tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10880332.post111532872772940718..comments2023-11-05T03:18:37.731-08:00Comments on life together: More Musings on HellTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16613060195802747865noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10880332.post-1115649108746958192005-05-09T07:31:00.000-07:002005-05-09T07:31:00.000-07:00Hello. I don't know the person that wrote this be...Hello. I don't know the person that wrote this because I am not part of the church at SLO. I am part of the flock in Laguna Hills where Tim used to minister. <BR/><BR/>I have one thought about the letter on Hell that Tim received from somoene in the congregation. The anonymous author writes: <BR/>"The punishment for our sins does not seem proportional to the offense. Our concept of justice includes fairness and a weighing of the circumstances to fit the punishment to the crime. A traffic violation will get you a fine. Murder someone and you will go to prison. If premeditated with special circumstances you may forfeit your life. It is difficult to imagine how 70 years of sinful living merits eternal torment (putting aside the issue of responsibility)." Here's my thought on the portion I quoted. When we consider God's punishment of those who sin against Him we need to recognize that it wasn't just 70 years of sinful living, but 70 years (or even 1 second) of sinful living against a specific person - an Infinite God. Because our sin is against an Infinite God, the punishment for that sin is to be infinite as well, except for the grace of God in salvation. If we sin against our neighbor, then eye for an eye is appropriate. They are a creature just like us and the punishment is appropriate for the offense. But, if we sin against God who is perfectly Holy and Infinite, then how could the punishment be anything but infinite? Justice requires eye for an eye. However, when one of those eyes belongs to God, no amount of time could repay the offense. Finite creatures cannot repay an infinite debt to an infinite God. That is Anselm's argument in his "Cur Deus Home" (Why the God-man?). We needed one who was both infinite himself and could serve as man's representative. Man sinned, so man "ought" to pay for his sin. But the payment needed was an infinite payment that man couldn't make. Not any ordinary man, that is. Enter, the God-man. Jesus Christ, both fully God and fully man, was the only one who could atone for the sins of sinful man. Anselm's book is really helpful when it comes to understanding the issue of eternal torment and why it is not not only biblical, but necessary for justice to truly be served.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10880332.post-1115438016610864462005-05-06T20:53:00.000-07:002005-05-06T20:53:00.000-07:00The more I learn about God the more I see myself f...The more I learn about God the more I see myself for who I am. It is difficult for me to acknowledge that no matter how hard I try to be a "good person" I am still deserving of eternal punishment. Am I really that evil? Am I or any of my unsaved friends and relatives really so evil that we deserve horrible eternal punishment? The more I come to know God the more I realize the answer is YES! YES! YES! <BR/><BR/>I did not even begin to see how holy, pure, righteous, good our God is until I was confronted with the reality of Hell. It is truly a horrible punishment beyond comprehension. It illustrates how far a "good person" falls short of God's standards. The horror (which shows just how evil I am) is contrasted with the Grace of God (which shows true goodness). <BR/><BR/>Jesus Christ went into the lake of fire for eternity and took that horrible beyond comprehension punishment. What "good person" would do that? Only God could. Only Jesus Christ would. And I thank God that He did.<BR/><BR/>If I refuse His beyond comprehension sacrifice for me what could be a greater afront to God?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10880332.post-1115420045532655712005-05-06T15:54:00.000-07:002005-05-06T15:54:00.000-07:00WOW!!!WOW!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com