Love Wins: Part 3

Another idea I’ve never been able to wrap my head around is the idea of God sending billions of people to suffer immeasurable torture for the rest of eternity simply because of the decisions made in the finite years of their life. Especially those people who lived good and wholesome lives, but didn’t ever quite make that leap into “Christianity.” I’m not saying that just being good is enough, because Jesus definitely says that the only way to the Father is through him. But I don’t think that the only way to accomplish this is by saying the “sinner’s prayer” or walking to the front of a church during an alter call.

I think I’m simply admitting here that we don’t know. We don’t know that just because someone doesn’t call themselves a Christian that they aren’t living lives closer to the attributes of God than those who attend church every week and know how to talk-the-talk and even walk-the-walk in some aspects. I just can’t reconcile the idea in my mind that someone who’s only seen the ugly side of Jesus – such as someone who’s suffered abuse at the hands of a “Christian” or been told that God hates them for their imperfections – but continues to live a life that’s good and following moral principles will be forever punished for the mistakes of others. Plus, once you actually start looking, I find there’s little evidence to support this idea of eternal torment. But we’ve always been told that those who don’t “accept Jesus” will spend forever in hell. Really? Does God say that? You can make the argument that he does, but you can also disagree. Like I said, you can find a way to validate pretty much anything you want in scripture.

Another point that Rob Bell makes that I love and had never really thought about before is, “does God get what he wants?”  If God is supposed to be this all powerful, perfect being who is able to accomplish anything he desires, then how could his most powerful desire not be realized? So many times in scripture it says that God desires to bring all beings to himself. If he sets his mind to this, is he really unable to accomplish it? God never seems to leave loose ends untied, yet he’s willing to let billions and billions of people ruin his perfect plan? That doesn’t make any sense to me. If God sets out to accomplish something, I believe he has to power to accomplish it. Could God really live with himself knowing that these people that he knows intimately and loves with an intensity that we can’t understand are going to be forever separated from him? Perhaps the idea of Jesus redeeming all mankind stretches beyond the few short years we spend here on earth. I’m not saying I’m right or I have all of the answers here, but is that totally out of the question? Does God say anywhere that you’ve only got one chance at this? Is the blood of Christ not more powerful than that? I think it is.