(This is a follow-up to “Finding The Narrow Gate”)

I have to disagree with you on the narrow gate subject.  You wrote:

 

"God says that everyone has the opportunity and freedom to choose Him – regardless of what background we come from.  The very universe screams of the nature of God, so all are without excuse (Rom 1:20).

There are tribes out there who either do not know of Jesus or believe in a different god.  Some of these tribes are small, isolated, little communities.  The children are brought up believing what the parents tell them to believe; the cycle continues, and they all go to hell.

Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE, prepared for the devil and his angels..." (Matthew 25:41).  If I do not accept Jesus, I will burn in hell for all eternity because God’s justice demands it. You say God is trying to keep us from hell by accepting Him when He CLEARLY has the power to just cast us into non-existence.  With God, all things are possible.  It seems like He is trying to scare us into loving Him… kind of like a parent spanks their child to get them to obey.  He is the one who chose to send the wicked, disobedient, and nonbelievers to hell.  Was it not God’s idea for this?  He’s not doing anything to stop it, even if He does not approve of it.  Apparently, He does approve of it because He’s not changing it when He has the power to do so.

Sincerely,
Justice League

Dear Justice League,

When we begin to talk about hell and the judgment of God, we must be very careful to not speak about what we don’t understand.  Why God chose to create hell along with heaven is like trying to comprehend the length of infinity… only God knows.  We must be very careful to not overstep our bounds and make the mistake of speaking about things too wonderful for us (Job 42:1-3).  God is just (Rev 16:7), and we may not understand why He created hell, but we can know that He made the right decision.

I am a committed christian, and I accept Christ as my Savior, but I don't understand some of the things God does to people who do not believe, and I believe this is holding me back from truly feeling Him in my heart.  These are some of the things I do not understand: there are truly great people out there who do not know Christ or do not believe.  Those who are brought up believing something else are innocent, for they have no choice. To them, it is like someone trying to convert you to Buddhism; you would not convert because you were brought up believing something else, and the consequence is to burn in hell for all eternity.  The human mind can’t even conceive of eternity; that’s the most horrifying thing I can imagine. God is like our father, but could you send your son to burn in hell, even if you could do something about it?  Please help me understand this; my faith most likely depends on this.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Voice For The Lost

Dear Voice For The Lost,

There are several things to consider when wrestling with the issue of the lost going to hell.  The first thing to remember is that God doesn’t send people to hell – we choose to go there.  Sin is a choice made by responsible adults (see the story of the first sin in Gen 3:1-7).  When we sin, we die (Rom 6:23).  God didn’t make us spiritually dead; He created us with spiritual life (Gen 2:7).  God originally wanted all mankind to live eternally with Him in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:8)… we are the ones who chose to break that perfect pattern.

God says that everyone has the opportunity and freedom to choose Him – regardless of what background we come from.  The very universe screams of the nature of God, so all are without excuse (Rom 1:20).  We all have a responsibility to seek out God, and He promises that all those who seek Him will find Him (Matt 7:7, Matt 5:6).  God never condemned us to hell; we did it to ourselves.  God has offered a payment for our souls through His Son Jesus Christ’s blood (Jhn 3:16).  Jesus is the road back to God (Jhn 14:6), the road we don’t deserve (Rom 5:8).  All of us have rebelled against God (Rom 3:23), and God in His infinite mercy gives us a second chance.

When we start thinking in terms of “God opening the way to heaven through His love” instead of “God condemning almost everyone to hell”, then we begin to get a proper picture of the way God views eternity.

While on earth in human form, did Jesus know everything?

Sincerely,
Smarty Pants

Dear Smarty Pants,

No, Jesus didn’t know everything while here on Earth.  When Jesus was a child, He grew and learned things just like every other child (Lk 2:52).  When discussing the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus specifically said that He wasn’t aware when the Father would destroy that city (Matt 24:36).  When He was in His physical body, Jesus suffered and dealt with every weakness and struggle that we do (Heb 4:15)… including not always knowing what would happen next.

I understand that rejecting God's gift is a major sin (suicide).  When facing tough medical decisions, is it tantamount to suicide if I refuse medical treatments and medicines in order to hasten my death, end my suffering, and be with God?  I am afraid that if I decide to not accept treatment, it will be seen by the Father as a rejection of the beautiful life that He has granted me.  Is it wrong to die naturally?  Thank you, Father, for your help.

Sincerely,
Dignity In Death

Dear Dignity In Death,

Call no man 'father' – for there is only one 'Father' (Matt 23:9).  We are just men and servants of God like all others.

The act of purposefully taking your own life is definitely wrong, but refusing to prolong a terminal illness is a much murkier area.  There is no doubt that suicide is sinful (read “Victim Was The Assailant” for further details), but when someone doesn’t accept surgery, chemotherapy, life-support, etc. – that isn’t suicide.  ‘Do not resuscitate’ orders, living wills, and other such decisions are a matter of wisdom and conscience.

God very clearly teaches that we should be people who value life.  It isn’t our right to presumptuously choose the moment of our death (Eccl 8:8).  Just because we are suffering isn’t necessarily a reason to stop fighting for life.  Suffering can be a very important part of our life here (Eccl 7:14).  The general rule should be to seek to preserve life – even our consciences tell us this.  It is called the “survival instinct”.

On the other hand, there comes a point when continuing to poke, prod, and prolong the life of a body that is obviously dying can offend our conscience as well.  This is where wisdom comes in.  God tells us to ask Him for wisdom (Jas 1:5) and to make conscientious decisions (1 Tim 3:9).  There is no magic answer to your questions – only principles to follow in a very difficult time.

I am a born again christian, and I find myself unemployed just like a lot of others in this country and world.

I am having a hard time getting another job and have tried since early April.  I was always taught that God would protect and help His own, so now I am becoming fearful of losing everything and the house as well.

My question (I guess) is: why would God allow the suffering and ruin of His children?  I am beginning to feel like a failure in life and to God.

Sincerely,
Will Work For Food

Dear Will Work For Food,

Suffering occurs for multiple reasons.  Good people suffer because it makes them stronger and increases their hope and desire for heaven (Rom 5:3-4).  God uses trials to mold us into the people we ought to be (Heb 12:6-7).  God never promises that we will be wealthy in this life, but He does promise to take care of us (Ps 37:25).

As long as we live on this planet, we will suffer.  Sin introduced death (Gen 2:17), disease (Matt 4:23), violence (Gen 6:11), heartache (Pr 13:12), bitterness (Acts 8:23), etc. into this world.  This world is full of all sorts of terrible things, but God promises if we live faithfully, He will cause even the hardest circumstances to turn out for our good (Rom 8:28).  Ultimately, our hope and peace isn’t in this world (Heb 11:13-16).  Hang in there, draw close to God, and may His Word be your strength in this time of need (Ps 119:28).