Robert Steven Hays Sr

There seems to be a new online debate as to whether hell is an eternal punishment or a temporary one that ends in annihilation. Traditionalists claim that the church has always preached an eternal punishment of hell, so it must be. That is a pretty poor excuse for believing anything as the “church” has gotten many things unScriptural through the years. The contemporary teaching is that hell cannot be eternal because “I don’t like it”, which is just as wrong and makes God subject to your feelings.

Scripture would be the final authority in all spiritual matters, and describes punishment in the afterlife as …

(Mark 9:43-44) “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: {44} Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” This is repeated in verses 46 and 48 as well so that you can get the point. (Revelation 20:15) “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” This is the same place as the eternal torment of Satan, Antichrist, and false prophet - Revelation 20:10 (Revelation 20:10) “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Just to be clear, hell itself is brought before the Judgment of God at the destruction of the universe - Revelation 20:13. But there is no reprieve from the suffering. Hell is a fire [Mark 9:43], God is a fire [Hebrews 12:29] and then the lake burns with fire for eternity [Revelation 20:10]. This is the second death as they are cut off from the mercy of God forever [Revelation 21:8].

The real problem comes from the mental contortions performed from not rightly dividing the word of God [II Timothy 2:15]. They are trying to wrap their head around the fact that someone is going to spend eternity in fires of torment only because they rejected Christ, which is not true. I have heard all my life that to reject Christ is the unpardonable sin. If that is the case, then very very very few people are saved because hardly anyone accepts Christ the very first time they hear the gospel. They either ignore it or say no, but either way they reject it. Have they committed the unpardonable sin?

The unpardonable sin cannot be committed in the Church Age. We are justified by the faith of Christ [Galatians 2:16] rather than being justified by our own faith [Habakkuk 2:4]. After the church is raptured out, they will have to endure to the end to be justified [Matthew 24:13, James 2:].

To reject the gospel of Christ is for them to reject the cure for why they are already on their way to hell. Their own personal sin is why they go to hell [Romans 3:23]. God did not design hell for humanity [Matthew 25:41] and He certainly does not want anyone to go there [II Peter 3:9.] So, God also made a way for all of humanity to be saved [I John 2:2] and gave an invitation to all [Revelation 22:17.] All we have to do is trust the plan [Romans 10:9-10.]

The unpalatable truth is that mankind has chosen to sin against the laws of righteousness [Romans 2:14-15] and the law demands justice. That justice is eternal, just as our redemption is, and our feelings do not matter. These people are actually claiming that they are more merciful than God because they would not sentence anyone to hell forever. They are saying that they love humanity more than God, who by the way, became our sin so that we might be made righteous [II Corinthians 5:21.]

I hate the thought of hell. But instead of denying the judgment against our sin, how about we tell people the Biblical truth and how Jesus made a way for them not to go there. If we subject unlikeable doctrines to our personal feelings we have opened a door to destroy the faith of many.

Things change and that is understandable. As long as it does not violate the principles of Scripture and righteousness, there is nothing wrong with changing some things. I have told several younger preachers that they need to find what works in their area, rather than just following what they were told in school that worked fifty years ago.

“Religious Surveys” were a big thing when I was in Bible schools in the beginning in 1979 and the early 80’s. The school [connected to a church, so they used students to build up the church] would send us out under the guise of doing a religious survey in the area, and then use that to witness and try to get the people to come to church. I always felt devious doing them and after a while simply refused to do so. The point is, to go up to a stranger’s house in 2025 and start asking about the ages of the children living there would definitely get you hurt. Things change.

One of the trends I have seen that is not a good change is the lack of commitment. There is less commitment in the family as they see no need to get married. I have never understood the idea that you are more than willing to share your body with someone but not your checking account. They actually value their money more than their body? But the church is not far behind in this trend.

Many churches now are being built to look like warehouses. I heard from one preacher who built a church like that and said it is because if the church fails, they can easily sell it for a business to use. Other congregations are happy to just rent a place which makes it easy to just quit if times or finances get difficult. I have seen through the years that if someone has a plan B, they are most likely going to end up using it.

But the real tragedy is that this lack of commitment in the family and the church leadership, also extends to the church membership. The idea of church membership does not really hold much weight anymore. People are happy to be part of a fellowship, but there is no real commitment. If they hit a bump in the road, it is easy to just find somewhere else, or even a small group that has no real accountability.

