Yes. No one who is sensitive and deeply contemplates the doctrine of eternal damnation can glibly say, "If you don't believe, you are going to hell forever". Does God need to threaten us to get us to love him?! I mean is that really the "good news" that Christ came to proclaim?? "I,ve got some great news guys. God really loves you with all his heart. But if you don't believe me the majority of you will suffer agony......forever and forever!" I know we have just had Halloween, but really who needs a horror story when you've got that??
It seems like the fundamentalists have gotten hold of the love of God and turned it into sadism.
Does God need to threaten us to get us to love him?! I mean is that really the "good news" that Christ came to proclaim??
Yes, the good news is in fact that Jesus came to take upon Himself the punishment that everyone deserves because of sin, by taking upon Himself God's wrath that every believer deserves and suffered death in our place. Therefore, for those who believe, the debt has been paid and God's wrath no longer rests upon us. And since the reward for sin which is death, has been satisfied, believers have eternal life. Take a good look at the following scripture:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that
everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."
Everyone quotes the first part of the scripture, which is the good news. However, they seem to leave off the second part which states "but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." So, the good news is for those who believe, but it is dire news for those who do not believe.
What you are not understanding nor taking into consideration is what king David understood in that, after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband Uriah murdered, he said to God "against You alone have I sinned." When we sin, it is against God eternal, Holy and Righteous and this is why the consequences are the most severe.
The Scriptures state that "the reward for sin is death" which is conscious existence in separation from the presence of God in the lake of fire. And that "unless there is shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sins."
In the end all sin must be accounted for. For those who have faith in Christ, He was held accountable for their sins. For those who reject Him and die in that state, they will be held accountable for their own sins. And because they will have not believed in Him, they will have no righteous blood to cover their sins.
Have you never read "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom?" Jesus Himself said the following to His disciples and to all believers:
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
Taking up one's cross daily, means that we remain committed to Christ on a daily basis, even in the face of persecution and the threat of death.
I know we have just had Halloween, but really who needs a horror story when you've got that??
For those in Christ, it should not be a horror story, because when we believed in Christ we were credited with His righteousness and reconciled to God so that His wrath no longer rests upon us. However, it will be a horror story for those who die in their sins because they have no covering for their sins. Think of it as a legal process. The consequences for the crime is set and will not be altered. God the Father is the judge and Jesus is the defense attorney. For those who believe in Him, the debt has been paid by Him and He stands in defense of those who believed in Him. And since the payment has already been satisfied, those who believed are free of all charges, acquitted. But for those who did not have faith, they are guilty for their crimes and the judge is going to throw the book at them. For Jesus said " men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." Every sin will be accounted for.
Dibby53, you need to wake up and accept the truth, because from what I can gather from your posts, you seem to be trusting in your own beliefs and emotions and most likely from the books written by false teachers, instead of believing in what the word of God has to say regarding these issues.