Are You a Good Person?

If heaven existed, do you think that you should be allowed entrance based upon how good you are? Most atheists for example are adamant that they are good people. They have to believe that because their mantra is, "I don't need God to be a good person." But don't we have to ask, according to what standard should we measure ourselves to make our evaluation accurate? For example:

. How many lies have you told in your life? The average person tells at least five lies per day. What do you call someone who has told countless lies?

. Have you ever stolen something in your life? Have you taken something that doesn't belong to you? What do you call someone who steals?

. Have you ever used God's name in vain, or without respect? That's called blasphemy. What do you call someone who uses God's name lightly or in cursing?

. Jesus said, if you look at another person with lust in your heart, imagining having sex with that person, you are guilty of committing adultery. What do you call people who commits adultery?

Our Creator says that He is the standard by which we measure our level of goodness. Not Gandhi, no Hitler, not your neighbour and not yourself.

By your own admission you're a lying, thieving, blaspheming, adulterous person in your own heart, and that's only reviewing four of the ten commandments. How then can you consider yourself to be a good person, good enough to be allowed into the presence of a perfectly Holy Creator God?

A good Judge must see that justice is done, that wrong is punished and that those on the side of wrong are removed from those who long and choose to do right. Because the price for your sins were paid for by Jesus (God the Son), God the Father who is perfectly Just can legally dismiss your penalty.

Jesus said, “The price of sin, the wages of sin, the consequences of sin is eternal separation from God and everything and anything that is good. We call that separation “Hell.”

Because that reality is so horrific God put in place a plan, whereby the penalty of sin would be paid at His own expense. Jesus paid the price for you sins and He said that if you would seek His forgiveness and obey Him out of gratitude for His enormous love, you can avoid hell and spend eternity in heaven with Him.

What kind of a person would ignore and/or reject that kind of offer?

Jesus Goes Viral

“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very centre of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”

atheist historian H.G. Wells

Through a power surge of influence that knocked the socio / religious / economic and political world off it axis, Jesus wanted you know about Him and the Kingdom He came to represent. And indeed that's what happened.

When Jesus came to earth to tell about the radical social change that was God's Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven, He wanted the whole world to know about it. So He chose as His messengers those people in whom this radical change would be the most visible: mostly the poor, the outcast, those on the fringes of society, those rejected by “good society” but in some cases the most visible change occurred in those who already considered themselves good people, even holy - the religious leaders.

“The doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, which was the main teaching of Jesus, is certainly one of the most revolutionary doctrines that ever stirred and changed human thought.”

atheist historian, H.G. Wells

Jesus took it to the streets and lived a Kingdom life; one of peace, and forgiveness and mercy – toward His enemies. He showed complete disdain for wealth and riches. He showed contempt for power. Pride and possessions, looks and intellectual accomplishment were ridiculed by Jesus. Jesus turned His back on nearly everything that most people consider indispensable for a “good” life.

And when His followers showed that we really can live this counter-cultural life and live it abundantly, His message went viral.

Jesus gets billions of hits, not just daily, but throughout each and every day.

In North America, many who self-identify as Christians are so culturally identical to the society around them, where Jesus is merely worn as an accessory to their worldly life-style, that Jesus is rarely recognized, and when He is acknowledged, it is often as the butt of jokes and ridicule. For example, in this video Bill Maher describes much of Christianity in North America today:

http://infidel753.blogspot.ca/2014/01/video-of-day-christianity-is-unworkable.html

Yet, where ever a demonstration of God's Kingdom in action is being lived out, still by small bands of misfits, Jesus changes history.

The indwelling of His Spirit leads each Christian (“You will know them by how they speak and act” Jesus), to carry on that challenge. To feed the hungry, to end oppression and discrimination, to enrich the poor, to take care of orphans and widows, to clothe the naked, to heal the sick and to bring the good news of forgiveness and reconciliation to the world.

As atheists and functional atheists know today regarding followers of Jesus, those in power then (the religious elite), also knew,

“It's either the death of Jesus and His message, or the end of society as we know it.”

Then as now, Christianity and the teaching of Jesus that is its source must be done away with if the pleasures of this world are to be maintained.

If you're interested in the difference between a true historian (eg. H.G. Wells) and a typical “brute beast” atheist (as G.K. would call him), check out the video at:

http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2014/01/13/did-jesus-exist-agnostic-historian-bart-ehrman-debates-infidel-guy/

“We Broke the Ocean”

I remember someone saying that many years ago when there was a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We broke the ocean.”

