I'm BEYOND Terrified of Going to Hell; Please Help!!!!

JIMINZ · Jul 8, 2019

Lukaris said:
So Christians need not take the Lord’s preaching in Matthew 4:17, His prayer ( Matthew 6:9-13), or that Matthew 5:17 ties in with Romans 13:8-10 or that Matthew 7:12, Matthew 19:16-19, & Matthew 22:36-40 all tie in, or that John 3:16-21 is for us also.

Then what does Acts of the Apostles 15:20-29 mean without the parables, the Lord’s commandments, prayer, fasting etc. (Acts of the Apostles 14:21-28) etc. ??? The Lord said to love God and neighbor is St. Paul not explaining this in 1 Corinthians 13????..

That's kind of a shotgun statement.

You tell me, what does Act's 15:20-20 mean with the Parables, I really don't get what your point is, you just make statements without any explanation.

You don't contradict anything I say, you just raise more questions.

Lukaris · Jul 8, 2019

I have refuted what you say with the basic and consistent pattern of showing that the Law, The Prophets, the Lord, and the Apostles said that to keep the faith is to keep the commandments. You cite the verses proclaiming the Lord’s ministry out of context of the Biblical pattern to fit whatever you say your talking about.

According to you when the Lord says ( for ex.), “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) no longer applies because the Lord only spoke to Jews. Somehow this does not apply to the resurrected Lord telling the Apostles to “teach all nations....to observe ALL things whatsoever I have commanded you...” (KJV)( Matthew 28:19-20). He commanded us to love God & neighbor & to keep His commandments and a parable like the Good Samaritan illustrates this ( Luke 10:25-37). You reject the parables though. You reject as an ongoing teaching of the Lord when He said if we are to love Him we will keep His commandments ( John 14:15-17) which was a completion of what He said was a NEW commandment in ( John 13:34-35) not to mention a prerequisite for receiving the Holy Spirit.

Yes, these are all part of what the Apostles determined In Acts of the Apostles 15:20-29. St. Paul also preached the same message to Jews and Gentiles given to Him by the Lord lived out by faith in God, repentance, & doing works worthy of repentance ( Acts of the Apostles 26:13-20). This is how we live by faith overcoming the law of sin in the flesh ( Romans 7:25, Romans 8:1-8) by walking in the Spirit. This is something we must commit to as St. Paul warns ( Romans 11:22) whatever you say otherwise.

aiki · Jul 9, 2019

Seize the Soul said:
I'm SOOOOO sorry if this is in the wrong category. I just didn't know where to put this. But this is an urgent, super serious need of help!

For years I've been terrified of going to hell.

And so you should be. Hell is a terrible, terrible place!

Seize the Soul said:
I believe 110% with ALL my heart that God exists. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have a Bible that I love dearly and take THE BEST CARE of it as I can. It has NO rips or any harm to it WHATSOEVER and I've had it for years!

It's nice that you respect God's word this way, but God doesn't accept anyone on the basis of how well they care for their Bible.

Seize the Soul said:
I don't pray often, which I know i should. Should I start lpraying every morning and night?

You know, the First and Great Commandment God gives to us all is not to pray, or go to church, or even to study the Bible. No, the First and Great Commandment is to love God with everything you are. (Matthew 22:36-38) This is where being a Christian begins and is the ground out of which all the other stuff Christians do is supposed to grow. You might as well not bother with anything else in the Christian life if you're neglecting the First and Great Commandment. God wants you to obey Him, yes, but your obedience begins with loving Him deeply and fully, before all else. And when you love Him this way, you will find yourself talking with Him (praying) all throughout every day.

Seize the Soul said:
I don't believe in the stories of Adam and Eve and Noah and such, but I do try my VERY HARDEST to believe in it. I just can't seem too.

Well, if you can believe the greatest miracle of all in the Bible which is the creation of the universe from nothing by God, the other events recorded in Genesis shouldn't give you pause.

Seize the Soul said:
I respect EVERY story in the BIble fully, but I can't force myself to believe it. I mean, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but the other stories... I just can't.

Well, why? Why believe Jesus died for your sins on the cross but not "the other stories"? On what basis do you decide which stories are believable and which aren't? A God-man dying in atonement for your sin and rising from the dead seems no less miraculous and strange than any other story in the Bible.

Seize the Soul said:
Does God understand that I'm trying my hardest to believe everything?

Maybe you should stop trying and start asking God to convince you of His truth. He is the One who causes people to understand His word, the Bible, who reveals to people the truth and brings them to repentance and faith in Himself. God saves you; you cannot save yourself.

Seize the Soul said:
I do absolutely NO wrong. I've never hurt anyone in my WHOLE life with words or anything; my hands have never touched a person harmfully. I always help homeless people when I see them. I respect everybody. I never express hatred.

