just trying to shed some light on the issue is all, sorry
2006-07-04 15:28:11 · 34 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
My Sunday School class is going through the video series "The Way of the Master" and they said on there that the past 1000 years, the church has been teaching that God is ONLY love to make people feel better about following Him. Christ said that if a good human father would punish his children, then why wouldn't the Father in Heaven do the same? He is love but He is also just. That's why. If you were/are a father, would you let your son get away with never believing that you existed?
2006-07-05 10:44:48 · answer #1 · answered by Meg 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Read the book of Hosea. God is patient with adultery so long. In the end you either choose Him or you choose infidelity.
Does it make sense for one spouse to get divorced when the other has another lover? It's not hate. It's ending the relationship. It's putting an end to the contention and heartache. You chose love or infidelity and you choose the consequences.
God puts up with an awful lot of nonsense, IMO. I doubt many of us would ever be so patient or forgiving. Love is meant to be returned, not spurned.
I don't know what hell is going to be like. Some say it is eternal, some that the unfaithful will be cease to exist. If you spend your life rejecting God and throwing His love in His face why would you want to spend an eternity with Him?
If you care at all about spending eternity with Him, why spend your life thumbing your nose at Him? That just doesn't make sense to me.
The Church is symbolized as the Bride of Christ. If you showed up at the altar on your wedding day to find that your bride-to-be has been slandering you, and actually hates you would you agree to be bound to her and only her till death do you part? If you don't, does that make you hateful?
2006-07-04 16:18:24 · answer #2 · answered by Contemplative Chanteuse IDK TIRH 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God is love, and when a non believer dies God does not hate that person that person has every chance to accept God while they live, even up till the last moment, this is true no matter what that person has done if they accept Christ as their Savior, then they will go to heaven, if they do not accept Christ, then they have made the choice to live eternally in Hell.
2006-07-04 15:48:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
1 JOhn 4:8b "God is love." this is true. However, this is, actually, only one aspect of who He is. Exodus 34:7b " He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished." We can not pick and choose which aspect of God we want to be real. It is like trying to pick up a coin's heads side without also picking up the tails side. not gonna happen. Consider this - We know that heaven is a free gift. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life." Rom 6:23. It is not earned or deserved - "for it is by grace that you are saved by faith, it is the gift of God, not of works, that none may boast." eph 2 :8-9. It has to be a gift because we all are sinners - rom 3:23. God has set a standard by which we could earn our salvation. any guesses? Matt 5:48 "Be therefore perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." well, that leaves me out.
We already discussed that God is loving - He does not want to punish us, but He is also just, and must punish our sins. What is sin? There are sins of comission - ldoing something bad, sins of omission - not doing something you shouold do, and sins of thought - we all know abt them!!!
Consider if you were almost an angel - committing only 3 or 4 sins a day. In a year, that is ovwe 1000 sins! In an 80 year span, you had 80,000+ sins! Now, imagine God as a judge. If you went to any court with over eighty thousand violations, would you expect the judge to release you? Give you a reward (heaven)? If so, what kind of judge would that person be?
So how did God solve this apparent problem? Though the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that Jesus took the sins of all people and nailed them to the cross. He died on the cross, rose from the dead, paid the penallty for our sins, and purchased a place in heaven for us!
This is all about faith - the key to heaven. I do not mean mere head knowledge - facts and figures. I do not mean temporal faith - you know, praying for a safe trip home or to find a lost child. I mean saving faith. Saving faith is relying on Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. It means accepting HIm as your lord and saviour, repenting of your sins, and transferring your trust to HIm.
You earlier mentioned how could God be loving if He damns people to hell. If you were on a plane that was going to crash and I handed you a parachute which you refused, would it be my fault you die? God has offered us this gift freely. All we have to do is reach out and grasp it. I consider it like the hand of a king reaching down to the frail hand of a beggar. This beggar reached out and received the gift of eternal life 4 years ago, and my life has never been the same. You can receive this gift right now. it is not about a church or a religion - it is all abt a personal relationship with God. You can pray like this
" Dear God, thank You for loving me, a sinner. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for me. I am sorry for the things I have done that are wrong, and ask you to come into my life today. Be my lord and savior. AMen."
Act 16:31 reads "believe in the lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved..." in fact, that is the reason the bible I know that I do. Do you?
2006-07-04 16:19:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
God is a God of love but he is also a just God. God doesn't send anyone to Hell. Hell was created for Satan and the fallen angels. Its the non-believer who in fact sends his own self to Hell. He is a just God after all.
2006-07-04 15:40:47 · answer #5 · answered by candi 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God is God and offer no proof that He is. Here's what I say
I have lived without God - I denied His Existence for 24 years I lived a hopeless life without purpose - life had no meaning. All the partying and wild life brought me nothing the next day I all always felt empty and hopeless. life was not worth living
When I finally acknowledged Him As God I began to understand Life and Life had hope and purpose. Today my life is complete I am happy and enjoy life and the empty feel inside is not there.
So who is gambling me or you
If I died and you were correct than God is manmade and I die like a beast in the field and there is no aferlife I will have lost nothing because in this life I lived good and God in this life took care of me. even if God is only here I have still lost nothing.
Now on the other hand
if you die and find yourself stand before God and He rejects you in the afterlife because you rejected Him in this life - you will have gambled all and lost all. You and all like you are fools - stupid fools - some day you will stand before God and pay the ultimate price - eternal damnation!
so mock on - its not over until He says its over
2006-07-04 15:40:24 · answer #6 · answered by zqx357 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
aw hell, Bill.. when the poor non-believing slob dies, God doesn't exactly 'hate' him.. the guy does a shitload of 'boo-boos' and gets sent to hell/(oh 'eternal damnation' scuuuuse me!) The guy takes a nosedive into the 'cauldron of fire..' If he is repentitent all's kool w/Him and he might get another chance to attach a pair of 'wings' after all... Yeah you wonder if God's all light and love, why he's got a hell, right? right. It's to make sure you get a conscience and don't **** up in general in life. (gotta go.. it's the fireworks thing.. today's the 4th) later
2006-07-04 16:43:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Examine more religious beliefs and put them up to be pondered. Acts 2:31-35; John 19:38-41[Sepulchre hell, tomb. cave or grave];
Adam and Eve were created souls.
All souls born in sin to die 1Cor.15:22; As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Next are the resurrected souls for the 1000 year reign Rev.20:1-6,12,13[7-10 do not stay in new earth, fire comes down to consume them];
2006-07-04 15:47:48 · answer #8 · answered by jeni 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is not true! God willl never send anyone to hell unless that person is evil. And nonbeleiver? I mean if someone doesnt beleive in God that is stupid no offense I mean how do they think people exist? If they're still a good person tho, I am positive God will not send them to hell.
2006-07-04 15:35:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't say that God hates you, then sends you to hell for not believing. It says here's heaven... here's hell. You get to decide where you want to go. This is what you have to do. And this thing you have to do is as easy as taking your next breathe.
I hope you all choose heaven. And remember, it not only says that the gate is narrow, but so is the path.
2006-07-04 15:40:18 · answer #10 · answered by ScottyJae 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