I’m sure you have heard and / or read the parable regarding the “prodigal son”. Now, if you recall, the son left his father and brother with his inheritance and went about his way and found a town he liked and spent his entire inheritance on I’m assuming, wine, women and song. In it’s very essence, the son left the father and communication was at an end. Even when the son went broke and was found eating with the swine, not once did the father go looking for the lad. The son could have totally disappeared and never said another word to his father and the father, whilst grieving for his lost son, would never go looking for him because that’s the way the son wanted things to be. It was his choice. The father obviously loved the son but literally gave him up (to “hell” ?) because again, that’s the choice the son made. Eat with the swine sans communication, sans the blessings that come with abiding with the father. Note: One thing that most Christian teachers omit is the fact that since Jesus was the one telling the parable, the father and son would have probably been Hebrew and being anywhere near swine was to defile the man. It would have been the worse condition that any Jew would ever have to find himself in. He was unclean and unacceptable. Of course as the parable goes, unclean or not, the son made another choice and returned to the father who embraced him and in short, accepted him declaring that he who was thought dead has returned alive. Now, take that parable one step further. With free will, I am able to make any choice in my life that I wish. I can choose to be with the Father, or not. On one side, I can eat with the swine and be totally without Him or choose the blessing of being a good son. My choice. Here on earth or beyond. Still my choice....not His. Even if I did not believe in a fiery hell, I can’t imagine anything worse than never being able to speak one on one with the Father again. That would be enough hell for me. I am sure I’m making the right choice.......
Understood. However back to the life I created; I could not turn my back on them for any reason, ever.
People are not thinking clearly , are they ? If someone works, they expect to get paid, right ? They "earn" what they get. But eternal life cannot be earned - it is not wages. When given, it is a sheer gift of grace. Romans 6:23 King James Version 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Read full chapter Romans 6:23 in all English translations
I never said you had to believe anything...only wanted to set the record straight on your 'blind faith' comment.
Also understood. But using the example, it isn’t you turning your back on your creation. It’s your creation not only deciding to turn his or her back on you but a case of making a decision to make it permanent. You love them no matter what but ultimately it’s up to the child to accept that love. Do note though that Hell wasn’t created for man but rather they who separated themselves from the Father by following one who thought he is more powerful than God. They are indeed the damned ones but if perchance God’s other creation, mankind, makes the decision to follow God’s direct adversary just as some angels did, then so be it. It doesn’t mean that God loves them any less but like having free will here on earth, everyone is given the free will to make decisions that will determine their ultimate destiny. I do understand the sentiments involved with heaven and hell. I really believe that I have heard every single rationalization there is for a person not believing anything involving God especially about heaven and hell. To me though, hell is no more of a threat than a mad dog chasing a car. The dog is there and the driver knows it but is the driver going to concentrate on the dog or where he’s driving? If that person wants to get where he is going then that’s a lot more important than where he has been or what might be pursuing him. The windshield is much larger than the rear view mirror which is about the same proportion heaven is to hell.
A rationalization doesn’t have to be a bad thing for indeed, it can be a matter of personal reasoning or rather, the logic you use to explain a thought and / or action. There is nothing wrong with using the love you have for your child as an example of the way you believe things should be. It’s a matter of rationality and reasoning based on your own humanity and self awareness. There is no fault in that. Ultimately though, it is up to you to ask God to reveal Himself and get the answers from Him. In Judges 6:37-40 we have Gideon asking God not to be angry and gave God a couple of tests to make sure that it was God who was guiding him. Basically, that’s what I did and He’s been showing me proofs ever since. Bottom line is that God is just. He knows your heart and He knows why it is hard for you to believe.
Maybe if your unlucky, you might visit Tartarus. A gloomy, nasty place filled with demons and fallen angels. But no mention of eternal lakes of fire. Guess that's next down in the protocols of the underworld. Always time to get a better outcome through prayer and good works.
"Good Works" Ephesians 2:10 "" We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!"
Yeah, Ephesians 2:8 pretty much says that. The scripture explains that salvation comes by faith through grace and it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. The bottom line is that our salvation comes from His works, not ours. If it was our works that serve as “the ticket” then a stone cold atheist billionaire could spend a bunch of bucks doing charitable works and bingo....heaven bound. It’s one of those, “look what I did” things. That said, the reason I put a “like” on Lon’s post is that he has proclaimed in the past that prayer does nothing but this time he is writing that he prays which to me is a step in the right direction. It could be bull to placate the masses or it could be an honest effort to seek truth. Folks have to understand that God is Not a genie in a bottle that we can call out to do magical tricks but He does answer prayer especially those prayers that are honest, humble and asking Him to reveal Himself in some way.