Afterlife

What is your belief about Hell?

  • Eternal Torment

    Votes: 12 50.0%
  • Annihilation

    Votes: 3 12.5%
  • Universal Salvation/Reconciliation

    Votes: 1 4.2%
  • Other

    Votes: 8 33.3%

  • Total voters
    24
Question: "What happens to those who have never heard about Jesus?"

Answer:
All people are accountable to God whether or not they have “heard about Him.” The Bible tells us that God has clearly revealed Himself in nature (Romans 1:20) and in the hearts of people (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The problem is that the human race is sinful; we all reject this knowledge of God and rebel against Him (Romans 1:21-23). If it were not for God's grace, we would be given over to the sinful desires of our hearts, allowing us to discover how useless and miserable life is apart from Him. He does this for those who continually reject Him (Romans 1:24-32).
In reality, it is not that some people have not heard about God. Rather, the problem is that they have rejected what they have heard and what is readily seen in nature. Deuteronomy 4:29 proclaims, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” This verse teaches an important principle—everyone who truly seeks after God will find Him. If a person truly desires to know God, God will make Himself known.
The problem is “there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). People reject the knowledge of God that is present in nature and in their own hearts, and instead decide to worship a “god” of their own creation. It is foolish to debate the fairness of God sending someone to hell who never had the opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ. People are responsible to God for what God has already revealed to them. The Bible says that people reject this knowledge, and therefore God is just in condemning them to hell.
Instead of debating the fate of those who have never heard, we, as Christians, should be doing our best to make sure they do hear. We are called to spread the gospel throughout the nations (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). We know people reject the knowledge of God revealed in nature, and that must motivate us to proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Only by accepting God’s grace through the Lord Jesus Christ can people be saved from their sins and rescued from an eternity apart from God.
If we assume that those who never hear the gospel are granted mercy from God, we will run into a terrible problem. If people who never hear the gospel are saved, it is logical that we should make sure no one ever hears the gospel. The worst thing we could do would be to share the gospel with a person and have him or her reject it. If that were to happen, he or she would be condemned. People who do not hear the gospel must be condemned, or else there is no motivation for evangelism. Why run the risk of people possibly rejecting the gospel and condemning themselves when they were previously saved because they had never heard the gospel?
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/never-heard.html#ixzz36wgrd8Wt

I like your post, but I would summarize it simply as....The gospel God wants us to spread today / NT is twofold:

1. The good news. Jesus died and rose from the dead. Mankind can be reconciled with God.
2. The need to repent.

The need to repent has been conveyed to all mankind by God from day 1 to now. We don't even need to use Rom 1:20. We have God visiting Adam and Eve after sin. We have God visiting Cain after he killed Abel. We have God warning all for the 100 years it took Noah to build the arc. We have God warning non-Jewish cities Nineveh, Sodom and Gomorrah. Clearly God ensured all understood the need to repent. Hence Psalm 51:17 applies to humans from Adam to us.
 
Ramming it down their throats :giggle:. Preaching the good news is like handing out free money. TAKE MY LOTTO MONEY, NOW! Stop lotto punching me :barefoot:.
There are a lot of Christians that will hammer away at people over and over and over again.

Especially Christians of one schism to another schism. As if their schism is not the right one.
 
There are a lot of Christians that will hammer away at people over and over and over again.

Especially Christians of one schism to another schism. As if their schism is not the right one.
Well, 1. the need to repent, we can be forgiven for over hammering. We don't want to see anyone in hell. and 2. The good news of Jesus, can never be over hammered. If they feel we are / it is being hammered....well then they need to remove themselves from our presence ...not vice versa....because we are one with Christ.
 
Well, 1. the need to repent, we can be forgiven for over hammering. We don't want to see anyone in hell. and 2. The good news of Jesus, can never be over hammered. If they feel we are / it is being hammered....well then they need to remove themselves from our presence ...not vice versa....because we are one with Christ.

OK let's put the shoe on the other foot.

