If you force something upon some one, like say, eternal life, is that a gift or a burden?

Question

According to Christians, after your time on Earth you spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. You have no choice or freedom to terminate your existence. What if I don't want to live forever? I didn't choose life in the first place. I don't want to live forever.
The answer is: too bad!

It was said in my question about the gift of Jesus's sacrifice that one can choose not to accept a gift. I can't choose against eternal life; I can't not accept it.

If I can't choose whether or not to accept the gift of eternal life, is it still really a gift? Or is it a burden?

Why isn't the question. Just assume I don't want it.

@ samuel: If I don't believe, I go to hell, which is eternal, right? One way or the other it's eternal, no?

Could you Christians please answer the question?

If eternity is forced on someone, is it a "gift"? I understand heaven is a gift. This question is not about heaven, it's about eternity. is it ethical to create a person to exist forever without a choice?

@ aznyenny85: What if I am not saved and go to hell?

@batgirl: thank you for taking an honest look at the question. I appreciate your response.

@ Ezekiel 25:17: I know I can choose to accept Salvation, but that is not the question I asked.

Answer 1

Well, one - the underlying idea of this question is that you have to assume that the idea of the Christian heaven and hell is the real truth as to what will happen to us in the afterlife. If you assume that then yes, you have no choice to terminate your life or to ask to not have eternal life.

Even if you turn down Jesus' gift, you still get eternal life. But you get this 'gift' in a place of damnation and eternal torture. Some gift. I actually asked a couple Christians years ago why wouldn't G-d just flicker the souls that are damned out of existence. Wouldn't that be kinder then causing the eternal torture and suffering. They didn't think so and thought it was a gift to be left alive!

Two - if something cannot be refused then it cannot be a gift. The gift part comes in as to where we spen our eternal life. In hell or in heaven.

Christians tend to think that Jesus granted eternal life. This idea comes from the idea that before Jesus all those that had died lay sleeping in the earth. When Jesus rose from the dead he opened the gates of heaven and brought the dead with him. In fact one gospel even goes so far as to state that the newly ressurected dead actually walked among the living and conversed with them. (Surely something of this magnitude would have been mentioned in the history books).

So that is where the idea that Jesus granted eternal life. Before him, it was not possible. But it is a double edged sword. You cannot turn it down, and if you turn down Jesus' offer then you are turning down heaven and instead dooming yourself to eternal suffering. Many would argue that this is not a choice at all but a threat.

Personally I don't believe in either, which eases things greatly. From the Christian perspective it is a burden. It is not a gift because it cannot be returned, and if you don't accept it you are punished forever. Some gift.

Answer 2

Gee you have some anger issues. That'll shorten your life, you know?

Actually you are correct. A gift is just that - a gift. No one is required to accept a gift. Many people choose not to accept the gift of Jesus' sacrifice. I can't say that I understand this, but I know its true. Jesus never forced salvation upon anyone. Christians are REQUIRED however to spread the good news of the gospel. So give us a break. We are judged by our faithfulness. If you don't want to accept the pardon that Jesus purchased with His holy blood, then that will be eternally between you and Him. I suspect that come Judgment Day that you will change your mind. But it will be way too late to do anything about it. You are not just going to lay in your grave and rot whether you believe that or not.

Time is its own best proof. Eternity is a very long and a soul is a terrible thing to waste. Maybe you want to reconsider your options after having read this. Maybe not.

There will come a day for you when there is no tomorrow in the here and now. And thats why today is the day of salvation.

May you be given eyes to see and ears to hear. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen

Answer 3

I think you have hit the nail on the head! We didn't ask for eternal life, whether in Heaven or Hell. We didn't ask to be born. But we have been put into this life and now we must deal with the situations presented to us. On one hand, we can choose eternal life in Heaven. On the other hand, we can choose eternal life away from Heaven. Which is the gift and which is the burden? That completely depends on your point of view and beliefs. I always say that Hell is a gift to those who would rather not be in Heaven (In other words, if I don't love God than I probably would rather not spend eternity praising Him). So if you love God, spending eternity with Him would be an awesome gift. If you don't, I don't think Heaven is a gift at all so God provides the other option. But you're totally right that God doesn't allow for any other options (like simply "death"). In the end, it's as easy as deciding to spend life with or without God. The word "gift" can be construed in numerous ways depending on your very own point of view!

Be blessed. Good question.

