How Do Selfish Actions Unleash Hell On Earth? - GoodLion Theology

[00:00:04] How do our actions contribute to creating or alleviating the hell on earth that we see in our world today?

[00:00:11] Welcome once again to GoodLion Theology where we answer your questions about faith.

[00:00:15] In a previous episode, Aaron explored the concept of hell on earth,

[00:00:20] a striking idea that through our actions, inactions and the brokenness of others,

[00:00:24] we can play a part in unleashing the destructive forces of sin and death in our daily lives.

[00:00:30] In today's episode, we answer a cautionary question from a listener about how we can

[00:00:34] contribute to spreading the forces of darkness into the world. It's about the here and now where we

[00:00:39] see the impacts of lies, gossip, manipulation and self-serving behavior that erode trust,

[00:00:45] fracture relationships and cause pain. Today, Aaron will unpack how we can identify the roots

[00:00:51] of suffering in our lives, whether it's from our own sin, the sins of others or the fractured

[00:00:56] state of our world. He'll explore how we can leverage what St. Augustine calls the

[00:01:01] twin daughters of hope to reclaim joy, integrity and love through Jesus' radical mission of

[00:01:06] transformation. Aaron will offer practical ways to live out this vision, sharing how the path

[00:01:12] out of hell isn't just about escaping despair but about stepping into the fullness of life

[00:01:16] that Christ promises. It's about finding courage through Jesus' example and mercy

[00:01:21] to challenge injustice, love our neighbors and shine light in the darkest places.

[00:01:26] So join us as we walk through how to reclaim hope and discover joy in living beyond the world's

[00:01:32] logic and despair. Now here's your host, Pastor Aaron Salvatto.

[00:01:39] All right let's jump into another question. All right I really like this one. It says,

[00:01:45] Aaron, in your episode you touched on hell as a present reality as well as a future one.

[00:01:52] This concept of hell on earth struck a chord with me. Could you elaborate on how we as individuals

[00:02:00] can contribute to creating or alleviating these hellish conditions in our daily life?

[00:02:07] Man what a good question. So to back up for anyone tuning in for the first time,

[00:02:13] maybe you haven't heard some of the previous episodes. In the previous episodes we talked

[00:02:17] about this idea of how in theology when we talk about how the kingdom of heaven is already but

[00:02:25] not yet. It is a future final reality. God is going to bring his kingdom but we can experience

[00:02:34] his kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, here and now. That's why Jesus says the kingdom of heaven

[00:02:40] is coming but he also says the kingdom is at hand and the kingdom is among you.

[00:02:45] That idea of inaugurated eschatology is kind of at the cornerstone of my theological bent

[00:02:50] but I also think that we should view hell the same way. I think hell is a final future destination

[00:02:58] but through our actions, our inactions and these sinful actions of others, the forces of hell,

[00:03:05] the powers of hell can be unleashed into this present reality and that's quite literally

[00:03:11] what the powers of sin and death are. So I'm going to read the question one more time.

[00:03:17] The concept of hell on earth struck a chord with me. Could you elaborate on how we as individuals

[00:03:24] can contribute to creating or alleviating these hellish conditions in our daily lives?

[00:03:31] So here's the thing, when we perpetuate injustice through words or actions or even

[00:03:37] our indifference, we can sow the seeds of hell. When we lie and cheat and gossip and manipulate

[00:03:44] for our own gain, we create an atmosphere where trust dies and where relationships can unravel

[00:03:52] and people get hurt and we see it in the little decisions that chip away at love and

[00:03:59] mercy and integrity. Every time we feed our egos and nurse our pride, we're contributing to

[00:04:07] a hell on earth, a world filled with selfishness, division and pain. I think young adult Christians

[00:04:14] today face their own unique challenges that often lead them to choices that perpetuate this hell

[00:04:20] on earth that I'm talking about. So let's look at some real tangible examples. One is

[00:04:25] online behavior. Social media makes it so easy to anonymously hide behind our keyboards

[00:04:32] and criticize or gossip about others. Things like sub-tweeting or sharing

[00:04:39] harmless memes that are actually mocking and putting down others. It can be this form of cruelty

[00:04:46] that can tear others down rather than build others up. And also social media is its own

[00:04:52] unique hell on earth at times because depending on your algorithm and what the algorithm is

[00:04:59] sending you, social media can be this hellscape of temptation and lust. Everything you look at is

[00:05:06] trying to tempt you to sin and stumble with your eyes and your mind or division and discouragement.