I do not write these things out of desperation of our church finances or attendance. We are doing OK financially and are paying for some large projects without borrowing or begging. Our church family is very faithful in their offerings. As for attendance, in the 40 years I have been a pastor, we do not count how many are there. The church is my family, not my business, and I pray for them by name daily, but I could not tell you how many were there last Sunday, although if you asked me if someone in particular was there, I could probably tell you whether they were or not.

I write because the commitment is Scriptural. God set up two institutions and both require a commitment. The first is the family as seen in Genesis 2:24. The second is the church and that is where the glory of God is, Ephesians 3:21. Satan works hard at wrecking both. If he can destroy the idea of family, then that carries over into the church. If he can destroy the commitment to the church, then he destroys our testimony for Christ. You really cannot be disobedient to the command of Christ [Hebrews 10:25] and say you love Christ, or are a disciple of Christ [John 13:35]. Going to church is not just about what you get, but about showing a community that there are still people who believe God, who love Christ, and we are encouraging the other saints that may be going through who knows what.

People expect the pastor to have a commitment to the church, to be a member, to have the attitude that we are going to make this thing work regardless of what comes down the pike. If the economy tanked and the church could not pay me, it does not change my calling. If things get bad on this east coast, it does not change my calling to minister to the people here. Why should I not expect that same commitment from the church family.

If we want our children to have a family of their own someday, we need to set the example. If we want our children to have a place where they can hear the Bible taught and have the right spirit about doing so, we need to make the commitment now and insure that the church stays on track. [It is my job to preach the Bible, II Timothy 4:2, but it is the congregation’s job to make sure I do. If I do not, then they need to replace me with someone who will.] Some things change like methods or outreach, but the preaching of the word is still the power of God [I Corinthians1:18] and the church is still the love of Jesus Christ. In writing 13 books of the New Testament, Paul wrote to local churches or the people in the local church. Make the commitment.

Human nature does not change over time. We commit the same sins as our first parents did when they got humanity kicked out of the physical presence of God in the Garden. Whether Adam actually understood what he was saying is debatable, but regardless of that, he blamed God for his subsequent fall. (Genesis 3:12) “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Notice Adam said, “the woman thou gavest …”. In effect, Adam said it was God’s fault. In Adam’s mind, God set the stage for Adam’s fall into sin by giving him a woman. And throughout history, mankind has continued on this path of blaming God for whatever goes wrong. How often have we heard the voices of anger toward God for anything that goes wrong? Nobody cusses the devil for the evil. No, they all scream their anger at God with curses and accusations of Him not caring because He did not stop the bad things. First, God the Father did not send Jesus Christ to make this earth into heaven. Our redemption is for the heaven to come for eternity [John 14:1-3]. Second, for God to “fix” everything in this life, He would have to put an end to all sin, and that means all sinners as well. God would have to put us all in hell right now. Instead, God is longsuffering because He is giving another day for people to repent [II Peter 3:9]. I have noticed that some of the doctrines that have revived in popularity are basically ways of blaming God. Calvinism, or its rebranded name of “the doctrine of grace”, has become popular again. It claims to stand for the grace of God, but ultimately is just blaming God for people going to hell. If God predestines people to heaven or hell, then for anyone to go to hell is God’s fault. He did not choose them. On the surface, Calvinism sounds good and uses a circle of Scripture. In an entire systematic theology is falls apart quickly. God does allow people to say no to His grace [Acts 7:51]. Jesus did die for the sins of the whole world [I John 2:2]. God’s will is that everybody be saved [II Peter 3:9] but some refuse it. And God allows you to make a choice [Joshua 24:15, “choose you this day whom ye will serve …”]. But in the end, it boils down to mankind blaming God. In this doctrine, if everybody is predestined for heaven or hell with no choice, then God predestined them and it is therefore God’s fault if they are not saved. JUST LIKE ADAM SAID. The doctrine of the Impeccability of Christ is another that blames God. This doctrine teaches that the temptations of Christ were just a play-act. Because Jesus is God, He cannot be tempted by sin [James 1:13]. So Jesus could not actually be tempted and that is why He did not sin. Humanity, on the other hand, is quite capable of sin and that is why we do so. In other words, I can not help it that I sin because God made me this way. It is God’s fault. Again, this doctrine falls apart in light of all the Scripture. Jesus is God manifest in the flesh [I Timothy 3:16] but He limited Himself for us. Can God get hungry? Suffer? Bleed? Or even die? No. But Jesus Christ did all of those things. God in His eternal glory cannot be tempted, but God manifest in human flesh can [Hebrews 4:15]. The purpose of this writing was simply a reminder that we need to be careful in what we say or accept as truth. The last thing we want to do is have to face God at the judgment and explain why we blamed Him for the choices we made.