Answer 4

According to the doctrine of most Christians you are absolutely correct. The gift would not be a gift at all. It would be a curse if you decided not to accept it. The problem with getting a straight answer is that the answer you are getting is popular doctrine which is not biblical. If eternal torment were true then Jesus, who paid the price for the sins of all mankind would spend eternity in the fires of hell. The belief in eternal torment and an immortal soul is a pagan belief that had become entrenched in modern Christianity. Do some research on line and you will find out the real truth as to what happens to an unrepentant sinner. It is not nearly as diabolical as what most Christians have been taught to believe.

Answer 5

The problem lies, friend, in that we are the only creature/being that is aware of our impending death and thereby the only beings that can understand the concept of eternal life.

The eternal life is just part of "being". We don't get any mjore say so on the issue than we did in being born on earth. The only gift comes when we choose to accept the salvation offered to us.

I would imagine that our feelings regarding eternal life would be the same as the views we have for our current life. If we feel it is a burden, then most likely that's what we'll get of it.

Answer 6

Eternal life is not ever forced on anyone. Each individual must choose it for themselves. You either choose it and have it or you do not choose it and don't have it. That's your free-will choice. You can choose eternal life or you can choose everlasting torment. Either way it goes on forever, like it or not. Can a flower say, "I don't want to be a flower"? No, and humans who were created by God to be eternal beings cannot say, "I don't want to be an eternal being". You are what God created you to be - An eternal being.

Now, where and how do you want to spend it?


You are in error. You think you have Eternal Life now, but you obviously do not, because you say you have not accepted it. The gift of Eternal Life is offered to all, but it has to be accepted by each individual personally. No one else can accept it for you on your behalf. The everlasting existence you will endure in hell is not life it is everlasting death without end. It is the farthest from Eternal Life that you can place yourself. It's one or the other, there is no in-between.

There is also a difference between Eternal and everlasting.
"Eternal" means there is no beginning and no end, like a figure eight or a circle, it extends throughout all eternity past and all eternity future.
"Everlasting" means it has a beginning point and it goes on from there forever.
On the day of judgement, when your name is not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life, you will cease to have an eternal existence. All of the pleasant memories of the past will be erased from your mind and you will be left with only suffering and torment which, from that point in time, will be everlasting.

Stop being willfully blind.

I am praying for the Holy Spirit to get through to you before your days on this earth are completed. I hope to meet you in heaven.

Answer 7

I think that the Christian definition of "death" is often mistaken from the original Hebrew text. Pretending for a moment that we are all of the belief that there was a Garden of Eden, and that God told Adam and Eve to not eat of the fruit of just one tree or they "will surely die." Here begins the game of semantics between all faiths and also others who chose to believe none of the writings. The Hebrew word "death" in that passage does not mean cessation of being alive, it actually translates "separated from Yahweh for eternity." If you do not consider that a burden, than sleep easy, because there is no mention of any further punishment. I believe because I chose to, and had it been forced upon me, I would feel exactly as you do. That would not be a gift, it would be like getting a big C.O.D. package of junk mail and paying the postage before you knew what it was.

Answer 8

You are getting eternal life whether you want it or not. The only option you have is where you will spend it; Heaven or Hell. How you view it (burden or gift) is up to you.

Answer 9

they won't settle for the certainty, so they are going to attempt to alter the subject each time they think of that it incredibly is accomplished. What you noted is approximately as great an phantasm that it is hassle-free to desire to in all hazard have faith in, yet then there are those that attempt to respond with "you get carry of everlasting existence at time of being born lower back or accepting Jesus", the two way one is merely as moronic because of the fact the different. Do those believers incredibly comprehend what they examine while they examine their bible? Do they also have a clue that they are getting used and characteristic been fooled from the thought-approximately springing up the Jesus tale? That which they think isn't something yet a comedian parody, yet they could learn the certainty by ability of comprehend Rev. It does not take great psychological capacity to make your strategies up that something is erroneous, while Jesus is defined in Rev as having hair white as snow and then thinking something isn't suitable right here! sure the Rev author is bearing on Jesus yet he's telling us who Jesus replaced into, the persons who invented Jesus and performed him and god in the NT. All NT writers have been Royal Romans.

Answer 10

It's not a gift, and it was not given honestly, if it was forced upon someone, in my opinion.
It might not be a burden, but I tend to resent anything that is forced upon me.

If you don't want to live forever, say so.
I think you CAN choose. Say, "I do not accept the gift of eternal life."

JMO