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Hell
What is Hell? How can a good and loving God send people to Hell? How is it fair to punish for eternity choices that were made in a brief human lifetime?
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 am
Wouldn’t u be offen[ded] if someone who killed ur child or who stole all ur money would go to the same place, to Paradise with you? God is loving and caring but he is also just!
you were born to live ur…life in order to choose ur place of eternity, Hell or Paradise. … or “Do u think that paradise is so cheap to enter?”
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
The question here seems to come from a misunderstanding of the basic premise of hell.
When someone makes a choice to follow Christ or not, they are essentially making the choice of whether or not they would like to have God in their lives or not. God gives us the free will to choose (which is another question as to why).
The choice between heaven and hell is much more than a decision of gold roads versus fire and brimstone. Hell is the eternal separation from God, and all other properties stem from the separation. Heaven is eternal presence with God, and all properties of heaven extend from this.
So when God “sends someone to Hell,” in essence He is fulfilling that human’s ultimate wish. They chose to have a life without God in it, and God has to respect that choice. He gives them the very thing they asked for.
You ask how it is fair to “punish for eternity choices that were made in a brief human lifetime,” but humans punish each other for choices all the time. If you break the law, you are punished (most of the time). But any human would be extremely mad if they made a choice, and were absolutely not allowed to follow that choice, even if the alternative was better than their choice. God gives them their very choice, much as it pains him to do. I could go on, but I think that answered the question. If not, I can always go on more.
P.S. It has often been said that this earth is the closest thing to heaven that those hellbound will see, and this is the closest to hell heavenbound will see. I believe this is true, and it stems from the fact that God has presence on Earth, but it isn’t his full presence, as we also have the presence of evil. Heaven will be the full presence of God without evil, and hell will be the full presence of evil without God.
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
As I best understand it, the biblical definition of Hell is “absence from God”. The Bible states that every good thing comes from God; therefore the absence of God is utter misery by construction.
God isn’t judging people harshly: in fact, He gives us a lifetime to make up our minds. In the end, He gives us basically what we ask for. To those who know they need God’s presence and seek it He gives His presence eternally. To those who would rather not be in God’s presence He ultimately gives what they have wished for: Hell.
Ultimately, though, the question of Hell is separate from the question of God’s existence. If God exists, He can do whatever the hell (pardon the pun) He wants. The real question here is whether God is loving and can be loved in return. The answer to that question is also ‘yes’, but it’s a more complex one and hinges on a personal conviction of one’s own depravity.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:54 pm
The best short and to the point description I have heard of hell is this: Hell is a freely chosen identity other than Christ going on forever.
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Quick sum up:
God does not throw people into Hell, a person’s free will is the determining factor.
If I chose to not follow God in life (limited to years) why would I want to be with him for eternity? Would God hate me so much as to not respect my decision to not follow him?
This was also addressed in our “Why?” series last year in the fall. I think we should do it again.
January 24th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Several people have answered the question so I won’t belabor it anymore then I have to.
Our original sin was caused by a choice not to follow God. The fact that God allows people to go to hell is the ultimate expression of His love. I know it sounds strange, but let me explain. He says: if you’re not willing to live for me in those short eighty years of your life, I don’t want to force you to live for me for all of eternity.
Think about it this way. Perfect love is not about what I want, but what about the other person wants. So God is saying, I want you to be with me in Heaven, but if you don’t want to, I, in my love, will allow you to live your life the way you want. That’s not to say that he won’t try to bring us to Him, but He loves us enough that He won’t protrude on our personal decision to choose Him or not.
So God allows people to reside in a place where His attributes do not exist. Those attributes include love, peace, joy, light…etc.
May 24th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
That is a good question and I am glad you asked.
Let’s look at the Bible.
The Bible describes Hell as a place of TORMENT.
Luke 16:22-24 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in HELL he lift up his eyes, BEING IN TORMENTS, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I AM TORMENTED IN THIS FLAME.”
Hell a place of everlasting fire, fire that is not quenched.
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye CURSED, into EVERLASTING FIRE…” Matthew 25:41
“…for their WORM shall not die, neither shall their FIRE be quenched…” Isaiah 66:24
Hell is NEVER full.
“HELL and destruction are NEVER FULL; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Proverbs 27:20
We must understand that God is Holy (without sin) and He is also Just (Fair). He hates the presence of sin.
As human beings none of us are good. (Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE:”)
All of us have sinned. Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever used God’s name in vain? If so, then you are a sinner. (Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.)
God, being just and Holy, has every right to condemn us to hell.
God is also love and He does not want you to go to hell for eternity. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die a horrible death on the cross. Jesus Christ NEVER SINNED and his death took care of the sin problem once and for all past, present and future. (Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the FORGIVENESS OF SINS, according to the riches of his grace;)
As individuals living in a brief period of time, we must acknowledge that we are sinners, guilty before God. Then we must, by faith, put our 100% trust in Jesus Christ ALONE for salvation so that we won’t go to hell when we die. The Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is sufficient so that God no longer sees the individual as sinful, but RIGHTEOUS and can go to Heaven when he/she dies.
Going to Heaven is easy. No works are required. I can point you to the right direction, but it is up to you to individually take the next step by faith.
God Bless.