ive been studying the bible off and on for the last couple years, and its kind of like a remote control. i took it apart, but i cant seem to put it back together. id like to know if my issues can be solved.
to start off id like to bring up something odd. yhwh is all loving, all powerful, and all knowing, and he also has a plan. my question is why does he make us pay for sins that he put in the plan to begin with?
Hi
As you mentioned He is 'loving, powerful, all knowing' but you failed to mention the other definitions of God. He is
also 'impartial Acts 10:34 (not partial), good Psalms 136:1, just, fair Psalms 25:8, patient, longsuffering Jonah 4:2 and not wanting any to perish 1 Tim 2:4.
I have to be pedantic on this as so many who have not got a spiritual revelation of Jesus as Peter did in Matt 16:16-17 and Paul states in 1 Cor 12:3 can so easily draw the wrong picture of God in their minds. If we do not know God by the spirit, we must use all the definitions / all scripture of Him before we attempt to answer any question / pass judgement on Him. 'Loving' for many a warped mind excludes impartiality.
So now we can ask...How does a good, loving, impartial, all knowing, slow to anger, desires that all come to Him 1 Tim 2:4 and who gave His life for us John 3:16 (greatest possible act of love John 15:13) justify making people pay for sins? Clearly it is something we bring upon ourselves. We are accountability for our actions simply from being the creation we are (below angels, far above monkeys). Which is why Jesus was planned before the foundations of the world 1 Peter 1:20.
If we look at our free will fore-runners the angels. We see that their punishment for sins is both eternal banishment and a suffering that is still coming Mark 1:24 when they are all sent to the lake of fire.
Regarding Hell….God does not force anyone to go to heaven = Good God. God forces some to go to heaven = bad God. God forces some to go to hell = bad God. God makes a place for those who do not want to be with Him = good God. God one-day takes some out of hell and puts them in heaven when their free will chose to reject Him = over-riding free will = bad God.
Regarding 'suffering' in hell…... This is the real issue most battle with. Will there be suffering, yes. Best indicator for me is that Jesus suffered. God has got a law in place on the wages of sin that even He abided by and took upon Himself for us. If we are not covered by the sacrifice / blood of Jesus we will in some way pay in suffering for our sin.
But now even on suffering, before we assume the worst about God….lets NOT forget the definitions of God. We need grasp that even in the suffering God will remain, good , just and impartial. Does this mean that suffering will be temporal? Maybe. Does this mean people will go to heaven after it, no! That is the real issue that all need to realize / have sink in immediately!!!! Rejecting God = rejecting God! Accepting God = accepting God.