Not good enough. Not when God's standard is His own perfect holiness. However good you think you've been, compared to God, your righteousness is foul and ugly, corrupted by a heart not centered on God, mired in selfishness and pride. It takes the perfect righteousness of Christ to make you acceptable to God. Only his righteousness is sufficient to satisfy God.

Seize the Soul said:
I just want God to know that I love Him more than anything. I have never once put anyone BEFORE Him.

Not even yourself? It seems to me you have admitted to putting yourself before God in this very thread. You do not pray regularly; you don't believe God's word; you think you're good when God says in His word all of us are bad (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23, etc).

Seize the Soul said:
I suffer from severe depression, severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. Practically every second.

None of these things are from God. He gives peace, and joy, and contentment to those who walk with Him in His way. All of the things you've listed here are symptoms of Self in control of you rather than God. But God says in His word that only by living in constant, moment-by-moment surrender to Him can we really enjoy life with Him. He wants us to get off the throne of our hearts and let Him sit on it instead, to rule and reign within us, to be the Boss. And as God is in control of you, His life, His power, and peace, and joy are yours.

James 4:7
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

James 4:10
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.

1 Peter 5:6
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

Romans 12:1
1 I beseech your therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

When you truly love God, suicide, depression, and anxiety cannot continue. They are the opposite of what God desires for you and will manifest in you. The way to the abundant, peaceful, stable life He offers to you in Himself is by yielding to Him throughout each day. He lifts up those who go low before Him, who plead for Him to have His will and way in their lives in every moment.

Seize the Soul said:
But I'm still SO terrified of going to hell. Can someone help me with knowing for sure that I'll go to Heaven? Because I want to be with God. I want to be with my family that has passed.

The way to confidence in your adoption into God's family is simply to love Him, to desire Him above all else, to long for His will and way in your life, to passionately yearn for more of Him. No one who loves God deeply and truly ever wonders if they are one of His.

1 John 4:16-17
16 And we have known and believed the love God has for us. God is love and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment....

1 John 4:18-19
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 Him because He first loved us.

Sound Doctrine · Jul 14, 2019

Seize the Soul said:
I'm SOOOOO sorry if this is in the wrong category. I just didn't know where to put this. But this is an urgent, super serious need of help!

For years I've been terrified of going to hell.

I believe 110% with ALL my heart that God exists. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have a Bible that I love dearly and take THE BEST CARE of it as I can. It has NO rips or any harm to it WHATSOEVER and I've had it for years!

I don't pray often, which I know i should. Should I start lpraying every morning and night?

I don't believe in the stories of Adam and Eve and Noah and such, but I do try my VERY HARDEST to believe in it. I just can't seem too. I respect EVERY story in the BIble fully, but I can't force myself to believe it. I mean, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but the other stories... I just can't.

Does God understand that I'm trying my hardest to believe everything?

I do absolutely NO wrong. I've never hurt anyone in my WHOLE life with words or anything; my hands have never touched a person harmfully. I always help homeless people when I see them. I respect everybody. I never express hatred.

I just want God to know that I love Him more than anything. I have never once put anyone BEFORE Him.

I suffer from severe depression, severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. Practically every second. The only reason why I haven't killed myself is that's going against God and I would never do that! I respect God and I would never throw away what He blessed me with. Even if I struggle everyday.

But I'm still SO terrified of going to hell. Can someone help me with knowing for sure that I'll go to Heaven? Because I want to be with God. I want to be with my family that has passed.

Please don't tell me to go to church. I REALLY REALLY would LOVE to, but with my severe anxiety, I don't want to have anxiety attacks there and ruin the whole thing. That would be disrespectful to God. (I've trie deverything to cure my anxiety FOR YEARS AND YEARS. Please don't give me any ideas on curing it, as I've tried everything and I've given up.)

Thank you.

Our works cannot save us: “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:8-10

We cannot revive ourselves, as we are born dead (in condemnation): “17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” - John 3: 17-21

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16 If we believe in Jesus we shall not perish but have everlasting life; but this verse does not say how we come to believe. It is not the “Gospel in a nutshell” as some believe. The Gospel cannot be put into a nutshell. John 3:16 does not teach free will, but belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This glorifies God, which is our purpose for existence.

Hieronymus · Jul 14, 2019

This is what the 'traditional' teaching of eternal conscious torment does to people.

Lukaris · Jul 14, 2019

I tend to think among those who just think life is a “b” & then ya die some are uncaring & prone to criminal behavior not believing in justice for right or wrong.

The Gospel is to call people to repentance & save their souls & have everlasting life.

