Erasing Hell Quotes

“Let us be eager to leave what is familiar for what is true.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“Jesus didn't speak of hell so that we could study, debate and write books about it. He gave us these passages so that we would live holy lives. Jesus evidently hates it when we tear into our brothers or sisters with demeaning words, words that fail to honor the people around us as the beautiful image-bearing creatures that they are.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“God is love, but He also defines what love is. We don't have the license to define love according to our standards.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“Hell is the backdrop that reveals the profound and unbelievable grace of the cross. It brings to light the enormity of our sin and therefore portrays the undeserved favor of God in full color.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“Don't believe something just because you want to, and don't embrace an idea just because you've always believed it. Believe what is biblical. Test all your assumptions against the precious words God gave us in the Bible.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“In my desire to distance myself from sadistic Christians who revel in the idea of wrath and punishment, I may have crossed a line. Refusing to teach a passage of Scripture is just as wrong as abusing it.

I really believe it's time for some of us to stop apologizing for God and start apologizing to Him for being embarrassed by the ways He has chosen to reveal Himself.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“God is compassionate and just, loving and holy, wrathful and forgiving. WE can't sideline His more difficult attributes to make room for the palatable ones.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“It's incredibly arrogant to pick and choose which incomprehensible truths we embrace. No one wants to ditch God's plan of redemption, even though it doesn't make sense to us. Neither should we erase God's revealed plan of punishment because it doesn't sit well with us. As soon as we do this, we are putting God's actions in submission to our own reasoning, which is a ridiculous thing for the clay to do.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“Chan is drawn to his coauthor because he says they have, "different gifts but similar convictions".”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“It’s not about figuring out all of the mysteries of God, but embracing Him and cherishing Him—even when He doesn’t make perfect sense to us.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“Sometimes we hide behind questions like “how could a good God create someone and then torment that person forever?” Yet few people deny that He does this to Satan. Some even rejoice in this.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“I don’t believe God wants our church life to be centered on buildings and services. Instead, God wants our churches—whatever specific forms our gatherings take—to be focused on active discipleship, mission, and the pursuit of unity.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“But God is not a coercive God. And though He desires for His children to know peace and love and to have wisdom, I have noticed that often He waits for us to ask.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“The most terrifying images of hell occur, as we have seen, in the book of Revelation. But let's remember the context in which John writes this book. This isn't an evangelistic tract written for unbelievers--the hell passages here weren't designed to make converts and scare people into the kingdom. They were designed to warn believers to keep the faith in the midst of adversity.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“There’s a difference, in other words, between God’s values that please Him (moral will) and those events that He causes to happen (decreed will).15”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

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― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“As much as these terrifying images of wrath and hell are unpleasant to read, they do capture an important part of the Christian message: God will severely punish those who don’t bow the knee to King Jesus.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“I really believe it’s time for some of us to stop apologizing for God and start apologizing to Him for being embarrassed by the ways He has chosen to reveal Himself.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“To make a compelling case that “the love of God will melt every hard heart, and even the most ‘depraved sinners’ will eventually give up their resistance and turn to God”21 without clear biblical evidence is incredibly dangerous—especially if you are one of these “sinners” and things don’t work out like this. If the doctor said your daughter is going to be fine, and she died three days later, you’d call the authorities.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“No passage in the Bible says that there will be a second chance after death to turn to Jesus.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“Let’s be eager to leave what is familiar for what is true. Nothing outside of God and His truth should be sacred to us.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up

“God, help me overcome my selfishness. I want to love the way You asked me to.

I don't want to say another insulting word to or about another person, not even jokingly.

I want to shock my enemies with Christian love.

I want to joyfully sacrifice for the poor, and to see You when I see them.

I don't want to fit in anymore.

Holy Spirit, save me. Set me apart. Make me worthy.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“Please forgive me, Lord, for wanting to erase all the things in Scripture that don't sit well with me. Forgive me for trying to hide some of Your actions to make You more palatable to the world. Forgive me for trying to make You fit my standards of justice and goodness and love. You are God; You are good; I don't always understand You, but I love You. Thank You for who You are.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“The church is intended to be a beautiful place of community. A place where wealth is shared and when one suffers, everyone suffers. A place where when one rejoices, everyone rejoices. A place where everyone experiences real love and acceptance in the midst of great honesty about our brokenness. Yet most of the time this is not even close to how we would describe our churches.

Without the Spirit of God in our midst, working in us, guiding us, and living and loving through us, we will never be the kind of people who make up this kind of community. There is no such thing as a real believer who doesn't have the Holy Spirit, or a real church without the Spirit. It's just not possible. But what is possible is that we would individually and corporately quench and hinder the Spirit's activity in and through our lives.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“God wants the praise for what we do in our lives. But if we never pray audacious, courageous prayers, how can He answer them? If we never follow Him to positions where we need Him, how can He show up and make His presence known?”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“God delights in showing up when His people are in desperate need of Him, because that means no one else can steal His glory.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“[God] desires to do more than "help out" a bit. He wants to completely transform us. He wants to take a timid heart and set it ablaze with strength and courage, so much so that people know something supernatural has taken place--life change just as miraculous as fire coming down from heaven.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“...we must understand God's love in light of God's freedom. As we have seen in this book, God, as the Creator, is free to do whatever He sees best. He is compelled by none other than Himself. And God's freedom means--though it's difficult to swallow--that God can withhold love (Rom. 9). It's a logical (and theological) mistake to think that God can't be loving unless He saves everyone. Such an assumption, while seeking to cherish the love of God, violates His freedom and sovereignty.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“God, I want to know what is true. I know I have cravings that sway and distort my ability to reason. You promise that Your Holy Spirit will guide me into all truth. I pray that He will now. I don't want to be wrong. I don't want to be deceived by others or myself. You alone possess all truth, and I want to be on Your side. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear. Give me courage to live and speak what is right no matter the cost. I don't want to believe anything about You that is not true. Amen.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

“God has the right to do WHATEVER He pleases.”
― Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up