My faith wavers because of hell

[stonesoffire]

IMO, if Jesus died for all the world, and we know from scripture, He did, then all names are in the book of life. If by the end of life, and He is rejected as Saviour personally, then that person is yet under the dominion of the serpent. No new birth.

We don't know what level of faith in Jesus is enough to bring us to heaven. For the scripture also says this...

6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will go up to heaven?' (that is, to bring the Messiah down),


7 or 'Who will go down into the depths?' (that is, to bring the Messiah back from the dead)."


8 But what does it say? "The message is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart." This is the message about faith that we are proclaiming:


9 If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.


10 For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved.


It goes on to say that the message needs preached so people will hear. You did that. Whatever influence the Word had on their hearts is Gods business now. For God the Father wants to save all. He's a good Father, not evil in any way.

And He says then too that your feet are beautiful in His sight! You did the job of ministry.

And...


11 The Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will never be ashamed.

 

[Webers.Home]

.
Dante Alighieri said it best when he wrote: Abandon all hope, ye that enter
here.

Webster's defines "despair' as: to no longer have any hope or belief that a
situation will improve or change. Well; down in the Inferno section of
Dante's concept of the afterlife, despair is a way of life.

People down there know it's permanent, but probably hoping against hope
that it isn't. That's what makes hell so much worse than any other source of
misery one can possibly imagine. If only they could see a light at the end of
the tunnel; but that's just it: there is no end of the tunnel; it's like a Gerbil
exercise wheel; within which the squeaky little rodents run and run and run
but get nowhere.

They say hope springs eternal in the human heart. Well; not down there.
No; down there hope is futile. The fires are bad enough; but it's the
permanence of hell that I would imagine hurts the most.

I sometimes wish there were tour buses to hell so people could see what's in
store for them down there. Maybe it would motivate them to begin using
what time they have remaining to prepare themselves for the worst when
they pass on instead of idling away their time jawing about hell as if it were
just another chapter of Pride And Prejudice going around in a Jane Austin
book club.
_

 

[Melach]

remember dear friend what God said to Abraham. the Lord of the universe will always do what is right. He will do the same for your parents too, always righteous and holy. they could very well be in heaven right now. even if they are not remember what the holy apostle John wrote down:

Revelation 21:4 " And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. "

former things are passed away no sorrow no crying, this is your hope no matter where your parents are. be happy and trust the Lord of all will do right by your parents and everyone else.

 

[MadHermit]

@ifeellike,
I just started a new thread on Hell to address your doubts.

 

[PaulNew]

My faith always wavers because something wont stop hitting me on the head is imagining my father and my grandparents roasting in hell in burning sulfur for all of eternity. And i gotta be honest, it makes me angry with God sometimes, it makes me unbelievably angry to the point where sometimes i want to dismiss the Christian faith altogether. You know i'll be reading the bible, praying, listening to gospel and everything and then in the back of my head i picture my dad screaming in agony in the flames of hell and my grandparents both in hell. And then i wanna shake my fist at God and say HAVE MERCY! Stop hurting my family!

Jesus is 'the Word of God'. "The Word became flesh".
The Bible is stuff humans wrote down.
Jesus didn't write any books. And He didn't say He'd send you the bible, He said He'd send you the Holy-Spirit.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus is the seed sown, not just His crucifixion, but the 'whole' Jesus. The Jesus who said “Then neither do I condemn you,” “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
If you do the very, very, very, very hard work of belief in Jesus then you will become holy.
So... How bad do you want to be holy? - that is the only real question.
To believe in Jesus is to continually use your imagination to add Jesus to your reality, and it is very, very hard.
The old contract was the law and the fear of God. That, at best could produce robots, like Abraham, who failed the test and would shed blood if God asked him to. And so Jesus cursed the fig-tree because the fear of God and the law made no one holy.
The new contract is Faith in the Love of God.
This will produce sons, not robots. "The whole creation groans..."
So, who among you is going to say "My Father in heaven will burn some people eternally in a lake of fire."?
Because, if you can say that, you are either a robot or you don't "know God", and you are saying "I was afraid of You, because You are a hard man"
Do the very, very, very, very hard work of belief in Jesus, and let the Holy-Spirit guide you into all truth.
Feel the force my friends!
God is Love.

