus’ blood can wash sin away. Did

Jesus die on the cross and shed his blood to then withhold

it from those who seek him? Not at all; remember that Jesus

is the one who came to call not the righteous, but sinners

to repentance. And the washing, the cleansing of the blood

of Jesus actually brings us to a place of repentance. Washed,

clean, forgiven – this is more wonderful than anything can

ever be.

Sanctified, then, means to be set aside as belonging to

Jesus himself. It is the result of the washing or cleansing

power of God to remove all sin, and thus we are indwelt by

the Holy Spirit. The sanctified are embraced by the Father

and adopted into his own family. God’s Holy Spirit actually

lives within us, because that which prevented his doing so

was overcome when our sins were forgiven. It is completely

the work of God. He sets us aside, makes us holy, and begins

to work within us both to will and to work for his good pleasure

– which takes a whole lifetime.

Justified might well have been mentioned first or second,

because it is the experience of conversion or the new birth. It

happens as we are washed and sanctified. Where one begins

and the other ends, we do not know. There is a mystery to it

all, though it is very real at the same time. “Justified” might

be defined as the sinner being restored to a condition of

purity, as though no sin had ever been committed. It is by

faith; it is grace; it is all a gift. Make no mistake, even faith is a

gift; we really have none of it in ourselves. Rather, it is given

to us. This is what we mean by grace: forgiveness and eternal

life freely given, despite the fact that we are unworthy. This is

illustrated for us in the words “new birth.” We did not cause

our own physical birth, and we cannot produce our spiritual

birth. It is all a gift of God, not based on any kind or manner

of work.

Giving back Hope

Those who accept the notion that they were born homosexual

and that it is in their very nature to be homosexual

may find hope in the words of Paul and in the experience of

some of the Christians in the church at Corinth. There were

homosexuals there, and they had turned away from homosexual

behavior, though they might not have become heterosexuals.

(Some today at any rate experience a change in their

sexual orientation, but others do not, so it is not unreasonable

to state that such might have been the case in Corinth).

A Special Appeal

To those who have loved ones who are gay, perhaps a son

or daughter, I appeal to you that you do not take away their

hope by agreeing that they cannot help but engage in homosexual

activity.

There is a powerful tendency to overlook what the Scriptures

teach and adopt a pro-gay stance, thinking we are

standing with and supporting our gay loved ones. Many do

this. It is, in the long run, better to love the person, be supportive

in whatever means possible, but still refuse to validate

the sinful behavior. This “tough love” may well prove to

be both hopeful and redemptive.

Words of Hope

John said,

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and

the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is

faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us

from all unrighteousness. I we say we have not sinned

we make him a liar, and his word is not in us (1 John

1:8-10).

The pro-gay movement unwittingly takes away hope

when it denies the sin of homosexual behavior. It takes away

the possibility of being cleansed from unrighteousness,

because no one confesses his sin who denies he is sinning.

The promise of the Scriptures gives back hope. The following

grand words of Paul provide for us a most fitting close to this

essay.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as

you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

In Preaching and Preachers, Dr. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

referred to Lyman Beecher’s (1775-1863) correspon-

dence with and about Asahel Nettleton, the great preacher

of the first half of the second Great Awakening in America.

Beecher himself was greatly used of God in the early part of

that awakening in his local church, and throughout his long

ministry stood firmly for a Reformed faith over many con-

troversies and trials. Lloyd-Jones recommended Beecher’s

biography for an understanding of the controversy between

Nettleton and C. G. Finney that focused on the “new mea-

sures” employed by the new evangelist, Reverend Finney.

The book was published by Harper & Brothers Publishers in

1865, and the two volumes of more than 1,000 pages reveal

much about the life and ministry of Lyman Beecher. In read-

ing it, I found much more than I was looking for, particularly

in the material that covered the period before Beecher died.

Four incidents especially stand out.

First, in retirement he attended Plymouth Church of Bos-

ton. During one of his last times ever to speak to a group, he

“said feebly, ‘If God should tell me that I might choose’ (and

then hesitating, as if it might seem like unsubmissiveness

to the divine will) – ‘that is, if God said that it was his will

that I should choose whether to die and go to heaven, or to

begin my life over again and work once more’ (straightening

himself up, and his eye kindling, with his finger lifted up), ‘I

would enlist again in a minute!’” (vol. 2, p. 552).

Being a preacher of the gospel, I thrilled to read those

words. Beecher, aware of his diminished capacity, longed to

depart and be with his Lord. Yet his love for his God-commissioned

work was such that he would gladly do it all again.

The great preacher, neither cynical nor discouraged by the

unfaithfulness and error around him, still approached the

pulpit to plead with sinners. Though an oft-wounded warrior,

he was ready to take the field anew. Beecher’s “feeble”

words will long stay with me.

Second, when asked by a friend who was trying to rouse

him from drifting to sleep, “Dr. Beecher, tell us what is the

greatest of all things,” he replied, “The answer, I quickly

admit, I have memorized, since I know I will repeat it often:

It is not theology, it is not controversy, but it is to save souls”

(p. 555). Not that theology was unimportant; in fact, Beecher

was a staunch defender of the faith once delivered to the

saints. Furthermore, Beecher did not shy away from the controversies

of his day. But the one great thing, the one that

thrills me also, is to preach the gospel so that sinners might

be converted.

Third, Beecher wanted to be buried next to his dear friend

and long-time pastoral colleague, Dr. Taylor of Connecticut.

The biography includes several references to Pastor Taylor,

and contains dozens of their letters to each other. Though

Dr. Beecher’s memory was nearly gone, he remembered his

old friend, and one day declared that he wanted to be buried

next to him. He reasoned, “The young men [the students]

will come and see where Brother Taylor and I are buried, and

it will do them good” (p.555).

Beecher’s burying place would be, he supposed, a last

sermon of inspiration and encouragement to his students,

probably referring to the students of Lane Seminary, into

which Beecher had poured so much of his life and ministry.

Even in that last detail of a resting place, Beecher had his eye

on the glory of God. Could I be so concerned for the kingdom

of God?

Fourth, knowing his earthly life was quickly coming to a

close, he examined his own heart to see whether he was truly

converted. His son and chief biographer, Charles Beecher,

wrote, “Such was his sense of his imperfectness before the

divine law, and such his profound humility before God, and

such his sense of the solemnity of that great change that

settles all forever, that he seldom or never spoke of his own

condition with assurance, but only of prevailing hope on the

whole” (p. 557).

Nonetheless, his daughter, Harriet Beecher Stowe,

reported that he twice quoted these words of Paul toward

the end: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my

course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for

me a crown, which God, the righteous Judge, will give me in

that day;” and added, “That is my testimony; write it down;

that is my testimony” (p. 557).

The examination completed, Lyman Beecher found his

hope to be sure. I likewise hope, if possible, to make a similar

examination now and then. For I, like Dr. Beecher, know that

there is one great and important thing, and that is to know

the Savior who is the resurrection and the life.