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Hi everyone,
Well, I've made it no secret that I occasionally frequent tentmaker.org, and one article that I particularly enjoy is here: Honest Questions and Answers about Hell
and includes this question:
If Hell is real how could the Apostle Paul (who was especially commissioned by God to preach the gospel to the nations) say that he had declared the entire counsel of God (Acts 20:27), when indeed he never warned of "Hell" in any of his letters? If Hell is real, wouldn't Paul, of all people, warn of it repeatedly?
Hi everyone,
Well, I've made it no secret that I occasionally frequent tentmaker.org, and one article that I particularly enjoy is here: Honest Questions and Answers about Hell
and includes this question:
If Hell is real how could the Apostle Paul (who was especially commissioned by God to preach the gospel to the nations) say that he had declared the entire counsel of God (Acts 20:27), when indeed he never warned of "Hell" in any of his letters? If Hell is real, wouldn't Paul, of all people, warn of it repeatedly?
Any thoughts?
blessings,
brian
The problem with this question is that it assumes that if a teaching does not appear in one of Paul's epistles, then he did not teach it to the church during his ministry.
There were many things that Jesus did that were not recorded--so many, in fact, that John states "if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25).
The point is that not everything taught and said by one individual need be recorded in Scripture in order for it to be true. If Paul never really warned of hell, that is not troubling at all because God, in sovereignly assembling the books of the canon of Scripture, provided enough warning about hell in non-Pauline writings.
The problem with this question is that it assumes that if a teaching does not appear in one of Paul's epistles, then he did not teach it to the church during his ministry.
There were many things that Jesus did that were not recorded--so many, in fact, that John states "if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25).
The point is that not everything taught and said by one individual need be recorded in Scripture in order for it to be true. If Paul never really warned of hell, that is not troubling at all because God, in sovereignly assembling the books of the canon of Scripture, provided enough warning about hell in non-Pauline writings.
Actually, you use Paul's writings together with the rest of scripture to interpret the meaning of fire. Eternal torment for the unrighteous couldn't be found in the first three quarters of the Bible.
Adam was not warned of "hell." Abraham never heard of "hell." Moses, who brought the Creator's Law into the world warned that "the wages of sin is death," Sheol, the grave. He never ever warned about being endlessly tortured. David, when chasing after Bathsheba, suffered the consequences of his sin, but eternal torment was not on his mind.
How could the Creator be so thoughtless, and not warn millions of people of a fate they did not even know awaited them? Could this be just? Could this be loving?
No, we must understand that the fire mentioned in scripture is all from God - He is that consuming fire. We can't draw near to Him without being refined by that fire, so tell me - what is brimstone used for again?
Last edited by little elmer; 06-11-2010 at 11:48 AM..
Reason: completion of thought
Hi everyone,
Well, I've made it no secret that I occasionally frequent tentmaker.org, and one article that I particularly enjoy is here: Honest Questions and Answers about Hell
and includes this question:
If Hell is real how could the Apostle Paul (who was especially commissioned by God to preach the gospel to the nations) say that he had declared the entire counsel of God (Acts 20:27), when indeed he never warned of "Hell" in any of his letters? If Hell is real, wouldn't Paul, of all people, warn of it repeatedly?
Any thoughts?
blessings,
brian
What do you not understand about 2 Thess 1:8-9. There is Paul's mention of the fate of the unbeliever. Eternal destruction for those who don't know God or obey the Gospel, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. That does not mean cessation of existence. It means eternal separation from God in the place described elsewhere in the Bible as the lake of fire. Of course some uni's will in their typical excuse making, say, 'well the word 'hell' isn't mentioned in the verse.' Or, 'where does it say the word 'unbeliever'?' Anything to explain it away.
It is Jesus Christ Himself who had the most to say about hell. And you people won't believe Him!!!
Those who won't believe the word of God about hell will find out about it the hard way.
What do you not understand about 2 Thess 1:8-9. There is Paul's mention of the fate of the unbeliever. Eternal destruction for those who don't know God or obey the Gospel, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. That does not mean cessation of existence. It means eternal separation from God in the place described elsewhere in the Bible as the lake of fire. Of course some uni's will in their typical excuse making, say, 'well the word 'hell' isn't mentioned in the verse.' Or, 'where does it say the word 'unbeliever'?' Anything to explain it away.
It is Jesus Christ Himself who had the most to say about hell. And you people won't believe Him!!!
Those who won't believe the word of God about hell will find out about it the hard way.
Exactly. People want to find excuses not to believe in hell, but that doesn't change the fact that the Bible is so clear on this matter. They can ignore them all they want, but they will find out eventually.
What do you not understand about 2 Thess 1:8-9. There is Paul's mention of the fate of the unbeliever. Eternal destruction for those who don't know God or obey the Gospel, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. That does not mean cessation of existence. It means eternal separation from God in the place described elsewhere in the Bible as the lake of fire. Of course some uni's will in their typical excuse making, say, 'well the word 'hell' isn't mentioned in the verse.' Or, 'where does it say the word 'unbeliever'?' Anything to explain it away.
It is Jesus Christ Himself who had the most to say about hell. And you people won't believe Him!!!
Those who won't believe the word of God about hell will find out about it the hard way.
One mark of a cult to explain away clear and simple statements found in the New Testament-esp when it is clear that the meaning is to be taken as literal.
What do you not understand about 2 Thess 1:8-9. There is Paul's mention of the fate of the unbeliever. Eternal destruction for those who don't know God or obey the Gospel, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. That does not mean cessation of existence. It means eternal separation from God in the place described elsewhere in the Bible as the lake of fire. Of course some uni's will in their typical excuse making, say, 'well the word 'hell' isn't mentioned in the verse.' Or, 'where does it say the word 'unbeliever'?' Anything to explain it away.
It is Jesus Christ Himself who had the most to say about hell. And you people won't believe Him!!!
Those who won't believe the word of God about hell will find out about it the hard way.
It is typical of a denier to cling to something one person did not say, as opposed to something Jesus Chirst himself DID SAY
Indeed. Good post. You deserve a reputation cookie for that one.
"It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
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