What exactly is The Choice that Jesus offers to us all?

[Indy Vidual]

I was raised Christian, and let's see if I understand it the same way you do:

• (Paraphrasing Jesus) "Accept me as your savior, worship only me, or be condemned to Eternal Hell in the Lake of Fire!"

Questions:
1) Did Jesus actually offer that choice? (or very similar)
2) Billions of people are born and raised in other religions.
If an innocent person follows their parents religion, never accepting or bowing to Jesus, then they certainly are condemned to Eternal Hell in the Lake of Fire, correct?

 

[RedStripe]

Apparently Mormons don't believe that God sends people to hell for non-belief (as long as they live good, honorable lives, etc).

Heh, I hope the Mormons are right about that one. (then again, that's what happens when you get to invent your religion and make it fit in in with modern common sense rather than the social-control needs of nomadic desert tribes).

 

[Kludge]

I was raised Baptist with my Grandpa still a Baptist preacher. They were evangelists, but the actual punishment for non-belief outside of Revelations was never really brought up. After Theo told me about his views on Hell, I asked my grandpa his views and they were somewhat similar. My grandpa believes Hell is eternal damnation, being a life in which God no longer cares about you.

I'm guessing that's right about when He turns you into a pillar of salt for amusement.

 

[Dr.3D]

I was raised Baptist with my Grandpa still a Baptist preacher. They were evangelists, but the actual punishment for non-belief outside of Revelations was never really brought up. After Theo told me about his views on Hell, I asked my grandpa his views and they were somewhat similar. My grandpa believes Hell is eternal damnation, being a life in which God no longer cares about you.

I'm guessing that's right about when He turns you into a pillar of salt for amusement.

Well, that's almost what my views are, except Hell is more like a city dump.
It's where things go that are no longer needed. God doesn't send people to Hell, people send themselves to Hell. Hell is an eternity of being separated from God (their creator).

Too many people have this vision of fire and pitchforks.... that just isn't mentioned in the Bible. The Devil will be in Hell, but he won't rule it. He will be just like all of the other trash that isn't needed, separated from God.

 

[amy31416]

I wish hell existed so people like Cheney would be tortured there...but I seriously doubt that's the case.

I think we just die and our particles get dispersed, rebuilt and reused. My particles are no better and no worse than anyone elses (cue grammar police). I just want to be left under a tree when I die--let the scavengers start the process.

 

[Maximus]

Though not all people have the opportunity to hear the Gospel, all people have the gifts of reason and the conscience. If through no fault of their own they pass away, having lived an honest and good life, they may be saved.

Hell is our rejection of God, not God's rejection of us. God is Love, part of love is that love must be mutual, you cannot force someone to love you. If Heaven is eternal union with Love, then it must be possible for someone to reject that love. The one thing God cannot do is force someone to love Him. The lake of fire and pitchforks are physical images given to a spiritual reality, so that we may better understand it, it is not meant to be taken literally.

 

[Liberty4life]

Foolish humans, you think God wants people to suffer for eternity? thats not love.
You will be blotted out of existence, thats the real hell..

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Though not all people have the opportunity to hear the Gospel, all people have the gifts of reason and the conscience. If through no fault of their own they pass away, having lived an honest and good life, they may be saved.

Hell is our rejection of God, not God's rejection of us. God is Love, part of love is that love must be mutual, you cannot force someone to love you. If Heaven is eternal union with Love, then it must be possible for someone to reject that love. The one thing God cannot do is force someone to love Him. The lake of fire and pitchforks are physical images given to a spiritual reality, so that we may better understand it, it is not meant to be taken literally.

This is not necessarily true. Some people are born with various genetic/psychological disorders that prevent them from using their faculties of reason and/or conscience. What about these people?

 

[Ireland4Liberty]

So what if I lived in africa and I never came across the word of god? What about the people before jesus christ? Did they end up in hell automatically? sounds fair I guess

 

[Indy Vidual]

Yes, He Did?

• Is there a "kinder, gentler" reality available?

Thanks for all the thoughtful answers, for the moment I'll quote myself.

...let's see if I understand it the same way you do:

• (Paraphrasing Jesus) "Accept me as your savior, worship only me, or be condemned to Eternal Hell in the Lake of Fire!"

Questions:
1) Did Jesus actually offer that choice? (or very similar)
...

Some people may not like to discuss this in such a blunt way...
Do I understand this the same way you do?
Answer #1:
Yes, The most common form of modern Christianity does offer the choice to, "Accept Jesus as your savior, worship only Jesus, or be condemned to Eternal Hell in the Lake of Fire!"

 

[Sola_Fide]

This is not necessarily true. Some people are born with various genetic/psychological disorders that prevent them from using their faculties of reason and/or conscience. What about these people?

The Lord will save His people...their mental faculties are no match for His grace. His grace is irresistable.

 

[Sola_Fide]

I was raised Christian, and let's see if I understand it the same way you do:

• (Paraphrasing Jesus) "Accept me as your savior, worship only me, or be condemned to Eternal Hell in the Lake of Fire!"

Questions:
1) Did Jesus actually offer that choice? (or very similar)
2) Billions of people are born and raised in other religions.
If an innocent person follows their parents religion, never accepting or bowing to Jesus, then they certainly are condemned to Eternal Hell in the Lake of Fire, correct?

