Can our nasty thoughts send us to hell?

[James Ciambor]

After reading some passages I'm worried this may be the case. Not reassuring, in fact it can be something difficult to mentally wrestle with. I spent a long time thinking blasphemous negative thoughts about many people. But if I'm honest and repentant then I do NOT see how thoughts are as bad as taking some sort of action against the world.

 

[Jeshu]

our thoughts can be bad stuff, and do much harm if we act on them, however, as you say, if we repent of wrong thoughts then God does not hold us accountable for them. Bad thoughts are not as bad as real time wrongdoing but are usually the instigator to it. It is often through our bad thoughts that satan catches us.

Peace.

 

[Kevin Snow]

let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to Yahweh, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ~Isaiah 55:7

As for judgment we are not judged by our thoughts but by the very words which come out of our mouth. As it says here:

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. ~Matthew 12:36-37

So God wants us to be tuned into him and his word. He wants our thoughts and our way to be submitted to him. Remember that,

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ~Matthew 12:34

So we know that if these things are in our thoughts, sooner or later we will speak them and then we will be judged. So let us forsake our own way and surrender to him and he will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

[SkyWriting]

After reading some passages I'm worried this may be the case. Not reassuring, in fact it can be something difficult to mentally wrestle with. I spent a long time thinking blasphemous negative thoughts about many people. But if I'm honest and repentant then I do NOT see how thoughts are as bad as taking some sort of action against the world.

The only route into Hell is to reject God's Holy Spirit, to the point of saying that the Holy Spirit is Satan.
Not that this makes God mad, but your stand keeps you from accepting God's forgiveness through His Son Jesus who did all the work. If you accept that work, you are saved.

 

[James Ciambor]

Thanks for the reassurance now I don't have to feel to worried. Cause at certain points in my life I had the worst thoughts one can have. But I never acted on anything, so I'm relieved that while God does not approve of everything I think, it at least is not as reprehensible as acting on a negative belief or thought.

 

[HTacianas]

While we are reminded to " cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also", Matt 23:26, and directly on point, "whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart", Matt 5:8, there is a story that comes to us through Tradition of St. John Chrysostom's spirited discussion on those subjects with a group of young, zealous monks.

It seems the monks were adamant that those evil thoughts led to condemnation, while St. John's position was that, while those thoughts are indeed wrong, they were insufficient. When the discussion wound down, St. John ordered the monks to fast for several days ahead of a feast he was planning. The monks spent several days in fasting and prayer, and finally St. John invited them to the feast. As they stood around the table smelling the food in front of them, St. John invited a Bishop in to bless the food before they ate.

The Bishop went on with his blessing for nearly an hour. At the end of the blessing St. John dismissed the monks back to their cells. When they complained that they hadn't eaten and were starving after their fast, St. John said, "surely you have already eaten this food in your hearts, so there is no need for you to eat it again".

 

[Tomb523]

our thoughts can be bad stuff, and do much harm if we act on them, however, as you say, if we repent of wrong thoughts then God does not hold us accountable for them. Bad thoughts are not as bad as real time wrongdoing but are usually the instigator to it. It is often through our bad thoughts that satan catches us.

Peace.

Jesus did say, "7You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matt 5:28)" and "15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer. 1John 3:15

If we are thinking bad thoughts, then we must examine our hearts for thoughts are an indication of how the spirit/heart is feeling. Bad thoughts is an indication the fruit of the spirit isn't quite ripe!