| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"UR Welcome! UR" |
| Date: |
19 Jul 2007 08:33:19 AM |
| Object: |
I (Heart) America |
I (Heart) America
Related Audio/Video Downloads
http://breakpoint.org/media/dkContent/6758/071907_BP.mp3
Are Images Making Us Illiterate?
Are Americans gradually becoming illiterate? It's not because we never
learned to read, but because we're relying more and more on images instead
of words.
A debate about this recently broke out on The Point-BreakPoint's blog
site. One of the BreakPoint staff wrote about the frustrations of
test-driving a new car: "There were many buttons and knobs with pictures
on them instead of words," she wrote. "What did they do? One of them had a
picture with a big "X" painted over it, as if someone had made a mistake
and crossed it out."
Response from our blog readers was fierce.
"You've hit on one of my biggest pet peeves," one blogger wrote. "I
experienced the exact same thing with a rental [car] recently with the
most perplexing image. [It] looked like a tire on fire. Why would anyone
want to push that button?"
Another blogger noted that 300 years ago, "Businesses created signs [with]
an image that would tell people what their business was, such as a shoe,"
because most people were illiterate. Today, he says, "because we are
relying more and more on images, we are becoming illiterate."
It's the same story with cell phones and TV remotes-which is probably who
so many of us have difficulty using them. If you order furniture from
Ikea, the assembly instructions include no words at all: Just a series of
pictures of how to put furniture together. It's like trying to read
hieroglyphs. At McDonalds restaurants, illiteracy is assumed: the cash
registers contain little pictures of burgers and fries. The reason, in
part, is that more and more immigrants do not speak English.
This increasing reliance on images over words can lead, not only to
colossal frustration, but to spiritual illiteracy. As the late Neil
Postman wrote in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, the medium of
communication actually helps shape the way people think. The printed word
requires sustained attention, logical analysis, and an active imagination.
But television and video games, with their fast-moving images, encourage a
short attention span, disjointed thinking, and purely emotional responses.
Postman says he first discovered this connection when reading the Ten
Commandments. He was struck by the words: "You shall not make for yourself
a graven image." He realized that the idea of a universal deity cannot be
expressed in images but only in words. As Postman writes, "The God of the
Jews was to exist in the Word and through the Word, an unprecedented
conception requiring the highest order of abstract thinking."
Christians are meant to have an ongoing conversation with God. We address
Him in the language of prayer, and He addresses us in the language of
Scripture.
Today, missionaries in non-literate societies reduce the native language
to writing and teach people to read by reading the Bible. But here in the
West we are in danger of coming full circle: The visual media, and our
increasing reliance on images in everyday life, may ultimately undermine
literacy, transforming us back into an image-based culture.
If that happens, will biblical faith still flourish?
It's something to think about when we're attempted to gorge on television
or video games-and a reason to fight back against our culture's insistence
that virtually everything can be reduced to an image. Give your family a
good lesson: read a book together.
By Chuck Colson
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Further Reading and Information
Anne Morse, "What Does This Button Do?" The Point, 21 June 2007.
Diane Singer, "Death By Cultural Illiteracy," The Point, 14 June 2007.
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of
Show Business, (Viking Press, 1986).
Shashi Tharoor, "Illiterate America: 44 American Men and Women are
Functionally Illiterate," Newsweek International, 30 September 2002.
Kathy Kemp, "Hardest Thing for Tough Guy Was Reading," Birmingham News, 8
July 2007.
Jacob Stein, "Spiritual Illiteracy," Jewish Philosopher, 12 June 2007.
.
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| User: "Feather Forestwalker" |
|
| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
19 Jul 2007 10:48:11 AM |
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Interesting points in the article by Chuck Colson. Am reminded more and more
of Eric Blair's book - 1984. . .(George Orwell).
Cultural Illiteracy indeed. . .
newspeak, images washing across screens. . .what's happening to our brains?
My son insists on reading books before movies come out and a lot of other
kids call him WEIRD for it.
My son also likes to put on the Closed Captioning so he can 'read along'
because he loves to read. And kids call him weird.
Hey, he's 16 and made four A's and two B's on his last report card and next
year is qualifying for College and A-Prep classes in history, english and
science. The kids that call him weird? Well, many of them are headed down a
path towards drug abuse, alcohol abuse, crime and juvenile hall, sad - but
true.
What's "cooler"?
Going to juvenile hall or jail or going to college?
Feather
.
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| User: "JTEM" |
|
| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
20 Jul 2007 12:28:50 AM |
|
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"Feather Forestwalker" <feat...@NOSPAMPLZ.com> wrote:
My son insists on reading books before movies come
out and a lot of other kids call him WEIRD for it.
Sounds like he's gay.
.
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| User: "UR Welcome! UR" |
|
| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
20 Jul 2007 08:40:43 AM |
|
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"JTEM" <jtem01@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1184909330.144778.194400@n2g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
wrote:
My son insists on reading books before movies come
out and a lot of other kids call him WEIRD for it.
I (Heart) America
Related Audio/Video Downloads
http://breakpoint.org/media/dkContent/6758/071907_BP.mp3
Are Images Making Us Illiterate?
Are Americans gradually becoming illiterate? It's not because we never
learned to read, but because we're relying more and more on images instead
of words.
A debate about this recently broke out on The Point-BreakPoint's blog
site. One of the BreakPoint staff wrote about the frustrations of
test-driving a new car: "There were many buttons and knobs with pictures
on them instead of words," she wrote. "What did they do? One of them had a
picture with a big "X" painted over it, as if someone had made a mistake
and crossed it out."
Response from our blog readers was fierce.
"You've hit on one of my biggest pet peeves," one blogger wrote. "I
experienced the exact same thing with a rental [car] recently with the
most perplexing image. [It] looked like a tire on fire. Why would anyone
want to push that button?"
Another blogger noted that 300 years ago, "Businesses created signs [with]
an image that would tell people what their business was, such as a shoe,"
because most people were illiterate. Today, he says, "because we are
relying more and more on images, we are becoming illiterate."
It's the same story with cell phones and TV remotes-which is probably who
so many of us have difficulty using them. If you order furniture from
Ikea, the assembly instructions include no words at all: Just a series of
pictures of how to put furniture together. It's like trying to read
hieroglyphs. At McDonalds restaurants, illiteracy is assumed: the cash
registers contain little pictures of burgers and fries. The reason, in
part, is that more and more immigrants do not speak English.
This increasing reliance on images over words can lead, not only to
colossal frustration, but to spiritual illiteracy. As the late Neil
Postman wrote in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, the medium of
communication actually helps shape the way people think. The printed word
requires sustained attention, logical analysis, and an active imagination.
But television and video games, with their fast-moving images, encourage a
short attention span, disjointed thinking, and purely emotional responses.
Postman says he first discovered this connection when reading the Ten
Commandments. He was struck by the words: "You shall not make for yourself
a graven image." He realized that the idea of a universal deity cannot be
expressed in images but only in words. As Postman writes, "The God of the
Jews was to exist in the Word and through the Word, an unprecedented
conception requiring the highest order of abstract thinking."
Christians are meant to have an ongoing conversation with God. We address
Him in the language of prayer, and He addresses us in the language of
Scripture.
Today, missionaries in non-literate societies reduce the native language
to writing and teach people to read by reading the Bible. But here in the
West we are in danger of coming full circle: The visual media, and our
increasing reliance on images in everyday life, may ultimately undermine
literacy, transforming us back into an image-based culture.
If that happens, will biblical faith still flourish?
It's something to think about when we're attempted to gorge on television
or video games-and a reason to fight back against our culture's insistence
that virtually everything can be reduced to an image. Give your family a
good lesson: read a book together.
By Chuck Colson
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Further Reading and Information
Anne Morse, "What Does This Button Do?" The Point, 21 June 2007.
Diane Singer, "Death By Cultural Illiteracy," The Point, 14 June 2007.
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of
Show Business, (Viking Press, 1986).
Shashi Tharoor, "Illiterate America: 44 American Men and Women are
Functionally Illiterate," Newsweek International, 30 September 2002.
Kathy Kemp, "Hardest Thing for Tough Guy Was Reading," Birmingham News, 8
July 2007.
Jacob Stein, "Spiritual Illiteracy," Jewish Philosopher, 12 June 2007.
.
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| User: "Irv Hyatt" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
19 Jul 2007 01:10:01 PM |
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"Feather Forestwalker" <feather@NOSPAMPLZ.com> wrote in message
news:%ILni.11847$rL1.4971@newssvr19.news.prodigy.net...
Interesting points in the article by Chuck Colson. Am reminded more and
more of Eric Blair's book - 1984. . .(George Orwell).
Cultural Illiteracy indeed. . .
newspeak, images washing across screens. . .what's happening to our
brains?
My son insists on reading books before movies come out and a lot of other
kids call him WEIRD for it.
My son also likes to put on the Closed Captioning so he can 'read along'
because he loves to read. And kids call him weird.
Hey, he's 16 and made four A's and two B's on his last report card and
next year is qualifying for College and A-Prep classes in history, english
and science. The kids that call him weird? Well, many of them are headed
down a path towards drug abuse, alcohol abuse, crime and juvenile hall,
sad - but true.
What's "cooler"?
Going to juvenile hall or jail or going to college?
Feather
OK so you have a dorky kid that doesn't fit in. Good for the both of you.
IMO juvie is bad because of that kind of stigma and self-identity before
reaching adulthood can be permanently damaging.
