Why do people still exist?

This is a difficult question for finite human beings to answer or even comprehend. I have often wondered it myself.

Have you spent any time reading about Calvinism? I can't call myself a full-fledged Calvinist, but one book I read that helped me a great deal is Chosen by God by RC Sproul. There is a verse in the Bible that's hard to accept at first, but I trust in God and know that He's always righteous. Here it is:

22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory. Romans 9:22-23

I don't like to think about this or "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy". But it's God prerogative, not ours. Please continue to pray for God to reveal His reasons to you. I know how you feel, I have many loved ones who aren't saved, my husband one of them. If I compare him to the average man, he's wonderful, kind, moral, etc. But in God's eyes, he's a sinner. It's hard to swallow, but shows God's holiness.

I probably haven't helped, but I just wanted you to know that I understand. God bless you.

WashedClean

Washed Clean,

Yes this gospel is very hard for people to swallow and digest that it is God's pleasure who he wants to save, not ours. He sure does everything perfectly justice.

God Bless

Yes, I know this sounds weird, but lately I have been wondering:

If so many trillions of people are going to hell, often because they cannot live up the God's expectations, then why didn't God wipe out the human population thousands of years ago, to save the trillions who will burn for eternity in hell?

Someone once said that God desires fellowship with the few believers, but at the expence of the trillions?

I pray that God will reveal this to me, and I ask for non-judgemental advice and opinions. Thanks

I don't know if you can come to a definite answer on a question like this, but I believe there are possible explanations that are reasonable.

I guess the first thing I always think is that God wants everybody to be saved.

The Lord is now slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

Therefore, if God wants everybody to be saved, but they are not, then there must be more to His desire. There must be other conditions, and I think that's where free will comes in. He wants everybody to be saved by believing in His Son throught their own free will. So I believe God puts the responsibility for where we end up in our hands. Through His grace He's made it possible for us to be saved, but He won't force us to choose Him.

But that doesn't answer your question yet.

I guess with keeping the whole heaven/hell population God can have several different goals:

1. To minimise the number of people in hell
2. To maximise the number of people in heaven
3. To obtain the best ratio of people in heaven to people in hell

There could be more things, these are just some that I thought.

Now, clearly God didn't choose number 1 because if He had, He wouldn't create people at all.

I don't think it could be no. 3 because that would be unjust. If God destoryed people to cut His losses in hell, that would mean that some people miss out on going to heaven simply because of the wicked people, even though they would have put their faith in Christ and been saved. So I believe that God wants as many people in heaven as possible, and if that means people go to hell by their own choice, He allows that to happen.

There's heaps more to this issue and lots of other questions that arise too. I hope I've helped answer the question. Sorry if I've got in wrong direction!

Desolate Owl said:

If so many trillions of people are going to hell, often because they cannot live up the God's expectations, then why didn't God wipe out the human population thousands of years ago, to save the trillions who will burn for eternity in hell?

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God did wipe out the human population thousands of years ago (save a few)... which did stop many people from pro creating furthur and bringing about more eternal destruction. God brought on the wiping out of mankind because "the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" Gen 6:5. Then even after all the wicked were wiped away God still said "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done" Gen 8:21. No one goes to hell because of God's high expectations, man goes to hell because man does not want to live according to God's standards - because man cannot, he is too busy thinking about evil.

And all God requires is faith. To believe.

All it takes is to believe. To believe that Christ died, rose again, and lives forever more because I need it. It is really very simple. It takes more strength to deny it than to affirm it. Yet no one wants to do it - we're too busy thinking about evil. Yet if we believe, there is hope that one day we will think on goodness continually.

Even though I dislike 'Pascal's wager,' and yet I love the Pensees. I think Pascal's wager might come in good to help furthur the discussion.

"If I believe in God and he does not exist, I have lost nothing. If I believe in God and he does exist, I will gain the infinite reward of Heaven. On the other hand, if I do not believe in God and he does not exist, I have neither lost nor gained anything; but if I do not believe in God and he does exist, I have earned the infinite punishment of Hell. Since I have everything to gain and nothing to lose by believing in God, then logically I should believe in him. Or more concisely, as some theists present it: "What if you're wrong?""

I'm tired and have been up way too long! I don't even know if I made my point... but I hope it furthurs the discussion.

Jennifer615 said:

Yes, I know this sounds weird, but lately I have been wondering:

If so many trillions of people are going to hell, often because they cannot live up the God's expectations, then why didn't God wipe out the human population thousands of years ago, to save the trillions who will burn for eternity in hell?

Someone once said that God desires fellowship with the few believers, but at the expence of the trillions?

I pray that God will reveal this to me, and I ask for non-judgemental advice and opinions. Thanks

Click to expand...

Dear Jennifer,

What you have said does not sound wierd. in fact, I find it a very good question.

First of all, I would ask why do you believe that trillions are going to hell? I certainly don't know who is going to hell or how many. None of us know that. Only God knows. I think that to hope for the salvation of all is a good thing! I certainly do! I cannot say that all people will be saved. The Bible does not tell us that. But I certainly do hope so.

Also, when you say "because they cannot live up to God's expectations": I do not believe that people go to hell for such a reason. Our God is merciful, kind and all loving. Such a God does not send people to hell because they "fail" to do certain things or because they "failed" to be perfect. A person "might" go to hell for what they insist, which is " I don't need You. I don't want You!" Viewed in that light, people are not "sent" to hell, but it is entirely possible that they send themselves there, as a natural consequence of what they choose.

I hope for the salvation of all mankind. If we are truly loving beings, created in God's image and likeness, we should certainly hope for that!

So it is not wrong or weird, for you to question what you have been taught.



Love,
Suzannah

All mankind deserve to go to hell because they're are in total rebellion against God, even the elect that were chosen by God do not deserve to be in heaven but God's goodness and his desire decided to have a people for himself so that they can be with him forever more in his glory which cannot be expressed or to totally understand that with our finite minds.

No one can live up to his expectainons Jenneifer. We all fail in his eyes and we would all be condemd to hell if not for Jesus Christ. One can only try to live up to ones morals and belifes.

Well I certainly believe God will forgive the divorce. He doesn't throw away people. I find it obsurd that in some churches a convicted murderer can be a pastor but a divorced man can't even be a decon.

One thing you have to realize is that thousands of years ago God did wipe out the human race. He only saved a hand full on a boat. Do you know how many people that saved from hell? God does! And that's the point. We're like hamsters in a cage. We can't see the big picture. We can complain to God because we don't think it's fair that we have to live in a cage, or rejoice that God would protect us from whatever is outside the cage. We can't see the cat in the corner ready to eat us if we escape. Sure we're all born into this world with a tendency to sin. And because God is perfect and his justice is perfect sin must have a penalty. If you break a law in a foreign country, but did not know it was illegal, you still must pay the penalty. However we are also all born into a world where salvation is freely given, Where God has a plan for all lives that is greater than we can imagine. Where a loving God took the penalty for us if we would just accept his grace.