[00:05:12] Everything you look at is just doom-scrolling and just negativity about all the horrible

[00:05:18] things going on in the world and we can perpetuate that. We can participate through

[00:05:23] things like objectifying ourselves on social media, posting in a way that is saying,

[00:05:29] hey look at me and sexually objectify me. I'm going to dress and pose and look a way that I know

[00:05:40] is gonna get likes and comments because I've seen it work for the Kardashians

[00:05:47] and I'm experiencing this emptiness and this lack of fulfillment. And so now I'm gonna go on

[00:05:54] and sacrifice myself, my own body, on the altar of broken human sexuality so that the

[00:06:01] internet gods of likes and comments will give me what my soul craves rather than finding our

[00:06:09] acceptance and our fulfillment in Christ. And by the way that is a cross-gender thing too.

[00:06:14] I am not just talking about the ladies here. Social media has become a place where both

[00:06:19] men and women objectify themselves through the way that they post and pose and act.

[00:06:26] And it can feel so gratifying but most people you talk to will tell you that that gratification

[00:06:32] does not last and there's a profound emptiness that comes afterwards. Or consider this other

[00:06:39] tangible example, workplace culture. How can we unleash hell on earth when it comes to our work?

[00:06:46] In competitive environments the pressure to get ahead can be absolutely overwhelming.

[00:06:53] The culture of the modern workplace is one that is full of trying to play the game,

[00:07:00] to prove your worth, to prove your value, dealing with organizations and corporations

[00:07:07] that don't actually see you much as a human but more as a workhorse to get their bottom line

[00:07:13] accomplished. And so there can be this pressure of I've gotta do what it takes to get ahead and

[00:07:19] to achieve the American dream and this can lead to lying, exaggerating your accomplishments or

[00:07:26] undermining your colleagues to gain a promotion or recognition or through gossip and complaining,

[00:07:32] fostering a toxic culture of distrust and self-interest. Think about your own experience

[00:07:40] with work, how many of you have come home from work and just said, oh that was hell. This week has

[00:07:46] been hell. Quite often the reasons behind that feeling is because flawed broken humans were

[00:07:53] looking out for their own self-interests which causes an environment of brokenness and stress

[00:08:01] and anxiety and frustration and despair among the workers. I think every single one of us has

[00:08:08] probably suffered from that hell and contributed to it. Think about relationships, how do we unleash

[00:08:15] hell into our relationships? In romantic relationships there is a temptation to prioritize

[00:08:23] one's desires over genuine commitment and this is such a common thing. One thing I dealt with

[00:08:31] all of the time when it came to pastoring young men is in this pornified culture that constantly

[00:08:39] objectifies both young men and women. For so many young men they get into these relationships

[00:08:47] and instead of looking at a young woman and saying this is God's daughter, this is my sister,

[00:08:53] she is valuable, she is precious, her integrity should be protected at all costs. Instead the

[00:09:01] flesh ends up driving the relationship and the thought is this is my person, I have some sense

[00:09:08] of ownership over them and so I'm going to pressure them into sexual situations over

[00:09:16] and over again so that I can get the fulfillment I crave but the cost that is paid is that that

[00:09:23] fulfillment is achieved through compromise, through sin, through guilt, through shame,

[00:09:30] and through brokenness and it gets even more tragic when these relationships end up really

[00:09:36] just manifesting as leading someone on without intending to build a serious relationship with

[00:09:41] them which can leave both young men and women that this happens to emotionally scarred. It is a

[00:09:48] hellish situation to put your trust and love into a relationship with someone else and then

[00:09:56] have it end to only feel used and abused and it is far too common that this happens.

