God is Love? : Hell is Real?

A heartless halo? Is God Love? Why Hell?

09:26AM: One of the most unpopular doctrines in all of Christendom is Hell. How can a loving, merciful God allow a place of eternal punishment to exist? There are many theories and there is much conjecture on the subject, I will post some of the more popular ones.

Hell is real

Though God is love, he is also just and pure. He cannot look upon sin. He justly gives us a chance to accept the sacrifice of His Son, Christ. If we do not, due to His holy nature, He has no choice but to punish sin. If He did not, than He would be going against His very nature (just, fair). This theory also presumes all men and women are immortal.

Annihilationism

A minority doctrine that states rather than Hell, sinners are simply destroyed, ie.. annihilated. Therefore, this doctrine believes that only Christians are immortal, whereas lost souls are not immortal.

Another version of this theory holds there is also no Heaven or Hell; no one is eternal and we simply cease to be when we die.

Hell is not real

This doctrine is part of something known as Universalism. In a nutshell, it holds that all people, regardless of religion or belief in Christ are going to heaven. There is no place of eternal punishment for the wicked.

Points to ponder from all sides:

1. If God is love, why does Hell exist?

2. If Hell is not real, Why did Christ speak on it more than Heaven?

3. If we all go to Heaven, why not be wicked? Is there punishment for them?

Currently listening to: Janie Becker- Song of the Angels (Solo Piano - S K Y . F M)

Original Sin-“Do Babies Go To Heaven”

…Through one man, Sin entered the world…

A widely  cited conundrum when it comes to the doctrine of original sin is as follows:
“So, if we are all born into sin: What happens to babies?” 
A valid question; let us examine it further.  
A good text debate can be found at Come Reason.

 

 Posit 1-Babies go to Heaven

This first theory falls in line with something known as the “Age of Accountability” doctrine.  Although not expilicity stated in the Bible, it is an interpreted doctrine based upon numerous scriptures that refer to children as innocent.  John McArthur’s thoughts on the subject can be found by clicking here.

 

 Posit 2-Babies must be baptized

This second theory is mainly a Catholic doctrine.  It basically states that babies must be baptized soon after they are born in order to be eligible to go to heaven.  Since I am not Catholic nor have I studied Catholicism, that is about all I know regarding this posit. 

 Posit 3- Babies do not to Heaven

No explanation really needed.  This doctrine states that we are born into sin via Adam and that until we are saved by the gospel message, we remain in sin.  Further reading can be found by clicking here.

 

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Of course, these posits are by no means exhaustive, but these three do cover a vast majority of Christians,  Of course, each one has its own subsets and nuances, but for now these should get you talking.

 

As I said before, I am not going to take sides, that is not the point of this series.

 

I do apologize to Catholics, as I simply do not believe Catholic doctrine is in line with born-again Christendom, therefore I did not seek out additional reading on your posit.  If you are Catholic, I encourage you to read the articles here. 

 

Christian Conundrums-Prologue

"The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living...Man"
--Demeti Martin paraphrasing Socrates

 

Every faith has questions; Christianity is full of conundrums.  My goal in this series “Christian Conundrums” is not to answer any of them.  I am not a professor of theology; I am a layman student at best. 

 

Rather my goal is to get you to wrestle with these questions yourself.  I want you to seek out answers to these questions.  You have a variety of resources right at your fingertips; BibleGateway is a great place to start. 

 

I warn you that these questions may cause you to become angry, sad, confused, etc…; this is not my intent.  My hope is that you will become contemplative, introspective, and inquisitive. 

 

My first question will deal with the doctrine of original sin and the elusive “Age of Accountability”.    I invite you to step up to the podium and join the debate. 

 

 

Currently listening to: Bach - Violin Partita 3 
                                  (Mostly Classical - S K Y . F M )