Articles
We Can’t Switch Places
We Can’t Switch Places
Self-sacrifices are the stuff of movie legend. Gandalf went down with the Balrog on the bridge so Frodo and his companions could escape Moria and continue the quest. Obi-Wan Kenobi distracted Darth Vader so Luke and the rebels could get off the Death Star. Spock absorbed the lethal radiation of the warp core so that power could be restored to the battered Enterprise.
The Apostle Paul considered a great sacrifice, too, and one far greater than his physical life. He said in Romans 9:1-5,
I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law…
The result of being accursed, separated from Christ, is eternal punishment in Hell. That the thought entered Paul’s mind of taking someone else’s place in Hell (even on behalf of a whole nation) shows his depth of love for lost souls. Though really, Paul here is waxing poetic. Paul would readily admit this is a terrible idea. When we study what the Bible teaches about the awful nature of Hell—much of it from Paul’s own hand (2 Thess. 1:9)—and when we comprehend the eternal and unrelenting duration of Hell, we must ground all flights of fancy and admit that this is not a decision we would ever make. We can say a lot of romantic things, from “I’ll do the dishes for you” to “I’ll take a bullet for you,” but “I’ll go to Hell for you” is not one of them.
In case you think this article is a little silly, I would point out that “I’ll go to Hell for you,” or “I’ll go to Hell with you,” is basically what we’re saying when we join someone in sin. When we exchange our relationship with God for a relationship with a person, no matter how much of an affectionate connection we feel, we are making the world’s stupidest bargain. When someone says, “Hop in bed with me,” and we agree, it’s the same as saying, “Sure, I’ll go to Hell for you.” When someone says, “Tell a lie to keep me out of trouble,” and we agree, it’s the same
as saying, “Sure, I’ll go to Hell for you.” Instead, let’s get bold about saying, “I love you, and I’ll do anything to serve you, but I won’t go to Hell for you!”
But the key phrase in Romans 9 is, “I could wish.” It’s simply not possible to take someone’s place in Hell. If it were possible, he could wish it, but it’s not, so he won’t.
God set up creation so that “the soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:20). God is the judge of each soul individually, and we have no authority to stand in His place. Abraham told the rich man, “Between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able” (Luke 16:26). Even if Lazarus wanted to play the role of servant and provide a rich man a drop of water, it was not possible. No matter how deeply our hearts break with the thoughts of the condemned in Hell, we can’t alleviate their suffering once the sentence is handed down.
Let us transform that concern into speech and action now, in this life, while something can be done! Today is the time! As Paul said, “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!” (2 Cor. 5:20). –John Guzzetta
