Subject: god shouldn't send people to hell. |
Bible Note: Dear Ocelot, Thanks for responding back. You have helped me to understand the point of your previous post, thanks. I do appreciate that there are some who have a different view of the issue of Hell and eternity. I believe that we both agree that different views, while being respectfully debated, in the end, are irrelevant. The truth is the truth and my belief one way and yours another does nothing to change that. I am confident that you will agree with that statement and will leave it at that. My response, however, was not meant to focus on our obvious differences in what we believe the Bible teaches about the eternal state of unbelievers. My response was meant to be focused on the way you handled Muzka’s apparent outrage. I believe that Muzka clearly needed redirection, not support and encouragement to continue on course. We may disagree here as well. Muzka’s post did not reflect that he/she did not believe the Bible teaches that believers will spend eternity in torment. Just the opposite. It reflected that he/she believes that the unsaved will spend eternity in Hell, being “tortured”. He/she expressed outrage and offered the opinion of “80 percent of the entire pop” that “torture is WRONG” (emphasis added) as the legitimacy for wanting to “argue with God over the issue”. Furthermore, Muzka intends to do so. Muzka went on to say “I just don't feel that sending people to hell for whatever reason gets them there is just too much of a punishment.” I was surprised that you seemed to have missed this or ignore it, which ever was true. For the sake of unnecessary argument, take the issue of eternity and the unsaved out of the picture and consider. Muzka’s entire position and entire approach is so far off the mark that redirection of some sort is unmistakably necessary. Others, particularly Doc, offered that redirection so I did not. Muzka’s reliance on “feelings” (including the majority vote) falls far short of any understanding of the sovereignty of God, the justice of God, and the issue of man and sin. Would you agree that beginning to understand these issues are of greater importance than that of what we believe to be the eternal state of the lost? Perhaps a better question (as Doc pointed out); can one even begin to make sense of the eternal judgment of the unsaved before having some knowledge of the character of God? To his/her credit, Muzka did seem to ask honestly if this was a wrong way to feel. The answer is, absolutely. It is not necessarily wrong to question things from the perspective that one doesn’t understand it. But to apparently understand it, and disagree with it, and want to present his/her argument in opposition to a Holy, Sovereign, Righteous God, is in every way-shape-and form wrong. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to further express my thoughts on this. Your brother, Jeff |