So, for me to be a Christian, does that mean I have to agree that I deserve to burn in Hell?

Question

Christians, do you honestly feel in your heart that this is what you deserve?? Really? Or are you just going by that because its what the Bible says?

Nothing I've done warrants me going to Hell to burn for all eternity.

Maziana -- okay, that is a lot more reasonable.

Answer 1

Short answer: Yes.
Anything else anyone tells you is an attempt to sugarcoat this most basic christian concept.

Edit: The post above me is a perfect example. It actually says both "no" and "yes". Classic.

Answer 2

Whether you agree with "to burn in Hell" or not, doesn't change the word of God. I think there is enough written in scripture to say there is a place for those who choose God and those who reject him. Just makes sense too, don't you think? And to those who think Hell is a state of mind - then how does Hell get thrown into the Lake of Fire? Revelation 20:13-14. A state of mind doesn't get that treatment. Our focus as Christians is not Hell. It's the furthest thing from my mind. I do not fear a place I have no intention of going to. For that matter, I can say that I really don't think about heaven all that much either. It's where I'm going but I have no comprehension of it in this life. My focus is on God in the here and now.

Answer 3

Sweetie - you can call yourself a Christian - and believe whatever you want.

I pick whatever feels good from each of the religions I learn about - and go through life trying to live in the moment and spread love.

I say - that I am a Christian - and more. A Muslim - and more. A Buddhist - and more - etc. etc.

But - IMHO - there is no hell. God is Love. Hell was created to scare us into living "right" - but I can't live "right" - if I'm living a life of fear. I choose to live a life of LOVE.

You can do that too. And you can call yourself whatever you want - and you don't have to agree to ANYTHING that some dogma requires. God is Love. Religion is just a tool to get closer to God/Love. I don't think that agreeing that you deserve to burn in Hell is going to help. Do you?

Namaste!!!

Answer 4

In a word, yes. But the good news is that we don't have to be resigned to that awful fate! Through obedience to God's Word and living a pious life after receiving salvation through repentance, water baptism, sanctification and being filled with the Holy Ghost, one can avoid Hell! We deserve Hell because of inherent sin, but we DON'T have to live in it and be a part of it! The Scripture says, "Come ye out from among the world and be ye a SEPARATE (sanctified for the Master's use) people...." It doesn't mean we have to live a sheltered life in a monastery or convent or etc., but it DOES mean that our Christian example has to shine in us so that it can stand as a witness to those who observe us in life.

Answer 5

There is a difference between being sorry and repenting.
Sorry may mean that you are sorry that you got caught, while repenting means to hate what you have done in the past so much, that you turn from your evil ways (or at least try to).

I agree that most "sins" are not what sends us to Hell.
The Bible tells us that we all are sinners, and that we must repent of these sins.

If we do not repent, then we are calling God a lyer, because we are rejecting God's word to us (and thus God Himself).

We become traitors and rebels fighting against God.

THAT is what will send you to Hell!

Answer 6

Christianity says that all of us fall short of goodness. We only need to look around at our world to see this is true. Horrible, INCREDIBLY horrible atrocities are committed by human beings every day. Each of us has lied, stolen, been selfish, etc. None of us are exempt from that. If you willingly choose to do hateful things, there has to be justice. Hell is justice for those who live their lives not feeling sorry for the wrongdoings they have done, not reforming and trying their very hardest to be better and make this world and themselves better. All of us deserve justice because we have all done wrong in our lives. The good thing is, God loves us despite our wrongdoings, however, God cannot excuse the wrongdoings we have done "just like that", we have to decide to change, reform and accept the forgiveness as part of that change. Genuine love desires what is best, evil doings are not what is best.

I think you have the idea that we have to be constantly down on ourselves about how evil we are etc and how much we deserve punishment. That really isn't what the gospel message is. The gospel message is that God loves us, created us because He loves us and saw our goodness, loves us despite our wrongdoings and wants us to change so that we embrace that goodness and don't have to suffer the justice of hell.

Answer 7

The short answer is YES. Now I'll elaborate:

Every human being on earth is tainted by Adam and Eve's orginal sin. Sin is imbedded in our very genetic structure. God's goodness and grace is illustrated in the fact that instead of smiting Adam and Eve he allowed humanity to proliferate. He sent his son Jesus to die on the cross and whoever chooses to believe in him will be saved (John 3:16). Being a good person is absolutely not good enough you can't possibly be good enough because sin works in our lives not just by comission (actually going out and breaking a commandment) but also by omission (have you ever walked past a homeless person on the street without giving them something? or told someone they looked fine even though they picked the most unflattering of outfits).

In order to accept salvation you have to admit that you're in danger.

Edit:
The first step in avoiding a hangover is admitting you are drunk.

Answer 8

You don't have to believe that, but it helps.

I keep going back to the same text in the Bible to show who and what to focus on. You don't have to swallow the whole Bible in order to believe in what is required by the words of Jesus Christ himself:
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Jesus said to focus and believe in him.That's what made him different; he claimed to be the center of a believer's belief system.

All the talk about hell is rhetoric in the sense that it deters from the true focus we are supposed to have: Jesus the Christ.

Jesus also said this:
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

and reported by Luke as well:
Luke 12:31
But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

So focus on the good stuff if you want to call it that; the positive, if you will. Hell is for those who are going there. We who believe are not to suffer the pain of Hell. It's rhetoric to discuss it as if it is a plausible option. For those who believe, it is not.

Answer 9

A ship is sinking, and the helicopter comes, and someone throws out a rope to the person. "I'll save you; grab on!" But the person shakes his/her head. "I don't need to be saved. My boat is not sinking." Since that person has free will, the potential savior has no choice but to not save that person.

Do you like my analogy? You can't be saved if you say you aren't in danger. Anyway, here are two quotes about hell that I got from articles:

“Smith (George Smith, an atheist) paints a picture of a burning Hell. He neglects to mention that biblical conservatives like myself and Moreland and many others deny Hell as a fiery furnace. It’s highly symbolic language. Furthermore, what would Smith have God do with wicked people? What can God do that will honor their humanity and choice and not treat them like objects? Quarantine. That’s what Hell is. God leaves them alone.” Nick P.

“Hell is more of a state than a place, and it is a state of shame, of exclusion from God’s honor and presence, not a place of torture.” –James Patrick Holding

Answer 10

No, Hell is a mistranslation of several words.

Gehenna
Hades
Sheol
Lake of fire

Part of being a christian is the realization that God doesn't want anyone to perish and that you deserve eternal life because if he didn't, he would have offered up Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins.

Answer 11

Who knows, so far the only people who know where they go after they die, are the ones who die, we cant go with them, unless you want to die also, we don't know if there is a hell, but there has to be a lovely place for all the people who have respected God, and also in other religions some of their spirits go into animals that's why some don't eat meat, and some think that they convert to ghosts.