OTOH
Jail, College and Travel give a wider perspective of what life is really all
about.
Going to jail is a major education in our system of injustice and fascism.
Any reality check on the state of our 'democracy' is enlightening.
I'd plant drugs on the kid when he turns 18 and call the cops.
Everyone needs to see the underside of what we assume is freedom.
He'll do much better in college bringing a truer perspective to what they
vomit out at him.
He'll have the important information needed to challenge things.
You can be in Mensa with your high IQ and still be an ignorant SOB.
.
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| User: "Frank" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
19 Jul 2007 03:18:10 PM |
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"Irv Hyatt" <irvhyatt@ca.rr.com> wrote in message news:469fb139$0$4654$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
"Feather Forestwalker" <feather@NOSPAMPLZ.com> wrote in message news:%ILni.11847$rL1.4971@newssvr19.news.prodigy.net...
Interesting points in the article by Chuck Colson. Am reminded more and more of Eric Blair's book - 1984. . .(George Orwell).
Cultural Illiteracy indeed. . .
newspeak, images washing across screens. . .what's happening to our brains?
My son insists on reading books before movies come out and a lot of other kids call him WEIRD for it.
My son also likes to put on the Closed Captioning so he can 'read along' because he loves to read. And kids call him weird.
Hey, he's 16 and made four A's and two B's on his last report card and next year is qualifying for College and A-Prep classes in
history, english and science. The kids that call him weird? Well, many of them are headed down a path towards drug abuse, alcohol
abuse, crime and juvenile hall, sad - but true.
What's "cooler"?
Going to juvenile hall or jail or going to college?
Feather
OK so you have a dorky kid that doesn't fit in. Good for the both of you.
IMO juvie is bad because of that kind of stigma and self-identity before reaching adulthood can be permanently damaging.
OTOH
Jail, College and Travel give a wider perspective of what life is really all about.
Going to jail is a major education in our system of injustice and fascism.
Any reality check on the state of our 'democracy' is enlightening.
I'd plant drugs on the kid when he turns 18 and call the cops.
Everyone needs to see the underside of what we assume is freedom.
He'll do much better in college bringing a truer perspective to what they vomit out at him.
He'll have the important information needed to challenge things.
You can be in Mensa with your high IQ and still be an ignorant SOB.
Feather, have "Irv" throw up a pic of its kid!
A real reject.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
.
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| User: "Irv Hyatt" |
|
| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
19 Jul 2007 09:49:52 PM |
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"Frank" <fg_ooi@yahoo.uk> wrote in message
news:469fbaf7$0$16403$88260bb3@free.teranews.com...
"Irv Hyatt" <irvhyatt@ca.rr.com> wrote in message
news:469fb139$0$4654$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
"Feather Forestwalker" <feather@NOSPAMPLZ.com> wrote in message
news:%ILni.11847$rL1.4971@newssvr19.news.prodigy.net...
Interesting points in the article by Chuck Colson. Am reminded more and
more of Eric Blair's book - 1984. . .(George Orwell).
Cultural Illiteracy indeed. . .
newspeak, images washing across screens. . .what's happening to our
brains?
My son insists on reading books before movies come out and a lot of
other kids call him WEIRD for it.
My son also likes to put on the Closed Captioning so he can 'read along'
because he loves to read. And kids call him weird.
Hey, he's 16 and made four A's and two B's on his last report card and
next year is qualifying for College and A-Prep classes in history,
english and science. The kids that call him weird? Well, many of them
are headed down a path towards drug abuse, alcohol abuse, crime and
juvenile hall, sad - but true.
What's "cooler"?
Going to juvenile hall or jail or going to college?
Feather
OK so you have a dorky kid that doesn't fit in. Good for the both of
you.
IMO juvie is bad because of that kind of stigma and self-identity before
reaching adulthood can be permanently damaging.
OTOH
Jail, College and Travel give a wider perspective of what life is really
all about.
Going to jail is a major education in our system of injustice and
fascism.
Any reality check on the state of our 'democracy' is enlightening.
I'd plant drugs on the kid when he turns 18 and call the cops.
Everyone needs to see the underside of what we assume is freedom.
He'll do much better in college bringing a truer perspective to what they
vomit out at him.
He'll have the important information needed to challenge things.
You can be in Mensa with your high IQ and still be an ignorant SOB.
Feather, have "Irv" throw up a pic of its kid!
A real reject.
LOL... hardly. Rich and famous and talented, funny... geez, what a loser.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
.
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| User: "UR Welcome! UR" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
19 Jul 2007 04:23:51 PM |
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"Frank" <fg_ooi@yahoo.uk> wrote in message news:469fbaf7$0$16403$88260bb3@free.teranews.com...
"Irv Hyatt" <irvhyatt@ca.rr.com> wrote in message news:469fb139$0$4654$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
"Feather Forestwalker" <feather@NOSPAMPLZ.com> wrote in message news:%ILni.11847$rL1.4971@newssvr19.news.prodigy.net...
Interesting points in the article by Chuck Colson. Am reminded more and more of Eric Blair's book - 1984. . .(George Orwell).
Cultural Illiteracy indeed. . .
newspeak, images washing across screens. . .what's happening to our brains?
My son insists on reading books before movies come out and a lot of other kids call him WEIRD for it.
My son also likes to put on the Closed Captioning so he can 'read along' because he loves to read. And kids call him weird.
Hey, he's 16 and made four A's and two B's on his last report card and next year is qualifying for College and A-Prep classes in
history, english and science. The kids that call him weird? Well, many of them are headed down a path towards drug abuse,
alcohol abuse, crime and juvenile hall, sad - but true.
What's "cooler"?
Going to juvenile hall or jail or going to college?
Feather
OK so you have a dorky kid that doesn't fit in. Good for the both of you.
IMO juvie is bad because of that kind of stigma and self-identity before reaching adulthood can be permanently damaging.
OTOH
Jail, College and Travel give a wider perspective of what life is really all about.
Going to jail is a major education in our system of injustice and fascism.
Any reality check on the state of our 'democracy' is enlightening.
I'd plant drugs on the kid when he turns 18 and call the cops.
Everyone needs to see the underside of what we assume is freedom.
He'll do much better in college bringing a truer perspective to what they vomit out at him.
He'll have the important information needed to challenge things.
You can be in Mensa with your high IQ and still be an ignorant SOB.
Feather, have "Irv" throw up a pic of its kid!
A real reject.
http://bibleweb.info/1/bibleweb/sanctification.pdf
.
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| User: "Velvet Elvis" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
19 Jul 2007 04:56:33 PM |
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On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:18:10 -0400, "Frank" <fg_ooi@yahoo.uk> wrote:
"Irv Hyatt" <irvhyatt@ca.rr.com> wrote in message news:469fb139$0$4654$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
"Feather Forestwalker" <feather@NOSPAMPLZ.com> wrote in message news:%ILni.11847$rL1.4971@newssvr19.news.prodigy.net...
Interesting points in the article by Chuck Colson. Am reminded more and more of Eric Blair's book - 1984. . .(George Orwell).
Cultural Illiteracy indeed. . .
newspeak, images washing across screens. . .what's happening to our brains?
My son insists on reading books before movies come out and a lot of other kids call him WEIRD for it.
My son also likes to put on the Closed Captioning so he can 'read along' because he loves to read. And kids call him weird.
Hey, he's 16 and made four A's and two B's on his last report card and next year is qualifying for College and A-Prep classes in
history, english and science. The kids that call him weird? Well, many of them are headed down a path towards drug abuse, alcohol
abuse, crime and juvenile hall, sad - but true.
What's "cooler"?
Going to juvenile hall or jail or going to college?
Feather
OK so you have a dorky kid that doesn't fit in. Good for the both of you.
IMO juvie is bad because of that kind of stigma and self-identity before reaching adulthood can be permanently damaging.
OTOH
Jail, College and Travel give a wider perspective of what life is really all about.
Going to jail is a major education in our system of injustice and fascism.
Any reality check on the state of our 'democracy' is enlightening.
I'd plant drugs on the kid when he turns 18 and call the cops.
Everyone needs to see the underside of what we assume is freedom.
He'll do much better in college bringing a truer perspective to what they vomit out at him.
He'll have the important information needed to challenge things.
You can be in Mensa with your high IQ and still be an ignorant SOB.
Feather, have "Irv" throw up a pic of its kid!
A real reject.
Richer, more talented, and more famous than you'll ever be, short of your
taking an Uzi to your local Burger King.
--
I got kicked out of Indigo for moving all
the bibles to the "Fiction" section
.
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| User: "Irv Hyatt" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
19 Jul 2007 09:50:56 PM |
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"Velvet Elvis" <nowhere@noplace.org> wrote in message
news:2env9393iu6huo88lfep5oqq8a0ad55mon@4ax.com...
On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:18:10 -0400, "Frank" <fg_ooi@yahoo.uk> wrote:
"Irv Hyatt" <irvhyatt@ca.rr.com> wrote in message
news:469fb139$0$4654$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
"Feather Forestwalker" <feather@NOSPAMPLZ.com> wrote in message
news:%ILni.11847$rL1.4971@newssvr19.news.prodigy.net...
Interesting points in the article by Chuck Colson. Am reminded more and
more of Eric Blair's book - 1984. . .(George Orwell).
Cultural Illiteracy indeed. . .
newspeak, images washing across screens. . .what's happening to our
brains?
My son insists on reading books before movies come out and a lot of
other kids call him WEIRD for it.