The Apostle Peter is one of my heroes, but not for the reason most might think.

First, you need to get a reasonable picture of Peter from the Scripture. He was outspoken [John 6:68], he was one of the inner circle of the apostles [Matthew 17:1]. He was the leader of the early Jewish Church [Acts 2] and Jesus singled him out several times [Luke 22:31-32]. Peter was the only man other than Christ to walk on water [Matthew 14:28], and his statement of faith is epoch [Matthew 16:15-19]. Peter was willing to die for the Lord Jesus at His arrest by trying to take off the head of one of the attackers [he missed and only got an ear] knowing they were heavily outnumbered with little chance of survival [John 18:10]. But these are not the reasons Peter is my personal hero.

Second, along comes this upstart who was nowhere around when all of the above was happening. Saul, who is later called Paul, was a young man when Stephen was killed by stoning [Acts 7:58]. Paul was a persecutor of the church that Peter was leading. Paul does see Jesus, and is converted, and is given the revelations of the Gentile church doctrine [Ephesians 3:3; Galatians 2:7]. As the Book of Acts progresses, Peter’s ministry becomes less prominent and Paul’s ministry continues to be more the focus of the Christian movement.

Now, with all of that going on, you would think that Peter would maybe have the human quality of envy. Peter had several sins in his life which the Scriptures record. But the Bible gives us one clear example of the heart of Peter, which is why I admire him so much.

In Galatians chapter 2, Paul records an incident in which Peter is eating with some Gentiles [which was then allowed but was new]. When news that some Jews from Jerusalem showed up, Peter removed himself from the Gentiles. Others noticed and then did the same. This infuriated Paul, whose God given ministry was to these Gentiles. So, Paul rebukes this stalwart of the faith, Peter. Not only does he rebuke Peter, but he does so very publicly [Galatians 2:11].

If there is one thing I have learned through my experience, older preachers do not take very kindly to being corrected or rebuked, especially by much younger men. Peter’s response is not given in Galatians, but it is given in Peter’s own writings of the books called First and Second Peter. As history continues to move westward, God moves Peter eastward. [Sorry, but there is no Biblical record of Peter being in Rome or being crucified upside down]. Peter ends up in what was a once prominent place, but by then is only a backwater village called Babylon [I Peter 5:13]. And from Babylon, Peter describes Paul as “our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him”. Peter knew the hand of God was on Paul and was all for the will of God rather than his own ego or glory.

These are the reasons I admire Peter so much, and the lessons I want to apply to my own life:

1. Always be correctable. As long as it is Biblical, take correction from anyone God uses to deliver it.
2. Remember, it is all about Christ, not about your ego.
3. Christianity is so much bigger than you or anyone you know. Be thankful you can be a part of it.
4. Serve where God puts you. You are not trying to make a name for yourself, but be a testimony for Christ.
5. There is a judgment to come. We will be rewarded then, not now. [I Corinthians 15:58]