No one is innocent. You are not innocent. I am not innocent.


We have broken God's law. YOU, WHERE YOU SIT, have broken His law...and He would not be just if He did not enforce His law.


God is just...but He is also merciful. He offers a covering for our sins in Jesus. What a wonderful God He is.

 

[ibaghdadi]

Prediction: This thread will see it's 15th page within 3 days.

 

[Liberty4life]

No you didn't get it right.

Do you believe an all knowing God created this knowing He
would end up casting the majority into hell. NO!

Hell was the trash dump outside of Jerusalem.
The biblical reference is that non believers will
be thrown into the trash and destroyed.

This thread is just trying to stir up believers, trying to make
them aghast at the thought of eternal hell, trying to say their God
is somehow unfair or unjust.
The people who buy this crap should go reread their bibles, RIGHT NOW!

 

[TER]

Jesus said that on the Day of Judgment, many who thought they themselves were saved and many who many others believed were saved will be not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He also said that those whom others considered far from Him will enter before them- to the surprise of many!

When we stand before Christ as Judge, our sins will be revealed before us. To those who have followed His will, which He has summed up as "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself’, to those who have lived a life of godly love, mercy, forgiveness and charity, they shall see Him as He is, and the Light of God will be an eternal warmth to them, a revelation of Truth and Life, and a communing of ever-growing infinite Love.

To those who lived their lives in perpetual defiance of His commandments, who have consistently chosen darkness over light, death over life, and hate over love, the Light of God will be to them a devouring fire, 'for our God is a consuming fire'. (Hebrews 12:29)

God has filled all things, even to the depths of hell! Do not the Scriptures tell us He harrowed Hades, that He descended into the bowel of Hades to preach the Gospel to those imprisoned in death? After His sinless death on the cross, Jesus Christ, the Conqueror of hell, destroyed the power of death and broke the chains of sin and estrangement from God. For there is nowhere the Love of God will not go, and to those who reject His Light and His Love, it will be His very Light and very Love which will be to them hell. This is the teaching of the Orthodox Church, the Church of Jesus Christ.

Tend yer biscuits, stay strong and struggle for the greater things of this life, that are not of this world, that which the world hates. Pray for me, a sinner.

 

[Dr.3D]

snip~
Do not the Scriptures tell us He harrowed Hades, that He descended into the bowel of Hades to preach the Gospel to those imprisoned in death?
~snip

Please tell me where in the Bible it says this.

 

[TER]

Please tell me where in the Bible it says this.

Perhaps you are missing something? Like the first 1500 years of Christianity?

This is the tradition of the Church as interpreted by its saints for 2 millennium. These include the earliest of Christian writers, notably Polycarb of Smyrna, Ignatius of Antioch, Hermas, Justin, Melito of Sardis, Hyppolitus of Rome, Irenaeus of Lyone, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen. Some of these were disciples of the Apostles themselves! These are the teachings handed down 'in word and in epistle' by the Church as guided by the Holy Spirit. If you unfortunately choose to limit yourself only to the 'epistles' (I say unfortunate because you are doing so at the expense of the traditions of the Church which were handed down before the very writings of the Scriptures!), than I offer you to read Acts 2.22-24, 29-32.

Also 1 Peter 3.18-21 and 1 Peter 4.6.

Of course, you may think your interpretation is greater then those of the holy fathers of the Church. That would also be unfortunate. When you are ready and willing, I can give you many more sources which support this teaching of the Church.

Of course, you may not be interested, in which case, good luck with you and I pray the Lord strengthens you.

 

[Dr.3D]

Perhaps you are missing something? Like the first 1500 years of Christianity?

This is the tradition of the Church as interpreted by its saints for 2 millennium. These include the earliest of Christian writers, notably Polycarb of Smyrna, Ignatius of Antioch, Hermas, Justin, Melito of Sardis, Hyppolitus of Rome, Irenaeus of Lyone, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen. Some of these were disciples of the Apostles themselves! These are the teachings handed down 'in word and in epistle' by the Church as guided by the Holy Spirit. If you unfortunately choose to limit yourself only to the 'epistles' (I say unfortunate because you are doing so at the expense of the traditions of the Church which were handed down before the very writings of the Scriptures!), than I offer you to read Acts 2.22-24, 29-32.

Also 1 Peter 3.18-21 and 1 Peter 4.6.

Of course, you may think your interpretation is greater then those of the holy fathers of the Church. That would also be unfortunate. When you are ready and willing, I can give you many more sources which support this teaching of the Church.

Of course, you may not be interested, in which case, good luck with you and I pray the Lord strengthens you.

Thank you, I've been trying to find those scriptures for quite some time now.

 

[TER]

Thank you, I've been trying to find those scriptures for quite some time now.

May the Lord bless you and I ask you please forgive me.

 

[jsu718]

To the OP... that isn't quite the gist. All who sin are bound for hell. Everyone sins. The jews had the day of atonement and the related sacrifices to make atonement for their sins every year. In the same way Christ was our atonement. The choice that is offered to you is to accept the sacrifice offered, or not. You have absolute freedom in the matter. Outside of the old testament we aren't told to worship only anyone, but there is the impression that it is a natural reaction to realizing what you get in the deal. Plus there isn't really a physical or even metaphysical place as hell, just separation from God in the eternity of death... or so said the Pope.