99. 地獄 Hell

作者: 史鮑爾 (R.C. Sproul)     譯者: 姚錦榮

摘自《神學入門》《Essential Truths of the Christian Faith》263頁, 更新傳道會出版

我們常常會聽見「戰爭有如地獄」或「我身在地獄中」這類的話。我們當然不會照字面理解這些話，不過，這些話反映了我們喜歡用地獄來形容人類最可怖的經歷。但事實上，世間沒有一種經歷可以真正與地獄相比，即使用盡了人間一切最痛苦的事來形容地獄，也未能真正描述出地獄的可怖。

我們常以地獄一詞來咒罵人，使地獄的觀念變得好像是蒜皮小事。我們輕率地用這個詞，有點兒想把這觀念變輕松、詼諧一點。我們傾向於拿自己最懼怕的事來開玩笑，想要用這方法除去它的厲爪，嘗試減低它嚇人的威力。

聖經中沒有一個概念比地獄更恐怖、更駭人。人人都不喜歡地獄，如果不是出於基督自己的教導，恐怕沒有人會相信它的存在。

聖經中有關地獄的教導，差不多全都出於耶穌的口。與其它的教導相比，恐怕這個教義是基督徒在忠於基督教導時，最讓他們受到壓力的。現今的基督徒盡量把地獄的概念縮小，把耶穌的教導加以淡化或軟化。聖經形容地獄是個黑暗的地方，是火湖，是哀哭切齒之處，是與神的祝福永遠隔絕之所，是監牢，是蟲子不死的痛苦之地。這些永恒的懲罰描寫得如此繪形繪聲，使我們不禁要問，究竟這些該按字面解釋呢？還足只需把它們當作象征的說法？

我猜想這些有可能是象征，但這並不能使我輕松一些，因為我們不能僅僅把這些描述看成象征，也許在地獄裏的罪人寧願選擇一個只需按字面解釋的火湖，更勝於永遠處於一個用火湖來象征的真實地獄裏。如果聖經中所形容的這些事真的是象征，那麼我們便須承認，實況比象征更可怕。象征一向是用來表達一個更高層次或更加嚴重的實況，是超過象征本身所能說明的。耶穌既用了人間可想象最可怕的象征來形容地獄，那麼對於只把地獄視為純粹象征的人，並不會帶來太大的安慰。

有人說：「地獄是象征人與神隔絕的景況。」聽到的人可能會松一口氣：對於一個不知悔罪的人，永遠與神隔絕又有甚麼可怕呢？不虔敬的人當然是想與神隔絕。但在地獄裏的人，其難處不是與神隔絕，而是面對神的臨在，和神的懲罰。神的震怒完完全全地臨到地獄，祂要在那裏施行公義的刑罰。在地獄的人所見到的神，乃是能吞滅一切的烈火。

無論我們怎樣分析地獄這概念，都會覺得那是個殘酷的地方，人將受的刑罰是不尋常的。但有一點令我們得安慰的，就是可以肯定在地獄沒有殘酷，因為神不可能是殘酷的。殘酷乃是指施行的懲罰比罪行所應得的更重，從這角度來看，殘酷就是不公平，而神卻絕不可能施行不公平的懲罰。審判全地的主必然作出正確的判決，清白無罪的人必不會受罰。

地獄最可怕的地方，或許就是它的永恒性。只要知道痛苦有完結的時候，再大的痛苦人都可以忍受、但在地獄裏，人卻沒有這種盼望。聖經清楚指出，那懲罰是永遠的；永生和永死都用了同一個永字。懲罰包含了痛楚；並非如一些人所說的，靈魂只是徹底被消滅，不會有痛楚。愛德華滋根據啟示錄六章15至16節這樣講道說：「邪惡的人在死後必會極其盼望自己變為無有，永遠也不存在，好逃脫神的忿怒。」