My son also likes to put on the Closed Captioning so he can 'read
along' because he loves to read. And kids call him weird.
Hey, he's 16 and made four A's and two B's on his last report card and
next year is qualifying for College and A-Prep classes in
history, english and science. The kids that call him weird? Well, many
of them are headed down a path towards drug abuse, alcohol
abuse, crime and juvenile hall, sad - but true.
What's "cooler"?
Going to juvenile hall or jail or going to college?
Feather
OK so you have a dorky kid that doesn't fit in. Good for the both of
you.
IMO juvie is bad because of that kind of stigma and self-identity before
reaching adulthood can be permanently damaging.
OTOH
Jail, College and Travel give a wider perspective of what life is really
all about.
Going to jail is a major education in our system of injustice and
fascism.
Any reality check on the state of our 'democracy' is enlightening.
I'd plant drugs on the kid when he turns 18 and call the cops.
Everyone needs to see the underside of what we assume is freedom.
He'll do much better in college bringing a truer perspective to what
they vomit out at him.
He'll have the important information needed to challenge things.
You can be in Mensa with your high IQ and still be an ignorant SOB.
Feather, have "Irv" throw up a pic of its kid!
A real reject.
Richer, more talented, and more famous than you'll ever be, short of your
taking an Uzi to your local Burger King.
§õ¿õ§ ty El
--
I got kicked out of Indigo for moving all
the bibles to the "Fiction" section
.
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| User: "UR Welcome! UR" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
19 Jul 2007 09:25:57 PM |
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"Velvet Elvis" <nowhere@noplace.org> wrote in message news:2env9393iu6huo88lfep5oqq8a0ad55mon@4ax.com...
On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:18:10 -0400, "Frank" <fg_ooi@yahoo.uk> wrote:
"Irv Hyatt" <irvhyatt@ca.rr.com> wrote in message news:469fb139$0$4654$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
"Feather Forestwalker" <feather@NOSPAMPLZ.com> wrote in message news:%ILni.11847$rL1.4971@newssvr19.news.prodigy.net...
Interesting points in the article by Chuck Colson. Am reminded more and more of Eric Blair's book - 1984. . .(George Orwell).
Cultural Illiteracy indeed. . .
newspeak, images washing across screens. . .what's happening to our brains?
My son insists on reading books before movies come out and a lot of other kids call him WEIRD for it.
My son also likes to put on the Closed Captioning so he can 'read along' because he loves to read. And kids call him weird.
Hey, he's 16 and made four A's and two B's on his last report card and next year is qualifying for College and A-Prep classes
in
history, english and science. The kids that call him weird? Well, many of them are headed down a path towards drug abuse,
alcohol
abuse, crime and juvenile hall, sad - but true.
What's "cooler"?
Going to juvenile hall or jail or going to college?
Feather
OK so you have a dorky kid that doesn't fit in. Good for the both of you.
IMO juvie is bad because of that kind of stigma and self-identity before reaching adulthood can be permanently damaging.
OTOH
Jail, College and Travel give a wider perspective of what life is really all about.
Going to jail is a major education in our system of injustice and fascism.
Any reality check on the state of our 'democracy' is enlightening.
I'd plant drugs on the kid when he turns 18 and call the cops.
Everyone needs to see the underside of what we assume is freedom.
He'll do much better in college bringing a truer perspective to what they vomit out at him.
He'll have the important information needed to challenge things.
You can be in Mensa with your high IQ and still be an ignorant SOB.
Feather, have "Irv" throw up a pic of its kid!
A real reject.
Richer, more talented, and more famous than you'll ever be, short of your
taking an Uzi to your local Burger King.
-- richer
-- more talented
-- more famous
Sounds like the material world of madonna, huh. (-:
.. The Excellence of Love - S-a-c-r-i-f-i-c-e
(1 Corinthians 13 NASB)
.. The Excellence of Love
1 If I speak with the ?a?tongues of men and of ?b?angels, but do not
have love, I have become a noisy gong or a ?c?clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of ?a?prophecy, and know all ?b?mysteries and
all ?c?knowledge; and if I have ?d?all faith, so as to ?e?remove
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 And if I ?a?give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I
?b?surrender my body ?1?to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me
nothing.
4 Love ?a?is patient, love is kind and ?b?is not jealous; love does
not brag and is not ?c?arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it ?a?does not seek its own, is not
provoked, ?b?does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 ?a?does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but ?b?rejoices with the
truth;
7 ?1??a?bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of ?1??a?prophecy, they
will be done away; if there are ?b?tongues, they will cease; if there is
knowledge, it will be done away.
9 For we ?a?know in part and we prophesy in part;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a
child, reason like a child; when I ?1?became a man, I did away with
childish things.
12 For now we ?a?see in a mirror ?1?dimly, but then ?b?face to face;
now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also ?c?have
been fully known.
13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the ?1?greatest
of these is ?a?love.
[1]
I love my wife. I love my kids. I love Big Macs. I love walks in the park
on summer evenings. We use the word "love" so freely that we diminish its
meaning. The Greeks circumvented this problem by using four words for
love..
.. Storgi means affection. Storgi is the kind of love one feels toward
his cat or dog.
.. Eros refers to sexual, physical love.
.. Phileo, from which we get the name "Philadelphia," speaks of
brotherly love. Phileo says, "If you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you."
It wasn't until the New Testament apostles introduced the concept of
unconditional love that the Greeks added agape to their vocabulary. Agape
is a love that gives simply for the sake of giving, never expecting
anything in return. People who don't know the Lord can experience all of
the other kinds of love. But for them, agape is impossible because it is
found only in God. Agape is the love of which Paul speaks when he says, "If
I don't have love, I'm just making noise even if I speak in tongues
fluently."
In the year 1647, during England's Civil War, a deserter in Cromwell's army
was captured and brought before him.
"When the curfew bell sounds tonight, you shall be executed," said the
general.
But that night, the curfew bell was not heard. Upon investigation, it was
discovered that, receiving news of her fianci's sentence, his betrothed
made her way quickly to the camp and hid in the bell tower. As curfew
neared, she positioned herself within the bell in such a way that when the
rope was pulled, the clapper hit her body rather than the inside of the
bell. Seeing the bruised and battered lady standing before him, Cromwell
was so deeply touched by her love that the soldier's life was spared.
Jesus Christ climbed not a bell tower, but the hill of Calvary in order
that you and I would be spared the execution we so rightfully deserve.
Whether the word is charity, love, or agape, the love Jesus showed us, the
love we are to extend to one another is
spelled one way: S-a-c-r-i-f-i-c-e.
[2]
A Topical Study of 1 Corinthians 13:4
The description of agape seen in 1 Corinthians 13 is glorious indeed. But,
to the believer, this passage can be very frustrating as well. You see, in
1 Corinthians 13, we read that love is longsuffering and kind, that it
neither envies nor seeks its own, that it bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, and endures all things, that it never fails.
"What a beautiful description of love," we say with one breath, but, "too
bad I'm so far from it," with the next.
Today, however, I want you to look at the chapter before us from a slightly
different perspective. The apostle John tells us that God is love-literally
that God is agape (1 John 4:16). Paul tells us that this Fountainhead of
agape, the Essence of love, God Himself demonstrated His love for us in
that while we were yet sinners He died in place of us (Romans 5:8). Seen in
this light, 1 Corinthians 13 becomes not only an exhortation to love
others, but, more importantly, a description of God's love for us..
Love suffereth long. 1 Corinthians 13:4 (a)
God suffers long. He suffers long toward me. Think of Jesus on the Cross.
As men cursed Him and spit on Him, what did He do? He suffered long. He
said, "Father forgive them. They don't know what they're doing" (see Luke
23:34). My tendency is to think I've blown it so badly that surely God has
given up on me. But the Cross shows me otherwise.
..and is kind. 1 Corinthians 13:4 (b)
If you think God is vengeful, angry, and mean-spirited, you have the wrong
image of God. So kind, so gentle, so big-hearted is He that He does more
for us than we could ever ask or even think (Ephesians 3:20).
The psalmist tells us that the Lord will withhold no good thing from those
that love Him (Psalm 84:11). Therefore, if I'm not getting something for
which I'm asking, it's because what I'm asking for would not be good for
me. If the timing isn't right, if the request is wrong, He'll withhold it
not because He's mean, but because He is love.
..love envieth not. 1 Corinthians 13:4 (c)
Bound together in the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit are completely
self-sufficient and totally happy. God says, "I want to walk with you; I'll
never give up on you; I avail Myself to you-but I'm not dependent on you."
God's love is mature.
..love vaunteth not itself. 1 Corinthians 13:4 (d)
God doesn't have to hype Himself. What He says, He does. Who He claims to
be, He really is.
..is not puffed up. 1 Corinthians 13:4 (e)
God doesn't say, "I'm God and you're dust." No, He came to dwell among us,
to walk with us, to die for us. And He's the same today. He's always
available to me, always ready to hear my prayers, always ready to share
with me truths from His Word.
When I read 1 Corinthians 13 in this light, what does it do?
The apostle John tells us exactly what it does when he literally says, "We
love because He first loved us" (see 1 John 4:19). The person who
understands that 1 Corinthians 13 is most fundamentally talking about the
nature and character of God's love toward him personally will be one who
inevitably overflows with love to the people around him.
We looked at only one verse in Paul's perfectly placed pomegranate of love.
As you make your way through the rest of the chapter, you will see God's
love for you in every verse. Marvel at it. Bask in it. Then let it overflow
from your life to everyone around you.
