Losing the fear of an eternal hell

[Hmm]

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." 1 John 4:18

Jesus we the infinite breadth and length and height of God’s love for us. That's why the Bible urges us to fully embrace our faith because only then can we begin to trust and rest in God's love. "There is no fear in love."

The name "Noah" comes from the Hebrew word "Noach" which means "rest" or "repose", and perhaps resting in God's love is the true meaning of embarking on God's Ark.

Fear robs us of our assurance of God’s love. Every time we doubt His love we step into the realm of fear, and our relationship with God is stolen from us. And this is all that we get from the concept of Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT). The gift that keeps on giving /s.

So don't be afraid that God is going to torment or throw us in a literal lake of fire. He's not that sort of guy. He is as He is in Jesus so we can confidently throw such fears away.

"Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you." Luke 10:19.

So let's put the fear of eternal hell under our feet and stamp the notion out once and for all.

 

[lismore]

Romans 8:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”

For us in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation. But Hell as a warning for those who are not in Christ Jesus. God wants us to warn people, he wants them to repent and be saved. God Bless

 

[Hmm]

Romans 8:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”

For us in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation. But Hell as a warning for those who are not in Christ Jesus. God wants us to warn people, he wants them to repent and be saved. God Bless

He does indeed. But "Hell" with the capital "H" is not a biblical word. It's a Norse word that's reminiscent of Dante or a smiling plumber when he presents you with his bill.

Jesus said "aionios kolais" which means "correction or pruning lasting for an age". Our word eon comes from aionios and it indicates a long time but not an eternity. The phrase has is translated as "eternal punishment" in most, but by no means all, English Bible translations and ECT is based on nothing more than that, a crass mistranslation.

The Bible doesn't talk about Hell at all. It talks about Gehenna, Hades, Sheol and Tartarus instead, all of which have different meanings but none of which mean "eternal hell". But none of them are the sort of place you want to go to, even if it is for a time-limited duration, which is why God warns us of them. Correction is never an easy thing.

But tainting God with the ECT brush is not the sort of place we want to go to either. It means saying goodbye to a God of love.

 

[lismore]

He does indeed. But "Hell" with the capital "H" is not a biblical word. It's a Norse word that's reminiscent of Dante or a smiling plumber when he presents you with his bill.

Jesus said "aionios kolais" which means "correction or pruning lasting for an age". Our word eon comes from aionios and it indicates a long time but not an eternity. The phrase has is translated as "eternal punishment" in most, but by no means all, English Bible translations and ECT is based on nothing more than that, a crass mistranslation.

The Bible doesn't talk about Hell at all. It talks about Gehenna, Hades, Sheol and Tartarus instead, all of which have different meanings but none of which mean "eternal hell". But none of them are the sort of place you want to go to, even if it is for a time-limited duration, which is why God warns us of them. Correction is never an easy thing.

But tainting God with the ECT brush is not the sort of place we want to go to either. It means saying goodbye to a God of love.

That's an interesting post! Thank you. I would agree with much. One thing I would disagree on. Jesus talked about everlasting life and everlasting punishment in the same passage. If punishment is for an eon, does that mean life is only for an eon too? God Bless

 

[WintersDust]

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." 1 John 4:18

Jesus we the infinite breadth and length and height of God’s love for us. That's why the Bible urges us to fully embrace our faith because only then can we begin to trust and rest in God's love. "There is no fear in love."

The name "Noah" comes from the Hebrew word "Noach" which means "rest" or "repose", and perhaps resting in God's love is the true meaning of embarking on God's Ark.

Fear robs us of our assurance of God’s love. Every time we doubt His love we step into the realm of fear, and our relationship with God is stolen from us. And this is all that we get from the concept of Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT). The gift that keeps on giving /s.

So don't be afraid that God is going to torment or throw us in a literal lake of fire. He's not that sort of guy. He is as He is in Jesus so we can confidently throw such fears away.

"Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you." Luke 10:19.

So let's put the fear of eternal hell under our feet and stamp the notion out once and for all.

Ours is a faith rooted in the Jewish tradition. God is the same yesterday ,today,eternally.
An eternal punishment for finite sins is not of God.
That notion entered the faith around 300A.D.

