Can a Christian God really let people burn in hell ?

Question

that doesn't sound very Christan ?

Answer 1

Sin is “any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God” (1Jo_3:4; Rom_4:15), in the inward state and habit of the soul, as well as in the outward conduct of the life, whether by omission or commission (Rom_6:12-17; Rom_7:5-24). Sin is not a mere violation of the law of our constitution, nor of the system of things, but an offense against a personal lawgiver and moral governor who vindicates his law with penalties.

God forgives all sins except the one sin that denies Him. This sin ascribes to God what Satan has done, in that a person blasphemes the Spirit God that has been sent to call a person to righteousness. By saying with full knowledge "I do not believe", a person has in effect participated in the very first lie told in Eden.

Some will argue that God is unfair to judge those, including non-believers, that have tried to live a good life. Using an argument of "fairness" ignores the perfect attributes of God and lacks an understanding of the philosophical arguments of perfection.

In order to understand why just being "good" is insufficient; you would need to understand the concept of a perfectly holy and righteous being. Such a being would hate ALL sin and would be bound by the being's perfectly just nature to render judgment for the unjust. Just as we expect justice in this world, albeit imperfect at times, so does this being, God. Fortunately, a perfect being like God will render perfect justice, too.

While it is hard to hear, there are none righteous in the perfect God's eyes.

So how is a perfect God's demand for justice for sin reconciled with our own imperfections? Here we find that God came up with a perfect solution. He became flesh, lived a perfect life, and acted as our representative in God the Father's court of justice. There He was judged and crucified, carrying all the past and future world's sins with his crucifixion. God the Son, Christ, became our sin bearer and we need only acknowledge that sacrifice to be made "justified" in God's eyes and in God's demand for justice for sin.

Think of it this way. Your son does something like breaking a neighbor's window. Yet your son is too young to be made to pay for his crime. Society demands that the parent then act in the son's role and pay for these crimes. Likewise, God the Father allows God the Son to be humankind's representative. Christ paid the price for us all; it is deposited there in the justice bank of God. We need only claim our "share" of that account's balance and present ourselves to God.

In summary, a perfectly just being, God the Father, requires that sin be punished. In the Old Testament, such punishments were the slaughter of an innocent animal, accompanied by prayers of adoration and contrition to God the Father. These lawful rituals drove home the point to mankind that there are consequences for bad behaviors. These lawful rituals also foreshadowed a more significant means of reconciliation before God the Father’s demand for justice. A perfect being, Christ, willingly went to His death. A perfectly just God the Father, knows that the Son’s death is not justice, for the Son was sinless. Therefore, the perfectly just God the Father credits anyone who will claim the Son’s death as payment for their sins.

As for the doctrine of hell consider the following:

1. Wouldn't everyone repent when faced with hell?
2. Would God let out people who repented?
3. Why was Hell created?

One argument against hell is this: No person in his right mind would choose eternal punishment in hell over heaven. Therefore everyone would repent when sent to hell. If God lets the repentant leave, hell will be empty (and therefore can be disregarded). If God doesn't let the repentant leave, God is unjust for continuing to punish them after they've repented.

The trouble with this line of reasoning is that repentance is not simply a matter of one saying, "Okay, I'll say whatever you want me to, just get me out of here!" Repentance involves acknowledging one's guilt, feeling remorse and the desire to change one's behavior, accepting Christ's sacrifice as substitutionary punishment for one's wrongs and agreeing to love and obey God (including Christ as God the Son). This includes by definition acceptance of eternal punishment in hell as just punishment for one's sins; while the skeptic may still object that continued punishment of the repentant is unjust, the repentant will respond that their continued punishment is deserved and could only end through God's mercy.

However, in reality people in hell won't repent, in particular not any skeptic who makes the above argument. If one thinks God is unjust for punishing people in hell, actually going there isn't going to make one suddenly decide that God is just and deserves one's love and worship after all. People are given their entire lives on Earth as an opportunity to repent and accept God; if they refuse each day of their lives to repent and believe they're justified in doing so, it's hardly conceivable that punishment in hell would change their minds. In other words, the gates of hell are actually locked from the inside.

Since hell is comprised of those who would never repent, the second question, “Would God let out people who repented?” is only a hypothetical one; it could be argued either way. In practice, someone who would repent in hell would be given the opportunity to repent on Earth and would presumably repent before they died, not after.