JIMINZ · Jul 14, 2019

Hieronymus said:
This is what the 'traditional' teaching of eternal conscious torment does to people.

Better than the New Age teaching of it's all rosebuds and butterflies.

Sound Doctrine · Jul 15, 2019

Hieronymus said:
This is what the 'traditional' teaching of eternal conscious torment does to people.

It's not merely traditional teaching. It is from God. Punishment in the lake of fire is eternal for the damned. The OP must have some belief or he wouldn't be so scared of hell to begin with. Atheists don't have a fear of hell. The damned are evil and always will be, but only God knows who the damned are, and who are His. The damned are children of the Devil; the rest are children of God. "Seize the Soul" is talking about fear of hell. Even if I for the sake of argument say it is temporary, it is something to fear even if it were to last only a few minutes.

Petros2015 · Jul 15, 2019

Seize the Soul said:
But I'm still SO terrified of going to hell. Can someone help me with knowing for sure that I'll go to Heaven? Because I want to be with God. I want to be with my family that has passed.

It seems to me you are worried about a damning judgemental God.

But Christ said simply this:

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Therefore, do not be a damning judgemental person. Be a loving, forgiving, merciful and generous person. (this is A LOT harder than it sounds, actually. Which is why Christ tells us to ask for the Holy Spirit in Luke 11)

But, if you are not a damning judgemental person, you can put aside your fear, I believe, of a damning judgemental God, based on the words of Christ. I don't think you'll meet Him. For you, He does not exist. And if you are a damning, judgemental person, you can ask God for help with that, and He will be faithful to change your, conforming you to the likeness of his Son.

Hieronymus · Jul 16, 2019

Sound Doctrine said:
It's not merely traditional teaching. It is from God. Punishment in the lake of fire is eternal for the damned.

The wages of sin is death.
To perish in stead of eternal life does not mean eternal life in hell.
Immortal soul is heresy.
Sound doctrine about the fate of the wicked you will find in the Bible.
God destroys evil and eventually God will be All in all.
The idea that God's wrath will never be satisfied and justice will never be completed is preposterous.
If you need help to get to know what the Bible actually teaches, search 'Rethinking Hell'

The OP must have some belief or he wouldn't be so scared of hell to begin with.

The traditional view should literally scare the hell out of anyone who believes it.
One might turn out not to be saved and end up being tortured for ever and ever without end or outcome.

Atheists don't have a fear of hell.

One of the main reasons people dismiss God of the Bible is because of the traditional teaching of eternal conscious torment.

The damned are evil and always will be,

No, because they will die.
God gets rid of wickedness.
He gave an example with Sodom and Gomorra.
Destroyed, dead.

Hieronymus · Jul 16, 2019

JIMINZ said:
Better than the New Age teaching of it's all rosebuds and butterflies.

No, equally wrong.
Immortality is conditional.
John 3:16
The wages of sin is death.
Death is like before we were born.

Lukaris · Jul 16, 2019

The Lord says those who have done good, will have a resurrection of life. Those who have done evil, a resurrection of condemnation (from the NKJV) per John 5:28-29.

I believe the Lord has a wide net of forgiveness in ways we may not fully be aware of ( see Matthew 12:30-33) but there is still redemption or condemnation (what that condemnation truly is, I do not know but fear to deny).

JIMINZ · Jul 16, 2019

Hieronymus said:
Death is like before we were born.

Do you have a verse for that belief as well?

Hieronymus · Apr 29, 2020

JIMINZ said:
Do you have a verse for that belief as well?

No, but i have a dictionary.

Hieronymus · Apr 29, 2020

Lukaris said:
The Lord says those who have done good, will have a resurrection of life. Those who have done evil, a resurrection of condemnation (from the NKJV) per John 5:28-29.

I believe the Lord has a wide net of forgiveness in ways we may not fully be aware of ( see Matthew 12:30-33) but there is still redemption or condemnation (what that condemnation truly is, I do not know but fear to deny).

Condemned to death, which is eternal death, to perish as opposed to eternal life.
Fear God, because He can destroy body AND spirit / soul.
The 2nd death, Gehenna, the lake of fire, God is a consuming Fire, Sodom and Gomorrah were examples of Judgement by Fire, and their remains can be found today, everything, even the rocks, have turned to ashes and you can even find bits of Sulfur (brimstone) there.

Eternal condemnation = no way back to life, ever.

Lukaris · Apr 29, 2020

Hieronymus said:
Condemned to death, which is eternal death, to perish as opposed to eternal life.
Fear God, because He can destroy body AND spirit / soul.
The 2nd death, Gehenna, the lake of fire, God is a consuming Fire, Sodom and Gomorrah were examples of Judgement by Fire, and their remains can be found today, everything, even the rocks, have turned to ashes and you can even find bits of Sulfur (brimstone) there.

