Can a Christian clarify this for me?

Question

I was not raised under any particuar religion, my stepmother being an atheist and my father being a Lutheran who doesn't follow it very strictly. So, I am confused about many Christian things. Many ppl will tell me many different things. I would like to be Christian, but some things truly do not make much sense. Can someone explain to me why the LORD would sentence anyone to eternity in Hell if he loved them so much??? If they truly beleived in Him and loved Him, but they were confused in life and made bad decisions, I do not understand why he would send some one that he loved so to such a terrible and unbearable place as Hell for eternity. I don't think that an eternity in Hell is a reasonable punishment for only a lifetime of bad decisions. A lifetime is only about 70 years, and eternity is forever. Why would the LORD punish those he loved so harshly? I thought that GOD was reasonable and loving, is He not? If so, then why an eternity in Hell, for any sin?

Answer 1

I don't believe God would, because I trust in God's love for my salvation and I know that God's love covers a multitude of sin, because that's exactly how the Bible puts it. God loves us so much that God can very well choose to let every former sinner, whose sinful nature is no more when they stand before him after death, have another chance to accept salvation. Nowhere in the Bible or in tradition is there any statement to the contrary. Never let religion tell you God can't do something or that there is any place God's love does not go. Trust in God's love, not in man's religious ideas!

Answer 2

The problem is that, as you probably know, man is a sinner by nature. God has made Himself obvious through His creation. Many would disagree with that, and it is not that they can't see Him; they refuse to. When a man goes through his life trying to separate himself from God, or make God what he wants Him to be and dies and recieves judgment, God is merely giving Him what he has been seeking all his life; eternal separation from God. It is punishment, but it is also the "natural" result of rebellion and unbelief.To anyone who puts their own will above the will of God, Heaven would not be paradise. God doesn't judge us by comparing our sins against the sins of others, we are judged as compared to Gods own righteousness and holiness, which is perfect. Of course, He knows full well that none of us can measure up, so He took the drastic action of paying the price Himself for our sins. Now, being that He has paid such a high price for our redemption, would He be unjust for rejecting those who reject Him? It is a free gift, the gift of life. All we have to do is come to the realization that we do not know what is best, and turn to Him and away from sin."Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Behold, now is the time, today is the day of salvation". Grace and peace.

Answer 3

Heres the sad truth: God doesnt condemn people to hell, they choose to go there. He gives them a choice. You see, God is holy, and we are not, because we sin. God cannot look on sin because he is holy and sin separates us. Romans 3:23 tells us we all are all sinners and come short of Gods glory. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death(meaning, separation from God) but the good news is God's only son died for us, paying for our sins, so that we are pardoned for our sins. Jesus paid our debt. All you have to do is repent of your sins, and accept Jesus Christ into your life as your savior. He will save you and you are guaranteed and eternity in heaven(John 10:27-30)
send me a message if you have any questions i can help you with.

Answer 4

You must realize that God is a fair judge. He understands each person better than we understand ourselves. He knows when a heart is searching for Him and the struggles we face. He knows who has had opportunities to hear the gospel and who has not. He will be far more fair than any Judge in this world. It takes a lifetime to search for God, so don't be afraid that you don't know it all, who does? Talk to God and tell Him you want to understand, He will lead you over time to get a better understanding of Him and His ways. Do you think God could allow sin into Heaven, it wouldn't be Heaven then for the rest of us. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He shall make your path straight. Don't allow those who reject and mock God ruin your relationship with your Father in Heaven. God Bless.

Answer 5

Jesus Christ said if you love me than you will follow the 10 commandments and my teachings (not always a very easy thing to do on your own). THATS WHY YOU DONT DO IT ON YOUR OWN. You accept Jesus Christ and meditate on him all the time. He said think of me always. We are born sinners we will die sinners. No christian in the world isnt a sinner. The thing that makes us Christians ( WAQLKING IN THE LIGHT) is not hiding our sins from God or eachother. Being open and repentful towards God. I could go on and on and on but I suggest you search out a very good church that believes in the word strongly and creating some fellowships.
God bless you sister, peace be with you.

Answer 6

Because any sin is enough to seperate us from God.He is so holy,He cannot accept sin in His presence.He is also just,so we get exactly what we deserve.If God let everyone into Heaven,we would end up with serial killers,rapists,mass murderers,and genocidal dictators.
But,He provided a way to be reconciled with Him,so our sins could be forgiven.That's why Jesus died for us.
In the end,it's the person's choice.They can choose to spend eternity with God,or choose not to.God homours our choices in that regard.

Answer 7

while pain,suffering can be an obstacle to ones belief you can better understand it under the light of a proper understanding of gods love. that would take up alot of space on here so i will give you some sites and other materials that have helped me come to a better understanding of this concept.

the bible
catechism of the catholic church
we believe....a survey of the catholic faith by oscar lukefahr,c.m
scripturecatholic.com
salvationhistory.com
catholicanswers.com
fisheaters.com

these are all catholic sites or books,you do not have to agree with what you read(although i think it would be beneficial.....)but they offer a better understanding on the concept of hell and other doubts you may have,even if you choose another form of christianity eg lutheran,presbyterian etc........i feel these will help you to overcome the doubts you have.good luck and god bless.

Answer 8

I was a devout Christian for 30 years, so I feel qualified to answer your question.

God does not exist. The reason why god punishes people for all eternity is because if you don't exist (and there is no evidence that you exist) you're believers need to come up with more and more elaborate punishments for non-believing in order to scare them into believing.

Answer 9

Watch out for some of the Christian answers as they will be "Justice!" Not only does it seem strange that God would do that to people he loved, it seems weird that his followers would take such delight in other people's torment.

If God exists, I certainly don't imagine him behaving more immature than a small child.

Answer 10

Well it is not our actions that determine our eternal situation... it is a common misconception that good works earn you a place in heaven... or that things you do wrongly effect how things happen.

To give a basic run through, God cannot live with sin... it would be like asking you to live in a house with a million skunks, except for worse... Hell is not necessarily a flaming pit with demons and pitchforks... Hell is separation from God. If you are sinful then God can't be with you, you are a skunk. So rather than saying that all people go to Heaven except those who get "sent" to Hell; everyone is going to Hell except those who get redeemed.
So if God couldn't be with His people because of the sin that surrounded them, then of course He wanted to make away to take away that sin... and He did, He sent Jesus. When Jesus was finally crucified He took upon Himself the sins of everyone who ever would believe in him and He sent them to Hell. So for a believer it's sort of like every sin that they commit is separated from them and sent to Hell while they get to go to heaven.

That's a basic run through... God did not condemn but made away for those who would take the path he created.