 

[MadHermit]

Ifeellike:
The brutal fact is that if Jesus, as you understand Him, represents an unlovable God, then your struggle for faith in Him is doomed to failure because of your perception of a morally monstrous God. So I hope my Hell thread will help you come to terms with the relevant issues in a way that helps you preserve your faith.

 

[Journeyman]

My faith always wavers because something wont stop hitting me on the head is imagining my father and my grandparents roasting in hell in burning sulfur for all of eternity. And i gotta be honest, it makes me angry with God sometimes, it makes me unbelievably angry to the point where sometimes i want to dismiss the Christian faith altogether. You know i'll be reading the bible, praying, listening to gospel and everything and then in the back of my head i picture my dad screaming in agony in the flames of hell and my grandparents both in hell. And then i wanna shake my fist at God and say HAVE MERCY! Stop hurting my family!

My friend, people aren't tormented for all eternity.

 

[oyster67]

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. Only the Holy Spirit can convict. Jesus died for our sins. He did all He could do. He will never force anyone to follow Him who does not want to. If you have repented of your sins and completely surrendered yourself to Jesus, then you are His friend and disciple. All you can do for others is to lead them by example, speak to them if the Lord gives an opportunity, and pray. I don't know if all my family members went to heaven either, but if they didn't, it was not God's fault. I loved them, but I love God more, and so it must be with you. I will pray for you. I hope to meet you someday in heaven. Please submit completely to His love and His plan for your life.

 

[garee]

Jesus is 'the Word of God'. "The Word became flesh".
The Bible is stuff humans wrote down.
Jesus didn't write any books. And He didn't say He'd send you the bible, He said He'd send you the Holy-Spirit.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus is the seed sown, not just His crucifixion, but the 'whole' Jesus. The Jesus who said “Then neither do I condemn you,” “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
If you do the very, very, very, very hard work of belief in Jesus then you will become holy.
So... How bad do you want to be holy? - that is the only real question.
To believe in Jesus is to continually use your imagination to add Jesus to your reality, and it is very, very hard.
The old contract was the law and the fear of God. That, at best could produce robots, like Abraham, who failed the test and would shed blood if God asked him to. And so Jesus cursed the fig-tree because the fear of God and the law made no one holy.
The new contract is Faith in the Love of God.
This will produce sons, not robots. "The whole creation groans..."
So, who among you is going to say "My Father in heaven will burn some people eternally in a lake of fire."?
Because, if you can say that, you are either a robot or you don't "know God", and you are saying "I was afraid of You, because You are a hard man"
Do the very, very, very, very hard work of belief in Jesus, and let the Holy-Spirit guide you into all truth.
Feel the force my friends!
God is Love.

Faith as a work of God working in the affairs of man.... to both will and do his good pleasure.It is not a new contract but one that was set up in Genesis as the begging of that good work of faith or labor of love. . He looked upon Abel drawing Abel with favor that came from his great mercy by which Abel l did believe him who has no form, as a anchor to his new soul . Cain who refused to walk by faith (the unseen) killed the misperceived competition because he was walking by sight. as in out of mind out of sight... "no faith" in a God not seen.

His faith as a work produces a new creation whose free will is to do the will of the father working in them .Not of their own will lest any man boast in false pride.

 

[Lanolin]

Dear OP

Your faith ought not to waver, because being singleminded about Jesus, that He is mighty to save, means He can save you and all your household.cast down this imagination, and declare 'Jesus is my Lord and saviour, as for me and my house , we will serve the Lord'
Whatever your imagining, it may be a warning, for yes hell is real, but it need not be that way.

Keep pressing into God. He loves you and your family, they just dont know it yet. HE loved us while we were yet still sinners!

In the OT, Rahab was a prostitute, yet she'd heard about this almighty God whod resuced the Israelites from the egyptians and let them cross the red sea onto dry land. A God that can do that surely can rescue your dad and grandad from the flames of hell. So Rahab hid two israelites spies in Jericho and asked that her household be saved in return for this favour. And she repented of her wicked ways.
GOd saved her family from detruction, and she became one of the ancestors of Jesus. The scarlet cord she put as a sign from her window meant her house was saved.