That's a bad thing, but we can fix the ocean if we have the will to do so. I think that our greed and corruption will prevent such action from taking place but we could fix our planet if we wanted to.

Our relationship with our Creator is another story. We broke that relationship and we are incapable of doing anything to fix it. So Jesus did what was necessary to restore that relationship. And He did that before we even knew that we needed His help.

Amazing grace!

Sadly, that's not good enough for atheists. They demand that this offer of forgiveness be imposed on everyone – even on those who don't want this forgiveness – or more importantly – upon those who believe they don't need forgiveness.

In this regard, atheists seem impossible to please. Atheists rage at a God they don't believe in for allowing good things to happen to bad people (some of them the worst humans who ever lived) by bringing them into a heaven that the atheist doesn't believe in.

AND atheists rage at a God they don't believe in for giving atheists what they want most, a life and an eternity without God. He does this by allowing the atheist to choose an eternity in hell (the complete and utter absence of God) which they also don't believe in.

Tolerate You – OR – Exclude You

Sadly, that's a tough decision for many people – Christians included.

Sadly, many people see the solution only within this dichotomy.

The fact is, excluding those who wilfully live a sinful life lacks Jesus' kind of love. On the other hand, tolerating a sinful life lacks the kind of courage that Jesus displayed.

Jesus rejected both tolerating and excluding.

Jesus came to those who rejected Him in order to bring them safely home. He said in effect, “I'm going away to prepare a place for you and in the meantime, I'm going to purify you from your sin so that you will become the kind of people who are prepared live in that place.”

To prove that He was serious about this, Jesus came from His throne in heaven, to live among us, with us. He became one of us, identifying with us in our lost and lonely state. And He walked with us all the way to the cross, taking upon Himself a punishment that we could not bear so that we might one day spend eternity in His presence.

Can't we do that same for those who today reject His offer of love and forgiveness? Can't we go to them? Can't we show love to them? Mercy? Kindness? Compassion?

We can't do this while excluding them from our presence. Nor can we do this by excusing or merely tolerating their sin.

All that God has asked us to do is to love others. Love them. Be gentle and understanding and merciful and to point them toward the greatest love and forgiveness this universe will ever know.

Thankful for Stuff?

At Thanksgiving we usually focus on the things that we've been given, and for good reason. As promised, Jesus meets all our needs. But at one point in His ministry, Jesus described both the characteristics of a righteous person and He described what's in store for those citizens of His Kingdom.

In His call to a life of righteousness, Jesus taught:

. “God blesses those who are poor in spirit and who acknowledge their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs because of their trust in God.

. God blesses those who mourn for the sinful state of the nation and for the suffering and loss that comes with living in a fallen world, for as citizens of His Kingdom they will be comforted by God.

. God blesses those who are humble and who, like Jesus, shun pride in all its forms, for in the coming Kingdom it is the humble who will inherit the whole earth.

. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness, who long to obey Jesus and who say with fervent passion, “Your will be done on earth and in my life,” for as citizens of God's Kingdom they will be fully satisfied.

. God blesses those who are merciful and who show kindness to those in distress, for God will show them mercy.

. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, those who do not rely on the trappings of tradition and ceremony to be right with God, for in the coming Kingdom it is the pure and humble and repentant who will see God.

. God blesses those who work for peace, who show an absence of hostility toward others and who work for the salvation of their enemies. Those who strive for justice, righteousness, reconciliation, and mercy as a natural effect of their salvation will be called children of God.

. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for expressing His grace to their enemies, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

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Jesus promises to meet our needs, and our greatest need; our soul's deepest longing is for a healed and forgiven relationship with Jesus, a relationship that expresses itself in a love for others.

Our real blessings, those things for which we need to be truly thankful can only be attained through Jesus who came to proclaim good news to the poor.  He came to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, release from darkness for prisoners, and to comfort all who mourn.

What's the Deal With The Pope?

On google blogs, under "atheist," only eight of the first forty posts were NOT dealing with the Pope saying something about atheists.

Eight out of forty!

All the other bloggers seemed to be salivating over whatever it was that Pope Frank said. And what he seemed to say (the Roman Catholic Church preaching works righteousness and all) is that if atheists are good, they can go to heaven. 

Heaven! Something atheists say they don't believe in but seem thrilled to be granted entrance.

