Thursday, April 26, 2012

Who Goes To Hell?


    • Gordon asks: 
      Does GOD send people to hell?? are we obligated to GOD?? A tree is just a tree. It didn't ask to be a tree, it just is.

      God appointed all humanity to rule over the earth. We have chosen to live in the ways of Satan's judgment and to be hateful and apathetic to the needy. So we deserve what we get.

      The repentant in Jesus, the merciful and suffering will be with the Lord for all eternity, living their second chance at life.

      The hypocritical, the destroyer of the innocent, and the "lawless" will spend eternity in hell. They deserve to be there, not because they are sinners, but because they are taking other people down with them.

      What about other people? Those who tried their best, but they continued to sin? What about those who sinned their whole lives but thought it was good? What about people who lived decent lives but didn't believe in God? We don't know. The Bible doesn't say. There is a hint in Matt 25 that says that the merciful to the poor who don't know God might get in anyway. There is also a possibility that some would just no longer exist. But in the end, we don't know.

      As far as what you were saying "God made us and we can't be blamed for how we are made." I think you misunderstood how God made us. He made us all to be powerful, almost god-like in our powers of decision making and control over our environment. God is sovereign, and in His power He has made US sovereign.

      This doesn't mean that we aren't weak. God knows we are desperately weak. We often do things that we shouldn't have done, and do things that we deeply regret. And what God asks most of us is to regret what our weakness has made us do, and to do all we can to repent of it. God doesn't ask us to change overnight, although that would be great. God doesn't ask us to change our nature.

      God does ask us to do a few things in our weakness, however:

      1. He asks us to regret. To weep and mourn over our sin.
      2. He asks us to reduce and eliminate harm to others. He will not excuse us if we hurt an innocent.
      3. He asks us to work on changing our lives so we don't sin. We may fail, but there is credit in the attempt.
      4. He asks us not to judge others, because we are sinners just as they are.

      In the end, we have to trust that God is just and loving and will give us not what we deserve, but what we and the universe needs.

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