[00:10:05] Another way this happens is through peer pressure which is such a like cliche 90s

[00:10:10] Christian phrase to use but I mean it's been around since before that I just associate it with

[00:10:16] youth group in the 90s we would always talk about peer pressure but it's a real thing going

[00:10:21] along with the crowd yeah it can help us fit in but so often it leads to harmful choices that

[00:10:28] unleash hell into our lives. As a former youth pastor I can tell you story after story

[00:10:35] of young people who I loved dearly who I still love dearly but I had to watch them hang out with

[00:10:45] people who I knew like this yes I know they're your friends but these people are gonna pressure you

[00:10:51] into things that you actually don't want to do and time after time I would see people get sucked

[00:10:58] into the hole of alcohol and drug addiction and cheap unfulfilling meaningless sexual experiences

[00:11:07] and the saddest thing is again it comes from us valuing more what other people think of us

[00:11:15] than the things that God knows about us which are that he knows every mistake we've ever made

[00:11:21] past present future and he chooses to love us and bend over backwards for us to invite us into his

[00:11:28] family into a life that is filled with freedom and yet we let others pressure us into opening up the

[00:11:36] doors of hell into our life and it is so common to see this happen these are just a few examples

[00:11:44] but these everyday choices can perpetuate a hellish atmosphere I have talked to so many people

[00:11:51] struggling and battling with their addictions they're past the point where it was fun and now

[00:11:57] they're watching it destroy their life and they will tell you yeah I'm a Christian but my life

[00:12:03] feels like hell that's what I'm getting at man that that question got a depressing answer

[00:12:10] let's see if we can maybe turn this around and point to something positive here's a quote that I think

[00:12:15] will be helpful this is from st augustine he says hope has two beautiful daughters their names

[00:12:24] are anger and courage anger at the way things are and courage to see that they do not remain

[00:12:33] the way that they are I think the antidote lies in there when it comes to hell on earth we have to

[00:12:41] trace it back to the source it's all gonna come back to sin and let me back up for a second because

[00:12:48] I am not suggesting that if you're listening to this and you or someone that you know is

[00:12:53] struggling with something like cancer that it's because of a sin issue in their life that is a

[00:12:59] horrible theology that some people teach and I just think it is so unbiblical and warped and perverted

[00:13:06] but what I'm trying to say is we have to look at the suffering in our life and ask the question

[00:13:12] is this suffering a result of sin in my life is it something I've done sometimes that's a

[00:13:17] very clear answer we can look at the pile of bottles next to our bed and go okay my

[00:13:23] abusive substance has led me to this hell I am currently living in and say okay yeah my abusive

[00:13:30] substance has led me to this hell that I'm currently dwelling in other times the hell on earth that

[00:13:37] we're in is because of someone else's sin someone might have hurt you someone might have abused

[00:13:44] you someone might have taken advantage of you and betrayed your trust and wounded you and now

[00:13:52] you're living in the fallout they broke everything and left you to pick up the pieces

[00:13:58] that is a horrible hellish place to be in and other times we can just trace it back to the

[00:14:03] reality of the first sin of adam and eve the brokenness of this entire world can be traced back

[00:14:10] to our first parents who unwittingly in a moment of curiosity and a moment of distrust

[00:14:17] for Yahweh joined forces with the enemy they unwittingly became a part of the demonic rebellion

[00:14:25] and dragged all of the rest of us into it regardless of which of those three it is we have to look

[00:14:32] at what augustine calls the two beautiful daughters of hope anger and courage we must first feel

[00:14:40] anger at suffering have you ever stopped to consider that the importance of having a sense

[00:14:46] of anger towards your own sin too often we view sin as like a cute little puppy that is biting our

[00:14:54] ankles do you ever go over to someone's house and their dog is being an absolute savage but they

[00:14:59] don't see it because they have an affection for the dog and so they just go oh he's all right

[00:15:05] he's fine he does that sometimes that's how we treat our sin rather than treating it as a

[00:15:13] ravenous wolf a wolf with rabies out to kill and steal and destroy if that wolf is in your house