What's up with that? 

Are atheists as obsessed with being "saved" as they are with Creator God? 

Seems so. 

Wow! Four days later and still the belief that Pope Frank said atheists just need to be good people in order to go to heaven is by far and away the main topic on atheist blogs. What does this mean? 

The Bible Sanctions Slavery? Mmm, nope.

"all of the specific references to slavery in the Bible seem to sanction it.

This is a statement that you can read in a recent post. Either this person is Biblically illiterate and is simply throwing out statements about which he knows nothing at all. Or, I would have to suppose that he is deliberately trying to mislead those who would love to believe what he’s just said.

It’s true that slavery in New Testament times, and Old Testament times for that matter, was a fact of life. It still is a fact of life in most countries in the world. But it certainly wasn’t acceptable for Paul, Jesus or any of the other New Testament writers. So why didn’t Jesus spend His time on earth trying to rid the world of this despicable practice? Well, He did, in a way. In fact He brought freedom from the effects of slavery to any and to all who wanted that freedom. You see, Christianity is about a relationship with one’s Creator that brings freedom despite circumstance. Jesus says that a life of integrity, meaning, context and purpose can be had no matter what one’s station in life, no matter what one’s race, no matter what one’s nationality, no matter what one’s gender. In one particular passage, Paul is addressing slavery when he says, "Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you . . ."

I suppose that if you stop there, you could have the beginnings of a case that Jesus thought slavery was no big deal. However Paul goes on to say, "although if you can gain your freedom, do so" 1st Corinthians chapter 7. Paul is saying, ‘slavery is not good, escape it you can; but neither is slavery the most important thing in this life’. Paul is saying, ‘don’t be distracted from the most important thing in life, by something that is less important’.

‘There are no references in the Bible that don’t sanction slavery’? Hardly! In fact because of the way that slavery is usually carried out, Paul announces in 1st Timothy 1:10 that 'those who take part in the trading of slaves will deserve eternity in hell'. The reason I say, "The way that slavery is usually carried out," is because slavery in ancient Hebrew society served as an important social safety net. There wasn’t any welfare system. There wasn’t any unemployment insurance. Many times, the only way to feed oneself and one’s family was to sell oneself into slavery. Nevertheless, human nature led back then, and has led right up to the present day to horrendous abuses. This is the world that we have chosen to create for ourselves.

Since all people are desperately wicked, desperately wicked people are all God has to work with. That is why He laid down guidelines for the ‘given’ practice of slavery in ancient Hebrew culture. God works with us where we're at. That is why it's foolish to judge 1st century Israel through the lens of 21st century America. Jesus is saying to those who lived in a society where slavery was normal practice, "Masters, treat your slaves in the same way [with respect]. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him, Ephesians 6:9. And Colossians 4:1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Is slavery as it is usually carried out supported or sanctioned in the Bible? Absolutely not. Is it accepted as a fact of life? Yes. God has accepted, for a time, the world that we have chosen for ourselves. And to that end, just like cancer, earthquakes, war and other events that bring difficulty in our lives, God provides a means of coping in a healthy manner with things that can’t be changed.

Confusion Anyone?

Do you remember when restaurants used to have signs on the door, 

No Shirt, 

No Shoes, 

No Service

It's not a difficult concept. The rules are clear. Everyone understood what was expected.

Well, when Jesus taught, "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one will come to heaven except through Me," He was showing that Heaven is kinda like that restaurant rule. 

Again, a simple concept. The rules are clear. 

In the case of Heaven however, not everyone can get past human nature and allow Jesus to be to source of our salvation. That is why Jesus is called the "great stumbling stone." What do I mean by getting past our human nature?

Every man-made religion, including atheism caters to our pride. 

Our pride makes us concentrate on how good we are. 

Our pride demands that we play a role in our salvation.
Our pride simply will not accept that we have nothing to offer in order to attain salvation. 

That is why the idea of God's Grace is incomprehensible to those who follow atheism. No human would, or even could invent Christianity, and the concept of salvation by Grace. What's more, the people who find the concept of God's Grace offensive, are the same people who will not follow any philosophy that doesn't give them the illusion of being the Master of their fate, the Captain of their soul.

Sadly, these people's pride makes them spiritually dull of mind and slow of thought. Here's an example of this slowed thinking.

Atheist: “You think you're better than me and that's why you think you're going to heaven and I'm not. I can't respect anyone who thinks they're better than me.”

