The Apostles believed after seeing the risen Christ. Why will I go to hell for not believing the apostles?

Question

After all the apostles directly knew Christ, and I have a gap of more than 2000 years between me and them. Is it fair that the Lord Almighty applies one standard for them, and a very different one on me. Why do I have to believe in a one time/one space bound event to gain eternal salvation, when the LORD is eternal?

Answer 1

is this a loaded question,or what...you already know the answer....work it out.i cant do it for you..sorry.

Answer 2

The question is do you want to know God? Do you believe that he exists and wants a relationship with you? Are you curious about him? If you are, then you are on a journey of discovering who he is.

Christ's apostles are reliable witnesses to the who God is. They knew him personally. They saw what he did, heard what he said and have passed that information on to us. If you have a hard time beleiveing what they said. Check it out in depth. See if their record is reasonable, coherant, compeling. Ask yourself, could the Jesus of the bible be a fabrication. Someone who a bunch of largely uneducated men and women got together and invented. If so, why would they maintain under pain of death that their story was true? Why would so many people since, also testify to the truth of their message?

Hell is simply the place where people who do not want God go. They wouldn't like heaven. Everyone in heaven is in love with God. Unfortunately they won't like hell either. Hell, they don't like anything, except pehaps having thier own way. That is however, God's sole perogative (all-power).

I always get uncomfortable when people use the words fair and God in the same sentence. The word fair can have such an arbitrary self-serving meaning. Why am I poor and others rich? Why am I unattractive, or simple minded? Why did my mother have to die when I was a kid? Why is there pain and suffering? While all these questions are sincere, they are also self-serving. They could just as easily be asked in terms of why not? Why didn't my mother die when I was young? Why am I rich, and others poor? Why do so many good things happen? Why am I happy? etc...

So the apostles (and about 500 others) had the priviledge out of all the people in their time and all times of meeting the Savior personally. You and I are not so priviledged. IS God unfair? God is not fair (in the sense that most people use the term), God is just.

Is God unjust in judging men and women based on their belief in the gospel of his son? Is he applying a different standard of judgement to you and the apostles? Both you and I and the apostles are judged on the same criteria. The gospel of Jesus. Faith in his death for our sins and resurrection is the criteria for salvation. God has not chaged the standard. The fact that you and I were not alive at the time of the event is irrelevant. It either happened or it didn't; and it either is effectual or it isn't.

I wasn't alive to see Washington inagurated as the first president of the US. But I'm certain that that's what occured. Your argument seems to be that for something as impotant as eternal salvation God (in order to be fair) must kill and resurect his son in front of everyone, in all times. Does that sound resonable?

Who is in the center of that kind of logic? It's not God, it's you and I.

God bless you on your quest to know him.

Answer 3

There is no different standard for them... had they not believe Jesus, like many didnt who knew Him directly, they will go to hell also. Now think for a second though, all the Apostles except for John were killed brutally (crucified upside down, skinned alive, fed to lions etc) all because they wouldnt deny seeing Christ ressurrected. Now, had they really not seen that, do you think they would have gone through so much for something they knew was a lie? There is a difference in believing a lie that you think is true and knowing something is a lie. People rarely ever die for things they lie about. This is one of the reasons I find the Apostles believable.

Answer 4

Eyewitnesses. They saw Him on the earth, one saw Him on the cross, 500 others saw AFTER His resurrection. If this isn't enough people, what would be?

As for humans, you mortal bodies are lifetime. Your spirit and soul are eternal. The body wasn't meant to die, when sin entered, the body lost that advantage

The standards haven't changed. Only the culture has changed, and most people's interpretations accordingly. Most of the apostles died gruesome deaths for their belief in Jesus, who were eyewitnesses to Him. Jesus said how much more for those who believe and not yet seen. Do you believe George Washington existed yet have not seen him? Why?

Interesting thoughts...

Answer 5

if you are going to be saved you must confess with your mouth Jesus is the Lord. the apostles wrote what they've seen & what Jehovah gave them. It isn't about believing in the apostles, it is about believing in Jehovahs word the bible.

Answer 6

We now know and have faith because of the testaments written through the holy spirit, If so whoever believes and has faith, will enter the kingdom. You must look deep inside yourself to see the goodness, there are alot of miracles around today, by testimonies, and by word of mouth, just by coming into our lives, Jesus makes incredible changes and fills up the empty void, we have inside.

Answer 7

You can't go to hell for not believing the apostles!?!
But you can if you don't take Jesus Christ as your savior.

Answer 8

Thomas had to touch the wounds, he met Jesus in person and yet he was more skeptic that the average christian of today, apparently he wasn't convinced he could resurrect, after all that time together.

Fairness is something I barely find in the bible or in many so called christians of today.

Answer 9

Faith and trust in Jesus is something we all (including the apostles) choose to do. It has little to do with seeing.

Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Answer 10

Who told you such Law Law? And why didn't you reply
with Nay Nay to both rider and the horse it rode in on?

It's not about whether or not you "believe" anything,
for even d-evils notably "believe" there is one God.
Rather it's about "know" the truth...makes you "free",
free of believe-ing lies from "false Christs shall arise",
from false apostles, and false teachers & preachers;
who notably play "their part" of their part vs your part.
http://www.godshew.org/TheirPartYourPart.htm

It's about "comparing spiritual things", not mixing such,
for mixing of old & new results in burst, spill, and perish,
as is noted for us in Mt 9:17; Mk 2:22; Lk 5:37.

Law: is spiritual, but spiritual abuse(legalism).
Grace: is also spiritual, but it is never abusive.
Howbeit afterward, if law spirit-u-all? Perverted!
http://www.godshew.org/HowbeitAfterward.htm

Law: is good, but it's also evil.
Grace: is good, but never evil.
Discern(avoid) both good + evil: Heb 5.
http://www.godshew.org/Hebrews6.htm

Law: the corruptible crown of glory that's mortal
Grace: incorruptible crown of glory that's immortal
Get understanding = crowned with grace glory: Pr 4.
http://www.godshew.org/Topics.htm

It's try(test) law/grace spirits, rather than believe every spirit,
since one of twain spirits to try(test) is notably "anti-christ",
which is to say anti-"the end of the law" in Romans 10:4.

Not to mention "the end" to endure unto is already written:

The "grace" of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all. Amen.

Answer 11

What do you have but faith to give in exchange for Gods Grace?

Heb 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV)

Joh 20:29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (KJV)

Be Blessed by Faith in Him and reconciled with the Creator of the Universe through His only begotton Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.