Unless you’ve been living under a rock, which might be preferable given the current climate of our culture, you’ve probably seen many memes floating across the internet, littered on social media outlets either garnering lighthearted approval or pointed rebuff. Memes are those “virally transmitted image embellished with text, usually sharing pointed commentary on cultural symbols, social ideas, or current events.” (1) At the cost of being drastically oversimplified, memes usually highlight some sort of truth, lopsided as it may be. The word “meme” comes from the Greek word μίμημα (mīmēma), meaning something counterfeited or copied or “anything imitated.” Thus, a meme is a “unit of cultural information spread by imitation.” (2) Like all viral malignancies today, memes have infiltrated every aspect of life and culture. For better or worse, Christian theology has not been excluded. It’s our aim to dissect some of these memes and see what we can learn from them.
Welcome to Christian Memes!
In front of a cool blue sky with hazy clouds, in today’s meme, we see a typical Jesus wrapped in a white cloak with hands out reached as he intently looks into your eyes. While there’s nothing too inflammatory with the picture, the words add some real heat. In bold font, just above Jesus we read:
“LOVE ME BACK…”
But below him, the sentence continues:
“OR I’ll SET YOU ON FIRE.”
Yikes! I usually don’t like to guess the motives behind memes, but I’m assuming the maker of this meme isn’t a Christian. While I have no way of knowing, it seems many “Christian” memes floating out in the ether seem to only convey or twist the undesirable aspects of the faith in order to make a statement. This meme seems to be one of those. Regardless, we need to ask what the meaning of this meme is and what truth, if any, does it reveal? Does Jesus really demand our love and will he set us on fire if we choose not to reciprocate the love that he has shown us? And what kind of love, when rejected, delivers a punishment of fire? Those are great questions! Books have been written on them, but I’ll do my best to answer them in the next eight hundred words.
Obviously this meme clearly references the unpopular but biblical doctrine of Hell. In general, this subject has purposefully become taboo as of late from our westernized collective version of Jesus. For the last half century, Jesus has largely been seen as a meek, mild, all-loving, and undemanding servant, who is just a bro — someone we want to hang out and pound a beer with. From this particular portrayal of Jesus it’s no wonder we’ve forgotten that he spoke more of Hell than he did of Heaven. So it’s not surprising that many today feel completely shocked when there is a warning of Hell or fire to certain people as a consequence for rejecting Jesus.
In grappling with this matter, before anything else, we first need to jettison our cultural understating of Jesus for a biblical one. We need to remember that although Jesus is mild, he is also iconoclastic. Although he is peaceful, he also came to bring a sword. Although he is meek, he is also the all-powerful sovereign of spiritual armies and Lord of hosts. Although he is gracious, he also has wrath to liberally distribute. And even though he is merciful, he is also a judge whose judgment is perfect. We all do great peril to ourselves if we only think God is full of grace and mercy but not vengeance.
Now, will Jesus set you on fire for not loving him back? Well, not exactly.
The Bible very clearly teaches that we are saved by God’s grace through faith. (3) As Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (4) It is believing, it is trusting, and it is having faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection on our account that ultimately keeps us free from flames. And while that initial faith and trust we first place in him should grow into love, and a deep love as we mature in the faith, it is not a requirement for salvation. Even at our best moments we will never love him in the manner that he has loved us. If our salvation depended on our level of love for God, we’d all fall short.
So, will Jesus set you on fire for not believing and trusting in him? Let’s see.
There are many references to fire and Hell in the bible — too many to cover here. But in all those occurrences, Jesus never sets anyone on fire, or threatens to. But one day we read that a large number of people will be thrown into a fire, or more accurately, a lake of fire. In the third to last chapter of the Bible in the book of Revelation, we read that the Devil, the beast, and the false prophet will all be tossed into a lake of burning sulfur where they will be “tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (5) Soon after this, death and Hades will also be thrown in. This is a good thing! It is the final eradication of evil. But just following this, we somberly read that “anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life thrown into the lake of fire.” (6)
So what are we to make of this? On one hand, I could write up a theological word-salad, parse its nine words to death, and conclude that this meme is pure garbage and devoid of any truth. That would be easy, but not honest. On the other hand, I can take the more difficult choice and deal with it. The hard truth is that there is some validity to this meme. I don’t like it because it accentuates and distorts a difficult doctrine of the Bible without mentioning the grace offered to us in Christ. With that said, we must conclude that even though Jesus isn’t in the business of sending people to Hell, people will go there for their rejection of him, no matter how polite their nonacceptance may be.
The gospel truth is that Jesus already went to Hell for us so that he might save us — save us from ourselves, our sin, and yes, Hell itself
What Hell is, where it is, and when all these things will occur are all debatable questions. But that it will be a real place that no one wants to be is clearly not debatable. If you know of any other suggestions of how to avoid Hell, better than what Jesus offered, I’m all ears.
But what are your thoughts?
Micah Coate, President and Host of Salvation and Stuff
Accessed April 16, 2022 from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-meme-2483702
Accessed April 16, 2022 from https://lsj.gr/wiki/μίμημα
Ephesians 2:8-9
John 3:16 NIV
Revelation 20:10 NIV
Revelation 20:15 NIV
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