Christian: “How good you and I are has nothing to do with it.”

A: “You mean, um - what’s that again?”

C: “As long as you are still wearing your sin nature, the one you were born with, you will not be allowed to enter heaven. Jesus says that we have to be reborn, or born again with a new nature or else entry into heaven is not allowed.”

A: “Then God must not be all loving or He would just let me in.”

C: “It doesn’t have anything to do with love. It’s a spiritual law / reality. It’s the way the universe is set up.
Sin nature removed, you’re in.
Sin nature still present, you’re not in.”

A: “Then God must not be all powerful or He could let me in.”

C: “It doesn’t have anything to do with power or the lack thereof. It’s a spiritual law / reality. It’s the way the universe is set up.
Sin nature removed, you’re in.
Sin nature still present, you’re not in.”

A: “So what do I have to do?”

C: “You don’t do anything. You accept what Jesus has already done for you.”

A: “So - wait - what? I don’t get it.”

C: “I know. That’s the problem.”

A: “Why can’t I just be a reasonably moral person and have that be good enough?”

C: “Because no one can be good enough to be good enough for heaven. By that standard you’d have to be perfect.”

A: “But nobody’s perfect.”

C: “Exactly!”

A: “So, I have to what? I don’t get it. Why couldn’t a loving God just let me in?”

C: “It’s a spiritual law / reality. It’s the way the universe is set up.
Sin nature removed, you’re in.
Sin nature still present, you’re not in.”

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

My wife and I went to see that movie the other night. It was alright. I'd probably think it was better than alright except for one thing. The characters reminded me too much of my counselling clients. It especially reminded me of my Christian clients who are becoming all too much like my secular clients, i.e. Desperately lonely. Unlike when I first started in the counselling trade, Christians are no longer okay with themselves unless their lives are propped up by the same ephemeral supports that your average pagan or atheist depends on – in this case, being in a relationship to feel a sense of worth, value, security and belonging.

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“I'll obey Jesus in every area of my life – unless what He wants for me is different from what I want for me.”

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That kind of tragic thinking comes about when our Creator is no longer the base from which we operate. I can't tell you how many clients have come to me with struggles like:

. “I long to be loved but I fear that I'll never find anyone. I can't wait for Jesus to do something about this. Is that so wrong? After all, we're two consenting adults.”

From Christians I hear this!

. A married man (not yet divorced) is attracted to and dating a divorced woman.

Both people self identify as Christians.

Somehow, someway, we've become as desperately lonely as those who live upon the earth.

What's happened?

How has it happened?

What is our witness to the world? And does it matter?

If I don't care about Jesus' comment, “The one who loves Me is the one who obeys Me,” things are going to get difficult. When God wants something for my life that doesn't mesh with what I want for my life, something's going to have to give. Sadly, for an increasing percentage of Christians, they are not the ones who are willing to humble themselves “under God's mighty hand.”

Modern “Christians” are a curious group who through their behaviours say, “I don't love Jesus nor am I willing to obey Him, but I fully expect to spend eternity with Him in heaven.”

So What Brings You Here?

You live in a city of three million people. One day, in the mail, you receive an invitation to go to a certain address on a certain date to attend a banquet. The banquet is being presented by the richest, most influential, most powerful, most important person in your city. You’ve never met the person nor had anything to do with him but, for a reason you can’t quite explain, you RSVP that you’ll attend. When the date comes around a limo pulls up in front of your residence. The driver escorts you to the vehicle and closes the door. While driving down the street you notice something strange. The sidewalk is littered with what looks like discarded invitations. Could it be that lots of people were invited and some turned it down? At any rate, as you arrive at the place of the mystery invitation you notice that other limos, hundreds of them, are bringing other people and dropping them off as well. While many had obviously rejected the invitation, you’re certainly far from being the only one who has accepted the offer.

You go up the stairs of the mansion and walk into a grand entryway. Your coat is taken by the doorman and you, as well as others who have just arrived, are ushered into a huge banquet room. Drinks are being served so, while Waiters are bringing stacks and stacks of food to the tables, you decide to relax and mingle with the crowd.

Soon someone asks, “So what brings you here?” As you begin to describe the curious invitation you overhear other people describing the same scenario.