Eternal condemnation = no way back to life, ever.

I didn’t say there is any way back, I said God will save those who have done good vs those who have done bad ( John 5:22-30 etc.). Many non Christians will fall into this category ( Romans 2).

Sound Doctrine · Apr 29, 2020

We are not saved according to whether we do good or bad, but by grace through faith (belief) from God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 - "8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Of course, you are to believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible word of God, in its entirety. Even if you don't understand certain parts, believe they are from God and He will give you understanding. Picking and choosing what to believe and what not to believe is wrong, as it shows unbelief. John 3:16 says "whosoever believeth in me shall not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is the Word of God, so we must believe what He tells us, from Genesis through Revelation, as Jesus, by His Holy Spirit inspired those words to be written. Where "science" conflicts with the Bible, science is wrong, and this can be proven. Go to the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) for example, regarding creation.

Believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, is the only way to get to heaven, that He died on the cross for our sins, and that on the third day, He rose from the dead. We are all sinners, which means we would all go to hell. Belief in Jesus as our Savior and believing His Word, the Bible, is what saves us from the wages of sin which is death (Romans 6:23). Once you believe these things, you no longer worry about going to hell. You can't lose your salvation once you have obtained it, either because He gives us eternal, everlasting life. That means life with Him is permanent. Belief in God comes from God, so if you believe in Him, believe all the things in the Bible also.

John Helpher · May 3, 2020

Seize the Soul said:
But I'm still SO terrified of going to hell. Can someone help me with knowing for sure that I'll go to Heaven?

What God is looking for are people who see goodness in the practice of his values. The best way to know what God expects from us is to look at the teachings of Jesus.

Pretend for a moment that you are the manager of a McDonalds (or other such food place). You want to hire employees but you want people who will do a good job so you conduct interviews.

The first person who comes in says he's got a perfect copy of the rules and regulations for how to perform the job; in fact it's so perfect that it's like its never been touched, which makes you wonder if the person even knows what the job is meant to be! That person seems unlikely to know or care what's expected of him.

The second person who comes in says he believes with all his heart that you are indeed the manager. He's willing to talk to you sometimes, but not often and indicates he may be willing to talk to you more often. As the manager, though, you understand that an employee who isn't interested in much communication with the boss will probably be unreliable.

The third person explains that he'd be a good employee because he never makes any mistakes. This sounds appealing at first, but then you realize just how unrealistic that most likely is. Every employee makes some mistakes. A person who believes he does not make mistakes is unlikely to realize it when he does make a mistake and therefore will continue making them. That doesn't seem like a good match for what you're looking for.

As the boss, what you're really looking for are people who want to get the job done; they show a sincere willingness to obey your instructions and, while they will make mistakes, they demonstrate remorse for those mistakes and keep trying to get the job done right.

If you think of God as a manager, and you as the employee, you'll probably get a more accurate understanding of what God expects of you and he'll be less likely to fire you.

SeekingGloryOnThisJourney · May 27, 2020

Seize the Soul said:
I'm SOOOOO sorry if this is in the wrong category. I just didn't know where to put this. But this is an urgent, super serious need of help!

For years I've been terrified of going to hell.

I believe 110% with ALL my heart that God exists. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have a Bible that I love dearly and take THE BEST CARE of it as I can. It has NO rips or any harm to it WHATSOEVER and I've had it for years!

I don't pray often, which I know i should. Should I start lpraying every morning and night?

I don't believe in the stories of Adam and Eve and Noah and such, but I do try my VERY HARDEST to believe in it. I just can't seem too. I respect EVERY story in the BIble fully, but I can't force myself to believe it. I mean, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but the other stories... I just can't.

Does God understand that I'm trying my hardest to believe everything?

I do absolutely NO wrong. I've never hurt anyone in my WHOLE life with words or anything; my hands have never touched a person harmfully. I always help homeless people when I see them. I respect everybody. I never express hatred.

I just want God to know that I love Him more than anything. I have never once put anyone BEFORE Him.

I suffer from severe depression, severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. Practically every second. The only reason why I haven't killed myself is that's going against God and I would never do that! I respect God and I would never throw away what He blessed me with. Even if I struggle everyday.

But I'm still SO terrified of going to hell. Can someone help me with knowing for sure that I'll go to Heaven? Because I want to be with God. I want to be with my family that has passed.

Please don't tell me to go to church. I REALLY REALLY would LOVE to, but with my severe anxiety, I don't want to have anxiety attacks there and ruin the whole thing. That would be disrespectful to God. (I've trie deverything to cure my anxiety FOR YEARS AND YEARS. Please don't give me any ideas on curing it, as I've tried everything and I've given up.)

Thank you.

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