What Are the Fruits?

Three years ago, I wrote the draft of an essay called “What Are the Fruits of the Two Views: Eternal Damnation and Ultimate Restoration?” I was planning to do more research into church history to examine the consequences of these two belief systems at a societal/national level, but I have decided to save that topic for a later essay and just post my original thoughts. Here is the text word-for-word as I wrote it in January, 2009.

One way (though not the only way and not a foolproof way) to determine whether a doctrine is of God is to examine its fruits. A doctrine that is of God should produce godly fruit. If a teaching itself (not just the sinful, imperfect implementation of it) produces rotten fruit, its scriptural validity should be questioned. (Consider, for example, the fruits of the belief that the Bible supports slavery.)

So what are the fruits of the different views of life after death and heaven and hell? While I cannot prove a definite cause-and-effect relationship, I believe that there is evidence to suggest that a belief in eternal damnation tends to produce unholy fruit. It is true that fearing that one’s friends and relatives are headed for hell can create a greater sense of urgency in sharing the gospel. Yet even that urgency can turn ugly if it is driven by fear and makes people feel pressured. People often react negatively to the implication (or assertion) that they are going to hell, so that rather than being drawn to the Lord and attracted to His people, they are driven away.

And there can be a more sinister result of believing that Christians are going to heaven and everybody else is going to hell. In 1 Corinthians 6:2, Paul says, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” This verse can be misconstrued to imply that Christians should be God’s agents of judgment: “If He applies such severe punishment to those who oppose Him, then we as His people should have His attitude toward them.” In the past this “us-vs.-them” mentality has resulted in hunting down heretics, torturing unbelievers, and killing those deemed guilty of apostasy. We decry the horrific results of the Muslims’ belief that Islam is the only true religion, but there is much to be ashamed of in our own church history. (See “Religious Cruelty,” by Thomas B. Thayer, 1855) And although twenty-first-century Christians do not behead unbelievers, we can be quite vicious toward those we deem to be God’s enemies.

And sometimes the viciousness can extend even toward other believers. True Christians of godly character have been criticized, ostracized, and even labeled as heretics for not believing in eternal damnation. This divisiveness is displeasing to God and damaging to the body of Christ.

What are the results on a family level? Parents tend to reflect the character of the God they believe in. A father who believes that divine judgment is retributive in nature will tend to bring down the same kind of punishment on his children. He may truly want to model God’s character for his children, and he may also want to instill enough fear that his children will be motivated to trust Christ and escape hell. But the result is often that the child is driven away from the harsh father and away from God Himself.

And what are the results of believing in ultimate restoration? There can be a danger of not feeling enough urgency about sharing the gospel, but generally I believe the fruits are much more positive and healthy. We don’t view anybody as being too evil to be reached by God’s grace; rather, knowing that every individual is loved by God and eventually will be in His kingdom softens our heart toward those who are now in rebellion and makes us want them to come into the kingdom now. It makes sharing the gospel much more joyful—we have truly good news not only for those who hear but also for their loved ones. We can share the gospel more freely because we don’t have to worry about somebody asking the sticky questions, like “How could God be so cruel?” “Your religion says that most of humanity is damned—why are you so intolerant and exclusive?” “How can God be fair if He creates people, makes them suffer on earth, and then sends them to hell for not believing in Him?”

When God’s judgment is understood correctly, man’s innate sense of justice is satisfied: God does not let the Hitlers and hypocrites and Pol Pots and pedophiles off scot-free; He brings severe consequences on those who violate His laws and harm other people. At the same time, He understands that we are all like lost sheep, and He offers Himself as the Good Shepherd and the Savior of the world. He does punish sin, but the punishment is not eternal and hopeless. The wicked and the wayward will receive justice and mercy. Evildoers will feel the full impact of how much they have done to hurt others. Wandering children will understand the grief they have caused. But nobody will be left to rot in hell forever; ultimately, all will be restored to the perfection and unity that God designed. This view satisfies our sense of justice and gives us a gospel that produces truly good fruit—compassion toward unbelievers, urgency but not desperation about their salvation, a beautiful picture of a holy and loving God to present to the world, overflowing joy in His wonderful plan, and true hope for the future for every human being.

January, 2009

Since writing the essay above, I came across the following quote from church historian Philip Schaff: “Doederlein says that ‘In proportion as any man was eminent in learning in Christian antiquity, the more did he cherish and defend the hope of the termination of future torments.’” (The New Schaff-Herzog, page 96)

I would be interested in hearing readers' thoughts about the thesis that belief in eternal damnation tends to produce bad fruit, while belief in ultimate restoration tends to produce good fruit. Feel free to present anecdotes that support or refute the thesis.