The question, “So what brings you here,” is relevant since there is no obvious common denominator to the crowd that is gathering. Some are old. Some are young. Some are obviously wealthy professionals while many, maybe most now that you look around, seem destitute, homeless and perhaps mentally ill. The large number who still seem to be wearing their prison garb is a bit unsettling. Some of those walking in are men, some women. Some have come alone while others have brought their spouse and children. The only thing that everyone seems to have in common is that the owner of mansion is the one who issued the invitation and then went out got them.
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Ok, enough of that. Here’s the point. That is what it’s like to become part of the family of God. Evangelicals, I think, put way too much emphasis on stuff like, “I accepted the Lord,” or “I came to Christ when . . .” or, “I got saved after . . .” These type of comments, while accurate to a point, make it sound as though we Christians had something to do with our salvation. In point of fact, when we come together to worship our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ, the common denominator, the only common denominator, is that God gave you and others in your situation an invitation.

He called you.

He got your attention.

He drew you to Jesus.

It was all God, from first to last.

For no reason other than His decision to do so, Creator God called you and relatively few other people, out of the general population, to become part of His family of believers. On the other hand, He says for us to tell others, even those that have thrown their invitations away, that the invitation remains open until our dying breath, or until the return of Jesus, whichever comes first.
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It’s as if the whole population of the world has been filing through some gate and God, at His discretion has been plucking people from here and there to go one direction while the majority continue filing down the path they’ve been on since birth.

This causes some people to ask, “How could a loving God condemn billions of people to hell?” That may be a good question but a better question is this. “Why would God take billions of people who deserve to be in hell and save them, at His own expense, for eternal salvation in heaven?” The rebellious cannot complain of hell because they are in fact guilty of rebellion. The saved cannot boast because they have done nothing to deserve salvation.

This choosing, this plucking, this “calling out” has nothing to do with who you are or what you’ve done. It has nothing to do with your gender or race or wealth or disposition.

The reasoning for the invitation may or may not become known at some date in the future but for now the only reason you have become part of the family of God has been His grace, His mercy, His calling, His choosing.

So if you’re ever sitting in Church and get asked by someone, “So what brings you here?” Remember, the answer is God - only God. Whether or not you’re saved at that point is a non issue because your being there is no accident.

It’s His house, His banquet, His invitation.

Whatcha Gonna Say?

When you’re standing before Creator God and He asks, “Why should you be allowed to spend eternity in paradise? Gimme one reason why you shouldn’t spend eternity in hell?” What are you going to say?

Are you going to tell the only perfect Being in the universe what a good person you’ve been?

Are you going to tell him how you washed your hands and prayed five times a day or said the rosary on cue and genuflected at the door?

Are you going to turn to Mary and ask her to put in a good word for you?

Are you going to to tell your Creator how you never missed a Church service in 45 years?

Are you going to be like the fool Bertrand Russel and say, “Sir, you did not give me enough evidence,” as though the existence of a material universe that came into existence out of literally nothing isn’t enough?

In reality, there is only one thing that anyone can say:
“I have placed my trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of my sins - Jesus - my Saviour, my Deliverer, my Defender, my Lord.”

We have done nothing of significance to make us worthy of forgiveness

We have nothing of value that should compel God to forgive us.

Don't get me wrong. We do have value, but it's because God values us. And yes, God does loves us, but it's not because of who we are. God loves us because of who He is.

God IS Love.

Because God is love He paid the penalty of our sins against Him.

At His expense God made it possible for us to spend eternity in His presence.

Our only hope is to place our trust in Jesus; to cast ourselves upon His mercy and grace.

Nothing else will suffice - Nothing.

Freewill Rejection of God

I just read - again - how some atheist is worried that those in heaven will use their freewill to reject God.

Ya - that’s likely.

If I’ve rejected satan’s temptations while here on earth, why would I suddenly accept those lies as worthy of my time once I’m in heaven? How stupid would someone have to be to do that?

“Oh, but it happened once before,” the atheist says. “What’s to keep it from happening again?”

Happened before? Ah, you mean when satan wanted to “be” God? When satan wanted to be the master of his fate and the captain of his soul? Listen, it’s satan and atheists who want to usurp the role of God - no one but satan and those who follow him want to take away from God His place of Lord, Master, Saviour.

I assure you, no one in heaven is going to look at those in hell, “whose smoke from their torment rises forever and ever,” and say, “I think I’m going to go over there.”

Now, there will be people who desperately and fruitlessly try to change their minds but I assure you, it won’t be those who are in heaven.

You Want Rational?