The concept of Biblical charity [I Corinthians 13] is often short-changed. We define charity as love, which is a major part of charity, but it is even more. God is love [I John 4:8] but the Bible never states that God is charity. The definition of charity is “to grow up.” It is learning to walk in the Spirit of God. God, in His infinite glory, never had to learn or grow up. For our Christian walk and fellowship, we need to grow up so that we can love properly. This is how the world will know we are the disciples of Christ [John 13:35]. Without charity a church has no bond to hold it together [Colossians 3:14]. Charity is our ultimate goal above all [I John 4:8]. Again, love is the major component of charity and love fulfills the law [Matthew 22:36-40]. However, never forget that charity rejoices in the truth, not feelings, emotions, or pacifying the wicked [I Corinthians 13:6]. In a recent Bible study, I brought up 1 Peter 4:8 “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” The point I was bringing up was that charity would give us empathy towards others. We are never to condone sin or excuse it, but I can be “gentle unto all men” [II Timothy 2:24] and I can practice “considering thyself” [Galatians 6:1]. However, another in the church family brought up a really good point. I Peter 4:8 is not only speaking of having charity toward others, but also having charity toward your own faults and failures. If you read the entire passage, going back to verse 3, it points out how we used to be before our salvation. Some of us were born again when children. Others did not get saved until later in life. Regardless, we all have sins in our lives that can bring about a great feeling of guilt and regret. Satan can use this against us time after time. We need to practice charity, grow up, and believe what God said. My sins are paid for by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ [Romans 5:8-9]. I need to grow up and trust God for what He said. To become a Christian our confession is Romans 10:9-10. We are confessing Jesus Christ as the Jesus of the Bible, the Messiah, the Redeemer, and the only means of salvation through His death, burial, and resurrection. For the Christian, we confess our sins to God [I John 1:9] to restore fellowship [I John 1:7] with our Father, not to be re-saved. So, we need to grow up and trust what God said. Stop re-living our past failures and faults once we confess them to God. Grow up, move along, and do something for God today. In this life we are going to have failures and falls. I am not excusing anything, just stating the reality of being in Adam’s flesh. If Paul, the writer of half the New Testament can admit that [Romans 7] then surely we can as well. But it did not stop him from getting back up and starting again [Proverbs 24:16]. Adulting is hard. As a kid, I would walk out to get the mail and see my dad’s name in the envelopes with the little windows. I can remember thinking those are really important and I could not wait until I saw my name in those little windows. Little did I realize that inside those envelopes were bills that had to be paid each month regardless of your emotions, wants, or excuses. After getting my own little window envelopes in the mail, I was wishing they still had dad’s name there instead of mine. Spiritual adulting is hard as well at times. Life is not fair and sometimes you just have to be the adult and suck it up. The spirit of charity makes being the adult worth it. To be a blessing to someone in need, regardless if you get the credit or not. To do something just because it is right and of God, even when the other person acts childish. To know there is a God in heaven and our labour for Him is not in vain [I Corinthians 15:58]. As the hymn says, one day, it will be worth it all.

The last writing that was posted was about the Bible being God manifest in language. This one deals with a more controversial subject: which version do we believe or use?

For me, it is the Authorized Version, or what is commonly called the King James Version. I realize that many who make that claim can be mean spirited about its defense, and recently, I have seen where they make the claim that if you do not believe their particular ludicrous doctrines, you cannot be a real Bible believer. Satan will use whoever and whatever to keep people from the words of God.

Do I believe you can be saved using a different version? YES. Do I believe you can be right with God, love God, and serve God with another version? YES. But I also believe that having something to stand upon in the worst of times is necessary. Something that cannot be corrected, has never been proven wrong, and I have never come across a Biblical doctrine that cannot be found in the pages of my Bible exactly as it has been written. If there are mistakes in our Bible, or mistranslations, then how do you know the parts you want to believe are not mistakes as well? As a preacher, how am I supposed to stand in the pulpit, claim that I have the answers to life and eternity, hold up a book that is the basis for our faith, and yet in the back of my mind I believe it has faults and mistakes?

So, allow me to explain: There are basically two groups of manuscripts: First, those from Antioch called the Byzantine text, Syrian text, or as Nestle’s Greek text critical apparatus calls them, the Majority texts. This is because the majority of all Scripture manuscripts known to exists are part of this group.

Second is the Alexandrian texts. These include the texts from Rome, Alexandria, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and others. They are commonly referred to as the oldest and best manuscripts, but that is simply publicity. There are older manuscripts that are from the first group.

The King James Bible is based upon the first group. All other versions are based upon the second group. Antioch is where they were first called Christians [Acts 11:26]. Rome and Alexandria were known to fight against the Christians.

There are some major differences: Other versions will often refer to Joseph as the father of Jesus - Luke 2:33 Other versions will say we look for the glory of Jesus rather than the bodily return of Jesus - Titus 2:13 Other versions will leave out total verses which confuse the salvation doctrine - Acts 8:37 Other versions will confuse the doctrine of dispensations so there is no rightly dividing: II Timothy 2:15 and Galatians 2:7 which explains Acts 2:36-38 and I Corinthians 1:17 And the list goes on.

Now, I realize the Authorized Version has gone through some revisions. But every revision was accepted by Christians without controversy or division. The new versions that come out seem to only serve to divide. For whatever reason, to say I believe the King James Bible has often brought out snarky, or even angry, remarks from other Christians.

I also realize that the Bible has gone through several languages. But we are talking about God being involved. The God that spoke and the whole universe came into existence. I believe that God can keep His words preserved regardless [Psalm 12:6-7]. This psalm states that the words of God are pure, purified in a furnace of earth seven times [the process], and preserved. The miracle of our Bible being preserved is no less a miracle than that of Jesus Christ being Jewish after all the invasions and captivity Israel went through, or the nation of Israel being revived after 2,000+ years. It is only attributed to the hand of God.

