Brakelite
Well-Known Member
In discussions of this nature and this topic, I tend to revert to two points of argument that at least to me, are incontrovertible.
The first, and to me the most important, centers on the character of God. I've mentioned this many times in the past, but I have yet to be convinced of any error. We as children of the Most High are granted by the grace of God a sense of justice...a conscience that translates/understands/appreciates the difference between right and wrong. This we are born with, in some it is distorted through the events and trials of life and becomes blunted, and even through repeatedly experiencing trauma or viewing evil, becomes scarred and seared with a hot iron as the Apostles write. It becomes numb. Insensitive. Compassion and mercy becomes lost and love becomes cold. We become judgmental and condemning, searching for fault and rejoice when our enemies fall and our opponents fail. But as we grow in grace, we change. We become more sensitive to others. Compassion awakens. Those "weightier" matters of the law, love, mercy, true judgement and faith, come to the fore and we recognise true evil and despise it with a passion, not just in ourselves, but in the world. We then gain a glimpse of the character or nature of our Father. We begin to appreciate how He feels... Why He does what He does... We gain insight into His holiness and we even partake of the same. We become more like Him. We then see the actions of others in a truer light. We see evil for what it really is. How it demeans others. How it destroys the dignity and image of God in man. How it denigrates the character and destroys integrity, separating us from God and resulting in nothing but pain, suffering, and death. We rightly and justifiably detest cruelty in all its forms. Torture, brutality, and bullying becomes utterly contemptible, especially by those in power and positions of leadership... We call them tyrants... Despots... Dictators... Demon possessed, evil, and wicked and when their reign is finished, we are glad and rejoice because their victims receive respite, and peace and righteousness have a chance of recovery... We then are more determined to avoid such circumstances in the future where such leadership can arise.
Even secular people agree with this, but we converted children of God readily and justifiably recognise these evil traits in other humans, and know from whence this evil originates, and yet inexplicably there are Christians who grant the Creator God, and His Son, praise and worship for the same traits and appoint to Them the same character as the the most evil tyrant. How can this be? How can we be fully justified in condemning such a practice by men, but be justified in worshipping God for the same?
Belief in an endless torture, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, wherever it may be and of whatever intensity, if it has no end means that justice is never satisfied. Therefore it can only be an unjust punishment. Which does not belong to a just God. Such a belief must be rejected without reservation. You insult the Almighty and denigrate everything He stands for and represents.
The other point I refer to is far more simple. The wages of sin is death. Death of the whole person. In death there is no life. We know this because life is granted us as a free gift. The life we are promised, the eternal life we have in Christ, has no death. Death and life are totally incompatible and are complete opposite to one another. Any idea that sinners are granted any form of life as a punishment for their sins totally contradicts everything scripture tells us about the consequences of sin.
The first, and to me the most important, centers on the character of God. I've mentioned this many times in the past, but I have yet to be convinced of any error. We as children of the Most High are granted by the grace of God a sense of justice...a conscience that translates/understands/appreciates the difference between right and wrong. This we are born with, in some it is distorted through the events and trials of life and becomes blunted, and even through repeatedly experiencing trauma or viewing evil, becomes scarred and seared with a hot iron as the Apostles write. It becomes numb. Insensitive. Compassion and mercy becomes lost and love becomes cold. We become judgmental and condemning, searching for fault and rejoice when our enemies fall and our opponents fail. But as we grow in grace, we change. We become more sensitive to others. Compassion awakens. Those "weightier" matters of the law, love, mercy, true judgement and faith, come to the fore and we recognise true evil and despise it with a passion, not just in ourselves, but in the world. We then gain a glimpse of the character or nature of our Father. We begin to appreciate how He feels... Why He does what He does... We gain insight into His holiness and we even partake of the same. We become more like Him. We then see the actions of others in a truer light. We see evil for what it really is. How it demeans others. How it destroys the dignity and image of God in man. How it denigrates the character and destroys integrity, separating us from God and resulting in nothing but pain, suffering, and death. We rightly and justifiably detest cruelty in all its forms. Torture, brutality, and bullying becomes utterly contemptible, especially by those in power and positions of leadership... We call them tyrants... Despots... Dictators... Demon possessed, evil, and wicked and when their reign is finished, we are glad and rejoice because their victims receive respite, and peace and righteousness have a chance of recovery... We then are more determined to avoid such circumstances in the future where such leadership can arise.
Even secular people agree with this, but we converted children of God readily and justifiably recognise these evil traits in other humans, and know from whence this evil originates, and yet inexplicably there are Christians who grant the Creator God, and His Son, praise and worship for the same traits and appoint to Them the same character as the the most evil tyrant. How can this be? How can we be fully justified in condemning such a practice by men, but be justified in worshipping God for the same?
Belief in an endless torture, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, wherever it may be and of whatever intensity, if it has no end means that justice is never satisfied. Therefore it can only be an unjust punishment. Which does not belong to a just God. Such a belief must be rejected without reservation. You insult the Almighty and denigrate everything He stands for and represents.
The other point I refer to is far more simple. The wages of sin is death. Death of the whole person. In death there is no life. We know this because life is granted us as a free gift. The life we are promised, the eternal life we have in Christ, has no death. Death and life are totally incompatible and are complete opposite to one another. Any idea that sinners are granted any form of life as a punishment for their sins totally contradicts everything scripture tells us about the consequences of sin.
