aspen
“"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few
Aspen to answer your first question. It's NO! I don't get excited about people being sent to the lake of fire. My wish would be for everyone to turn to the Lord, and accept Jesus. The world would be a better place. It truly saddens me that people will not turn in repentance. I have family members who won't accept Jesus, who don't even believe in Him. So I'm greatly sadden by that notion.
I am glad and relieved to hear that you are saddened by the idea that God may hate some people - it is a truly horrific idea!
People need to know there is a punishment a waiting the sinner.
Why? So they can be scared into the Kingdom? Being scared into the Kingdom is just as fake as relying on doctrine or externalize religion to save you.
By telling someone God loves everyone gives a false sense of security.
Does telling children that their parents love them give them a false sense of security? On the contrary, Attachment theory suggests that children who are not constantly shown love by their caretakers are at a great risk of developing insecure attachments, which often develop into personality disorders later, like Narcissistic, Borderline, Schizoid Personality Disorders. Frightening people is not a good way to endear the love of people - God knows that. Also God does not depend on evil to bring about good.
Yes I agree with God's message of love,
Awesome!
but I also believe God's message about His wrath, that will be bestowed on this earth. If people don't understand the consequences of their actions, how would they turn from them.
God's wrath is reserved for those who will not humble their hearts (be vulnerable enough) to allow God to lead them back to becoming fully human (we were originally created for the sole purpose of loving God and our neighbor). This can only happen when people realize it is safe enough to trust God and dare to return His love. It is my experience that people who are scared into the Kingdom are only ready to give God their minds - everything they do for Him is guarded and double checked to make sure they are not making Him angry - that is not the relationship Jesus had with the Father, which He modeled for us.
Everyone speaks of God's love, but no one wants to speak on His wrath.
Can you blame them? If you are promoting a loving Father, who wants to justify and sanctify your heart, in order for you to love Him and others, as you were created to do - God's wrath become merely an event that will happen, rather than something to fear.
God's love is conditional.
The Bible does not teach this idea. God desires ALL people to be saved - that means even the hard-hearted who will be in Hell. The division between God and people in Hell is totally due to the failure of the people who will not allow Christ to sanctify their hearts in order to allow them to return God's love - it does not change how God feels about them, individually.
If you repent and do what He says, He loves you. If your disobedient, and will not repent, He hates you.
So, what you are saying is that God who claims to love us with agape (unconditional love) is unwilling to love us as much as our Earthly parents? God is bigger than this idea, for sure.
If you had a child; you will love that child with conditions.
Not unless there is some sort of psychological problem with the parent. No one with children would ever say they hated their children because of their behavior. Even Jeffrey Dalmer's parents loved him.
You love your child because that child came from you. But if the child grew up, and decided to disrespect you every chance he got, by cursing you, slapping you, stealing from you, murdering someone you loved......ect... You will no longer love that child.
This statement tells me that you do not have children. Ineffective parents who try to ignore the behavior and love their child; effective parents would put up boundaries and still love their child.
There is no love without condition.
What about agape love?
I agree God want no one to burn forever...but that is an individual decision we all have to make.
Although, it is not that cut and dry. God is going to lovingly give everyone the chance to accept His justification and sanctification - only the truly proud will refuse Him and who knows what God's love will fail to do in their desperate cases? Even with these lost souls, I lean more on the side of God's mercy than on the side of His wrath.
If God truly hated all the sinners you claim that He hates, you would surely have to include David and even Moses - both were murders and certainly disobedient. Yet, David was a man after God's own heart and Moses was the most humble man on the face of the Earth according to Numbers 12:3.
I also agree with your last statement."rather it is to start praying for transformation through sanctification and get out there and start practicing love with a humble, vulnerable heart".
Yes, I believe this is working out our salvation by practicing the love Jesus is teaching us everyday.
I am enjoying this discussion
Peace
I am glad and relieved to hear that you are saddened by the idea that God may hate some people - it is a truly horrific idea!
People need to know there is a punishment a waiting the sinner.
Why? So they can be scared into the Kingdom? Being scared into the Kingdom is just as fake as relying on doctrine or externalize religion to save you.
By telling someone God loves everyone gives a false sense of security.
Does telling children that their parents love them give them a false sense of security? On the contrary, Attachment theory suggests that children who are not constantly shown love by their caretakers are at a great risk of developing insecure attachments, which often develop into personality disorders later, like Narcissistic, Borderline, Schizoid Personality Disorders. Frightening people is not a good way to endear the love of people - God knows that. Also God does not depend on evil to bring about good.
Yes I agree with God's message of love,
Awesome!
but I also believe God's message about His wrath, that will be bestowed on this earth. If people don't understand the consequences of their actions, how would they turn from them.
God's wrath is reserved for those who will not humble their hearts (be vulnerable enough) to allow God to lead them back to becoming fully human (we were originally created for the sole purpose of loving God and our neighbor). This can only happen when people realize it is safe enough to trust God and dare to return His love. It is my experience that people who are scared into the Kingdom are only ready to give God their minds - everything they do for Him is guarded and double checked to make sure they are not making Him angry - that is not the relationship Jesus had with the Father, which He modeled for us.
Everyone speaks of God's love, but no one wants to speak on His wrath.
Can you blame them? If you are promoting a loving Father, who wants to justify and sanctify your heart, in order for you to love Him and others, as you were created to do - God's wrath become merely an event that will happen, rather than something to fear.
God's love is conditional.
The Bible does not teach this idea. God desires ALL people to be saved - that means even the hard-hearted who will be in Hell. The division between God and people in Hell is totally due to the failure of the people who will not allow Christ to sanctify their hearts in order to allow them to return God's love - it does not change how God feels about them, individually.
If you repent and do what He says, He loves you. If your disobedient, and will not repent, He hates you.
So, what you are saying is that God who claims to love us with agape (unconditional love) is unwilling to love us as much as our Earthly parents? God is bigger than this idea, for sure.
If you had a child; you will love that child with conditions.
Not unless there is some sort of psychological problem with the parent. No one with children would ever say they hated their children because of their behavior. Even Jeffrey Dalmer's parents loved him.
You love your child because that child came from you. But if the child grew up, and decided to disrespect you every chance he got, by cursing you, slapping you, stealing from you, murdering someone you loved......ect... You will no longer love that child.
This statement tells me that you do not have children. Ineffective parents who try to ignore the behavior and love their child; effective parents would put up boundaries and still love their child.
There is no love without condition.
What about agape love?
I agree God want no one to burn forever...but that is an individual decision we all have to make.
Although, it is not that cut and dry. God is going to lovingly give everyone the chance to accept His justification and sanctification - only the truly proud will refuse Him and who knows what God's love will fail to do in their desperate cases? Even with these lost souls, I lean more on the side of God's mercy than on the side of His wrath.
If God truly hated all the sinners you claim that He hates, you would surely have to include David and even Moses - both were murders and certainly disobedient. Yet, David was a man after God's own heart and Moses was the most humble man on the face of the Earth according to Numbers 12:3.
I also agree with your last statement."rather it is to start praying for transformation through sanctification and get out there and start practicing love with a humble, vulnerable heart".
Yes, I believe this is working out our salvation by practicing the love Jesus is teaching us everyday.
I am enjoying this discussion
Peace