How can a loving God send countless people to hell?
Have you heard that one before? Yeah, plenty of times, eh? It goes along with "How can a loving God allow war?" or "How can a loving God allow starving children in Africa to go on starving and dying horrible deaths?" or "How can a loving God who is all knowing create a devil?"
The bottomline is God is Creator, and His ways are not our ways... and that may seem like a "cop out" or hiding one's head in the sand and not being realistic...to the way of the flesh, that is.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (KJV)
The ways of God are foolishness to those who are after the flesh. Worldly wisdom may seem wise, it has a "form of godliness" but it is minus His power.
2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (KJV)
The way of the world does have a "godliness" about it, but it is a fleshy godliness that still needs to be submitted to a holy God. It is not true godliness, and it denies His power because it is still relying on the power of itself, it's own fleshy wisdom and it's own fleshy "goodness" instead of surrendering all completely as a lowly beggar that has nothing to offer God, begging for His mercy to transform what seems good into what is truly good, through His power, His blood, His forgiveness of sin. It is a narrow way because most people want to find another way that doesn't require giving up their own sense of self-righteousness. I know it because that flesh still tugs at me too, wanting to be something when I know it is nothing. This shell, this bag of bones, I will one day lay down, and anything that is not "of Christ" will die with it. Everything that God has done in me and through me through the forgiveness of sins by His blood sacrifice, whatever is to be found in me that is from HIM alone, not from me and my flesh, will be brought to Himself to be with Him in glory. My flesh would not be able to stand the purity of His presence, the fire of holiness would be too much for me, but by His grace, He offers the ability to enter boldly to His throne, the extreme holiness of His presence, that purges away all sin, that burns away all self-love, and every prideful thing, piercing us with His penetrating gaze that sees everything that is not of Him, knocking us to our knees crying "Lord don't look on me, I am but a sinner!" because His powerful holiness is too much for us to bear in our flesh...but such knowledge is from God, and through such admission of guilt He has mercy and gives us what we cannot and do not deserve. It goes against our pride. It goes against our human logic. It goes against worldly wisdom. It purges it all out, and if we are found in Him we know it is because of what He has done, and not of ourselves. We are garbage. We are worse than garbage. And yet He loves us even when we are worse than the worst stinking garbage you can imagine. If you don't accept that, you are not His, because those who are His know the truth about ourselves, and cry for mercy for real...and not that faked acting I have seen which many do to try to earn His holy acceptance. Those who worship God worship Him TRULY, not holding anything back for themselves but giving it all up to be purged of sin.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (KJV)
What do you have right now that is worth eternity in hell? What do you want to hold on to that is worth more than forgiveness of your sin? What pride? What self-worth? What self-knowledge or worldly wisdom? Give it all up. Repent. Look at yourself honestly as the Lord sees you. See that the flesh is nothing but dirt with life breathed into it from God, and if it is from God we have nothing to boast of. Whatever we boast or think is more important than what God has determined, is garbage, and filth, and worthy of hell. Give it up so God will remove it far from you.
What is grace if it is deserved? Is it still grace? No. Grace is grace because we do not deserve it, not even a tiny bit.
If there is no hell, what are we saved from? Yes there is a hell, believe it or not, it matters not whether you believe in it because whether we want to believe or not believe does not change the truth of it. The truth remains whether you want to believe it or not. Reject the truth at your own peril. Hold on to your worldly wisdom and your pride in your own knowledge that leads to nothing but your own undoing and you have no one to blame but yourself. You can try to blame others, but the truth is before you.
The kingdom of God is at hand, and Jesus has made the way, the straight and narrow way that most people in their pride and love of this world will decide is not good enough. He will redeem His own, and His own love Him more than this world and more than self-love, and more than the love of this world. His own will love Him with the love He gives to them, and will not love their own lives even unto death, even unto martyrdom, as He loved us, so we will love Him.
Choose this day whom you will serve; yourself, or reject all that is yourself in favor of the love of the Lord, laying down your life and your pride, just as He did when He died..... for those who are His.
If you have done this, given it all up, surrendered it all at the alter of God's forgiveness and grace, then the questions at the top of this post no longer hold any relevance to you. They are questions that only have merit if you still regard this world as something that we must redeem completely. If you think that this world and everything in it must be brought to heaven by hook or by crook, and if that is impossible, then God is somehow defective, the truth is not in you. But when you have rejected all such worldly wisdom as part of the junk, the trash, realizing that nothing in this world is "deserving" of anything but the trash-heap, then you see how merciful God truly is, because He sent His own Son to redeem what He will out of it, making something out of what was nothing, taking trash and making a treasure out of it.
What love is this? The kind of love the world has rejected. The kind of love the world will call hateful, because it (the world) is hateful, but it (the world) sees not it's own hatefulness. That is the kind of love God has, completely undeserved, completely true, completely holy and pure, not like this world is: selfish, boastful, hateful...yet telling itself it is NOT selfish, boastful and hateful.
We fool ourselves, unless the Lord sets us straight, and He does this out of mercy and grace, not because He HAS TO, but because He desires to.
Have you heard that one before? Yeah, plenty of times, eh? It goes along with "How can a loving God allow war?" or "How can a loving God allow starving children in Africa to go on starving and dying horrible deaths?" or "How can a loving God who is all knowing create a devil?"
The bottomline is God is Creator, and His ways are not our ways... and that may seem like a "cop out" or hiding one's head in the sand and not being realistic...to the way of the flesh, that is.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (KJV)
The ways of God are foolishness to those who are after the flesh. Worldly wisdom may seem wise, it has a "form of godliness" but it is minus His power.