Believing the Bible I hold in my hand is the perfect and preserved word of God gives me the confidence to stand in the pulpit and say, thus saith the Lord. It gives me the ability to open my Bible to parents who are burying a child, or someone who was just given a death sentence by an awful disease. It allows me to truthfully tell of the grace of God that forgives any sin, and while the world rages, it gives me the peace of God that passes all understanding. In a society that constantly changes its views [compare headlines today and two years ago!] I have a solid foundation that does not need to be changed and has never failed.

What is the Bible in a literal sense? For me, the Bible is God manifest in language. Everything I believe in life, every decision I make, is built upon this concept. That in no way implies that I always do right or make the right decisions. Believing in gravity did not stop me from jumping out of hay lofts when I was a boy, and suffering the bruises from doing so. But as I have gone through life believing in gravity, I also now go through life believing the Bible is God manifest in language. So, what would be the basis of this belief? Going through Scriptures, it is impossible to separate the Person of God from the Bible 1. The word is the testimony of Jesus Christ - Revelation 1:2,9; 6:9; 20:4 2. They both must be received - John 1:12; 12:48 3. They both will judge - Matt. 7:21-23; John 12:48,
Revelation 20:11-12 4. The Bible is quick [alive] - Hebrews 4:12 5. The Bible is a discerner; it descerns - Hebrews 4:12 6. They both are the seed of eternal life - John 6:35; I Peter 1:23 I am not referring to the cover of my Bible which used to be a cow, nor the pages which used to be a tree. I am referencing the actual words of the Bible which are described as pure and preserved, Psalm 12:6-7. Everybody has a central or core belief that they follow in life. We do not obey it in all situations, but it guides us through life and defines our being. We have all done something that we would say, “that is not really me.” That action defies our core belief in life. But we still have the core belief. It is what the Apostle Paul is describing in Romans 7:15. I believe there is a God. That God spoke and all of creation came into existence. That God also gave us a Book, which would be the most important document in the history of mankind. Considering that Book is also going to be our judge [John 12:48] we might want to find out what it actually says. Every Christian ought to want to find out what God said about any given subject. Our faith comes from hearing what God said [Romans 10:17]. Our obedience is to submit to what God said. Our peace comes from knowing what God said: (1 John 5:13) “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

A person’s last words should probably be considered important, especially when they know it is the last thing that will be recorded. When God closes His Book with The Revelation, He gives us some last words to which we should take particular heed. Before delving into those, let’s just be clear that they are the last words. John is the last living apostle, and as such, is qualified to tell the church what belongs in the New Testament or not. It is not up to a committee, nor are there “lost” books of the Bible to be discovered. John also gives the warnings of not adding to, or subtracting from, the words of God. Psalms 12:6-7 lets us know they are preserved words, and Psalm 138:2 gives us the knowledge of how important God says these words are. The last words of this all important document are: (Revelation 22:20-21) “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. {21} The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Two things stick out: we are to be longing for the return of Christ, and the grace of God will be there to help us in the wait. This longing for the Lord’s return is the primary hope of the Church [Titus 2:13]. We are not looking for the Lord’s glory, as some of the newer versions state. We are looking for Jesus Christ Himself. As the last words of the Bible, this is paramount. Over and over, in commands and parables, the Lord admonishes the saints to be watching and ready. We are not to be distracted by the things of this world. Which includes the troubles and trials AND THE TIMES YOUR SIDE WINS. No matter how bad or good this life gets, our longing to see Jesus Christ should never wane. The Lord even gives a reward at the Judgment Seat for those Christians who were longing for, and love, the return of Christ. (2 Timothy 4:8) “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” I am extremely thankful when the good and right actually win a conflict. I am usually hopeful and tend not to think the worst of people [yes, I am quite gullible]. But even winning the occasional battle does not replace the hope of Jesus Christ’s return. Our Messiah has not come back yet and all the world’s problems are not going to suddenly end because … The Rapture is not an insignificant doctrine, nor is it new. One of the first arguments of the early church was whether to take the Scriptures on the return of Christ literally or not. The Chiliast said to do so and I certainly agree. Hymenaeus and his buddies would also agree now since they were turned over to the devil for discouraging the church concerning the return and resurrection of the saints [I Timothy 1:19-20 and II Timothy 2:17-18]. The world, the flesh, and the devil will use anything to distract us from what God said and the hope He gave. They will even use earthly “blessings” if that will work.