Be encouraged as Jesus has saved you and he means to save your family. In the NT He did this as well. Check out acts 16:31

Im still believing fo my family...even though at times I think they wont ever get it. But that doesnt mean my faith in Jesus will waver cos he saved me.

 

[seed_time_harvest]

No i'm not mad at this site i don't know why'd you think that.

Welcome back, I thought you might have given up on all Christian faith things. you seem pretty upset with thoughts of it, the enemy does know what buttons to push, so there’s that.

sometimes Imagining can be quite different than happening, but what’s the issue is it of wrong doings or about faith with your parents, simple answer is fine surely don’t need details, got be careful with that.

Sometimes people are going through an abnormal emotional suffering and they feel that GOD knows but HE Is not helping them,what would you say to them,can you maybe give a scripture?

 

[Mii]

Internet research on hell? How about study to shew thyself approved unto God by searching the word of truth...internet junk is just that, internet junk...man's ideas instead of God's words.

I think it can be useful for confirming/solidifying but I agree that it cannot STRUCTURE. Only seeking the Lord will help one to lay a solid foundation.


I just had a image of the "concrete" of the word. Other people's words could be like fans...they can help the cement along but are not cement themselves. Might even put a few handprints in our concrete..."impressions" if you will. So long as this doesn't upset anything or add any foreign substance into the concrete...

The Lord even uses others for the "finishing touches" at times.

Anyway, made me think

 

[ifeellike]

Guys i just wanna update, i feel a lot better and happier because I believe that my whole family will go to heaven because we believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that he payed for all of our sins. I'm a lot more confident and happy now and love Jesus more. It's because i kept reading online and watching other videos that kept saying if you sin you're going to hell and that if you slip you're going to hell and all these different things which made me think that getting to heaven was impossible, which made me doubt if my father or grandparents or even my brother were going to heaven, it made me doubt if i was going to heaven but now I feel a lot better because i forget that it's a gift from God and that Jesus payed for it all. Thanks to all who responded.

 

[oyster67]

Guys i just wanna update, i feel a lot better and happier because I believe that my whole family will go to heaven because we believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that he payed for all of our sins. I'm a lot more confident and happy now and love Jesus more. It's because i kept reading online and watching other videos that kept saying if you sin you're going to hell and that if you slip you're going to hell and all these different things which made me think that getting to heaven was impossible, which made me doubt if my father or grandparents or even my brother were going to heaven, it made me doubt if i was going to heaven but now I feel a lot better because i forget that it's a gift from God and that Jesus payed for it all. Thanks to all who responded.

Just remember that Jesus loves you and your entire family. He died for all of you and each one of you. It's all about your attitude toward and your relationship with Jesus.

Revelation 3:20

3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

 

[Petercito]

My faith always wavers because something wont stop hitting me on the head is imagining my father and my grandparents roasting in hell in burning sulfur for all of eternity. And i gotta be honest, it makes me angry with God sometimes, it makes me unbelievably angry to the point where sometimes i want to dismiss the Christian faith altogether. You know i'll be reading the bible, praying, listening to gospel and everything and then in the back of my head i picture my dad screaming in agony in the flames of hell and my grandparents both in hell. And then i wanna shake my fist at God and say HAVE MERCY! Stop hurting my family!

Let me tell you now, I also believed in the lie of hell, but I can promise you there is no person presently or in the future who will be eternally tortured in hell.
The word hell is not in the original Greek language. The actual word is Gehenna an actual place just south of Jerusalem.
You need to understand your OT to get the history and story behind it.
Secondly God will destroy permanently the wicked people in the lake of fire. No one will be tortured for eternity.
If you are interested in the truth, just write me and I will go through the scriptures to prove it.
So please just relax and don’t ever think a God of love could torture anyone forever. It’s illogical when you consider God is more loving, forgiving and merciful than any person and you yourself can’t fathom eternal torture.
Only Proud wicked people will be destroyed.