Do Jews Believe in Hell?
What Is the Jewish Belief on Hell? By:Aron Moss
Aron Moss is rabbi of the Nefesh Community in Sydney, Australia, and is a frequent contributor to Chabad.org.

 

[Rescued One]

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." 1 John 4:18

Jesus we the infinite breadth and length and height of God’s love for us. That's why the Bible urges us to fully embrace our faith because only then can we begin to trust and rest in God's love. "There is no fear in love."

The name "Noah" comes from the Hebrew word "Noach" which means "rest" or "repose", and perhaps resting in God's love is the true meaning of embarking on God's Ark.

Fear robs us of our assurance of God’s love. Every time we doubt His love we step into the realm of fear, and our relationship with God is stolen from us. And this is all that we get from the concept of Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT). The gift that keeps on giving /s.

So don't be afraid that God is going to torment or throw us in a literal lake of fire. He's not that sort of guy. He is as He is in Jesus so we can confidently throw such fears away.

"Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you." Luke 10:19.

So let's put the fear of eternal hell under our feet and stamp the notion out once and for all.

God hates the workers of iniquity and every sinner deserves hell, but those who follow Christ aren't afraid. I never feared hell because Christ is so loving; greater love hath no man than this. There are different degreees in hell. Hell isn't a notion and Christ isn't a liar.

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Matthew 10:28

 

[Hmm]

That's an interesting post! Thank you. I would agree with much. One thing I would disagree on. Jesus talked about everlasting life and everlasting punishment in the same passage. If punishment is for an eon, does that mean life is only for an eon too? God Bless

I assume you're talking about Matthew 25:46:

"And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

And you raise a good point. If Hell is temporary and "aionios" really means "age" or "era", doesn't that mean that Heaven is also temporary? If heaven is forever and punishment is temporary, why didn't Jeusus use different words to describe them?

I'm just an amateur theologian, but then again, aren't we all? but many scholars including David Bentley Hart believe that "aionion" refers to the "aion" to come. In Hebrew, the word is "Olam Ha-Ba", meaning "world to come". Under this interpretation, what Jesus is actually saying is "I will give some life in the age to come, and give others punishment in the age to come". The relevant fact is that He does not say that this punishment is eternal - this is something that is purely invented by Team Hell, as they insist on being called.

The word used for punishment, "kolasis", has a corrective connotation, at least according to Aristotle. And clearly there can't be a corrective goal if the "punishment" simply continues forever. It would be like an eternal school detention or writing out lines forever - there could be no corrective purpose in it, or any purpose beyond the punishment itself, because it never reaches a point where the punishment ends and the correction is achieved. It would be sadism.

 

[Hmm]

I'm just an amateur theologian, but then again, aren't we all?

I'd just like to clarify what I meant here. I didn't mean that everyone on this forum is an amateur theologian. There are some obviously some very informed people here. I mean that everyone on the planet pretty much is an amateur theologian, including the professionals (can you be an expert in relationships?) and atheists, in the same way in which we're all amateur psychologists.

 

[Saint Steven]

Every time we doubt His love we step into the realm of fear, and our relationship with God is stolen from us.

Thanks for this much needed topic.

I quoted one sentence above from the OP. So eloquently stated. Wow.

 

[public hermit]

God hates the workers of iniquity and every sinner deserves hell, but those who follow Christ aren't afraid. I never feared hell because Christ is so loving; greater love hath no man than this

Lord have mercy, do you realize how contradictory those statements are? God hates people (sinners), but have no fear, no one loves greater than Christ.

 

[Hmm]

Christ isn't a liar.

No, but He didn't speak in badly translated English either. Think talking to a Frenchman using only Google Translate. How well is that going to work out?

Btw, people who disagree with you are not calling God a "liar". That is merely a sign of your insecurity in your own beliefs.

 

[Saint Steven]

Romans 8:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”

For us in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation. But Hell as a warning for those who are not in Christ Jesus. God wants us to warn people, he wants them to repent and be saved. God Bless

Are we saved by the act of repentance?

How do you define the word "repentance"?
(often used to mean "confession")

 

[lismore]

Are we saved by the act of repentance?