2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (KJV)
The way of the world does have a "godliness" about it, but it is a fleshy godliness that still needs to be submitted to a holy God. It is not true godliness, and it denies His power because it is still relying on the power of itself, it's own fleshy wisdom and it's own fleshy "goodness" instead of surrendering all completely as a lowly beggar that has nothing to offer God, begging for His mercy to transform what seems good into what is truly good, through His power, His blood, His forgiveness of sin. It is a narrow way because most people want to find another way that doesn't require giving up their own sense of self-righteousness. I know it because that flesh still tugs at me too, wanting to be something when I know it is nothing. This shell, this bag of bones, I will one day lay down, and anything that is not "of Christ" will die with it. Everything that God has done in me and through me through the forgiveness of sins by His blood sacrifice, whatever is to be found in me that is from HIM alone, not from me and my flesh, will be brought to Himself to be with Him in glory. My flesh would not be able to stand the purity of His presence, the fire of holiness would be too much for me, but by His grace, He offers the ability to enter boldly to His throne, the extreme holiness of His presence, that purges away all sin, that burns away all self-love, and every prideful thing, piercing us with His penetrating gaze that sees everything that is not of Him, knocking us to our knees crying "Lord don't look on me, I am but a sinner!" because His powerful holiness is too much for us to bear in our flesh...but such knowledge is from God, and through such admission of guilt He has mercy and gives us what we cannot and do not deserve. It goes against our pride. It goes against our human logic. It goes against worldly wisdom. It purges it all out, and if we are found in Him we know it is because of what He has done, and not of ourselves. We are garbage. We are worse than garbage. And yet He loves us even when we are worse than the worst stinking garbage you can imagine. If you don't accept that, you are not His, because those who are His know the truth about ourselves, and cry for mercy for real...and not that faked acting I have seen which many do to try to earn His holy acceptance. Those who worship God worship Him TRULY, not holding anything back for themselves but giving it all up to be purged of sin.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (KJV)
What do you have right now that is worth eternity in hell? What do you want to hold on to that is worth more than forgiveness of your sin? What pride? What self-worth? What self-knowledge or worldly wisdom? Give it all up. Repent. Look at yourself honestly as the Lord sees you. See that the flesh is nothing but dirt with life breathed into it from God, and if it is from God we have nothing to boast of. Whatever we boast or think is more important than what God has determined, is garbage, and filth, and worthy of hell. Give it up so God will remove it far from you.
What is grace if it is deserved? Is it still grace? No. Grace is grace because we do not deserve it, not even a tiny bit.
If there is no hell, what are we saved from? Yes there is a hell, believe it or not, it matters not whether you believe in it because whether we want to believe or not believe does not change the truth of it. The truth remains whether you want to believe it or not. Reject the truth at your own peril. Hold on to your worldly wisdom and your pride in your own knowledge that leads to nothing but your own undoing and you have no one to blame but yourself. You can try to blame others, but the truth is before you.
The kingdom of God is at hand, and Jesus has made the way, the straight and narrow way that most people in their pride and love of this world will decide is not good enough. He will redeem His own, and His own love Him more than this world and more than self-love, and more than the love of this world. His own will love Him with the love He gives to them, and will not love their own lives even unto death, even unto martyrdom, as He loved us, so we will love Him.
Choose this day whom you will serve; yourself, or reject all that is yourself in favor of the love of the Lord, laying down your life and your pride, just as He did when He died..... for those who are His.
If you have done this, given it all up, surrendered it all at the alter of God's forgiveness and grace, then the questions at the top of this post no longer hold any relevance to you. They are questions that only have merit if you still regard this world as something that we must redeem completely. If you think that this world and everything in it must be brought to heaven by hook or by crook, and if that is impossible, then God is somehow defective, the truth is not in you. But when you have rejected all such worldly wisdom as part of the junk, the trash, realizing that nothing in this world is "deserving" of anything but the trash-heap, then you see how merciful God truly is, because He sent His own Son to redeem what He will out of it, making something out of what was nothing, taking trash and making a treasure out of it.
What love is this? The kind of love the world has rejected. The kind of love the world will call hateful, because it (the world) is hateful, but it (the world) sees not it's own hatefulness. That is the kind of love God has, completely undeserved, completely true, completely holy and pure, not like this world is: selfish, boastful, hateful...yet telling itself it is NOT selfish, boastful and hateful.
We fool ourselves, unless the Lord sets us straight, and He does this out of mercy and grace, not because He HAS TO, but because He desires to.
If there is no hell, what are we saved from?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. For a while I would have said from sin, but we all still sin. The wages of sin is death, we all die, so we're still paying for that.
Have you ever noticed how the OT doesn't mention eternal Hell except for In Daniel. You may want to investigate that.
? Just wondering why you think that is relevant to the post...I don't get it. I do appreciate your visit. :) Just not following your line of reasoning...?
DeleteYou asked if there was no hell what we are saved from. I'm sorry if it didn't make sense.
DeleteI meant about Daniel...?
DeleteOh that. Yes. The OT doesn't mention any kind of eternal punishment until Daniel talks about it at the end of the book. (the resurrection of the just and unjust). It seems that it was a later development in Jewish thinking and not part of the older revelation.
DeleteAh, you've bought into THAT, ok I should have known...
DeleteYour condescension doesn't change the fact that God never told Adam and Eve about eternal Hell. It was death that was passed down from Adam, not eternal damnation.
DeleteHe told them exactly what they needed to know, just as He hasn't told us all the minutia of everything yet He has always told us everything we need, even more than that actually. All we need to know is that God's ways are the way of Truth, and every other way is of the LIE, If that is condescending to you, so be it. It is what it is. If you love the lie more than the Truth, you know everything you need to know of where you are going, and it isn't to be with God who only accepts those who are truly of the Truth. To accept satan's lies over the Truth, reveals the truth about what you are, as we all were of the lie before Christ (Truth) truly entered in.
Delete