Was the Doctrine of Hell Added to the Bible?

Episode 557 Show Notes

From the Show

If Christianity was offering us just another way to reach God it would be like all of the other religions of the world and at the end of the day it would be bankrupt because none of us can do enough in order to reach heaven.

–Adriel Sanchez

Questions in this Episode

1. In 1 Samuel 21, David pretends to be insane in front of the king of Gath so he wouldn’t be recognized. Was this sinful since he was concealing the truth and trying to deceive the king with his actions? I’ve always thought he was just using his wit to get out of a bad situation, especially since he later claims in Psalms 34 and 56 that he was trusting God to rescue him in that moment. Is it possible for certain kinds of deception to not be rooted in sin but instead simply be shrewd and timely wisdom?

2. Is the bible only true in the original languages, and are subsequent translations tainted with error?

3. My cousin is 16 and her parents are going through a divorce. I believe now would be a good to time to reach out and start sharing with her about Jesus and the gospel, but I don’t know how to start. Any advice?

4. I have family members who are telling me that the doctrine of hell has been added to the bible, and that the original meaning of hell was about refinement and that all religions and spiritualities are mere attempts at trying to get to God. Any idea how to respond to this?