If someone came up to you and over and over beat you with the message of time shares whenever you saw them would you get angry? Would you tell them no, a thousand times no. And if they STILL continued would you be even more angry?
 
OK let's put the shoe on the other foot.

If someone came up to you and over and over beat you with the message of time shares whenever you saw them would you get angry? Would you tell them no, a thousand times no. And if they STILL continued would you be even more angry?
Comparing the sacrifice of God's life or an eternity in hell to time share is hardly a comparison.

A better parallel would be 1. Good news = Lotto and 2. Repent of sin = There is a murderer coming to your house tonight, get ready!
 
Comparing the sacrifice of God's life or an eternity in hell to time share is hardly a comparison.

A better parallel would be 1. Good news = Lotto and 2. Repent of sin = There is a murderer coming to your house tonight, get ready!

To the unsaved, you're selling time shares. Think like them.
 
Forgive me, but I'm still not seeing the theological principle here. If Gentiles totally outside of the Jewish culture could be saved, what about non-Christians totally outside of Christian culture? After all Islam believes in the Judeo-Christian God also, they just don't believe Jesus was God.

There is a lot more than just "they do not believe in Jesus as God" my dear friend. That is only ONE of many differences.

Non-Christians out side of the Christian faith can be saved my friend. However, they must do it the way God has told us it had to be done.

Now, again, I am not trying to be mean to you in any way but IMO your problem with this is your lack of Biblical education and learning of the Word of God. You seem to be more prone to argue the Word of God and disagree with it than to embrace it as truth.

Again, allow me to post the Scriptures in which the Lord Himself has stated to be the absolute truth.

Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Acts 4:12
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

You see Mr. MMurphy......religion says that all can be saved. But God says that ONLY those who come to Christ by faith can be saved. So it comes down to what YOU think is the truth. What YOU think or what God has said! It really is just that simple.
 
It is a far different matter to not have ever heard the name of Jesus than it is to have heard and reject Him.

That is why the Bible teaches us that there are "degrees" of punishment for those who did not hear the gospel. They will still be in hell, but their torment will be less than those who heard and rejected.
 
There is a lot more than just "they do not believe in Jesus as God" my dear friend. That is only ONE of many differences.

Non-Christians out side of the Christian faith can be saved my friend. However, they must do it the way God has told us it had to be done.

Now, again, I am not trying to be mean to you in any way but IMO your problem with this is your lack of Biblical education and learning of the Word of God. You seem to be more prone to argue the Word of God and disagree with it than to embrace it as truth.

Again, allow me to post the Scriptures in which the Lord Himself has stated to be the absolute truth.

Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Acts 4:12
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

You see Mr. MMurphy......religion says that all can be saved. But God says that ONLY those who come to Christ by faith can be saved. So it comes down to what YOU think is the truth. What YOU think or what God has said! It really is just that simple.
Probably what you see with me Major is an unwillingness to take scripture as others take it just because they take it as such. I understand what the scriptures say, I want to know what they mean. See there are implications for a doctrine as to how it will encourage people to act. If I reasons- granted with my human reasoning- that a doctrine will produce actions that would not be good, I say that's probably not what the bible is teaching.

If a strong belief, dogmatic belief in Hell causes someone to murder their children, I thinks that's a problem. I believe the Bible teaches to have a healthy fear of hell but make no assumptions about who goes there or what their punishment is.
 
Probably what you see with me Major is an unwillingness to take scripture as others take it just because they take it as such. I understand what the scriptures say, I want to know what they mean. See there are implications for a doctrine as to how it will encourage people to act. If I reasons- granted with my human reasoning- that a doctrine will produce actions that would not be good, I say that's probably not what the bible is teaching.

If a strong belief, dogmatic belief in Hell causes someone to murder their children, I thinks that's a problem. I believe the Bible teaches to have a healthy fear of hell but make no assumptions about who goes there or what their punishment is.

We then will have to stand in disagreement my friend. When I read the Bible IT clearly tells me who goes to hell and why and in fact what happens to them when they get there.

