Bible Study
~Discovering Truth Within A World of Opinions
Would A Loving God Really Send People To Hell?
DATE:
PLANTING SEEDS: (Truth) Truth can only be found in God’s word. People can share their opinion on truth, which I am going to do with you in a moment during my “Coffee Cup Counseling” section but I encourage you to personally start getting into the word and studying scripture. It will open up a brand new perspective and new life for those that take the time to begin or rekindle their relationship with God.
COFFEE CUP COUNSELING: (Angela’s Personal Perspective on Interaction with this Truth)
I hear people say all the time - would a loving God really send people to Hell? My personal answer is NO, He doesn’t. Yet, sadly, people do choose to spend their eternity there, and according to the Bible, perhaps more people than not. BUT, that is not God’s will.
Let’s take a look at some of the things that a loving/just God has already done or will do:
1) The Flood: 8 saved / unknown # perished up to an est 750M
2) The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: 3 saved / remainder perished est 600-1200K
3) The Plagues that wiped out the 1st born sons in Egypt: ? saved / - est 3M perished
4) Revelation - 144,000 saved (during this time) / remainder perish (est current pop. 7.6B)
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why this happened?
1) Lack of reverence to God or others
2) Depraved minds that seek to do the will of their flesh instead of the will of God
3) Disobedience
4) Control and Pride
So we say, but Jesus came to spare us from all those things and we are now covered with Grace and Mercy. Which we are…. but let’s ask ourselves a couple things about being complacent about God’s grace and mercy. Since we know and can prove the past events, we can trust that the warning of Revelation will also take place at the proper time.
1) Have you ever asked why God allows bad things to happen to good people?
2) Have you ever asked why disease and sickness is allowed to develop?
3) Have you ever asked why certain people are allowed to treat others unfairly and get rewarded?
4) Have you ever took a look at the world’s ways and wondered, where on earth is it headed?
5) When God…are you going to stop all this???
Do you know that God says, that He is long suffering so that no one should perish….No one, means, it is not in God's will that anyone should go to hell, but that at the proper time, He will make good on His promise to protect.
So let me suggest two dominate perspectives of people
1) God is a dictator with a bunch of rules that no one can possibly follow and we are all going to hell.
2) God is a loving God, warning us of destructive behavior that would lead us away from living a fulfilled life so that we don’t have to fear hell.
This would be dependant on how you see God and His sovereignty. That God and He only has the ability to judge sin and wipe it out once and for all, because God is a Just God, meaning He will judge sin and protect those that have suffered unfairly, He is a Righteous God, meaning He sides with right living for all, and He is truth, meaning He can not go back on His word nor will He change it for exceptions.
But let’s balance that…God is mercy at the highest level. This is why when we give up on people because we don’t believe they will ever change, like the adulterous spouse who’s committed adultery over and over and over. Or the person in prison who is sorry for what they’ve done, yet they will serve a life sentence while those on the outside can’t wait for their demise because of their prior actions apart from Christ, or the person that tells you point blank, I’m an atheist who burns bibles… still has the opportunity to fall in love with Christ. God understands we are not perfect and are fully dependent on Jesus for forgiveness. God is grace, He made a way that we could not do on our own, by sending His only son as a sacrifice for our sins, so that in our unintentional and points of weakness in our temptations we can be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb when we do mess up. He is love, fully and compassionately full of non judgmental love…that no matter what you or I have done, we have the ABILITY to always be reconciled back to God’s heart. So you see there is no need to be discouraged about sin…yet we need to be "aware" of it in all areas of our lives. God has made a way to escape sin, Jesus Christ, both as a sacrifice and a mentor, but with that God also expects us to be obedient. Sin that is left without repentance or our lack of acceptance in Jesus Christ will not be redeemed or covered.
That is our choice. Not God's will. There is a difference.
What does it look like when we transform from the perspective of God as a dictator to God as a Loving God….
Saul of Tarsus getting knocked off his horse.
What does it look like when God is out to save a nation and they listen but the Godly messenger God sent to tell them to repent doesn’t want to be obedient….
Jonah in the belly of the whale…while God will is to save Nineveh.
So truth be told God is love, grace and mercy, but he is also, just, correction and discipline, all facets of a loving God that is long suffering so that no one should perish.
SCRIPTURE (Truth) SAYS:
Genesis 6:9-9:17 Noah
Genesis 19 Sodom and Gomorrah
Exodus 7:14-11:10 10 Plagues
Revelation Opening of the Seals
Acts 9 - Saul was Converted into Paul
Jonah 1-4 Jonah and Ninevah
Let’s get into God’s word, speak truth and set the captives free.
MEDITATION & DISCUSSION:
Please take this time to share your thoughts on this scripture. Let's get into relationship and community and discuss this together. I encourage you to personally share your insight, testimony, thoughts, or questions on this topic with me below. After all, iron sharpens iron.
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PRAYER:
Thank you God for your sovereignty, for your Word which is all truth that we can trust. Thank you for Jesus Christ, our only Savior, who came in love as the only sacrifice you would allow to redeem us from our sins and thank you for the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth and convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement so we can draw nearer to you. In Jesus name. Amen.