[3]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
a 1 Cor 12:10 b 2 Cor 12:4; Rev 14:2 c Ps 150:5 a Matt 7:22; Acts 13:1; 1
Cor 11:4; 13:8; 14:1, 39 b 1 Cor 14:2; 15:51 c Rom 15:14 d 1 Cor 12:9 e
Matt 17:20; 21:21; Mark 11:23 a Matt 6:2 b Dan 3:28 1 Early mss read that I
may boast a Prov 10:12; 17:9; 1 Thess 5:14; 1 Pet 4:8 b Acts 7:9 c 1 Cor
4:6 a 1 Cor 10:24; Phil 2:21 b 2 Cor 5:19 a 2 Thess 2:12 b 2 John 4; 3 John
3f 1 Or covers a 1 Cor 9:12 1 Lit prophecies a 1 Cor 13:2 b 1 Cor 13:1 a 1
Cor 8:2; 13:12 1 Lit have become...have done away with a 2 Cor 5:7; Phil
3:12; James 1:23 1 Lit in a riddle b Gen 32:30; Num 12:8; 1 John 3:2 c 1
Cor 8:3 1 Lit greater a Gal 5:6
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (1 Co 13:1). LaHabra,
CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1074).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
[3]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1078).
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
20 Jul 2007 04:10:40 PM |
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On Jul 19, 5:56 pm, Velvet Elvis <nowh...@noplace.org> wrote:
..
Richer, more talented, and more famous than you'll ever be, short of your
taking an Uzi to your local Burger King.
Elvis, that's a .sig waiting to happen...<g>
-PF, Atl.
aa#2015/KoBAAWA!
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| User: "UR Welcome! UR" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
20 Jul 2007 04:49:28 PM |
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<panamfloyd@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:1184965840.118002.74500@n2g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
wrote:
I didn't know you cared!
.. Hell's Best Kept Secret!
(watch the line wrap!)
http://bibleweb.info/1/bibleweb/evangelism/ray-comfort/hells-best-kept-secret.html
Evangelical success is at an all-time low. Modern evangelism, from large
campaigns to small gospel meetings, boasts only a 20 percent holding rate.
How effective are our present-day evangelical methods when they create
eighty backsliders for every one hundred "decisions for Jesus"? Some are
even less effective than that - one recent campaign reported having a 92
percent backsliding rate!
The September 1977 issue of "Eternity Magazine" reported the results of an
evangelistic crusade that involved 178 churches. Out of 4,106 decisions
only 3 percent joined a local church. That series of meetings created
3,981 backsliders! (More up-to-date statistics are hard to come by.
Understandably, they are not published with much enthusiasm.)
I did read that in 1987, however, a Luis Palau crusade reported 6,000
decisions. Yet, despite intense follow-up and counsel, within the first
three months, 947 already had backslidden.
To those who have a burden for the lost, like Luis Palau, Billy Graham,
and many gifted evangelists around the world, these statistics are not
just bad news - they are heart rending! While evangelicals run around in
ever-decreasing circles, 140,000 souls die every day.
Why No Brokenness?
As a young evangelist I would plead with sinners, begging them to accept
Christ. When one would respond, I was overjoyed. But in the back of my
mind I knew there was an 80 percent chance that he would backslide.
To test the sincerity of a potential convert who came to the altar, I
began to approach each sinner in a gestapo-like manner. When I felt he was
sincere, I would lead him in the most genuine prayer I could muster, "Dear
God, I am a sinner. Cleanse me, wash me."
As we prayed, I would keep one eye open. Although obviously sincere,
sinners repeated it flippantly. Then I would slow my voice and almost
tearfully affirm, "I believe that Jesus died on the cross in my place."
Still there was no sign of sorrow for sin, no contrition, and no
brokenness!
What was the problem? The sinner was one hundred percent sincere - he
sincerely wanted the love, joy, peace, happiness, and fulfillment that
supposedly comes from being a Christian. His response was merely a test to
see if the claims were true.
Sinners were not fleeing from the wrath to come. Why? Because I hadn't
mentioned there was any wrath to come. Potential converts showed no
genuine repentance because I hadn't given them a reason to repent.
Who Needs a Parachute?
The way we present the gospel determines the kind of response the sinner
makes. Let me illustrate.
Two men are seated in a plane. A stewardess gives the first man a
parachute and instructs him to put it on because it will "improve his
flight."
Not understanding how a parachute could possibly improve his flight, the
first passenger is a little skeptical. Finally he decides to see if the
claim is true. After strapping on the parachute, he notices its burdensome
weight, and he has difficulty sitting upright. Consoling himself with the
promise of a better flight, our first passenger decides to give it a
little time.
Because he's the only one wearing a parachute, some of the other
passengers begin smirking at him, which only adds to his humiliation.
Unable to stand it any longer, our friend slumps in his seat, unstraps the
parachute, and throws it to the floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill
his heart because as far as he is concerned, he was told a lie.
Another stewardess gives the second man a parachute, but listen to her
instructions. She tells him to put it on because at any moment he will be
jumping out of the plane at 25,000 feet.
Our second passenger gratefully straps the parachute on. He doesn't notice
its weight upon his shoulders nor that he can't sit up upright. His mind
is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he jumped
without it. When other passengers laugh at him, he thinks, "You won't be
laughing when you're falling to the ground!"
Inoculated Backsliders
Let's now analyze the motive and the result of each passenger's
experience.
The first man's motive for putting on the parachute was solely to improve
his flight. As a result, he was humiliated by the passengers,
disillusioned by an unkept promise, and embittered against the stewardess
who gave it to him. As far as he is concerned, he will never put one of
those things on his back again.
The second man put the parachute on to escape the danger of the coming
jump. Because he knew what would happen to him without it, he had a
deep-rooted joy and peace in his heart. Knowing he was saved from certain
death gave him the ability to withstand the mockery of the other
passengers. His attitude toward the stewardess who gave him the parachute
was one of heartfelt gratitude.
Now listen to what the contemporary gospel says: "Put on the Lord Jesus
Christ; He will give you love, joy, peace, and fulfillment." In other
words, He will improve your flight. In an experimental fashion, the sinner
puts the Savior to see if these claims are so.
What does he get? Temptation, tribulation, and persecution. The other
passengers mock his decision. So what does he do? He takes off the Lord
Jesus Christ; he is offended for the Word's sake; he is disillusioned and
embittered, and quite rightly so.
He was promised peace, joy, fulfillment, and all he got were trials and
humiliation. His bitterness is directed at those who gave him the "good
news." His latter end is worse than the first - another inoculated, bitter
backslider!
The apostle Peter acted in misguided zeal when he tried to dismember the
Roman servant in the garden of Gethsemane. Many misguided Christians are
also cutting off ears - the ears of potential hearers. Once sinners think
they have given it a try, they no longer have an ear for the gospel.
Why are sinners turned off and tuned out? Because we no longer preach the
full message of the gospel. We have omitted the key to genuine repentance
- the Law of God. The apostle Paul said, "I would not have known sin
except through the law" (Romans 7:7, italics added).
Listen to these words from Spurgeon:
Lower the Law, and you dim the light by which man perceives his guilt.
This is a very serious loss to the sinner, rather than a gain; for it
lessens the likelihood of his conviction and conversion...I say you have
deprived the gospel of its ablest auxiliary [most powerful weapon] when
you have set aside the Law. You have taken away from it the schoolmaster
that is to bring men to Christ...they will never accept grace till they
tremble before a just and holy Law. Therefore the Law serves a most
necessary and blessed purpose and it must not be removed from it's place.
When the sinner sees the awful consequences of breaking the Law of God -
that he cannot escape the certainty of judgment - he will see his need to
put on the Lord Jesus Christ. When we preach future punishment by the Law,
the sinner comes to Christ solely to flee from "the wrath to come."
Instead of preaching that Jesus "improves the flight," we must warn men
about the inevitable jump. Everyone must pass through the door of death.
It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment - Hebrews
9:27.
But doesn't Christianity offer the abundant life? You bet it does! Peace
and joy are legitimate fruits of the Spirit. But we do sinners an
injustice by enticing them with only the benefits of salvation. Our
misguided efforts only result in sinners coming to Christ with an impure
motive void of repentance.
Remember why the second passenger had joy and peace? Because he knew what
that parachute was going to save him from. In the same way, the true
convert has joy and peace in believing because he knows that the
righteousness of Christ will deliver him from the wrath that is to come.
"The kingdom of God is...righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Why is righteousness coupled with peace and joy?
Because "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness
delivers from death" (Proverbs 11:4).
Man-Centered Preaching
Now let's take a look at an unfortunate incident on board the plane.
During some unexpected turbulence, the stewardess accidentally drops a cup
of hot coffee onto the lap of our second passenger.
What is his reaction? Does he cry out in pain, then rip the parachute off
his back in anger? No! He didn't strap it on for any other reason than the
jump. In fact, he doesn't even relate the incident to his parachute.
Instead, it only makes him cling more tightly to his hope of salvation and
even look forward to the jump!
If we put on Christ to flee the wrath to come, when tribulation strikes we
won?t get angry at God. Why should we? We didn't come for a better
lifestyle. Trials drive us closer to the Lord, and we cling more tightly
to Him. Like the apostle Paul, we only stay around to encourage other
passengers to put on the parachute. "For to me, to live is Christ, and to
die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).
Sadly, multitudes of professing Christians lose their joy when the flight
gets bumpy. They are the product of "man-centered" preaching.
