Ambiguity Over Hell

For those of us who are conservative Evangelicals, we have been wondering when Pope Francis would hit the headlines once again, with what would be on the surface, seem to be a break from Roman Catholic tradition and doctrine.  Well, it happened this last week, during Holy Week.  On Thursday, Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari, a friend, atheist, and frequent interviewer of the Pope reported that the pontiff had denied the existence of hell. Once the dust settled, it certainly could be said there was ambiguity over hell.

As the Wall Street Journal’s, Francis X. Rocca reported, “For Pope Francis, the untraditional has become routine.” Still, this kind of news causes one to stop and take notice. According to Rocca, of the Wall Street Journal, reporting on the article by Mr. Scalfari in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the Pope said, “Sinners who die without achieving eternal salvation are not punished” (emphasis added).  The words directly attributed to the Pope were these, “There is no hell. There is the disappearance of sinful souls.”

But later in the day, Jason Horowitz, a reporter with the New York Times reported: “The Vatican felt obliged to reaffirm that Pope Francis believes in a central tenet of Catholicism, that there is a hell.”

In the New York Post, quoting from the Vatican News Agency;

“What is reported by the author in today’s article is the result of his reconstruction, in which the literal words pronounced by the Pope are not quoted. No quotation of the aforementioned article must, therefore, be considered as a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father.”

The Vatican went on to say that the story was the result of the reporter’s “reconstruction.”

To say that the response from the Vatican was vague is an understatement.  Their response is that the report by Mr. Scalfari was not “a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father.” So, exactly what would be a faithful transcription? If the Pope thought that Scalfari had done him a disservice, then why didn’t he just come straight out and clarify his statements and views himself?  Instead what we have is silence from the Pope and the statement below from the Catholic News Agency on the official Roman Catholic position (ambiguity) which may or may not reflect what the Pope had said.

“Immediately after death, the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.”

Of course, this is the official belief of the Catholic Church, not information on what the Pope told  Mr. Scalfari. Here is the current position of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the official statement on Roman Catholic doctrine, where in paragraph 1035 we read;

“The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death, the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin, descend into hell where they suffer the punishments of hell, eternal fire. The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.”

That seems straightforward enough concerning the RCC position.  Those of us who are Evangelical Protestants would certainly take exception with the concept of degrees of sin (mortal sin, venial sin).  We see all sin as damning. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 also Romans 2:12-14; 3:9, 19, 23; 11:32; Galatians 3:22; James 4:4).

Interestingly enough, there does seem to be some ambiguity, even within the Roman Catholic Church on this subject.  In the book, “Christ Among Us,” a book that is used widely in the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes we read;

“Theology has no complete answer as to how, or even whether, anyone might be damned forever. Many Theologians, and ordinary people as well,  feel that no one is damned; they cannot conceive of a person choosing with full knowledge and deliberation to be cut off from God forever. They question how one with only limited knowledge can make an eternal, limitless choice. Or, put it another way, how can a finite being, in a finite lifetime, merit infinite punishment? ….There is also an ongoing view among some Catholic theologians that even the damned will be saved at the end of the world (universalism) – that only this is compatible with God’s revelation of himself as compassionate and forgiving and one who urges us always to forgive.” [1]

Now there’s some ambiguity for you. “Some theologians and ordinary people” can’t conceive how a person would willingly choose hell and how a compassionate, forgiving God would send them there. Perhaps, that is what Pope Francis was referring to with Mr. Scalfari…

What has been missed here, is that all sin is a grievous offense against an infinite God (Romans 3:23, 6:23; Galatians 3:10; Ephesians 2:1-3), who is infinite in all His affections and attributes. The offense is an eternal one demanding justice which because of the offended, is eternal.  The above statement also ignores the depth of the depravity of man (…cannot conceive of a person choosing with full knowledge and deliberation to be cut off from God forever.).  Of course, the RCC does not officially take a “universalistic” position, but Wilhelm seems to suggest it anyway.

The problem here is that when we see that Revelation, while “contained” in the Bible is true, and then also hold that the “traditions” of the church, the “magisterium, and the Pope also are sources of revelation, we then diminish and confuse the clear truth found in the Scriptures.

Jesus, in the Gospels, spoke more about hell that He did of heaven (ie. Matthew 3:12, 5:29, 5:30, 7:13, 7:14,  8:11, 8:12, 10:28, 13:30, 13:38-42, 13:49, 13:50, 16:18, 18:8-9, 18:34-35, 22:13, 25:28-30, 25:41,  25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 3:17, 16:23-26, 28).  His warnings and description were anything but ambiguous. Then there’s this:

Revelation 20:11-15 (ESV) ¹¹  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. ¹²  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. ¹³  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. ¹⁴  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

No ambiguity here. It would also be worth your time to start at verse one to get the whole picture of God’s judgment.

A denial or any ambiguity about hell only serves to diminish the seriousness of man’s sin, sin’s offensiveness before a holy and righteous God  (Isaiah 6:1-6), the incredible grace and mercy of God toward sinners, an understanding of the love of God at Calvary’s cross (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9), and the very Gospel itself (Galatians 1:6-9).

-Michael Holzinger

Some Resources:

Getting The Gospel Right, By R.C. Sproul

Truth Endures, By John MacArthur

Basic Theology  By Charles Ryrie

1 Anthony Wilhelm, “Christ Among Us,” Sixth Edition, Harper One, An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 1996, pg.351