Everything is according to God's will, right? So how is going to Hell a choice?

Question

Okay, my last question basically stated that Christianity would make more sense to me if Satan was the one who sent people to Hell rather than God.

Many of you responded that God doesn't send people to Hell, but instead, people make a choice to go to Hell.

The "fact" remains, though, that God is the one who created Hell and decided people who don't accept him have to go there.

So, if:

1. God already knows everything that's going to happen
2. God's will is always what will be done
3. God made Hell in the first place


then how is going to Hell a choice?

Answer 1

None of us were predestined to hell. It's Gods will that we all go to Heaven. It's our free will that takes us out of Gods will. God is loving but He is just too. In the beginning He said the the wages of sin is death. We are all sinners and all deserve death. He made a way that we don't have to suffer eternity in Hell. All you have to do is believe in Jesus and turn away from your sins. He loved us enough that He'd rather die on a cross to take our punishment than to face eternity without us. My husband wrote a book that touches on this situation in more detail and many other tough questions. If your interested you can email me.

1.I know I'll get slack for this one but I think in some situations God chooses not to know certain outcomes. I think if we say He can't then we are limiting Him. In the Days of Noah He said he was sorry He ever made man. When Abraham was going to kill Isaac the voice said now I know.....
2. God's will is not what is always done. Our own free will takes care of that.

Answer 2

"If you do not choose God, then, you have chosen satan and his worldly lies, so, you are not of God then, but of satan."

What if I choose neither, then do I go nowhere?

Any christian will tell you "Yes you have free will" but then, it creates these sorts of paradoxes, because if you have free will, you can choose whoever you want. But if god is omnipotent, then he already knows who you are going to choose. So, how can someone who already knows the out come, say that it is really free will? Can god create a boulder even he can not lift? If god can do anything, and there is nothing he can't do, can he create something that even he can't? Wouldn't this in itself be a fallacy? If so, you have just disproved the existence of god through sheer rational thought.

If A is true, but B disproves A then is A really a true statement?

"that is why God made hell, in his perfect plan (which is his will) there is no place for sin "

If there is no place for sin (implying that we should not be allowed to sin, but can) how can it be a perfect plan (his will) yet it is still an option? If it is perfect, then it is not an option. Options imply corruptability. Perfect means without fault. Ergo his will can not be perfect. It is an option. This means his will is faulty.

Answer 3

Well first Hell was originally prepared only for the devil and his angels that rebelled against God as Jesus Christ says in Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels

Secondly God's plan of salvation is for the whole world as Jesus Christ says in John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have ever lasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.

So in the end it is the nonbeliever that does not exercise his right of choice to choose God's way of eternal salvation that condemns him. God did everything already. It is up to every man, woman, or child, to make that choice.

Answer 4

Yes, God is omnipotent and omniscient and knows everything, but He has given man free-will. In other words we have a choice to make throughout our lives. He sent Jesus to be our sacrifice for sin, however only we have the choice to follow or reject Him as the Lord of our lives.

Hell was NOT created for man, but for Satan and the fallen angels who rebelled against God, Isaiah 14:12-16 states, "12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms."

Lucifer (Satan) and his angels rebelled against God and as a result were cast into hell which had been prepared for them by God. Yes, hell is a choice when we decide not to believe and accept His offer of salvation. We willingly decide our eternal destination. Eternal life with the King of Glory or an eternity without Him. The choice is ours and ours alone. Praise His holy Name.

gatita_63109

Answer 5

Lucifer made a choice to rebel against God that is why God made hell, in his perfect plan (which is his will) there is no place for sin - so if your not going to obey that is a choice you make. and your choice sends you to heaven or hell. He knows every thing thats going to happen because he is the creator of everything - His will is that he wants you and me and everyone else, to do good and not evil, to serve him and not the devil. but if you choose to be evil then its not apart of his will, just like satan getting cast out of heaven,that was not his WILL but it was satans plan. yes he knows everything , and if he didnt know satan was going to rebel then he wouldnt have made a different place for him - if its never happened before how do you know what to do ? well he knows everything, and he knew wat to do because he knew it was going to happen. Before when heavenly beings were created they had no choice they just had to serve God, thats what they were created for - so when satan rose up and took 1/3 of the angels with him, God decided to make man, man would have the choice to choose good or evil. Those that love the lord serve him. When judas betrayed jesus - Jesus KNEW Judas was going to betray him, he is all knowing. AND IT WAS apart of the plan, because jesus had to give himself as a living sacrifice anyway. He died for our sins so that we could choose to go to heaven or hell - before there was no choice because the holyspirit had not yet walked the earth ( the spirit inside of Jesus as a holy child, and a holy man.) upon his death "his spirit was poured out upon all man" so that we would have the choice of sinning and going to hell or repenting of our sins recieving the holyghost and going to heaven. hope i answered your question ♥

Answer 6

So what you are saying is that since God is in control of everything then it's His fault if we fall to the ground when we trip and fall off a building because He created gravity, right?

Gravity wasn't created to teach us a lesson... neither was hell.

Answer 7

God created hell for Satan/Lucifer. Satan took 1/3 of the angels with him when he fell from God's Grace.

Because people choose not to accept Christ as their Savior, they are also choosing where their eternal soul goes.

Answer 8

Linz.... (sigh) you choose not to follow God and have His Will for your life to be manifest....

The Bible states very clearly that it is God"s WILL that ALL be saved...

If you do not choose God, then, you have chosen satan and his worldly lies, so, you are not of God then, but of satan.

All that can be changed if YOU change your mind.

understand?

May you find Truth and Peace :)

**Linz...by listening to satan in making your choices, satan IS the one sending you to hell...very happily...for he is thumbing his nose at God for every one he persuades to NOT choose God. NOW do you grasp the concept? I truly hope so. Can't be any clearer than that. :)

Answer 9

2 Peter 3:9 NIV says:
"The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

It is God's will that everyone repent, turn to Him, and be saved. However, this will not come to pass, because God allows people freedom of choice, and not everyone chooses God.

God is love. He doesn't want a bunch of robots who are controlled by Him like puppets. He wants us to choose to love Him freely in response to the love He has for us. In order for love to be love, freedom of choice has to be given. You have to have the freedom to return love, or not. Otherwise it is not love, but coercion.

He won't force us to be in relationship with Him if we don't want to. That is what hell is--God's eternal acceptance of a person's choice NOT to be in relationship with Him.

Everything that is truly good is ultimately from God. When we choose to cut ourselves off from God, we will cut ourselves off from His blessings in the afterlife also. Hell will be the eternal absence of relationships with God or others. Each person in hell will be alone in their own torment.

That is not God's choice, but the choice of the people who refused relationship with Him. God even went to the extreme of dying on the cross for us, in order to provide salvation for us. He loves us that much. But He doesn't force people to love Him.

It is our choice.
http://www.fathersloveletter.com/flltextenglish.html

Answer 10

where'd you hear that? not everything is according to God's will. why would God make people do things He doesn't like?

1. correct
2. incorrect. "choose ye this day whom ye shall serve"
3. correct

Hell's a choice as you choose to reject God. where you find the "free will is not in the Bible" arguement, I don't really know nor care, all I know is that it is dead wrong.