(July 26, 2010 at 2:53 pm)Skeptisma Wrote: I don't understand why you shouldn't still fear it? Could you not stray from the path? Could Satan not tempt you?
In addition, if you have nothing to fear, then why be a good person? Why not rape and murder and pillage if you are 100% certain that you are going to heaven?
You like Min, EvF and all the rest that have responded to the claim that christians have no fear of hell do not understand anything about christianity. One can not lose their salvation but they can give it up many on this site have done that very thing. Satan tempts christians all the time and we to often fall into his trap, we are just human, but that does not mean we will go to hell, we ask forgiveness of our failing and we are forgiven by God through Jesus Christ. To do the things underlined would mean one has renounced his/her belief in Christ. The 100% certainty means we try to follow the teachings of Christ.
Why would anyone believe that knowing that heaven and hell are real would change the way some people act. In this country the death penalty is used in cases of first degree murder and a few other very violent crimes yet people keep on committing these crimes.
Christ told the parable of the rich man and the begger when the rich man died he found himself in hell and he wanted to go back and tell his family to change their ways so they would not end up in this cursed place and he was told it would do no good because they already had the law of Moses and they did not follow it and his return would make no difference. Humble faith is the key that opens the Gates of Heaven.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
