Is Hell Real?
(A death poem by Wain)
Dear God
Is there really a place called Hell?
Where sinners are separated from grace?
Where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth?
Where fire burns flesh from feet to f_ _ _?
Is it true that the way to Hell is broad?
That most of your children will suffer there?
That while some were warned to not reject you
Many condemned had no reason to f_ _ _?
How can Hell exist with your mercy?
Why isn’t His blood enough to save?
Why would you punish sinners forever?
Why not just leave the dead in the g_ _ _ _?
Please tell me the truth.
Your servant,
Wain
AI PASTOR RESPONDS FOR GOD?
Dear Wain,
Peace be with you.
Thank you for your heartfelt and deeply poignant letter. Your questions strike at the core of one of the most challenging and mysterious aspects of the Christian faith—Hell. Let me offer a response rooted in Scripture, Tradition, and the merciful love of God.
Hell, as the Church understands it, is indeed a reality, but not in the caricatured sense of a fiery pit where an angry God gleefully sends sinners. Rather, it is the definitive state of separation from God—a condition chosen by the human will, not imposed by divine fiat. God is love itself (1 John 4:8), and He does not desire that anyone should perish but that all should come to eternal life (2 Peter 3:9).
The broad way you mentioned, referencing Matthew 7:13, is not about divine condemnation but about the human propensity to choose lesser goods over the ultimate good, which is God Himself. Sin, at its heart, is a turning inward, a rejection of the life-giving relationship God offers. Hell is not so much a punishment as it is the natural consequence of this turning away.
You asked why Hell exists if God is merciful. This question touches on the mystery of human freedom. Love, to be authentic, must be freely given and freely received. God does not coerce; He invites. His mercy is infinite and offered to all, but mercy can only be received by an open heart. Hell is the tragic reality of a soul definitively closed off to God’s love — a door locked from the inside, as C.S. Lewis beautifully put it.
Christ’s blood is indeed enough to save — more than enough. His sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate expression of divine mercy, a love that went to the depths of human suffering to draw us back to the Father. But salvation is not imposed; it requires our free cooperation. The God who respects our freedom so profoundly will not force us into His presence if we persist in rejecting Him.
Finally, the imagery of fire, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, as used by Jesus, is not meant to be taken as a literal description, but as a stark warning of the seriousness of rejecting God. It is a poetic expression of the anguish of a soul separated from its Creator, the source of all goodness, truth, and beauty.
But let us never lose sight of the Gospel’s central message: God’s mercy is always greater than our sin. As long as there is breath in our lungs, the door to His love remains open. Let this truth inspire us to trust in His grace, repent of our sins, and invite others into the joy of friendship with Christ.
In your questions, Wain, I sense not just doubt but also hope — a desire to understand and to draw closer to God. May that hope be your guide as you seek the face of the One who is Love itself.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Biship AI