The Mental Agonies of Hell by Robert Murray M'Cheyne

A Slice of Laodicea Flashback

I've graciously received permission from Ingrid Schlueter to reproduce Slice archives here at Absolute Dominion, therefore from time to time I'll be devoting space to highlights from both the original Slice site, and the more recent effort which was sadly lost due to web hosting debacle.

So sit back and enjoy as Absolute Dominion humbly presents selected Slice posts from a who's who procession of Biblically sound Christian thinkers representing the Christian blogosphere including the likes of: Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries and Christian Research Net, Jim Bublitz of Old Truth, and Ingrid Schlueter of VCY America and Slice of Laodicea.

Posted by Ingrid on November 6, 2006 @ 10:09 AM
Scottish preacher Robert Murray M'Cheyne was only 30 when he died. Thirty is now considered an extended part of adolescence. Pastors twenty years older than that today show up at church in their jeans and t-shirts and speak of self-esteem, sexual enhancement and personal fulfillment from the pulpit. M'Cheyne took his role as shepherd far more seriously than that. The power of his ministry was found in his reliance on God and his prayer life. That's why we're still reading his sermons 170 years later.

M'Cheyne dared to preach on the doctrine of hell, not as some metaphorical construct as the emerging gurus are doing, but as a literal place of eternal torment, just as Christ repeatedly warned. Imagine how this sermon would go over at the average American entertainment-oriented megachurch today. Most would head for the doors within two minutes and the handful left would be in spiritual repentance and revival. If we really believe in a literal hell, shouldn't it have an impact on how we view this life and what God has called us to do? Reflecting for a moment on eternity without God is a very sobering and worthwhile thing.