Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things"
2Ti 2:7.

Monday, March 15, 2021

Why the God of love sends people to hell?

 

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10218471659878261

##GodisLove_hell_lakeoffire

A Brother inquired:
My former varsity classmate, a Roman Catholic, opined:
since God is love, and Jesus came to save the whole world, why should He punish some of His creatures in hell.

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I will address your classmate thus:

Every person has some opinions of God, i.e. the God of the Bible. To opine that God is love is a good start; He is love indeed. But that’s an acknowledgment and confession with grave and serious implications too. What is hell but  God’s love spurned and slighted; heaven is God’s love embraced and reciprocated.

I love reminding people that it is not unreasonable to let God speak for Himself if we are to know Him rightly and to represent Him faithfully; otherwise, we will run afoul of the First and Third Commandments:

First Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” – a god of our own imagination is having another god before the God who has spoken in the Bible.

Third Commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Misrepresenting the LORD God is simply taking His thrice holy name in vain, with the solemn warning. Any God-fearing man will be careful in representing the LORD God faithfully.

Surely a good Roman Catholic like you will agree with this basic principle; if you are to be known and represented truly, then you yourself must be the source of information about yourself and not some opinions of others about you. That being so, we ought to let God speak for Himself and His love expressed in His works of creation, providence, and redemption. He has spoken plainly in the Holy Scriptures.

Yes, the LORD God is love, and He so loved…

He gave Adam and his woman - of whom Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman because she was taken out of Man” - a paradise, the garden of Eden.

Yes, the LORD God is love, and He so loved…

He not only made Adam and his woman perfect and upright, thus very good, He also put them in the universe that is described as “very good” – “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”

Yes, the LORD God is love, and He so loved…

He did not leave Adam and his wife to themselves after they had chosen to listen to the devil, in broad daylight rebellion against the LORD God’s plain and clear command, and damned themselves. He not only cursed the devil through the promise of the Seed of the Woman, He also provided salvation for them – “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” The coats of skins were obtained through the blood sacrifices of innocent animals, foreshadowing the promised Lamb of God, the Seed of the Woman who will crush the serpent’s head…

You likely can recite John 3:16 - God so loved that He gave us His only begotten Son. Jesus said that He came to save sinners. Those who end up in hell are those sinners who have spurned and slighted the Savior that God has so lovingly provided; they despised and scorned the love of God.

Yes, the LORD God is love, and He so loved...

You are right in your opinion, God is love. But men are hateful against Him; they spurn and slight His love. And I find it perverse that you would find fault with God that they end up in hell. Put your hand to your heart, and ask yourself, have you represented the LORD God of the Bible fairly. Remember the First and the Third Commandments.

A man who finds faults with the LORD God is a wicked and evil man, especially when he is blind to man’s own wickedness and evil in his rebellion against his Creator and God.

Think about these, and may the LORD GOD give you understanding.