My dad has had some divergent ideas from before I was born, from other religious faiths he tried to combine with a Catholic understanding of Christianity (syncretism) and new age ideas from secular books. Despite the Catholic background and this faith’s particular emphasis on suffering, he’s definitely had an issue with God and “punishment.” We’ve had plenty of good discussions (never heated, always lively on both sides) on the topic, and I can’t say I’ve managed to convince him God does discipline his children even to this day. Individual Christians (or Catholics or people claiming to be of ANY faith) having beliefs different from what their faith teachers is not surprising. What is surprising is when it is a major doctrine within the faith. How did that person come to make those conclusions? I always find it interesting how we all come to believe what we do or the rationale people have. One of the most surprising conclusions I’ve heard is from those that, even though they come from a Christian background, don’t believe in Hell. Some even go as far as to say it’s not in the Bible. What? It’s referred to all over the Bible! The lake of fire, Gehenna, where there is weeping and a gnashing of teeth, where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die, etcetera. It’s not a man-made doctrine to scare people into submission, but an actual place made for the devil and his angels. Anyone who’s not with God is against Him.
Please read to the end. I know this can be an especially touchy subject for many people and people can feel passionately about it on both sides. Just hear me out. I can understand why the idea of Hell is so unpalatable to some. Unless you’re sadistic, nobody truly wants anybody to go there. We all know lots of great people that are not believers, some of them are family members and friends, and it’s unfathomable to think of any of them headed there. It’s too sad and terrible a thought. That I can understand. I don’t want them to go there either. That’s precisely why we need to warn people. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! What I really don’t understand is how a Christian can doubt the existence of Hell when it’s literally found throughout the Bible. Jesus talks about it and the term “Christian” means you follow Christ and his teachings. All of his teachings. Either you believe the Bible or you don’t. If we claim to, we can’t pick and choose only the parts we like and leave out the parts we don’t. Some people are speaking out of ignorance. They don’t read their Bibles and think God is just love. While true, He is also good and just. He made us all with free will, including Satan and the angels. He didn’t want robots, He wanted us to love Him back like He loves us. Satan wanted more, and Hell was made for the rebellious Satan and his angels. If anyone outright rejects God, they are choosing to go there because if you’re not with God you’re against Him. For those that don’t know of God, that is why we are called to preach the gospel to all nations. If someone dies without knowing God, I think it depends on the person and the circumstances. Some people even in this day and age have no access to the internet and the culture around them does not know God. Others, even if they did, I can’t presume to know. For all I know, God in his mercy might give them a chance to accept him right before they pass away? None of us are judges and we can’t know where their final resting place will be, all we can do is pray and try to do what we can while they are alive. Then, we all sin. Some commit crimes and they do community service, pay a fine, or go to jail to pay for them. If someone does something wrong, they have to make up for it. Repent, make retribution, and in the past they made atonement sacrifices. If they haven’t repented, God disciplines his children and believers can use the Word to correct one another. We ask forgiveness and Jesus cleanses us from our sins. We’re all sinners, so we can’t be in God’s presence as we are. Nothing unclean will enter heaven. Humans fell into sin and haven’t stopped since Adam. God loved humanity so much that he sent his Son Jesus to die for us. Without blood there is no remission of sins. People used to sacrifice animals, but now there is no more need for sacrifice. Jesus has ransomed all of us. If there was no Hell, there would be no reason for Jesus to come and die for us. What would he come save us from? Some people are not ignorant of what the Bible says, but choose not to accept it. Or they doubt its credibility or inerrancy. Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I honestly can’t say I’m 100% sure myself whether every last thing in it is accurate, but I believe most if not all of it is. By “most,” I mean most major things, not the so-called little errors people claim it has. It may or may not have small errors, but I don’t think if it does have any of those that it affects the accuracy or veracity of the rest. That’d be like claiming my textbook has a typo, so the rest of it is wrong. Or the newspaper article this morning got a fact or name wrong, so the rest of it must be unreliable. Humans can make mistakes, so it’s not out of the question. But major things? So far, I’ve taken it all to be inerrant. I’m taking it mostly on faith because so far nothing has proven it otherwise false. Innocent until proven guilty. Every so-called contradiction I’ve come across so far has good explanations that atheists and others reject or are ignorant of. Often, they are basing their judgments on manmade wisdom and knowledge. I’d rather trust in God. I know God is real and He’s shown himself to me through his Holy Spirit and in many other ways. My experience only confirms the Bible as I keep growing in faith and knowledge. It’s the Holy Spirit which guides us into all truth, not our own understanding. We shouldn’t be wise in our own eyes, but trust in God. The Bible says that every word is God-breathed and useful for correction and teaching. Every word. That implies there are no errors or if there were a few that they’re not important enough to argue over. The wisdom of God is foolishness unto them that are perishing, but life to us. God makes the wise foolish, and that makes sense when I consider all that I’ve learned the past few years with a little personal research. It only made me trust God more and man less. And like the Bible says, God’s ways are higher than our ways and there are some things that are difficult to understand in the Bible, which some twist to their own destruction. Be very careful regarding Scripture. Don’t add to or take from it. If you are currently struggling with this issue, then I urge you to read your Bible and pray the Holy Spirit guides you to understanding the truth. The truth can be a hard pill to swallow sometimes, but God’s the one in charge, not us. He’s not the one sending people to perdition, it’s their own choices. God wishes every last person to be saved, which is why He’s delayed his second coming so long. Jesus wept for Jerusalem. Paul sometimes wrote his letters even in tears. True believers care about others. Be careful that caring doesn’t override the love you have for God. Love God above all else and pray for your friends, family, and neighbors. Share the gospel with others. I think there’s a reason all of these people are waking up to the truth now. In this day and age, the internet has made many sources of truth available to us if we just look for it. Nobody has any excuse anymore. While Satan deceives the whole world, believers should stay strong in God’s word and only then can we be prepared to see through his deceptions. We’re believers warning the world and equipping other believers to do the same. God is calling His people NOW. Do you have ears to hear? Comments are closed.
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DisclaimerWhile I love open discussions, not all internet users are kind. I'd like to build people up, not have others cut people down. Therefore, no comments, but feel free to email me if there's something you'd like to share with me. Archives
July 2020
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