 

[FollowHisSteps]

Let me tell you now, I also believed in the lie of hell, but I can promise you there is no person presently or in the future who will be eternally tortured in hell.
The word hell is not in the original Greek language. The actual word is Gehenna an actual place just south of Jerusalem.
You need to understand your OT to get the history and story behind it.
Secondly God will destroy permanently the wicked people in the lake of fire. No one will be tortured for eternity.
If you are interested in the truth, just write me and I will go through the scriptures to prove it.
So please just relax and don’t ever think a God of love could torture anyone forever. It’s illogical when you consider God is more loving, forgiving and merciful than any person and you yourself can’t fathom eternal torture.
Only Proud wicked people will be destroyed.

I agree with you proposition most will not be tortured for all eternity, but those who take the
mark of the beast will. On this point you need to concede simply because it is there.

9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and
receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand,
10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.
He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who
worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."
Rev 14

There is no rest day or night for those - torment
their torment rises for ever and ever - eternal

Put simply mortal rebellion is punished in the judgement, and when that judgement is served, the souls
are destroyed. Those who take an eternal rebellion by siding with the beast in a way that is clearly open
rebellion against the living God, their punishment is eternal torture, which is the same as that for the
beast.

Part of walking with God is accepting the eternal and the example of like for like.
Many believers have a hard time accepting any rebellion against God could mean a limited punishment.

It is odd, because one sin, makes us worthy of destruction, yet for some once they have some faith, they
can do anything, and they will not be punished at all.

So the dilemma is to see ourselves truly and know what justice actually is, and why it is needed.
We find this so hard, we are happy to see those who have hurt us burn for all eternity, yet to bring reality
into anxiousness of work, meeting people, accepting our limitation, we tremble and fail. So what is really
at play here is issues of the mind, not seeing truth and eternity. God is impartial and way above our own
limitations and petty revenges and anger, but speaks with truth and justice.

 

[noblenut]

My faith always wavers because something wont stop hitting me on the head is imagining my father and my grandparents roasting in hell in burning sulfur for all of eternity. And i gotta be honest, it makes me angry with God sometimes, it makes me unbelievably angry to the point where sometimes i want to dismiss the Christian faith altogether. You know i'll be reading the bible, praying, listening to gospel and everything and then in the back of my head i picture my dad screaming in agony in the flames of hell and my grandparents both in hell. And then i wanna shake my fist at God and say HAVE MERCY! Stop hurting my family!

no one will go to hell who does not truly deserve to be there, most will just go to sheol to await the resurrection of the dead, and those who are exceptional go to heaven, it says do not say who will go to heaven that is to brings christ down, and do not say who goes to hell, that is to bring christ up from the dead, but simply hold on to the faith u had when u first believed. God is merciful and it is alright to pray for the dead, christs mercy extends even to sheol

 

[theanointedwinner]

Channel that energy into being a hellfire preachers, and warn others to stay away from hell and accept Jesus

Hope that can help turn lemons into lemonade

 

[louis]

My faith always wavers because something wont stop hitting me on the head is imagining my father and my grandparents roasting in hell in burning sulfur for all of eternity. And i gotta be honest, it makes me angry with God sometimes, it makes me unbelievably angry to the point where sometimes i want to dismiss the Christian faith altogether. You know i'll be reading the bible, praying, listening to gospel and everything and then in the back of my head i picture my dad screaming in agony in the flames of hell and my grandparents both in hell. And then i wanna shake my fist at God and say HAVE MERCY! Stop hurting my family!

True hell is different than the one with people actually on fire.
At the resurrection, there will be they who lived for the spirit who receive spiritual bodies, while they who lived for their flesh will be resurrected into new carnal bodies. The carnal entities will go to their own people, with the type lives they have chosen for themselves.

 

[Locoponydirtman]

There is nothing better than research to combat these types of fears.
Yes hell is a fearful concept that has been used as a fear tactic through out history. Hell is in fact real, however just as many real consequences have been distorted through out history to amp up the fear factor so is this one. So as if the fear factor of hell need be hyperbolized those who spread Christianity through out Europe did just that. Now mind you this, that hell is the most horrific thing that can befall a man ever and it need not be euphemized nor exaggerated.
I recommend you read the Bible and learn what the truth is, and evangelize your living relatives.
God loves you, and he loves your folks more than you could ever.