地獄是在神的公義和烈怒之下的永死，這種痛苦是無法逃避和解脫的。明白這一點十分重要，這能鞭策我們感謝基督所作的，並努力傳揚祂的福音。

總結：

1．地獄的痛苦是超過世界上一切痛苦的經驗。

2．耶穌的教訓中清楚地提到地獄。

3．如果聖經中對地獄的形容是象征，那麼實況便會比象征的情形更糟。

4．地獄是神以忿怒和刑罰臨在的地方。

5．地獄裏沒有殘酷，因為地獄是個完全公平的地方。

6．地獄是永恒的，人無法藉著悔改和被消滅而逃脫。

思考經文：

太8 : 11- 12；可 9 : 42- 48；路 16 ：19-31 ；猶 1 ：3-13 ；啟20 ：11- 15

HELL

We have often heard statements such as “War is hell” or “I went through hell.” These expressions are, of course, not taken literally. Rather, they  reflect our tendency to use the word hell as a descriptive term for the most ghastly human experience possible. Yet no human experience in this world is actually comparable to hell. If we try to imagine the worst of all possible suffering in the here and now we have not yet stretched our imaginations to reach the dreadful reality of hell.

Hell is trivialized when it is used as a common curse word. To use the word lightly may be a halfhearted human attempt to take the concept lightly or to treat it in an amusing way. We tend to joke about things most frightening to us in a futile effort to declaw and defang them, reducing their threatening power.

There is no biblical concept more grim or terror-invoking than the idea of hell. It is so unpopular with us that few would give credence to it at all except that it comes to us from the teaching of Christ Himself.

Almost all the biblical teaching about hell comes from the lips of Jesus. It is this doctrine, perhaps more than any other, that strains even the Christian’s loyalty to the teaching of Christ. Modern Christians have pushed the limits of minimizing hell in an effort to sidestep or soften Jesus’ own teaching. The Bible describes hell as a place of outer darkness, a lake of fire, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of eternal separation from the blessings of God, a prison, a place of torment where the worm doesn’t turn or die. These graphic images of eternal punishment provoke the question, should we take these descriptions literally or are they merely symbols?

I suspect they are symbols, but I find no relief in that. We must not think of them as being merely symbols. It is probable that the sinner in hell would prefer a literal lake of fire as his eternal abode to the reality of hell represented in the lake of fire image. If these images are indeed symbols, then we must conclude that the reality is worse than the symbol suggests. The function of symbols is to point beyond themselves to a higher or more intense state of actuality than the symbol itself can contain. That Jesus used the most awful symbols imaginable to describe hell is no comfort to those who see them simply as symbols.

A breath of relief is usually heard when someone declares, “Hell is a symbol for separation from God.” To be separated from God for eternity is no great threat to the impenitent person. The ungodly want nothing more than to be separated from God. Their problem in hell will not be  separation from God, it will be the presence of God that will torment them. In hell, God will be present in the fullness of His divine wrath. He will be there to exercise His just punishment of the damned. They will know Him as an all-consuming fire.

                                               

No matter how we analyze the concept of hell it often sounds to us as a place of cruel and unusual punishment. If, however, we can take any comfort in the concept of hell, we can take it in the full assurance that there will be no cruelty there. It is impossible for God to be cruel. Cruelty involves inflicting a punishment that is more severe or harsh than the crime. Cruelty in this sense is unjust. God is incapable of inflicting an unjust punishment. The Judge of all the earth will surely do what is right. No innocent person will ever suffer at His hand.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of hell is its eternality. People can endure the greatest agony if they know it will ultimately stop. In hell there is no such hope. The Bible clearly teaches that the punishment is eternal. The same word is used for both eternal life and eternal death. Punishment implies pain. Mere annihilation, which some have lobbied for, involves no pain. Jonathan Edwards, in preaching on Revelation 6:15-16 said, “Wicked men will hereafter earnestly wish to be turned to nothing and forever cease to be that they may escape the wrath of God.”1

Hell, then, is an eternity before the righteous, ever-burning wrath of God, a suffering torment from which there is no escape and no relief. Understanding this is crucial to our drive to appreciate the work of Christ and to preach His gospel.

Summary

1. The suffering of hell is beyond any experience of misery found in this world.

2. Hell is clearly included in the teaching of Jesus.

3. If the biblical descriptions of hell are symbols, then the reality will be worse than the symbols.

Biblical passages for reflection:

 Matthew 8:11-12  Mark 9:42-48 Luke 16:19-31 Jude 1:3-13 Revelation 20:11-15

1. John H. Gerstner, Heaven & Hell (Orlando: Ligonier Ministries, 1991), 75.

4. Hell is the presence of God in His wrath and judgment.

5. There is no cruelty in hell. Hell will be a place of perfect justice.

6. Hell is eternal. There is no escape through either repentance or annihilation.