This is not a pleasant subject. I would rather talk about the love of God and the grace that he has shown us in Jesus Christ. The Bible describes hell as a place of eternal suffering. I would rather think of hell as a place where the soul is destroyed, instead of eternal suffering. Unfortunately the Bible does not support what I would like to think or believe.
In the Old Testament as well as the New Testament the only thing that matters to God is faith. Works means little to nothing. The word "Faith" means "Confidence in or dependence on a person, statement, or thing as trustworthy. Belief without need of certain proof. Belief in God or in the scriptures or other religious writings" (Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary) There are two kinds of faith. There is saving faith and there is religious faith. Most people have religious faith, because their faith is tied to a religion.
Catholics do not feel saved if they do not participate in the rituals of the Catholic church. Calvinist do not feel saved if they do not teach and believe in their Calvinist doctrines. Most people are tied to some sort of religion that makes then feel secure that they are saved. This is NOT saving faith. It is not the Gospel plus something (your religion) it is the Gospel plus nothing. When you add religion to faith it then becomes perverted faith. Or when you try to add religion to the Gospel then it is no longer the Gospel, it becomes another Gospel, Galatians 1:6-10.
The only thing that Jesus acknowledges in the New Testament is faith. Little to nothing is said about works. Paul used the word faith hundreds of times in his epistles. Paul taught that we are justified by faith, Romans 5:1. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that works or religion justifies. The Bible is pro faith and anti-works. Jesus said, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, didn't we...? When they should have been saying, Lord, Lord, didn't you.
Faith does not really save. there is no saving merit in faith. Our faith is what makes the Gospel ours. Jesus is the one that does the saving. We are saved and justified by Jesus Christ, not by our faith. Faith says, "Mine are the doing and the dying of Jesus" Our faith embraces all that Jesus is and all that he has done and makes it ours. Without that kind of faith no one will be saved. If you cannot abandon your religion and trust in Christ alone as your only means of salvation, I suspect that you are hell bound.
In the Old Testament as well as the New Testament the only thing that matters to God is faith. Works means little to nothing. The word "Faith" means "Confidence in or dependence on a person, statement, or thing as trustworthy. Belief without need of certain proof. Belief in God or in the scriptures or other religious writings" (Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary) There are two kinds of faith. There is saving faith and there is religious faith. Most people have religious faith, because their faith is tied to a religion.
Catholics do not feel saved if they do not participate in the rituals of the Catholic church. Calvinist do not feel saved if they do not teach and believe in their Calvinist doctrines. Most people are tied to some sort of religion that makes then feel secure that they are saved. This is NOT saving faith. It is not the Gospel plus something (your religion) it is the Gospel plus nothing. When you add religion to faith it then becomes perverted faith. Or when you try to add religion to the Gospel then it is no longer the Gospel, it becomes another Gospel, Galatians 1:6-10.
The only thing that Jesus acknowledges in the New Testament is faith. Little to nothing is said about works. Paul used the word faith hundreds of times in his epistles. Paul taught that we are justified by faith, Romans 5:1. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that works or religion justifies. The Bible is pro faith and anti-works. Jesus said, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, didn't we...? When they should have been saying, Lord, Lord, didn't you.
Faith does not really save. there is no saving merit in faith. Our faith is what makes the Gospel ours. Jesus is the one that does the saving. We are saved and justified by Jesus Christ, not by our faith. Faith says, "Mine are the doing and the dying of Jesus" Our faith embraces all that Jesus is and all that he has done and makes it ours. Without that kind of faith no one will be saved. If you cannot abandon your religion and trust in Christ alone as your only means of salvation, I suspect that you are hell bound.