Here’s one atheist’s comment -
“How can you see . . . ETERNAL PUNISHMENT AS RATIONAL?”

One can’t expect an atheist to understand the seriousness of evil. We actually have a clinical term for those who are incapable of discerning the gravity of their actions. Atheists simply don’t view themselves as people who do any serious wrong. Any wrong that they do admit to, in their minds, should just be ignored by their Creator. The level of personal responsibility that I encounter in atheists is practically zero. Gandolf is a good example of how atheists constantly point to others who do wrong in the hope that this will somehow negate their own culpability.

According to Jesus, that is not going to help. According to Jesus:
. We ARE wrong.
. We chose to BECOME wrong.
. Our world and our relationships both with others and with our Creator are being destroyed because of our choice and that is NOT going to be ignored by God.

Yes, there’s bad news in what Jesus teaches, but there’s also good news:
. The good news is, in the battle of good versus evil, evil has already been defeated. The end is in sight. The eternal banishment of evil will one day be recognised by everyone as being entirely rational.
. The bad news is, at the end of this age, evil and all those on the side of evil are going to be banished from God’s Kingdom - forever and ever.

Most people see that as a good thing.

Most people long for evil to be gone from their lives and from the world.

Most of us are appalled at the consequences upon the earth and upon relationships of the evil that resides within us.

Not so for atheists. These people become furious at God for “threatening them” by saying He’s going to do away with any and every form of evil. They even hate God for warning them that EITHER their evil nature goes (Jesus will remove it from them upon request), OR they will go, along with their evil nature. Atheists see that warning as a threat. Since they are determined, literally at all cost to remain enemies of their Creator, I suppose they should see it as a threat.

Here is the reality under which we live:
. Right now, we humans are tainted with the characteristic of evil. Who’s to blame really doesn’t matter. Evil is part of who we are. The evidence is everywhere, including my blog.

. One day everything that is tainted with evil will be eternally banished from God’s kingdom.

. Jesus will EITHER remove evil from you (He requires your permission to do so) so that you can be part of His good and perfect Kingdom, OR He will remove you and the evil that is part of you from His Kingdom.

Either way, evil is not going to be part of the coming Kingdom. The choice is yours to make. As hard as it is to believe, atheists view asking for the forgiveness of their sins as being more abhorrent than spending eternity in hell. It sounds insane but it’s true.

How can anyone think it rational to refuse the opportunity to be free from evil?
What kind of a person would think like that?

I’ll say it again:
. God has provided a way for evil to be removed from who you are
. God has provided a way for evil to be removed from the universe
. You can be part of God’s good and perfect Kingdom for eternity - OR
. You will be removed from God’s Kingdom, along with any and every aspect of evil for eternity

Either way, evil cannot be part of the coming Kingdom. The choice is yours to make. Atheists will tell you that there is no choice because in atheist-world asking for the forgiveness of their sins is more repugnant than spending eternity in hell. It sounds insane but it’s true.

How can anyone think it rational to refuse the opportunity to be free from evil?
What kind of a person would think like that?

You’ve probably heard of the Serenity Prayer? “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

. How God created the universe is part of what we cannot change.
. Our response to the created order is part of what we CAN change.
. The invitation to become changed is being made even as you read this.

God is entirely just and justice demands that the penalty for evil be paid.

We can EITHER let Jesus pay the penalty for the evil that is in us OR we will pay the penalty ourselves.

So why not just do the RATIONAL thing and avoid eternal separation from God’s eternal Kingdom? You can either get into the life-boat that has been provided OR like atheists, you can stay on the sinking ship, endlessly debating who is responsible for the ship going down.

People who are atheists view themselves as the most rational beings on earth. Why not PROVE that you are a rational human being by accepting the only rational alternative to eternity in hell?

Atheists, Logic and Hell (2)

In yesterday’s post I looked at living a life with the reality of Creator God present in our minds. Whether you think Him a monster or not, Creator God does exist. Deal with it!

In this post I’m going to look specifically at the issue of punishment in hell for those who refuse God’s offer of peace.

An atheist stated, “god could have created a universe that didn't require death and punishment,”

The same atheist asked, “Have atheists been brought into existence just so God could watch them burn forever?”

I’ll address both of these in this post.

I’ve said that one of the reasons that God allows suffering, pain, trials etc. is to separate the wheat from the chaff.

. Pain takes those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and draws them closer and closer to God.

. Pain takes those who are against God and drives them deeper and deeper into their state of rebellion.