Because the Law is rarely used in modern-day evangelism, many pastors are
frustrated and make the gospel "man-centered" in an effort to attract
converts. They don?t see men and women embracing the good news, so they
turn to man-made methods.
Instead of driving the fish to the nets using the Law, they try to attract
them by holding up only the benefits of salvation. Let me give an example
of a typical altar call:
"Come to Jesus. Won?t you give your heart to Him? He loves you and died on
the cross for you. He wants to give you love, joy, and peace. He will make
your life happy and give you what you've been looking for."
Ministers gently woo sinners to the altar with the "every eye closed and
every head bowed" approach. Then, as the music gently plays, the preacher
asks, "Why not ask the person next to you to come with you so Jesus can
make him happy?"
An Invitation or a Command?
Instead of desperate sinners knocking on the door of heaven, we
incorrectly paint a picture of Jesus pleading at the heart of the sinner.
This type of "invitation" gives the impression that the sinner will be
doing God a favor if he responds. The gospel is not an invitation because
invitations can be politely turned down without fear of reprisal.
Scripture says that "God ...commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts
17:30, italics added).
We would never dare quote some of the following verses to encourage
someone to come to Christ:
All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution - 2
Timothy 3:12.
We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God - Acts 14:22.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous - Psalm 34:19.
In the world you will have tribulation - John 16:33.
Neither would we mention the sufferings of the apostle Paul - the
stonings, perils, and shipwrecks he endured. Why, it's hard enough to get
converts when we hold up the good things of the gospel!
We try, in our evangelical zeal, to argue sinners into the kingdom by
appealing to their intellect. We attempt to scare them into heaven by "666
Campaigns." We try to seduce them into the kingdom by telling them that
Jesus will make them happy. In fact, we use every method to bring people
to Christ except the method God has ordained - the Law!
How to Fill a Church
Let's turn the spotlight inward for a moment. Do we preach a man-centered,
"easy" gospel because we want to see more people saved or because we know
the consequences? Are we like the mother who won't discipline a naughty
child because she doesn't like the feeling she gets when she does it? She
places her immediate concern over the long-term welfare of her child.
Nathan may have felt sorry for King David as he cringed under the weight
of the prophet's words, but Nathan had to obey God-not his feelings.
David's eternal welfare was at stake. Better the sinner be offended in
order to repent, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and be
cast into everlasting fire. Where does the heart of our concern lie-with
the fate of the sinner or with our own comfort?
The sinner hides behind the bush of sin. But we beat around the bush
rather than beat the bush for fear of disturbing him. Yet the day will
come when every sinner is flushed out.
Some Christians innocently ask, "Why not preach a 'man-centered' gospel if
it gets people 'saved'?" We can preach a man-centered gospel and get
results; we may even fill our churches. But adding a soul to a church does
not necessarily mean that a soul has been added to the church. A decision
for Christ doesn't necessarily mean a soul for Christ.
I attended one service where a challenge was made to accept Christ, but
the Law of God was not mentioned. A young man stood up and briskly walked
to the altar. He stepped to the platform, turned around, and smiled at the
congregation. As I looked at him I didn't see any outward sign of
brokenness, guilt, or contrition. He wasn't fleeing to Christ for mercy. A
short time later, he backslid.
Unlike this young man, some don't slide back into the world. Instead,
church becomes no different than a social club. These new converts make
plenty of friends; there are regular activities and no fees.
Unfortunately, they also have no burden for souls, no real hunger for the
Word, no zeal for God, and no lasting fruit. A "man-centered" gospel can
fill your church with this type of "conversion."
P. T. Forsyth has accurately observed:
Our churches are full of the nicest, kindest people who have never known
the despair of guilt or the breathless wonder of forgiveness.
I am not against altar calls. Nothing is wrong with response to an altar
call, but what sinners are responding to determines its effectiveness.
Hot or Cold?
There are only two kinds of Christian - "cold" and refreshing or "hot" and
stimulating. All the rest will be spewed out of the mouth of Christ on
judgment day.
I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you
were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will spew you out of My mouth - Revelation 3:15,16.
Softselling the gospel is the tragedy of modern evangelism. Its massive
casualty rate leaves multitudes in the "lukewarm" bracket and sours the
untaught to the truths of true commitment. How can we turn the tide and
restore credibility to our conversion rates? Let's stop softselling the
gospel and tell sinners like it is!
.. Hell
Hell is one of those subjects that makes people uncomfortable. We hear
stories of hell being a place of fire, demons, and endless torment.
Throughout history many authors have written about it, Dante's Inferno
for example. Western culture is very familiar with the concept. Even
Hollywood has made it the subject of many movies. Whatever the
context, whatever the belief, hell is definitely taught in the Bible. But even
the doctrine of hell is not without its controversy. Some say it is only the
grave with no consciousness. Others say it is a place of correction and
punishment that is not eternal. Others say it is an endless agonizing
punishment in fire. Whichever it is, hell is the total absence of the favor of
God.
http://bibleweb.info/ftp/ftp-members-0001.html
We don't like to think about death. It's not a pleasant subject,
and we avoid even discussing it seriously or giving it any diligent study.
Yet our appointment with death is the most certain event in our future.
We all know of personal examples when death has come suddenly
to people, without warning, without preparations; car accidents,
stray bullets, unforeseen strokes. When it comes our time,
what do we expect death to be like? How will we enter eternity?
The words associated with Hell
Gehenna
In the OT, the word for hell is 'ge-hinnom' meaning "Valley of Hinnom."
It was a place to the southwest of Jerusalem. This place was once "called
'Topheth' and derived from an Aramaic word meaning 'fireplace.' It was
here that some pagan kings practiced human sacrifice by fire (2 Chron.
28:3; 33:6; Jer. 7:31; 32:25)(1). This is probably why in the NT the
word came to be associated with destruction by fire. The word 'gehenna'
is found in the NT 12 times and every instance is spoken of by Jesus. In
the NT, "gehenna" is used of a condition and never of a place.
Hades
This word only occurs in the NT, ten times, and corresponds to the OT
word "sheol." Jesus uses the word four times: (Matthew 11:23);
(Matthew 16:18); (Luke 10:15); (Luke 16:23). The other six occur in
Acts 2:27,31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13,14.
It was probably the "subterranean abode of all the dead until the
judgment. It was divided into two departments, paradise or Abraham's
bosom for the good, and Gehenna or hell for the bad."(2) In particular, in
the account of Lazarus and the Rich man of (Luke 16:19-31), it is the
place of the conscious dead who are wicked.
Sheol
"The Hebrew word Sheol is probably derived from a root "to make
hollow," and was seen as the common receptacle of the dead and in the
great many places the word appears in the OT, it is referring to the
grave.(3) It is a place and is mentioned in Gen. 37:35; Num. 16:30,33;
Psalm 16:10, etc. Sheol has many meanings in scripture: the grave, the
underworld, the state of the dead. It was supposed to be below the
surface of the earth (Ezek. 31:15,17; Psalm 86:13).
Is Hell Eternal Conscious Torment?
There are some Christian groups and many cults that deny the idea that
hell, in the general sense, means eternal, conscious punishment. Some
maintain that God's eternal punishment is annihilation, or non-existence.
Others say it is temporal and that eventually all will be saved out of hell.
Perhaps the most common objection is that a loving God would never
punish people in eternal torment. We agree that God is love (1 John 4:8),
but He is also just (Neh. 9:32-33; 2 Thess. 1:6), and eternal (Psalm 90:2;
1 Tim. 1:17 ). God punishes the evil doer (Isaiah 11:13) and this
punishment will be eternal. But the question remains. Is this eternal
punishment conscious or not?
There are verses that can be interpreted to support the idea that the dead
are not conscious after death: (Ecc. 9:5 - the dead know nothing(4) and
Psalm 146:4 - their thoughts perish, are good examples.) Other verses
compare the dead to sleep: Acts 13:36; 1 Cor. 15:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13,
etc. But these latter verses are merely comparing the similarity between
the appearance of the dead and the appearance of someone sleeping.
The Dead are Conscious After Death
The wicked descend alive into Sheol
Num. 16:30, "But if the Lord brings about an entirely new thing and the
ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and
they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men
have spurned the Lord . . . 33So they and all that belonged to them went
down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished
from the midst of the assembly."
Cast to outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth
Matt. 8:12, "but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer
darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Those cast into the fire suffer consciously
Matt. 13:41-42, "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they
will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who
commit lawlessness, 42and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that
place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." See also Matt.
13:50.
Cast into a tormenting fire
Rev. 14:9-10, "And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying
with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and
receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, 10he also will drink of
the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of
His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." See also,
Rev. 21:8.
Hell is a place of eternal fire and punishment
Unquenchable Fire
Matt. 3:12 "And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will
thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the
barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Fiery Hell
Matt. 5:22, "whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go
into the fiery hell." See also, Matt. 5:29,30.
Fiery Hell
Matt. 18:8-9, "And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut
it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or
lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire.
9"And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from
you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than having two eyes,
to be cast into the fiery hell."
Eternal Fire
Matt. 25:41, "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from
Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the
devil and his angels.
Eternal Punishment
Matt. 25:46, "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the
righteous into eternal life."
The word 'eternal' in both places is "aionios" which means 1)without
beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be; 2)
without beginning; 3)without end, never to cease, everlasting. The word
'punishment' is the word kolasis and it means "to punish, with the
implication of resulting severe suffering - 'to punish, punishment.'"(5)
Eternal Fire
Jude 7, "Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since
they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after
strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment
of eternal fire."
