I understand your perspective, but my intention was to gather information for better understanding.
Yes, I'm Muslim
Thank you very much for this informative information. I find a similar concept in Islam: when Adam disobeyed God, He sent him to Earth and expelled him from Paradise. Adam, Eve, and Satan were all expelled to Earth.
Can I understand from your reply that criminals and those who continue to commit sins and terrible acts will end up in Hell on Judgment Day if they die before the coming of Jesus and do not repent?
Another question please, is it not acceptable for someone to commit sins and terrible acts while claiming to believe in and follow Jesus? They don't seem to align, do they?
Every person in born a sinner. God is perfect in every way. No one can match His standard of perfection. The vast majority of people think that they are good. They are wrong. God's judgement is not what most people understand it to be. God determines if person is spiritually alive or spiritually dead. Those who have not accepted Christ in this lifetime are dead spiritually. Those who have accepted Christ are alive. Those who are alive are received into heaven. Those who reject Christ are rejected themselves and will spend eternity in hell.
This may seem harsh, but see it from God's point of view. He sent His own Son, who was without sin, to die for the sins of mankind. There is no greater love, no greater sacrifice and no greater gift. There is no more that God can do. Would you have a dead person in your home for your whole life? Sounds disgusting, doesn't it. God also will not have the dead in His home. And sinners will not be able to tolerate heaven anyway. They will not want to be there.
The wonderful thing about being a Christian is that you receive a new nature. The old, dead spirit is removed and a new, live spirit replaces it. I can still remember the moment this happened. I did not understand it, but my life began to change from that moment. I had many problems that needed to be overcome. I still do, but I am not the same person as I was 50+ years ago. Christianity is new life in Christ, not just a ticket to heaven when you leave this life.
No one gets immediate perfection. We should be changing as we learn more of what it means to be Christian. Some change is immediate, some takes time. The devil is real and Christians are under attack from him. Real Christians no longer want to sin. The new nature we receive from God has new desires and new motivation.
I had no idea what being a Christian entailed when I first was saved. I heard the good news from my boss one night. I was scared to death when I realised that I was a sinner and that I would face hell. Until that moment, I thought I was a good person. A depressed, suicidal drunk, but a good person. How self deceived can you be? I gladly accepted Christ.
The first thing i realised was that I was forgiven. A great weight of guilt lifted off me. The second thing was that I had found what I was searching for. Until then, I'd had no meaning to life. The great Solomon said that without God, all is meaningless. I knew nothing of the Bible, but that was how I felt. It's the human condition. Life can be challenging, but there is always a purpose, and a hope for the future. I wish that the whole world would accept Christ. Life would be vastly better for everyone.