Something to remember, the importance of which is impossible to underestimate is that rebelling against your Creator may feel brave and noble to you. The problem is - that rebellion does not take place in the absence of consequence. Rejecting God carries negative consequences during our time on earth AND in the next stage of life.

. The consequences of denying God while on earth are meant to be CORRECTIVE in nature. Physical, spiritual and emotional pain are meant to be a warning that something is wrong; that something needs to change.

. The consequence of denying our Creator that we will experience after death has nothing to do with correction.


If you want to follow along, then turn to 2nd Thessalonians 1:3-10. Notice in verses 8,9 that:
. The punishment for those who are against God is not corrective in nature. It’s punitive.

. The punishment for those who are against God is not meant to be transforming. It's retributive.

. The punishment that God is going to hand out is “eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord.”

. These people will be forever separated from anything good.

. This is what is promised by God for all those who refuse to know God and who refuse to obey the gospel of Jesus the Christ.


Like I said in yesterday’s post, God doesn’t care one bit whether you like this or not. Call Him a monster if you want. The fact is, there is going to be hell to pay for those who reject, deny and rebel against their Creator.


Some people have a mental picture of God that simply doesn’t allow for Justice to be carried out. These people say that Jesus is ONLY a God of love. They ignore the fact that Creator God is also a God of justice.

Notice also that retribution is not the only reason for the punishment of those who refuse God’s offer of salvation. The punishment of those who deny God is also meant to serve as
a counter balance,
a back drop,
a comparison,
a contrast
to the glorious mercy, grace and glory of those who have accepted the forgiveness of their sins.


Both the suffering (v 8,9) and the reward (v10) will be eternal.


“But,” you ask, “How can a God of Love also be a God of Vengeance?”

There are three reasons why God could not dispense with hell.

Because Creator God is a moral Being who genuinely loves, and because a moral universe where genuine love exists is better than an amoral universe where robotic love would exist, God created a moral universe. Because we live in a moral universe:
1. Those who deny God will be receiving exactly what they deserve. I said a few posts back that:
. Those in hell will understand beyond all doubt that they deserve to be there.
. Those in heaven will understand beyond all doubt that they don’t deserve to be there.

Paul tells us in Romans 2:5 that those who reject God are even now, in their earthly “rejecting” phase of their lives, “storing up wrath for themselves.”

Deserved,
Just,
Appropriate,
Judgment will be the rule of the day.

2. Because God is Just, and because this is a moral universe with objective right and wrong, God cannot allow wickedness to go unpunished. To do so would be to say that evil is acceptable and tolerable. In a moral universe, evil is neither of those things.

3. One day, God and His righteousness will be vindicated. Right now, atheists accuse God of being a monster. They accuse God of being evil. They accuse God of being responsible for the presence of evil. For now, God allows people to think what they want. A day is coming, however, when Truth and Righteousness will be put on display in such a manner that all will know, and no one will argue about the wrongness of rebellion against God. God will be shown to be Holy and faithful and true.


But the atheist said that God COULD have created a world where none of this is necessary. Actually, in a moral universe where Justice is seen to be carried out, that’s not true. God cannot contradict His own rules of logic, nor can He contradict His own nature. A God who is Just cannot ignore Justice. On the other hand, for believers, the scenario that atheists say COULD have happened has already been carried out. Jesus dying on the cross has:

. Satisfied the requirements of justice (point #1)
. Upheld the moral universe (point #2)
. Vindicated Himself as truth and faithful and forgiving of sins. (point #3)

Yet hell and the promise of eternal punishment remains.

What does this tell you?

The answer should make your knees wobble.


All COULD have been forgiven under what Jesus has done yet God has seen to it that not all WILL be saved.

. Knowing in advance that some would reject His offer of forgiveness, God still went ahead and gave us the freewill choice to reject Him.

. Knowing in advance that some would reject His offer of forgiveness, God put in place a means of forgiveness and reward AS WELL AS a means of punishment for those who maintain a position of rebellion toward their God.


THIS is the reality in which we live and those with wisdom will adjust their lives accordingly.


Your Creator doesn’t care if you don’t like it.
You Creator doesn’t care if you think He should have done it differently


God is justified in bringing this future judgment upon the ungodly and He has chosen to exercise that authority.

God is justified in forgiving anyone of His choosing and He has chosen to exercise that authority.


