Thinking Seriously About Hell

Do you take hell seriously? Many Christians avoid even using the word, not only because it is considered profane, but even theologically few people want to consider the implications of eternal, conscious punishment for those outside of the forgiveness found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even if everyone around us speaks of hell inappropriately, for example, "I went through hell" or "there will be hell on earth if candidate X is elected", we need to carefully consider the implications of hell. Thinking seriously about hell gives us compassion for unbelievers and deepens our gratitude for God's grace.