Ask Jim: Jesus in hell, salvation after death, and “God made me this way”

Cultural apologist Dr. Jim Denison answers a few challenging questions about the Bible from our audience, many of which seemed to ask the same question: Is God just? For example, can people in hell be saved? Did Jesus go to hell after his crucifixion and before his resurrection? If “God is love,” as 1 John 4:16 says, is hell necessary?

And what about the millions of people who lived before Jesus came to earth? Are any of them saved? What about people living today who may never hear the gospel? And did God condone genocide in the Old Testament?

Dr. Denison also speaks to the postmodern belief underlying the popular statement that “God made me this way” as it relates to same-sex attraction, alcoholism, and other temptations.

Topics

(00:51): Did Jesus go to hell after his crucifixion?

(08:10): Can salvation happen after death?

(13:05): Why is hell necessary?

(18:21): If salvation is only through Jesus, what about the people who lived before Jesus?

(22:24): If people today never hear the gospel, will they go to hell?

(31:15): The danger of saying “God made me this way”

(41:17): Is God guilty of genocide in the Old Testament?

Resources

• Did Jesus go to hell?
• Why Jesus?
• Why did God tell the Jews to kill the Canaanites?
• Why is the God of the Old Testament so vengeful?
• Wrestling with God by Dr. Jim Denison
• The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis
• The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
• Global Media Outreach
• What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
• Episode transcript (PDF)

About Dr. Jim Denison

Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries. He speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at Denison Forum. He is the chief author of The Daily Article and has written more than 30 books, including The Coming Tsunami, the Biblical Insight to Tough Questions series, and The Fifth Great Awakening.

About Dr. Mark Turman

Dr. Mark Turman is the Executive Director of Denison Forum and Vice President of Denison Ministries. Among his many duties, Turman is most notably the host of The Denison Forum Podcast. He is also the chief strategist for DF Pastors, which equips pastors and church leaders to understand and transform today’s culture.

About Denison Forum

Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, The Denison Forum Podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.