Why hell must exist

[Beebster]

You've emphasised 'THE WORD'. How do YOU interpret this phrase?

I see or try to see Christ everywhere in scripture, and he is all over that.

Peace

 

[XtraPercept]

Satan is an angel and a created being. That's who I was referring to

Angel? In essence, but not in the understanding as you convey it, because no, it is not a conscious being, a willful entity, or any form of action capable force.

Do you mean evil spirits and holy spirits?

These exist, but again, not as you understand them. You are anthropomorphizing metaphors for various perspectives, concepts, and ideas.

They are also referred to as gates, which lead us to points upon mountains, from which people draw water from the rivers therein of the gods they serve.

There is a language of the Spirit you may only discover by looking up and learning the meanings of many different words.

 

[One 2 question]

I see or try to see Christ everywhere in scripture, and he is all over that.

Peace

Oh OK. When you say THE WORD you are refering to the Person Jesus Christ.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I thought you may've been refering to it as something else like a body of words like the bible or the scriptures.

 

[Luther7]

The existence of hell is a concept that some find difficult or unwilling to grasp. They are unable to reconcile the seeming paradox of such a place existing alongside a loving God who wants the best for us. Alternate explanations have existed to explain it away. However, I believe that not only does such a place exist, but that it is necessary. I will give my theological justifications for the existence of hell while also addressing some of the common criticisms. My reasoning is based upon free will, rather than determinism, playing a major role in how God deals with humanity and by taking a literal interpretation of scripture (by literal, I don’t disregard such things as symbolism and idioms). If either of those precepts cannot be agreed upon, then a consensus cannot be reached.

Let’s start at the beginning. When Adam sinned, it caused a spiritual separation between him and God. And because Adam was the first, the master template if you will, all humanity became separated from God and born into a fallen state at birth. The result of this fallen state resulted in a physical death followed by a second death, which is the final judgment and the lake of fire (Rev 20:14, 21:8).
The reason for this second death is because God and sin cannot mix. It would be like trying to mix oil and water, an impossibility. A fallen being cannot withstand being in the presence of a holy God. That meant that humanity, when they physically died, could not automatically ascend to heaven with God. A divine intervention was needed.

The remedy, of course, was sending Jesus to atone for the sins of humanity. He became the perfect sacrifice to bear the wages of sin and pay the price in our stead. And because of His divinity, He was able to atone for everyone's sins, past, present, and future, simultaneously, once and for all. But just because He paid the price for all does not mean that it comes automatically. We still have to receive it. God has opened the door, but it’s up to you to walk through it. It must be our choice to accept that pardon or not because God wants people to come to Him willingly. So, He has offered humanity a choice: to live with him for eternity or to live apart from him for all eternity. Those are the only two possible outcomes.

Before I continue, I would like to dispel the erroneous assumption that everyone wants to be saved and go to heaven. That is not true. There are countless people who want nothing to do with God (Jhn 3:19). Such individuals would never be content in heaven being around a God they have no interest in serving. Our heaven would be their hell. Moreover, they would have no desire to be around believers who willingly worship God. There would be eternal contention between the two groups, making it no different than how it is on earth.

So, what does God do with those who don’t wish to spend eternity with him? They cannot go to heaven for the reasons already established, and He will not violate their free will choice. Besides, why would God want to spend an eternity with someone who doesn’t want to spend an eternity with him? The only solution is to give them a place of their own. But how do we reconcile the reality of souls going to a place of eternal torment? And I would distinguish between being tormented and being tortured; they are not the same thing. We can do so in several ways.

You said: "But just because He paid the price for all does not mean that it comes automatically. We still have to receive it."

Actually if Jesus paid the price, God's wrath is satisfied. It's not a conditional payment. It was made in FULL. And God is not looking to us to see what we will do, because we already turned against Him.

We believe because it is the result of the Holy Spirit working in us. His work, not ours.

Titus 3:5:
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

People don't go to heaven because they " had it in them" to make the "right decision" for Christ, while others " just didn't have what it takes". Sounds alot like humanistic teaching.

It is ALL by God's grace and mercy.

And that's even more of a reason not to believe in an eternal place of torture. Those who reject Christ ( because we all would if not for His mercy), will simply no longer exist.

 

[Beebster]

I thought you may've been refering to it as something else like a body of words like the bible or the scriptures.

No, you got it, Christ.