And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:28

Another of those difficult to understand statements of Jesus is found in the verse quoted above. In this statement there are two extremely important words that need careful examination: fear, and hell. Both are used by Jesus in reference to a proper understanding of God, and for that reason we must strive to understand them correctly and be able to explain them clearly.

We will first focus attention on the subject of fear. The word is used twice in this statement of our Lord, the first of which is relative to fearing those who would do us harm. Jesus says that we should not fear those who can kill the body. In the context of this passage, it is clear that Jesus is speaking of those who are offended by the proclamation of the Gospel, and who respond by taking the life of the proclaimer of that good news. In the preceding verse Jesus says that we should proclaim loudly and publicly what we have heard, not fearing the ramifications of that proclamation – even if it cost us our lives. Thus, we are to be bold in our proclaiming the truth claims of the Gospel.

The second time Jesus uses the word “fear” in this verse is in reference to God. We are not to fear those who have the power to kill us, physically, but we are to fear Him who can kill us eternally. We are to fear God, who has the power of life and death, of heaven and hell.

This can be a rather confusing concept, to be sure. Some may take this to mean that salvation comes about as a result of a cringing fear of an angry God. It may be understood from this statement of the Lord that God is seething with anger against His human family, and He takes joy in sending people to hell. It could cause us to live in constant fear and anxiety of the possibility of doing something that would bring the wrath of God down upon us.

However, by understanding this verse in light of the overall teaching of Scripture would lead us to a different interpretation. The Bible does indeed speak of the judgment of God. We are to take seriously this aspect of God’s character. But at the same time, we are to understand that His wrath against sin was unleashed upon Jesus when He died on the cross. It was there that He paid the penalty for sin. Therefore, those who accept His gracious offer of salvation are no longer under the pronounced wrath of God but have experienced the saving grace of God. This should lead to the believer no longer living with fear and anxiety caused by the knowledge of God’s wrath and judgment.

The second word Jesus uses is one that has become offensive in our contemporary cultural setting: hell. Hell is seldom spoken of anymore, even in churches that are Biblically sound in other areas of doctrine and theology.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there are two places God has created for the eternal state: heaven and hell. Every human being ever born will spend eternity in one of these two places. There are no other alternatives. Jesus says that we should fear the One who has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell.

Hell is a place of eternal judgment against those who have rejected God’s offer of salvation that was made possible by the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross. It was there that the full weight of sin came crashing down upon Jesus, and it was there that salvation was secured for sinful man.

But hell is seldom spoken of anymore. And sadly, when it is spoken of it is oftentimes done so with the intended purpose of explaining that hell does not really exist. But to be true to the teachings of Scripture we must acknowledge the reality of hell, just as we do the reality of heaven.

Hell is a real place that will be eternally inhabited by real people. And Jesus states assertively that we should fear the One who has the power and the authority to destroy both body and soul in hell.

There are so many applications that could be made of this statement of the Lord. First is the truth that believers should not live in fear of death, even if it is a result of an act of aggression by someone else. Others have the power to kill – we see this happen all too often in mass shootings, murders, drunk drivers losing control of their vehicles and killing someone, etc. Those of us who have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ have no need to live in fear of what others may do to us.

Second, we are to have a healthy fear of God. Before salvation, that fear should be caused by the knowledge of impending eternal judgment. Non-believers are under the judgment of God and are thus going to suffer the eternal pangs of hell if they never come to repentance and faith. But after one receives the saving grace of God, the fear of His judgment is no longer needed, because the judgment we rightly deserve was suffered by Jesus on the cross, in our place. However, after experiencing the saving grace of God, we are to have a healthy, reverential fear of God. This fear should lead the believer to live a life of worship, awe, praise and adoration of the One who loved us, and gave His life for us.

And third, hell is real. Hell was created, first and foremost, for the fallen angels who rebelled against God in Satan’s attempt to overthrow God’s rule. Then it came to be the place of eternal residence for anyone who rejects God’s offer of salvation. Hear once again the words of Jesus:

Then He will say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…”

Matthew 25:41

Let the words of Jesus be a warning: the judgment of God is a reality that must be taken seriously. Those who have rejected the offer of salvation are in danger of eternal damnation. God has graciously offered the means of escape from such an awful place of eternal anguish. My prayer is that each person who reads the words of our Lord will take the warning to heart, act accordingly, and be saved from the wrath to come.