What is heaven?

BookAddict
Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:15:22 +0000

I’ve tried to explain how a loving God can allow people to go to hell, but apparently I’m not doing a very good job. Ugh, I’m never good at putting ideas into words and it doesn’t help that I haven’t studied that aspect of theology as much as some. I guess the main thing is that God is love, but that’s not all that he is. He’s also perfectly holy and righteous and just, and he can’t compromise any of those aspects of himself. But I’m not sure what else I can say, so I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree for now.

Here’s one more thing I wanted to address, though:



Think about it: A being who has existed for billions and billions of years would be bothered by a few hours of physical suffering? Not to demean in any way what Jesus endured - it WAS horrible - but it wasn’t really any worse than what many mere mortals have suffered. In fact, MANY humans have endured much worse suffering and for far longer lengths of time.



Jesus’ suffering was more than physical pain. Actually, the physical pain was a VERY small part of it. The main thing he dreaded was taking on the weight of the sins of the world. In other words, he became the sinner, by taking the punishment of our sins (which is more spiritual than physical) on his shoulders. The guilt of sin on someone perfect would be heavy enough, but also, when he became sin, he became separated from God. (Sin, as I mentioned earlier, separates one from a perfect God). This is why he cries out at the cross, “My God, why have you forsaken Me?” It is as if someone who you were very close with all the time turned away from you in disgust, only times one million because the unity between the Father and the Son was infinitely more close than any human relationships. That might not make sense to non-Christians, however, and it’s not an essential part of the Christian doctrine. (The part below this, though, is.)



Why would him suffering for a few hours and dying a martyr (again, something that has happened to MANY humans) be this magical thing that poof, makes all the people who believe it live forever in bliss?



It is true that others have suffered physically worse. But Jesus was not just any martyr, though that’s how non-Christians see him. To Christians, he was perfect, because he was God. Moreover, he died expressly to take the punishment for the sins of the world. None of the other martyrs can truthfully make those claims. It was the slaughter of an innocent victim (like an innocent lamb in biblical times), who took the punishment for the sins of the world. (Once again, think of what Aslan did for Edmund in Narnia). And in fact, not only did Jesus die, but Christians believe that after three days he came back to life, and thus conquered death (both literally, and in the spiritual sense that he saved us from Hell and closed the separation between us and God).

*Note: I’m not trying to convert anyone. Nothing I can say can do that. In fact, if you’re coming from a very different worldview, I doubt I can make any of this make sense to you. But I am trying to explain my beliefs the best I’m able (which unfortunately isn’t as well as I’d like).