More than that, as is graphically illustrated for us in Romans 9:22-24, God has chosen to use the DESTRUCTION of some to highlight His grace, and mercy and glory in the SALVATION of others.


It’s difficult for atheists to understand but everyone, until the day that they became followers of Jesus, thought that they would NEVER become a follower of Jesus. God knows who will accept His offer of salvation and He draws those people to Jesus.

Are atheists brought into existence solely for the purpose of eternal destruction? Like the above paragraph states,
Some are
Some aren’t
Some will remain atheists till their dying day
Some will change their minds and convert


Knowing in advance, those who would deny His existence, God has prepared them for destruction. He has raised them up for the sole purpose of their destruction. He will endure their presence patiently during their earthly life while waiting for all those who are going to come to salvation through faith in Jesus.

In the mean time:
Creator God will rescue those who are not looking for Him,
He will treat with love those who hate Him, and
He will make peace with some of those who are currently His enemies.

The rebellious cannot complain because they are in fact guilty of rebellion.
The saved cannot boast because they have done nothing to deserve salvation.

The question then is not:
Could God have created a world where hell need not exist?
He didn’t - so act accordingly.

The question is not:
"Why did God create billions of people who are destined to be eternally separated from Him?"

The most important question is:
“Why Did God Create and Then Save For Eternity in Paradise, Billions of People Who Should Have Been Eternally Separated From Him?”

Amazing Love

“Amazing love, how can it be, That you my King would die for me?”

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17

I used to have trouble with that verse. Since becoming a Christian, the quality of my life has been so superior to my pre Christian life that I’ve thought, “Even if there is no eternal life, having a relationship with Jesus has still been worth it.”

Well, obviously I hadn’t thought that through. For one thing, if Jesus isn’t risen, then I haven’t had a relationship with anything other than my fantasy life. Second, I haven’t been freed from the power of sin because the power of sin is still intact. Death is the result of sin. The sign that Jesus HAS defeated sin is shown by the fact that He defeated death. The proof of that is His resurrection.

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

I’ve never been that into heaven. I mean I’m glad it exists and everything but I could live with this life being all there is. On the other hand the proof that I WILL rise again is in the fact that Jesus rose again. It’s proof that death itself has been defeated. My death is not the end, only a transition. Death does not result in just being laid in the ground. Rather, death results in us stepping through a portal into the only other dimension that we know exists.

It’s important that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead or else NOTHING that we claim to believe as Christians is true. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, thus proving His claims of Godhood, Jesus couldn’t even be considered to be a good man. To say the things that Jesus said, and not have Him rise from the dead would make him one of the greatest liars, deceivers and frauds this world has ever seen.

Instead, the resurrection of Jesus shows:
Jesus IS the Son of God (Romans 1:4);

Jesus IS righteous (John 16:10);

Jesus HAS power and victory over death (Acts 2:24);

Jesus HAS guaranteed the believer’s forgiveness and justification (1 Corinthians 15:17; Romans 4:25),

Jesus HAS proven the reality of “resurrection life” (Romans 6:4).

Every year since becoming a Christian has been better than the year before. If this life was all there is, it would be good enough.

But that isn’t all there is.

Jesus’ resurrection is proof.

My faith is not futile.

My future is secure.

John 3:17 - For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Romans 8:1 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

I’d Rather Be A Robot.”

I was having a discussion with a guy about freewill and that was his comment. “If freewill can allow for eternity in hell, then I’d rather be a robot.”

Really?

Without freewill there is no virtue.

Without freewill there is no justice.

Without freewill there is no mercy.

Without freewill there is no such thing as genuine love.


All of these things are what give meaning to life.


Without freewill there is:
no fantasy life,
no dreams,
no desires.

Without freewill we’d only do what we were programmed to do.

Imagine:
As a moral robot, you walk down the street and see an old woman drop her purse.

No choice.

No decision.

You pick up the purse, and give it to her.

No need to thank you.

You did nothing good because there is no good.

You only did what you were programmed to do.

Imagine:
As a moral robot, someone you work with invites you to step outside of your marriage vows and enter into an illicit affair.

No choice.

No decision.

You decline.

No good feelings for having done the right thing, because there is no right thing.

You only did what you were programmed to do.

No increased sense of love and desire for your partner, for there is no love and desire.

No freewill?

No thanks.

Heaven and hell are options.

People freely choose their destination.

You can do what you want, but I’ll choose Heaven, thank you.