How can a god be merciful and create hell as eternal punishment at the same time?

Question

So this was my question...

gracias glitterkitty por la traduccion

then, he is not merciful

if he were, he would understand that we are not perfect and that's why some of us "reject" him... if he is merciful then why did he created hell?

My parents would never burn me for 12000000000000000000000000000 million years, and yours?

que es un catracho?

Oh Jessica, how funny this is... haha


are you Cristhian??? hahahhaha come on!

Answer 1

because you seriusly think a serial killer or mass murderin ******** would deserve eternal happiness and so on?

Answer 2

That question, in a nutshell, speaks volumes to why I now attend a Spiritual church vs the organized religion I was raised in. If you are not familiar with Spiritualism I'll quote the Principles (there is no additional dogma or creed beyond this). They vary slightly in different governing bodies, but all basically say the same thing. I especially point you to #8.

DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES

1. We believe in Infinite Spirit and that God is Infinite Spirit.

2. We believe that the phenomena of Nature, both physical and spiritual, are the expression of Infinite Spirit.

3. We affirm that living in harmony with one’s understanding of Natural Law constitutes true religion.

4. We affirm that the existence and personal identity of the individual continues after the change called death.

5. We affirm that communication with the so-called dead is a fact, proven by the phenomena of Spiritualism.

6. We believe that the highest morality is contained in the Golden Rule: “Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto you do ye also unto them.”

7. We affirm the moral responsibility of the individual and that we create our own inner peace by choosing to live in harmony with nature’s physical and spiritual laws.

8. We affirm the doorway to reformation is never closed against any human soul here of hereafter.

9. We affirm that the precepts of Prophecy and Healing are divine attributes proven through Mediumship.

So clearly, not all of us that belive in God believe in a God that isn't forgiving and just. But I totally understand your question and have wondered how so many can just accept that!

Answer 3

there is a huge misconception that hell is eternal. in the bible, "forever" means "until it is done". Psalm 48:14 says "For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." In this verse, forever means until death. God destroyed the cities sodom and Gamorrah with fire and brimstone. In Jude 7, it says God destroyed Sodom and Gamorrah with eternal fire. Those cities are not still burning. 2nd Peter 2:6 says that the fire turned those cities into ashes as an example to those who live ungodly. So eternal fire turns things to ashes and then goes out. it is everlasting in its effect and not its duration, because sodom and gamorrah are gone forever. Malachi 4:1 says "the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of hosts." Hell will burn up the wicked, not keep on burning them. It also says "It shall leave them neither root nor branch." when a tree is burned up, both its branches and its roots, there is nothing left of the tree. it is totally destroyed. Hell will totally destroy everything and make it be gone forever, but it will not burn forever. It is easy to see why many people believe hell is eternal from verses like matthew 25:46 - "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." It says eternal "punishment", not "punishing", so it is "a punishment". Paul says in Romans 6:23 that the punishment for sin is Death. And Revelation 21:8 calls this the "second death", in which the wicked will DIE in the fire, not keep on burning. That destruction/punishment WILL be eternal because there is no resurrection from it, and whatever hell burns up will be eternally gone. So you see, God has no intention of sentencing the wicked to burn alive for all of eternity.

Answer 4

Everyone has the opportunity to go to Heaven. That is what I call fair. You don't need money. You don't need good deeds. In God's eyes we are all equal. We have equal love from Him, and an equal chance for salvation. But we must know there are consequences to our actions. He rejoices when we choose Him over sin. He is merciful to give us a chance. It is so easy!

Answer 5

Actually, the Bible does not teach Hell for those that are bad. It does say that Satan and his demons will be distroyed after Christ rules earth for the 1,000 years after Armageddon. If He was sending sinners to a firery place for all time that would mean we all would go as we all sin. Satan loves to get our minds thinking against God. God is love so He only wants what is best for us. We have a choice as to who we want to follow, Satan or God. God means life, Satan means death. Remember who brought death to mankind to begin with. It wasn't God. Adam was told what would happen if they ate from that one tree. If they had listened to God they would still be alive today.

Answer 6

The wages of sin is death and hell.
All people sin therefor all people die and go to hell.
That is justice. God is a just God.
However God is merciful so he gave his one and only son Jesus. He paid the price for our sins so that any who believe in him will be spared eternal death in hell.
That is pretty much all there is to it. How much more merciful can you get while still being just? God paid the price for your sins already, just believe in him and your free.

Answer 7

The best way that I can try to explain it is this... God did not set a seperate, perfect standard for Himself to live by. He is Holy and Just by nature. If God allowed one sin to be in His presence and go unpunished, He would cease to be Holy and Just. He cannot do it. It is said that "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom", because that's where it all starts. The Moral law, or the ten commandments, were given mainly for that reason, so that no man could look into this mirror, so to speak, and be deceived into thinking that he was right before God. If he is honest, he knows that he is guilty before God and if he has sinned once, no good works could ever erace the penalty of that one sin, ever. The penalty for sinning only one time is death.

As some asked in the Bible, "What then can man do?"

But this same Holy and just God, is also a loving and merciful God, Who went to great lengths to provide a way while at the same time not compromising His holiness or justice, which He cannot do. That's where Jesus comes into the picture. By faith in the truth of who He is and what He has done for you, you will then be imputed with His righteousness. You can then have confidence that when He suffered on the cross, that the penalty for your sins that are due to you have been paid by Jesus Himself, God in the flesh, and God's perfect standards are satisfied. The just died for the unjust. As a result of your faith, you will have been spritually immersed into Jesus' own death, by Jesus, with the Holy Spirit (Who will permanently indwell you) being the Spiritual agent of that immersion, or baptism, you are then born again and living under Grace. The penalty for your sins have been paid. This positionally sanctifies you before God. God now sees in you the righteousness of Jesus Christ, perfect sinlessness and perfect righteousness.

As a result of now being "in Christ" and justified before God, you are freed from the power of sin in your life and with the help of the Holy Spirit who now lives in you, you will begin to be progressively sanctified, repenting of sins as they are revealed to you by the Holy Spirit and replacing what enslaves and destroys with what edifies, builds up and sets free, namely obedience to God through faith, through His Word. This results in us becomming more and more Christlike as time goes on. Which is completed only after you physically die. This is why Jesus said 'Those who seek to save their lives will lose it, and those who lose their lives for His sake will find it'. Come to me, all you who are heavy ladened and burdened, And I will give you rest, for My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Sin enslaves and destroys. Repent and believe is a message of hope. Not only eternally, but also for the present time.

God is a loving and merciful God, but He is also a Holy and just God. Always remember both.

Answer 8

God is merciful, and He has given us all a way into heaven, but we still reject it. Talk about stubborn.

Answer 9

Being merciful doesn't mean you get away without a punishment. There are consequences to our actions.

Answer 10

Well your parents love you and punish you when you do wrong. God loves you and wants you to come of Him, if you don't then you go to punishment

Answer 11

I know scripture sounds like you burn forever , but that is not the case. It just means that you are GONE forever.