Christians on CS!

[.Survivor.]

Hey guys...I need prayer. My church is having a revival tonight and I cannot miss it. Literaly. I'm a leader of the youth and an musician. But my school has a required thing all students have to go to. It's for their society rush...this church meeting has been planned for over a year and I have been at this college less than a week, and they are not going to let me go to the church.
I have one more person to talk to and I cannot find them. Please pray that I will be able to find them and that they will let me go to the revival.

I have had this planned for over a year and they want me to miss is. Just pray that I will be able to go to the Church. I don't want to miss it.

[Seraphwolf]

I know this will give you guys some funny looks but...If God is really all-merciful, would he really d**** people to hell just because they didn't hear about Jesus? Not to target anyone but I'm just saying. Maybe this person never had a chance to hear the Good News, in any case, I'll offer a prayer for their soul...

EDIT: It is true though that Jesus said "No one can come to the Father except through me." But maybe, if those people didn't have a chance during life to accept Jesus, they'll have a chance after death?

There are people that say this, because otherwise it would be unfair of God to punish those that had didn't have a chance to hear. But then why would you spread the word of the Lord?

An Inuit hunter asked the local missionary priest: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" "No," said the priest, "not if you did not know." "Then why," asked the Inuit earnestly, "did you tell me?"

This is one of the reasons non-Christians do not agree that the Christian God is particularly nice or fair.

[~*Angel*~]

I admire those who are able to dedicate their life and timw to the Lord through mission work...my spirit is not so strong that I could brave what they do. God bless and keep you, Nightwings!

You mean keep you safe?

Important news (well to me) I may get to go to Sri Lanka and see my four year old sponsor child!!!!!! I'm so happy, I've been wanting to go forever to see him and hug him. SO HAPPY!!!!!

[~ dawn ~]

I know this will give you guys some funny looks but...If God is really all-merciful, would he really d**** people to hell just because they didn't hear about Jesus? Not to target anyone but I'm just saying. Maybe this person never had a chance to hear the Good News, in any case, I'll offer a prayer for their soul...

EDIT: It is true though that Jesus said "No one can come to the Father except through me." But maybe, if those people didn't have a chance during life to accept Jesus, they'll have a chance after death?

I have to go soon but here is a website that i found that answers some of those questions. What about those who died before hearing the Gospel?
Rom 1:18-20,25 "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse... They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised."

Q: In Rom 1:18-20, how does a just God condemn someone for not having enough knowledge about Christ to save them, even though they have enough knowledge about God to condemn them?

A: God is just to do so based on five points.

a) People are responsible for the truth that they have, as Romans 1:20-24 shows.

b) All people have some truth, from nature (Romans 1:20) and their own conscience. (Romans 2:13-15)

c) God is just. He does not hold people responsible for the truth they do not have, as Romans 4:15; 5:13 says (Sin is not counted where there is no law). Acts 17:30 says that God overlooks times of ignorance.

d) However, all ignorance is not necessarily innocent ignorance. Romans 1:18-20 shows that people can suppress the knowledge that they have. While God is understanding of someone who only had very little light, people are still condemned if they are in darkness because they themselves "blew out the candle".

e) For people who reject the truth that they do have, God is not obligated to give them additional truth. (Romans 11:20; Matthew 13:14-15; 23:29) In fact, for those who reject the way of truth, the less they know the better off they are. (2 Peter 2:20-22; John 15:22-24)

An illustration might help. You are lost in a dark forest at night, full of wild animals, and you do not know how to get out. You see a light ahead, and it appears to be a parked car with a man outside. You choose not to go near the man. Would you be right to blame the man anyway for not giving you directions?

When you move toward the light, doesn't the light get brighter? In a similar way, if someone is searching for the truth about God but doesn’t know about Jesus, God desires to give them more light when they respond to the light that they have received. Ultimately God will do whatever it takes to try to reach us because He loves us so dearly and desires a relationship with us, as 2 Peter 3:9 shows.

While the previous illustration is OK, for some there is a more appropriate illustration. A person is lost in a dark forest at night, full of wild animals. He sees a light ahead, which is a parked car with a man outside. He sneaks up on the man, kills him, burns the map, and then says he is doing the best he can because he knows no other way. He is telling the truth, since he burned the map. Today, about 2 billion people, and perhaps the majority of non-Christians, live in countries and cultures that have killed countless Christian witnesses. If someone approves of killing of Christians, how many more missionaries do you think God is obligated to send them?

But the good news for them is that God still keeps sending some missionaries, because He loves those lost people, even enough to sacrifice the lives of some of His missionaries.

As for your second point. Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment"

[.Survivor.]

Hehe...I love this thread. The Bible says " For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." It also says "there is none righteous, no not one." We are born with a sin nature, and even people who don't hear about God are born with a sin nature. Even when we trust Christ, we still sin. No one is perfect. And by no one, I mean humans, not Christ/God/Holy Spirit. Everyone will die, whether they know Christ or not. Those who have trusted Christ go to heaven...and unfortunately those who do not trust Him or reject Him...go to hell when they die. The bible says so. God doesn't want anyone to go to hell, but those who reject Him will. The people who do not hear about Him, this is a discussion that is still strong today. This is why we need missionaries, to reach these people. This is the best answer I have heard....if you know of someone who has not heard the Gospel, then tell them kindly. You are the light of this world if you are saved, you need to shine!

[Steffi.]

I've wondered about that myself. Like, what happens if a baby dies? A baby is too young to understand anything about God, so would it still go to hell? I should hope not...

[Bartimaeus]

I *think* most Mormons share the belief that any child under the age of 8(as they are not yet old enough to make an educated descicion about their personal beliefs) will automatically go to the third(?) heaven. Which is quite nice, I think. <'3 I really like the Mormon branch of Christianity, it certainly is a nice one.

~Barty

[.Survivor.]

The Bible says something about the age of accountability for children. Infants that die in the womb or in the infant stage go to heaven because they have not reached the age of accountability yet. This age is when the child knows right from wrong. Most people agree that this age of 11-12 years old.

[Bartimaeus]

The Bible says something about the age of accountability for children. Infants that die in the womb or in the infant stage go to heaven because they have not reached the age of accountability yet. This age is when the child knows right from wrong. Most people agree that this age of 11-12 years old.

Well it's not necessarily being able to tell right from wrong, though, is it? Because a genuinely nice person would still go to Hell if they have not accepted Jesus into their hearts. They probably are a very nice and good person but because they have not repented for their sins ultimately we'll be damned. :c I don't think it's being able to tell the difference between good and bad, it is being old enough and responsible enough to make an educated descicion about their personal faith, rather than morals.

~Barty

[Steffi.]

Well that's good, then. It would be so sad to see a baby end up in hell. D:

And I have to agree with Barty. It's not about right and wrong, it's about accepting Jesus and the Holy Spirit into your life.