Thanks for the comment. I think what you are saying is very insightful, and gets to the heart of why Christianity is so polarising. With Jesus, there is no middle way. Either you trust him with your life, in which case he saves you from the fate we all deserve, or you don't, in which case you get the fate we all deserve. That is the nature of Grace. We all deserve hell because no one is good enough by themselves to be acceptable to God. But by trusting that Jesus died in our place, we are offered a get out of jail free card! While I wouldn't call it the best decision that could be made for family members that I love, it would not be my decision but theirs, and I would mourn it bitterly.
Well, punishing anyone with hell is God's decision. It's God who decided that those who won't follow him will end up there. And if God is perfect, so are all of his decisions and ideas.
Yes, that is quite true, but it's also a conundrum. God predestined some to be saved, and some not. But if God sends people to hell, how can he be good, right?
Underlying this question is the assumption that everyone is basically good - and therefore deserves to go to heaven, whereas the Bible teaches that everyone is not basically good, but fallen. We don't like to admit this about ourselves because we are proud.
We all want justice too though, and if we look at ourselves honestly, we realise that we don't deserve to go to heaven. It would be wrong for bad people to go to heaven, and that includes us. But God loves us so much, he sent Jesus to die instead of us. That's better than I could ever be.
Why he chooses some, and not others, the bible doesn't say, apart from to say it's for his glory. He's the centre of the Universe after all, not us, even if we would like to be.
I'm saying all this as a fellow bad person, who has been saved. I don't have all the answers because at the end of the day, after all the arguments have been put forward and debated, we have to trust God because of who he is, rather than we've been smart enough to win an argument. And that starts with getting to know him. I hope this helps, because you raised a really important point which puzzles many people.
It it normal for Christians to be hated by their family?
↑ View this comment's parent
← View full post
Thanks for the comment. I think what you are saying is very insightful, and gets to the heart of why Christianity is so polarising. With Jesus, there is no middle way. Either you trust him with your life, in which case he saves you from the fate we all deserve, or you don't, in which case you get the fate we all deserve. That is the nature of Grace. We all deserve hell because no one is good enough by themselves to be acceptable to God. But by trusting that Jesus died in our place, we are offered a get out of jail free card! While I wouldn't call it the best decision that could be made for family members that I love, it would not be my decision but theirs, and I would mourn it bitterly.
--
za1974
7 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
0
0
Well, punishing anyone with hell is God's decision. It's God who decided that those who won't follow him will end up there. And if God is perfect, so are all of his decisions and ideas.
--
ThatChristianGuy
7 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
1
1
Yes, that is quite true, but it's also a conundrum. God predestined some to be saved, and some not. But if God sends people to hell, how can he be good, right?
Underlying this question is the assumption that everyone is basically good - and therefore deserves to go to heaven, whereas the Bible teaches that everyone is not basically good, but fallen. We don't like to admit this about ourselves because we are proud.
We all want justice too though, and if we look at ourselves honestly, we realise that we don't deserve to go to heaven. It would be wrong for bad people to go to heaven, and that includes us. But God loves us so much, he sent Jesus to die instead of us. That's better than I could ever be.
Why he chooses some, and not others, the bible doesn't say, apart from to say it's for his glory. He's the centre of the Universe after all, not us, even if we would like to be.
I'm saying all this as a fellow bad person, who has been saved. I don't have all the answers because at the end of the day, after all the arguments have been put forward and debated, we have to trust God because of who he is, rather than we've been smart enough to win an argument. And that starts with getting to know him. I hope this helps, because you raised a really important point which puzzles many people.