As for eternal punishment for finite life of sin, the answer is that our sin bears an eternal consequence because it is ultimately against an eternal God. When King David committed the sins of adultery and murder he stated, Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight (Psalm 51:4). David had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, how could David claim to have only sinned against God? David understood that all sin is ultimately against God. God is an eternal and infinite Being. As a result, all sin is worthy of an eternal punishment.

An earthly example of this would be comparing attacking your neighbor and attacking the President of the United States. Yes, both are crimes, but attacking the President would result in far greater consequences. How much more does sin against a holy and infinite God warrant a terrible consequence?

In short, hell and heaven were created out of God's love for mankind as a consequence of free will. God could not have created a morally free creature who could not possess the potentiality to choose to sin. God, being perfectly righteous will righteously respect the choices a person makes and grant them the eternal life they sought through the exercise of their own free will. In short, we choose the behavior, and thus we have chosen the consequences.

I have simplified much of the doctrines behind these concepts. I suggest you do some careful study of the attributes of God to digest these hard sayings. Start with some basic introductions to theology, especially the attributes of a perfect being (God) and go from there.

Answer 2

God is so generous the way you put that makes him sound like a monster! He could of let us ALL die in the beginning! But instead he sent his own and ONLY son down to die for us even though he was perfect and did NOTHING wrong. He didn't even THINK wrong things. This is truly amazing. God gives so many chances that the unbelieving deserve what will come upon them!

Answer 3

who is man to judge God
(not being gay just quoting scripture)
my take on this is that we as humans are warned that the only unforgivable sin is denying the truth or God
a man that denies God doesnt really care wether or not he burns in hell
it sounds bad but it is how God will look at it
so the most i can say is that God says that if u dont accept him and put him b4 all other things u will burn in hell
wether or not this is right i can not say becuz again, Who is man to judge God

Answer 4

he let's free will people have a choice to believe and to try and live by the word of God but if people choose to Steal lie cheat kill worship the devil and other horrible things then God has every right and power to those people burn for all eternity but like i said bad people have a choice and a chance to repent be saved and baptised

Answer 5

That's what you choose with your actions.Or what???do you want to sin-get drunk-kill-robber and go to heaven????No man with your actions you decide where you will pass the eternity.God is a good God but He is fair.God has his own laws as the states has laws.If you kill someone the judge will send you to the jail because you don't obey the law that's the same with God.If you violated the law you will pay the price.

Answer 6

Unquestionably. However, there’s some hope!… God has a son and he saves people from the wrath of his very angry father who would gently lower his enemies into industrial-strength sulphuric acid (and that’s just for a warm up before the real torture begins). Go Jesus!

Answer 7

God is justice. One cannot simply ask God to strike one down with a lightning bolt for God, because of his justice, would have to strike every person down who asked God of that. Because the people that burn in hell never accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, they go to hell. Simply, they did'nt belive in Jesus so they go to hell. God loves everybody, he loves sinners. But once you die and still have not accepted Jesus Christ, you go to hell. Simple as that. well more complex but thats a simplified version.

This is purely a Christian view point. This may sound like a bunch of fairytales to a person who is not christian, please understand that it is a christian viewpoint. By me simply saying that its just a bunch of fairy tales may please an atheist, it is not an answer.

Answer 8

God does not let no one burn in hell! Its the person them selfs that send them self to hell. By not Accepting Jesus Christ and liveing for Him!

Answer 9

He doesn't want anyone to go to hell, but, if you live by and for the world which is dominated by satan then you are choosing to spend your eternity with him.If you live for God then you will spend eternity with him and all his glory! When the time comes, wherever we go(heaven or hell), it is because of our actions, and therefore,our own fault if we end up in hell!

Answer 10

Yes, it is called freewill or free choice. Man is free to choose to obey and serve God, or not to. The choices we make have consequences. Choose this day whom you will serve. As Bob Dylan sang, "You gotta serve somebody"

Answer 11

Those who have been warned of coming destruction and ignore the warning have earned the devastation the destruction brings. Jesus warned of hell and the coming destruction of Jerusalem. Many did not and have not listened - much to their regret.
That's the way it is whether we like it or not.
God is God and He gets to make the rules. Because of His love for us and his mercy, holiness and righteousness, he warns us of things that are not to our benefit.
Be wise. Destruction comes suddenly and without warning like the Sumatran Tsunami or any number of earthquakes and volcanoes. Those who are in Christ have no reason to fear death. Those who are non-believers have every reason to fear death.