Lake of Fire
Rev. 20:15, "And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of
life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Luke 16:19-31, Lazarus and the Rich Man
In Luke 16:19-31 is the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Basically,
Lazarus is a poor man who suffers during life. The rich man is, of course,
rich. They both die. The rich man goes to Hades. Lazarus goes to
Abraham's bosom, another term for paradise. In Hades, the rich man lifts
up his eyes and sees Lazarus far off. He cries out to Abraham and asks
for mercy because he is in agony in flame. Abraham says no. Then the
rich man asks if someone from the dead were to rise and go tell his
brothers not to come to this terrible place. Abraham teaches him that that
will not be done either.
Some say that this is a parable. However, if it is, it is unique because no
other parable actually names a person. It isn't a story. It is history. It
really happened. But many who believe in no consciousness after death
will say it is still a parable. The question then is, if it is? What is it
teaching? If hell fire is false and if self-awareness after death is also false,
then Jesus is using false doctrines to teach a truth. Parables illustrate truth.
If it is a parable what does the consciousness after death symbolize?
Also, what does the agony in flame symbolize? Are they not real? Of
course they are.
Conclusion
Hell is a real place. It is not mere unconsciousness. It is not temporal. It is
eternal torment. Perhaps that is why Jesus spoke more of hell than
heaven and spent so much time warning people not to go there. After all,
if people just stopped existing, why warn them? If it was temporal, they'd
get out in a while. But if it were eternal and conscious, then the warning is
strong.
Jesus said, "And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it
from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish,
than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30"And if your right hand
makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you
that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go
into hell," (Matt. 5:29-30).
_________________
1. Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper's Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco:
Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.) 1985.
2. Unger, Merrill F., Unger's Bible Dictionary, (Chicago: Moody Press,
1966, p. 437.
3. Vine, W. E., Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament
Words, (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell) 1981.
4. Ecclesiastes is a book that is addressed as things appear "under the sun"
(Ecc. 1:3,9,14, etc.). In fact, the phrase "under the sun" occurs 29 times in
Ecclesiastes, a book written from the human perspective and boldly states
that all is vanity.
5. Louw, Johannes P. and Nida, Eugene A., Greek-English Lexicon of the
New Testament based on Semantic Domains, (New York: United Bible
Societies) 1988, 1989.
Hell - Part II.
By popular demand, I have been required to add to the original material on this
subject.
Much of this material will overlap with the original material, however is will
demonstrate that there even more scholars that have the same understanding on
this subject.
My simple understanding is that I don't know "where" it is, but I don't want to
go there!
All of the posts will be archived on a web sire with a sufficient index for your
connivance.
More on Hell
1. Hell will be a place of unquenchable fire Matt. 3:12; 13:41-42;
Mark9:43
2. It will be a place of memory and remorse. Luke 16:19-31
3. It will be a place of thirst. Luke 16:24
4. It will be a place of misery and pain. Rev. 14:10, 11
5. It will be a place of frustration and anger. Matt. 13:42; 24:51
6. It will be a place of separation. Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 15
7. It will be a place of undiluted divine wrath. Hab. 3:2; Rev. 14:10
8. It was originally prepared for Satan and his hosts. Matt. 25:41
9. It will be a place created for all eternity. Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:46;
Jude 7
[1]
Willmington's Book of Bible Lists
Hell
Matthew 3:12 ...place of unquenchable fire Matt. 3:12; 13:41-42; ...
12 "His ?a?winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear
His threshing floor; and He will ?b?gather His wheat into the barn, but He
will burn up the ?c?chaff with ?d?unquenchable fire."
Matthew 13:41-42 ...fire Matt. 3:12; 13:41-42; Mark 9:43 ...
41 "?a?The Son of Man ?b?will send forth His angels, and they will gather
out of His kingdom ?1?all ?c?stumbling blocks, and those who commit
lawlessness,
42 and ?a?will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place ?b?there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mark 9:43 ...12; 13:41-42; Mark 9:43 2. It ...
43 "?a?If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to
enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into ?1??b?hell, into
the ?c?unquenchable fire,
Luke 16:19-31 ...of memory and remorse. Luke 16:19-31 3. It will ...
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 "Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and
fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
20 "And a poor man named Lazarus ?a?was laid at his gate, covered with
sores,
21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich
man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
22 "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to
?a?Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
23 "In ?a?Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and ?*?saw
Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 "And he cried out and said, '?a?Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off
my tongue, for I am in agony in ?b?this flame.'
25 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that ?a?during your life you
received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is
being comforted here, and you are in agony.
Luke 16:24 ...a place of thirst. Luke 16:24 4. It will ...
24 "And he cried out and said, '?a?Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off
my tongue, for I am in agony in ?b?this flame.'
Revelation 14:10-11 ...of misery and pain. Rev. 14:10, 11 5. It will ...
10 he also will drink of the ?a?wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed
?1?in full strength ?b?in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with
?c?fire and ?2?brimstone in the presence of the ?d?holy angels and in the
presence of the Lamb.
11 "And the ?a?smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; ?b?they
have no rest day and night, those who ?c?worship the beast and his
?c?image, and ?1?whoever receives the ?d?mark of his name."
Matthew 13:42 ...of frustration and anger. Matt. 13:42; 24:51 6. ...
42 and ?a?will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place ?b?there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:51 ...anger. Matt. 13:42; 24:51 6. It will ...
51 and will ?1?cut him in pieces and ?2?assign him a place with the
hypocrites; in that place there will be ?a?weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation 2:11 ...a place of separation. Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 15 ...
11 '?a?He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. ?b?He who overcomes will not be hurt by the ?c?second death.'
Revelation 20:6 ...separation. Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 15 7. It will ...
6 ?a?Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection;
over these the ?b?second death has no power, but they will be ?c?priests of
God and of Christ and will ?d?reign with Him for a thousand years.
Habakkuk 3:2 ...of undiluted divine wrath. Hab. 3:2; Rev. 14:10 ...
2 Lord, I have ?a?heard ?1?the report about You and ?2?I ?b?fear.
O Lord, ?c?revive ?d?Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember ?3??e?mercy.
Revelation 14:10 ...wrath. Hab. 3:2; Rev. 14:10 8. It ...
10 he also will drink of the ?a?wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed
?1?in full strength ?b?in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with
?c?fire and ?2?brimstone in the presence of the ?d?holy angels and in the
presence of the Lamb.
Matthew 25:41 ...Satan and his hosts. Matt. 25:41 9. It will ...
41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, '?a?Depart from Me,
accursed ones, into the ?b?eternal fire which has been prepared for ?c?the
devil and his angels;
Daniel 12:2 ...created for all eternity. Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:46; ...
2 "?a?Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake,
?b?these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting
?1?contempt.
Matthew 25:46 ...eternity. Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:46; Jude 7 ...
46 "These will go away into ?a?eternal punishment, but the righteous into
?b?eternal life."
Jude 1 ...2; Matt. 25:46; Jude 7 ...
The Warnings of History to the Ungodly
1 ?1??a?Jude, a ?b?bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of
?2?James,
To ?c?those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and ?d?kept for
Jesus Christ:
HELL
Confused about eternal future, Job 10:19-22.
"Down to the pit," Job 33:24.
Depth of the earth, Psalm 63:9.
Enlarged capacity, Isaiah 5:14 (kjv).
Agreement with hell, Isaiah 28:18 (kjv).
Fires of Topheth, Isaiah 30:33.
"The world below," Ezekiel 32:19 (cev).
Broad road to hell, Matthew 7:13 (See gnb).
Fiery furnace, Matthew 13:37-42, 49-50.
Excluded from God's presence, 2 Thessalonians 1:9.
Lake of fire, Revelation 19:19-21.
Those not in Book of Life, Revelation 20:7-15.
[2]
HELL
The Valley of Hinnom
A deep, narrow ravine south of Jebus (later Jerusalem) called the Valley of
Hinnom, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, was the boundary between the
territories of Benjamin and Judah (Josh. 18:16). The location was unremarkable
in Joshua's day, but came to have great significance later in Israelite history.
In the period of the divided monarchy, this valley was the site of a pagan altar,
or "high place" (see Deut. 12:2), known as Tophet ("fireplace"). Parents
sacrificed their children there to the god Molech. The Bible singles out Ahaz and
Manasseh, kings of Judah, as having led the way in this grotesque ritual (2 Chr.
28:3; 33:6). But Scripture praises King Josiah for destroying this idolatrous altar
during his reforms (2 Kin. 23:10).
Jeremiah, who was called as a prophet during Josiah's reign, foretold that God
would judge the Israelites for committing the awful abomination of human
sacrifice, among other evils. The Lord would cause such destruction that the
Valley of Hinnom would become a cemetery known as the Valley of Slaughter
(Jer. 7:31-32; 19:1-6; 32:35).
This prophecy began to be fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed by the
Babylonians in 586 b.c. Later, the Valley of Hinnom became the city dump for
Jerusalem. Fires continually smouldered there, as the site was used as a burning
ground for refuse and the dead bodies of criminals and animals.
In time, the valley became so noxious that its name became a synonym for hell.
The Hebrew phrase ge ("valley of") hinnom eventually became the Greek
Gehenna (Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:43, 45, 47). At one time, Jewish tradition even
held that the entrance to hell began at that valley.
[3]
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
"The Gates of Hell"
Jesus referred to "the gates of Hades" (hell) in His bold statement to Peter
(Matt. 16:18). For Matthew's original readers, the word "gates" held special
significance.