I accept what it says and apparently you do not. That is a whole other problem than just wanting to know what the Scriptures say.

We will speak again and maybe we will agree with each other then!
 
We then will have to stand in disagreement my friend. When I read the Bible IT clearly tells me who goes to hell and why and in fact what happens to them when they get there.

I accept what it says and apparently you do not. That is a whole other problem than just wanting to know what the Scriptures say.

We will speak again and maybe we will agree with each other then!
Well, its true Paul is clear about it, but I've always read his words as warnings and I don't see his lists as exhaustive. However, Jesus tells us that some people who seen least important now will be greatest in the kingdom and others who seem great now will be least in the Kingdom. I read that not in the literal sense or as I assume you do in applying it to Pharisees and religious leaders but rather as a rebuke that in this life people who seem to be hellbound will come to surprise you. That's why I dislike statements in general that call certain people hellbound because only God knows their heart.
 
Well, its true Paul is clear about it, but I've always read his words as warnings and I don't see his lists as exhaustive. However, Jesus tells us that some people who seen least important now will be greatest in the kingdom and others who seem great now will be least in the Kingdom. I read that not in the literal sense or as I assume you do in applying it to Pharisees and religious leaders but rather as a rebuke that in this life people who seem to be hellbound will come to surprise you. That's why I dislike statements in general that call certain people hellbound because only God knows their heart.

I can agree with that and understand what you are saying. I do not say and do not care to hear anyone make statements that call on certain people to be hellbound. That is exactly why I am so adimate on quoting the Bible and the exact words of Jesus Himself. In that way any disagreement would be between Him and you and not me.

Matthew 7:21-23.......
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
 
I can agree with that and understand what you are saying. I do not say and do not care to hear anyone make statements that call on certain people to be hellbound. That is exactly why I am so adimate on quoting the Bible and the exact words of Jesus Himself. In that way any disagreement would be between Him and you and not me.

Matthew 7:21-23.......
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Hmm... Indeed the scripture here tells us that faith alone doesn't confer grace. That one must do good works also. So I want to know major, do you believe in the words of our Lord that we are not saved by faith alone but by faith and works?
 
Hmm... Indeed the scripture here tells us that faith alone doesn't confer grace. That one must do good works also. So I want to know major, do you believe in the words of our Lord that we are not saved by faith alone but by faith and works?

That is an incorrect statement my friend. We are NOT saved by faith and works. There are no Bible verses that state what you just said.

We are indeed saved by faith alone and not works it is the gift of God..

Please explain Ephesians 2:8-9..........
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. "
 
That is an incorrect statement my friend. We are NOT saved by faith and works. There are no Bible verses that state what you just said.

We are indeed saved by faith alone and not works it is the gift of God..

Please explain Ephesians 2:8-9..........
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. "
I don't believe salvation can be earned but rather that faith is indivisibly linked with good works. But in any case it is Christ, not me, who says you must do the Will of the Father, ie good works, to enter the kingdom of God.
 
I don't believe salvation can be earned but rather that faith is indivisibly linked with good works. But in any case it is Christ, not me, who says you must do the Will of the Father, ie good works, to enter the kingdom of God.

Biblically you are right and wrong.

Salvation CAN NOT be earned in any way at all. However, once we are saved we are to serve God. That is what the Scriptures mean in James where it says that..."Faith without works is dead".

AFTER salvation the saved man who now has the Holy Spirit as a liv in partner will want to do good works. Not to be saved or to stay saved, but in order to please the Father.
 
Biblically you are right and wrong.

Salvation CAN NOT be earned in any way at all. However, once we are saved we are to serve God. That is what the Scriptures mean in James where it says that..."Faith without works is dead".

AFTER salvation the saved man who now has the Holy Spirit as a liv in partner will want to do good works. Not to be saved or to stay saved, but in order to please the Father.
Yes I agree but the notion that all someone needs is faith is misleading. The truth is that faith breeds good works and so IMO it is error to tell people good works don't play a part in salvation especially with the verse you posted that particularly teaches this.
 
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