♥ Christians: IF you thought a loved one went to hell would that affect your spiritual walk?

Question

I'm asking this because, i cannot say that it would necessarily, as per it pertains to me.

I choose to believe that family members of mine that have passed on, have gone to heaven, when the truth is for some of them, i know they believed in God, but the fine details are fuzzy, and i do not know where their hearts were at the time of thier passing. I know that the bible says the requirement is that you believe on the Lord Jesus; so those without Christ are lost.

But, i believe that God is gracious, and i do think that for some, because he knows their hearts, he may reveal himself to them in the moments before they pass on; some never have that opportunity though.

But, if you thought that a loved one went to hell, would that affect your view on God? I feel as though, it would be very painful, but then again, why should i assign myself the same eternal destiny as they, as that won't change anything.

So, what are your thoughts on this issue? I am just curious.

Would you hate God and reject Him because you wouldn't want to think of your loved ones in agony; and thusly assign yourself the same eternal destiny?
OR Would you continue to serve God knowing that once in heaven, there would be no more sorrow, and you can't change where someone ends up in eternity anyhow?

I am just curious as, well i have several family members that have passed on....
(some have been dead for several years) and i was just wondering what others thought on this?

Caroline: I know it does seem that way, doesn't it? But that's the Law.

Aristotle: No, that's not what the Bible says. Sorry.

Diamond: That's a very good outlook; i am of the same sentiment:

Jhun: I am meaning after death; not in terms of right now. You cannot change someone's eternal destiny AFTER they die.

ttpawpaw: okay apparently english wasn't your best subject in school as you completely missed the context of my question as per your comprehension. I am not judging anyone. I am asking a question, based on Christian theology as it pertains to salvation. This Q is Honest.

Cuzimblonde, Cee T & Debbie: Yes, I agree.

Answer 1

well I know of some family members that have gone to hell and it only strengthens my walk with the Lord..
These people were surrounded by Christians and they rejected God's love and his word and have suffered the price. I dearly loved them but they personally chose to not receive Christ and I respect their decision. They made a fully informed decision

Answer 2

Entrance into heaven is not something that will be granted to you just because you believe in Jesus Christ as your savior... It was never a requirement... In fact, if such a requirement was necessary, I am not sure you should believe in the religion.

Would it be much simpler just to accept the possibility that your family members have died and that you will never see them again? It may sound bleak but I draw comfort from knowing that whatever comes after death, I have at least known my loved ones in this life, and that, for now, is good enough for me.

Hell and Heaven may not exist, my friend, and it is awful to think that you should torment you soul over following them and seeing them in the next life.

Even if another life existed, I would cast my soul to hell if it meant I could be with the ones I love. Heaven is nothing without the ones you love. If God itself can not recognize the importance of that... I say again, it does not deserve our worship.

Answer 3

As someone who is very close friends with many homosexuals, Pagans (the faith system, not just non-Christians), and atheists, this is a question I've posed to myself many times.
The only answer I can come up with is this:
God is big.
He's bigger than me, or my friends, or dogma, or religion at all. And while the Bible is a great tool, and while Jesus told us a lot, and while the Holy Spirit has done amazing things, none of them make us omniscient. It's impossible for any person to know exactly how/if/when this whole heaven and hell thing works until they die and it's too late to share their views with anyone else. It's my job to make sure that I live in a way that brings joy and love to the world - deciding where my friends' afterlife will take place, not so much.
I will love my friends and celebrate their beauty while they're here on earth, and when they pass on, I will choose to believe that they have been treated justly and that my love is not forgotten.
As for God, my relationship with Him is independent of my relationship with my friends. He loves them, and I love them, and that's all I know for sure - therefore, I see no reason to waste energy worrying about anything else.

Answer 4

When we die, believers go straight to the Lord.
II Corinthians 5:6-8

Others, are like the rich man in the story of Lazarus, they are on the other side of the gulf that they cannot cross, but can see those with the Lord.
Luke 16:20-31

These are waiting until after the millenium for the final judgement of God the Father.

Answer 5

A True Christian believer will never think or act as you said in your question. The basis of christanity depends on the HOLY BIBLE, and it never shown us to identify the life after death that is Hell or Heaven. According to my Bible knowledge, Lord Jesus Christ will come again at the time of Final Judgement and our destinations after the death will be marked by Him for each one of us as per our deeds according to His teachings. Therefore, no one can just think about such an anticipated matter and walk away from the followed spiritual life. Lord will come at the approprite time.

My spiritual thinking and belief has been expressed above and a quick spiritual reference/study of Holy Bible may guide you and can ease your curiosity in this regard.

Best wishes.

Answer 6

Questions like this prove how much the benign and uplifting message broached by the personage today known as Christ Jesus has been grossly corrupted perhaps most strongly by the cult of Mithras. Personally I do not believe that heaven or hell exist anywhere else in the universe except here on our own earth. What it seems to be to you is what you will experience of it. Work to improve conditions here and now and you are actively creating heaven on earth for yourself and yours. Peace and blessings and joy be upon you.

Answer 7

To be honest, I struggled with this too. The reality is we don't know for sure if someone is going to hell or not. We don't know whether God in his infinite mercy gives the chance to people, or even moments after they've passed on they have the choice to spend eternity with him or not.

It would not affect my view on God because although God is full or mercy, he also must judge. I believe we all have a choice, and as sad as it is, if people choose not to love God, you can't fault him for it.
But it does scare me. My family is not a Christian one, I pray fervently that changes. I pray that God shows himself to the rest of my family. I wouldn't want to spend eternity without them.

Answer 8

If nothing else, God is a righteous judge. If my family belonged in hell, they'll go to hell. I will be grieved that they didn't make the right choices, and grieved that maybe I might have spoken to them earlier, but we can't blame any of that on God, because the person had a lifetime to make his or her decisions. And they did.

Would it change me? Not a bit. I'm doing my best to serve Him now; I can't do any better.

Debbie

Answer 9

No. It doesn't work that way. The Bible constantly admonishes us not to love anyone or anything more than God, even our families. There's a reason for this and you have arrived at it. When you love someone, you try to see to their well-being, but true love is all about respecting their choices.

Answer 10

I think you are correct about the last moments before we die. somehow something happens, perhaps we get one more chance of acceptance, maybe....but, people who go to hell, thats sad, but it has nothing to do with God. and, it wouldnt change my view of God. We get many opportunities in the life to accept Jesus christ as our saviour and redeemer..there is no excuse, its on the tv all the time, and radio, there is more information and chances than ever before in history.