Ancient cities erected walls to protect themselves from invaders. Here and there
along the walls they inserted massive gates to allow traffic in and out. In times of
trouble, they could close the gates against attacking armies or bandits.
City gates, then, tended to be thoroughfares through which communications and
commerce passed with frequency. Not surprisingly, bazaars and forums tended
to congregate around a city's gates, so that they became an important arena in a
town's public life. Goods were traded there and decision-makers gathered to
hear news and deliberate on events of the day. Such gates exist to this day in
some cities of the world.
Given this phenomenon, "gates" became a metaphor signifying the economic and
political life of a walled city. The influential and powerful did their business "in
the gates." For example, the husband of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 is
"known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land" (Prov. 31:23).
Boaz, the intended husband of Ruth, went to the gate to buy a marriage license
(Ruth 4:1-12; also Deut. 25:7). War plans were devised and military treaties
signed in the gates (Judg. 5:8, 11). Kings sat in the gates to address their people
(2 Sam. 19:8). Even conspirators against kings hatched their plots and were
exposed in the gates (Esth. 2:19-23).
So when Jesus spoke of the gates of Hades, He was drawing on a powerful
image. Matthew's original readers would have seen it as a political metaphor,
the way we use the terms City Hall, the White House, or the Capitol today. For
them, the gates of Hades were not just a spiritual abstraction but actual forces of
evil at work among human systems-the Roman government, for instance.
While not evil in and of itself, first-century government was quickly becoming
corrupted and also anti-Christian.
Jesus was alluding to a spiritual warfare of cosmic proportions. His followers are
pitted against the powers of hell itself, which not only attack individual believers
but seek to corrupt institutions, enlisting them in their campaign against Christ.
Satan's guises can take many forms, as a look at any day's news will attest.
Fortunately, Jesus also promised that in the end the gates of Hades would not
succeed. That offers great hope to believers who live in difficult places and
contend for good against powerful entities that, in ways known and unknown,
are backed by spiritual forces of wickedness. In the midst of the fight Jesus has
declared: "I will build My church!"
[4]
What Does the Bible Say About
Other Tools
· Export Results to Verse List
Hell
Joshua 18:16 ...of Benjamin and Judah (Josh. 18:16). The location ...
16 The border went down to the edge of the hill which is in the ?a?valley
of Ben-hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward; and it went
down to the valley of Hinnom, to the slope of the Jebusite southward, and
went down to En-rogel.
Deuteronomy 12:2 ...or "high place" (see Deut. 12:2), known as Tophet ("...
2 "You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you
shall dispossess serve their gods, on the ?a?high mountains and on the hills
and under every green tree.
2 Chronicles 28:3 ...in this grotesque ritual (2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6). ...
3 Moreover, ?a?he burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom and
?b?burned his sons in fire, ?c?according to the abominations of the nations
whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel.
2 Chronicles 33:6 ...2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6). But Scripture praises ...
6 ?a?He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom;
and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and ?b?dealt
with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord,
provoking Him to anger.
2 Kings 23:10 ...altar during his reforms (2 Kin. 23:10). Jeremiah, who ...
10 ?a?He also defiled ?1?Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of
Hinnom, ?b?that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the
fire for ?c?Molech.
Jeremiah 7:31-32 ...the Valley of Slaughter (Jer. 7:31-32; 19:...
31 "They have ?a?built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of
the son of Hinnom, to ?b?burn their sons and their daughters in the fire,
which I ?c?did not command, and it did not come into My ?1?mind.
32 "?a?Therefore, behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when it
will no longer be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the
valley of the Slaughter; for they will ?b?bury in Topheth ?1?because there is
no other place.
Jeremiah 19:1-6 ...Jer. 7:31-32; 19:1-6; 32:35). This ...
The Broken Jar
1 Thus says the Lord, "Go and buy a ?a?potter's earthenware ?b?jar, and
take some of the ?c?elders of the people and some of the ?1??d?senior
priests.
2 "Then go out to the ?a?valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance
of the potsherd gate, and ?b?proclaim there the words that I tell you,
3 and say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O ?a?kings of Judah and
inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
"Behold I am about to bring a ?b?calamity upon this place, at which the
?c?ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle.
4 "Because they have ?a?forsaken Me and have ?b?made this an alien
place and have burned ?1?sacrifices in it to ?c?other gods, that neither they
nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because
they have filled this place with the ?d?blood of the innocent
5 and have built the ?a?high places of Baal to burn their ?b?sons in the fire
as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke
Jeremiah 32:35 ...32; 19:1-6; 32:35). This prophecy began ...
35 "They built the ?a?high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-
hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to
?b?Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it ?1?entered My
mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
Matthew 5:22 ...became the Greek Gehenna (Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:...
22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be
?1?guilty before ?a?the court; and whoever says to his brother, '?2?You
good-for-nothing,' shall be ?1?guilty before ?3??b?the supreme court; and
whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be ?1?guilty enough to go into the
?4??c?fiery hell.
Mark 9:43 ...Gehenna (Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:43, 45, 47). At ...
43 "?a?If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to
enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into ?1??b?hell, into
the ?c?unquenchable fire,
Mark 9:45 ...22; Mark 9:43, 45, 47). At one ...
45 "If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to
enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into ?1??a?hell,
Mark 9:47 ...Mark 9:43, 45, 47). At one time, ...
47 "?a?If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you
to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast
into ?1??b?hell,
Viewing Salvation as an Escape From Sin's Judgment
Perhaps many believers fall far short of the biblical norm because they are not
truly interested in reaching it. For those who fit this category, the focus of their
encounter with Christ is often on personal salvation from the guilt and the penalty
for their sins. While this emphasis is harmonious with Scripture as one begins his
walk with God, it is not sufficient for a life that could be called "Christian" in the
full sense of the word.
The experience of one of my high school classmates is a case in point. At the
time I was a sincere Roman Catholic with a deep God consciousness. I had a
hunger to know the Lord in a personal way but did not find him within my
church. I lived a very moral life and was known as one of the "good religious
boys" on campus.
The only Protestant churches I knew anything about we called "holy roller"
churches. And they were! I remember one located a few blocks from my home.
While walking near the church during evening services I could hear their
"worship" half a block away from the church.
At first I was amused by it all. Later I became repelled by their emotional frenzy.
It seemed eerie, almost fearful. I was glad I didn't belong to that kind of church.
A group of us would occasionally stand outside one of the windows to watch
the spectacle. The noise level was unbelievable. Men and women were shouting
and falling on the floor. Everything seemed to be in total confusion.
One of my high school friends was a nice "unsaved" Protestant even as I was a
Roman Catholic. He too lived a very moral life. We enjoyed our friendship,
loved the outdoors, sports, and the good things kids did in high school without
getting involved in "sinful" activities.
One day I heard that my friend had "gotten saved" at a "holy roller" meeting.
"John, we heard you 'got saved' last Sunday. What does that mean?" a group
of us asked him.
"Well, the pastor preached a sermon on hell. It scared me so much I was
determined I didn't want to go there if I could avoid it," he replied. "He said if
we would come to the altar and confess our sins we would 'get saved' from
hell. So I did. I don't want to go to hell."
"What else did he tell you?" we asked.
"He said it is a sin to go to the movies and dances. I have to stay away from
those things or I could still end up in hell," he replied.
This was too much for all of us, me included. While I understood sin and
believed in hell, I had never heard that movies and dances were sinful and would
send you to hell. We all told him to leave the holy roller church. After a short
time he did.
By his own confession he went forward to "get saved" to "escape hell."3
Evidently the love and beauty of God's plan of salvation was not presented or,
at least, did not reach him.
Did he truly find the Lord? I don't know. Perhaps we were the voice of the Evil
One through whom the Word sown was removed from his heart (Matt. 13:19).
Perhaps he never was given the "word of the kingdom," so there was really no
firm truth to remove from his heart.
[5]
HELL-the place of eternal punishment for the unrighteous. The nkjv and kjv
use this word to translate sheol and hades, the Old and New Testament words,
respectively, for the abode of the dead.
Hell as a place of punishment translates Gehenna, the Greek form of the
Hebrew word that means "the vale of Hinnom"-a valley just south of
Jerusalem. In this valley the Canaanites worshiped Baal and the fire-god Molech
by sacrificing their children in a fire that burned continuously. Even Ahaz and
Manasseh, kings of Judah, were guilty of this terrible, idolatrous practice (2 Chr.
28:3; 33:6).
The prophet Jeremiah predicted that God would visit such destruction upon
Jerusalem that this valley would be known as the "Valley of Slaughter" (Jer.
7:31-34; 19:2, 6). In his religious reforms, King Josiah put an end to this
worship. He defiled the valley in order to make it unfit even for pagan worship
(2 Kin. 23:10).
In the time of Jesus the Valley of Hinnom was used as the garbage dump of
Jerusalem. Into it were thrown all the filth and garbage of the city, including the
dead bodies of animals and executed criminals. To consume all this, fires burned
constantly. Maggots worked in the filth. When the wind blew from that direction
over the city, its awfulness was quite evident. At night wild dogs howled and
gnashed their teeth as they fought over the garbage.
Jesus used this awful scene as a symbol of hell. In effect he said, "Do you want
to know what hell is like? Look at the valley of Gehenna." So hell may be
described as God's "cosmic garbage dump." All that refuse to be made fit for
heaven will be turned away into hell.