How do you define the word "repentance"?
(often used to mean "confession")

Hello Saint Steven! Thanks for replying to me. I would define repentance as changing one's mind/agreeing with God. I don't know about saved by it, but everyone who is saved has repented (IMHO) God Bless

 

[Saint Steven]

Hello Saint Steven! Thanks for replying to me. I would define repentance as changing one's mind/agreeing with God. I don't know about saved by it, but everyone who is saved has repented (IMHO) God Bless

Oh good. Thanks for the clarification.

Repentance is an outcome of salvation. And an ongoing practice of following Jesus.

 

[lismore]

Oh good. Thanks for the clarification.

Repentance is an outcome of salvation. And an ongoing practice of following Jesus.

Yes. That's an interesting turn of phrase. God Bless

 

[Der Alte]

I assume you're talking about Matthew 25:46:
"And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
And you raise a good point. If Hell is temporary and "aionios" really means "age" or "era", doesn't that mean that Heaven is also temporary? If heaven is forever and punishment is temporary, why didn't Jeusus use different words to describe them?
I'm just an amateur theologian, but then again, aren't we all? but many scholars including David Bentley Hart believe that "aionion" refers to the "aion" to come. In Hebrew, the word is "Olam Ha-Ba", meaning "world to come". Under this interpretation, what Jesus is actually saying is "I will give some life in the age to come, and give others punishment in the age to come". The relevant fact is that He does not say that this punishment is eternal - this is something that is purely invented by Team Hell, as they insist on being called.
The word used for punishment, "kolasis", has a corrective connotation, at least according to Aristotle. And clearly there can't be a corrective goal if the "punishment" simply continues forever. It would be like an eternal school detention or writing out lines forever - there could be no corrective purpose in it, or any purpose beyond the punishment itself, because it never reaches a point where the punishment ends and the correction is achieved. It would be sadism.

Looks like I will have to post my "wall of text" again. About 700 years before the time of Christ, in Israel there was a belief in a place of fiery eternal punishment which they called both "Ge Hinnom" and Sheol, which was written in the 225 BC Septuagint, LLX, and the New Testament as Gehenna and Hades.
Link: Rethinking Hell-Redux
The Greek word "kolasis" occurs only twice in the NT, Matt 25:46 and 1 John 4:18. . It does not and has never meant correction.
One of my previous posts showing that "Kolasis" means punishment.
Link: Daily Christian Universalist Verses

 

[BibleBeliever1611]

Once you're saved you're always saved because it's a promise of God. God is so holy that he could not break his promise.

 

[Hmm]

Looks like I will have to post my "wall of text" again

Luckily I'm a lot taller than I was when I was five years old (I'm now seven and three-quarters) and so I can easily see over your imposing wall into the Land of Freedom beyond, to become needlessly Mel Gibson/William Wallace-like.

 

[Der Alte]

Ours is a faith rooted in the Jewish tradition. God is the same yesterday ,today,eternally.
An eternal punishment for finite sins is not of God.
That notion entered the faith around 300A.D.
By:Aron Moss
Aron Moss is rabbi of the Nefesh Community in Sydney, Australia, and is a frequent contributor to Chabad.org.

What Jews believe about "hell" today may or may not be relevant.
Here is a link to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia article on Gehenna.
Link: GEHENNA - JewishEncyclopedia.com
This article documents from Jewish sources that in Israel at least 700 years before and during the time of Jesus there was a place of eternal, fiery punishment which they called both Gehinnom and Sheol written in the 225BC LXX and NT as Gehenna and hades.

 

[Hmm]

Nonsense! What Jews believe about "hell" today may or may not be relevant.
Here is a link to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia article on Gehenna.
Link: GEHENNA - JewishEncyclopedia.com
This article documents from Jewish sources that in Israel at least 700 years before and during the time of Jesus there was a place of eternal, fiery punishment which they called both Gehinnom and Sheol written in the 225BC LXX and NT as Gehenna and hades.

I looked at your link and, to my horror, came across this:

"Hell awaits one who indulges in unseemly speech (Shab. 33a; Enoch, xxvii.); who always follows the advice of his wife (B. M. 59a); who instructs an unworthy pupil (Ḥul. 133b)"

I had a student today who I think was "unworthy" of my noble efforts to teach her the Cosine Rule because she started texting a friend. Does that mean I'm going to Hell? Oh nooo!!

Who is Hul anyway? Friend of yours?