[00:15:21] trying to destroy your family you will have anger a protective anger that puts you into fight or

[00:15:29] flight mode that is how we should view our sin we should hate our sin for what it does

[00:15:36] to ourselves and what it does to others so yes first anger is needed and then courage the courage

[00:15:44] to be honest and to admit our sin and to turn to Jesus and say lord change ruthlessly change

[00:15:52] what is into mercifully what can be we find such courage not through our own strength alone but

[00:16:01] through leaning upon a power greater than all earthly powers in yielding our will to christ we can find

[00:16:10] the courage to take up our cross in his name the initial path out of hell is salvation through

[00:16:17] Jesus christ that saves us from a future hell but when it comes to the daily hell that we

[00:16:22] can live through in this present life the surest path out of that hell is through voluntarily

[00:16:30] suffering like the suffering servant did and what i mean by that is the good kind of suffering

[00:16:37] like a good workout right no pain no gain it is suffering to let go of our sins because yes

[00:16:45] we love them and they give us comfort and they make us feel at ease in the beginning but it is

[00:16:52] sweet poison that we are drinking that slowly kills us it is hard to give up what we love

[00:16:59] but in exchange we gain something so much better we escape the injustice of the sin in our lives

[00:17:08] by devoting ourselves to the work of true humble justice the work of loving god and loving neighbor

[00:17:18] this path out of hell is a radical invitation it turns the world's logic on its head it calls us

[00:17:26] into something deeper than simply seeking our own comfort and pleasure when we turn to christ

[00:17:34] his mercy meets us when we lift our eyes beyond our own fallen state and we join him in loving

[00:17:42] those who are in need when we forgive others because we have been forgiven there's a lightness

[00:17:50] to this way of life because it's shared with jesus the one who walks alongside us

[00:17:56] shouldering the weight of our burdens and offering rest for our souls his mission is he

[00:18:02] is determined hour by hour to pull us out of the darkness and into the light to allow us to

[00:18:10] become a part of this hope that transforms misery into joy and carries us from our tears

[00:18:18] and suffering into the eternal light this is our hope it calls us from the depths of misery

[00:18:26] to the joys of his presence the goal of the christian life is not merely about escaping hell

[00:18:32] whether it's the present hell or the future hell the goal is to find ourselves being truly alive

[00:18:40] through the power and presence of jesus thanks for joining us on today's episode of the good line

[00:18:50] podcast we hope it inspired you to think and encouraged you on the path of the way of jesus

[00:18:56] perhaps you have struggled with feeling trapped in your sin imprisoned in a hell of your own making

[00:19:01] or even a hell as a result of how others have hurt you to that we offer this encouragement

[00:19:07] in john 10 jesus says i have come that they may have life and have it to the full he invites us

[00:19:13] to reject the path that steals joy and step into his kingdom where justice peace and love prevail

[00:19:20] isaia 61 reminds us of god's heart for those who are burdened the spirit of the sovereign lord

[00:19:26] is on me because the lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor he has sent me

[00:19:32] to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the

[00:19:37] prisoners jesus offers this radical invitation a way to live in alignment with god's love and

[00:19:43] forgiveness that helps us break free from the chains of sin and step into the fullness of his grace

[00:19:49] by embracing his call to love god and love others we can start living out truth humility

[00:19:54] and justice as we forgive and show compassion we walk out of the darkness and into his light

[00:20:00] finding rest and peace in his presence this week remember that the goal isn't simply to escape a

[00:20:06] future hell but to live fully through jesus power and presence isaia 14 encourages us but those who

[00:20:12] hope in the lord will renew their strength they will soar on wings like eagles they will run

[00:20:18] and not grow weary they will walk and not be faint this podcast is a production of good

[00:20:23] lion ministries a ministry devoted to helping christians practice the way of jesus and

[00:20:28] fall more deeply in love with a god who is not safe but is very good for more resources visit us at

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[00:20:48] someone who could use encouragement we'd love to hear your thoughts and questions for future

[00:20:53] episodes too now until next time may you find joy and light in the presence of the everlasting grace of god