The word Gehenna occurs twelve times in the New Testament. Each time it is
translated as "hell." With the exception of James 3:6, it is used only by Jesus
(Matt. 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5). In
Matthew 5:22, 18:9; and Mark 9:47, it is used with "fire" as "hell fire." So the
word hell (Gehenna) as a place of punishment is used in the New Testament by
Him who is the essence of infinite love.
In Mark 9:46 and 48, hell is described as a place where "their worm does not
die and the fire is not quenched." Repeatedly Jesus spoke of outer darkness and
a furnace of fire, where there will be wailing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth
(Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). Obviously this
picture is drawn from the valley of Gehenna.
The Book of Revelation describes hell as "a lake of fire burning with brimstone"
(Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8). Into hell will be thrown the beast and the
false prophet (Rev. 19:20). At the end of the age the devil himself will be thrown
into it, along with death and hades and all whose names are not in the Book of
Life. "And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).
Because of the symbolic nature of the language, some people question whether
hell consists of actual fire. Such reasoning should bring no comfort to the lost.
The reality is greater than the symbol. The Bible exhausts human language in
describing heaven and hell. The former is more glorious, and the latter more
terrible, than language can express.
[6]
Your Destiny
Whom will you serve? God leaves that choice in your hands. Love knows no
other way. In order to respect your free choice, God has made the evidence for
Christianity convincing but not compelling. If you want to suppress or ignore the
evidence all around you (Rom. 1:18-20)-including that which is presented in
this book-then you are free to do so. But that would be a volitional act, not a
rational one. You can reject Christ, but you cannot honestly say there's not
enough evidence to believe in him.
C. S. Lewis said it best when he wrote, "There are only two kinds of people in
the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God
says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that
self-choice there would be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires
joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is
opened."?5?
The door is being held open by Jesus Christ. How can you walk through it? Paul
wrote, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you
confess and are saved" (Rom. 10:9).
You say, "I believe that Jesus rose from the dead." Good. But merely believing
that Jesus rose from the dead is not enough. You need to put your trust in him.
You can believe that a certain person would make a great spouse, but that's not
enough to make that person your husband or wife. You must go beyond the
intellectual to volitional-you must put your trust in that person by saying "I do."
The same is true concerning your relationship with God. Trusting him is not just
a decision of the head but one of the heart. As someone once said, "The
distance between heaven and hell is about eighteen inches-the distance
between the head and the heart."
What happens if you freely choose not to walk through the door Jesus is holding
open? Jesus said you will remain in your condemned state: "For God did not
send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world
through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God's one and only Son" (John 3:18). In other words, you'll remain condemned
and separated from God forever. God will respect your choice by saying to you,
"Thy will be done."
You say, "God doesn't send anyone to hell!" You're right. If you reject Christ,
you'll send yourself there.
You say, "God will just annihilate those who don't believe." No, he won't. Hell
is real. In fact, Jesus spoke more of hell then he did of heaven. God will not
annihilate unbelievers because he will not destroy creatures made in his own
image. That would be an attack on himself. (What would you think of an earthly
father who killed his son just because his son chose not to do what his father
wanted him to do?) God is too loving to destroy those who don't want to be in
his presence. His only choice is to quarantine those who reject him. That's what
hell does-it quarantines evil, which is contagious.
You say, "God will save everybody!" How? Against their will? Some people
would rather be ruined than changed. They'd rather continue their rebellion than
be reformed. So God says, "Have it your way. You may continue your
rebellion, but you'll be quarantined so that you can't pollute the rest of my
creation." Besides, it would be unloving of God to send people who can't bear
to spend an hour on Sunday praising him to a place where they will be praising
him for eternity. That would be "hell" to them!
You say, "I can't believe there is only one way to God." Why not? Do you need
more than one way to get into a building? Do you bring this charge against
Muslims for saying that Islam is the only way? How about Hindus? They say
reincarnation is the only way to salvation. We have shown philosophically and
biblically that Jesus is the only way to reconcile infinite justice and infinite love. If
that's not true, then God sent Jesus to die a brutal death for nothing.
You say, "But what about those who have never heard?" Why should that affect
your decision? You have heard!
"Because I can't believe in a God who would torture people in hell just because
they haven't heard of Jesus." Who said God does this? First, God doesn't
torture anyone. Hell is not a place of externally inflicted torture, but a place of
self-inflicted torment (Luke 16:23, 28). Those in hell certainly don't want it, but
they will it. Hell is a terrible place, but its doors are locked on the inside.
Second, people may choose hell whether or not they've heard of Jesus.
Everyone knows of God because of the starry heavens above and the Moral
Law within (Rom 1:18-20; 2:14-15). Those who reject that natural revelation
will reject Jesus too. However, those that truly seek God will be rewarded
(Heb. 11:6). Since God wants everyone to be saved (even more than you
do-2 Pet. 3:9), he will ensure that seekers get the information they need. And
since God is just (Gen. 18:25; Ps. 9:8; Rom. 3:26), no one will go to hell who
should go to heaven, and vice versa. "In the meantime," as C. S. Lewis said, "if
you are worried about people on the outside, the most unreasonable thing you
can do is to remain outside yourself. Christians are Christ's body, the organism
through which he works. Every addition to that body enables Him to do more. If
you want to help those outside, you must add your own little cell to the body of
Christ who alone can help them. Cutting off a man's fingers would be an odd
way of getting him to do more work."?6?
You say, "You Christians just want to scare people with hell!" No, we just want
people to know the truth. If that scares them, maybe it should. We certainly
don't like what the Bible says about hell. We wish it weren't true. But Jesus,
who is God, taught it, and for good reason. It seems to be necessary. Without a
hell, injustices in this world would never be righted, the free choices of people
would not be respected, and the greater good of a redemption could never be
accomplished. If there is no heaven to seek and no hell to shun, then nothing in
this universe has any ultimate meaning: your choices, your pleasures, your
sufferings, the lives of you and your loved ones ultimately mean nothing. We
struggle through this life for no ultimate reason, and Christ died for nothing.
Without heaven and hell, this incredibly designed universe is a stairway to
nowhere.
"So what?" says the atheist. "Maybe this universe is a stairway to nowhere. Just
because you want life to have meaning doesn't mean it does." True. But we
don't just want life to have meaning-we have evidence that it has meaning.?7?
We end with the greatest news anyone could ever hear. Your choices do
matter. Your life does have ultimate meaning. And thanks to Christ, no one has
to experience hell. Every human being can accept his free gift of eternal
salvation. It takes no effort at all. Does it take some faith? Yes, but every
choice-even the choice to reject Christ-requires faith. Since the evidence
shows beyond a reasonable doubt that the Bible is true, accepting Christ is the
choice that requires the least amount of faith. The choice is up to you. Do you
have enough faith to believe anything else?
You say, "I still have doubts and questions." So what? We do too. Everyone
has doubts and questions. And why shouldn't we? As finite creatures, we
shouldn't expect to understand everything about an infinite God and how he
does things. Paul certainly didn't (Rom. 11:33-36), and many of the Old
Testament writers expressed doubts and even questioned God.?8? But since we
are finite creatures who must make our decisions based on probability, there has
to be a point where we realize that the weight of the evidence comes down on
one side or the other. We'll never have all the answers. But as we have seen
throughout this book, there are more than enough answers to give God the
benefit of our doubts.
Finally, have you ever thought about questioning your doubts? Just ask yourself,
"Is it reasonable to doubt that Christianity is true in light of all the evidence?"
Probably not. In fact, in light of the evidence, you ought to have a lot more
doubts about atheism and every other non-Christian belief system. They are not
reasonable. Christianity is. So start doubting your doubts and accept Christ. It
takes too much faith to believe anything else!
[7]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]Willmington, H. L. (1987). Willmington's book of Bible lists. Wheaton, Ill.:
Tyndale House.
kjv King James Version
cev Contemporary English Version
gnb Good News Bible
[2]Anderson, K. (1996). Where to find it in the Bible. Nashville: T. Nelson
Publishers.
[3]Thomas Nelson Publishers. (2001). What does the Bible say about-- : The
ultimate A to Z resource fully illustrated. Nelson's A to Z series (197). Nashville,
Tenn.: Thomas Nelson.
[4]Thomas Nelson Publishers. (2001). What does the Bible say about-- : The
ultimate A to Z resource fully illustrated. Nelson's A to Z series (378). Nashville,
Tenn.: Thomas Nelson.
3 3. Hell is a reality. The New Testament is filled with references to it, many
from the lips of Jesus Himself. This was not His main message, however. His
main message was the kingdom of God and eternal life.
[5]Murphy, E. F. (1997, c1996). Handbook for spiritual warfare (89).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[6]Hayford, J. W., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Hayford's Bible
handbook. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
5 C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce (New York: Macmillan, 1946), 72.
6 C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1943), 65.
7 For more on hell and objections to hell, see Norman Geisler, Baker
Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1999),
308-313.
8 For examples of Bible books where doubt and questions about God are
expressed, see Job, many of the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Lamentations.
[7]Geisler, N. L., & Turek, F. (2004). I don't have enough faith to be an atheist
(384). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: I (Heart) America |
21 Jul 2007 01:46:21 AM |
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On Jul 20, 5:49 pm, "UR Welcome!" <UR Welcome!_fan_c...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
<panamfl...@hotmail.com> wrote in messagenews:1184965840.118002.74500@n2g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
wrote:
I didn't know you cared!
I wasn't talking to *you*, *****.
nonsequitur snipped
-PF, etc.
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