Musing – Accept a Free Gift or Go to Hell

Hebraic Musing – Accept a Free Gift or Go to Hell

I received a message from a scholar friend who is starting to question a foundational Christian teaching by asking –  Can Hell be a place of “Eternal Conscious Torment”?  Further, he questions whether and how a loving God could possibly send people, His creation, to “Eternal Conscious Torment”?  See Note 1 below for the natural extension of this line of reasoning. 

The counter argument has to do with the over emphasis on saying and preaching “God is Love.”  We know Love is not God’s only attribute.  He is also Just, Gracious, Forgiving, Righteous, Generous, etc. etc. etc.   Note 2 below reveals the way the prophet Nahum described our Lord in the introductory verses of his message.

Losing sleep about all this until… I just read that most cultures deem not accepting a gift to be an insult, an unforgivable affront.  That statement resonated with my personal experiences with other cultures I have encountered around the world.  The giving of gifts is taken seriously; and not accepting is an affront.

Ephesians 2:8 comes to mind.   “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—“  Clearly this is not the only reference in the Bible to God’s gracious gift of grace. (Redundancy wasn’t intended but I like it!)

BTW, the Bible has many warnings about rejection?  The words “Reject” and “Rejected” appear 101 times in my NIV!  And Jesus Himself did not mince words when He said (in red letters)  “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone”?  Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." Luke 20:17-18 

Quick clarifications: 

The “gracious gift of God” was freely offered to us; BUT it was not without a cost.  The Father and the Son paid a heavy price.  And the gift was not given to us; it was freely offered to each of us and we had to personally accept the gift.

Admittedly, this discussion does not answer the salvific questions applicable to peoples in unreached nations who have not yet heard the Gospel.

Points to Ponder

How do you feel when someone offends your child?
 Or does something worse to your child? 

How does it feel when your own children do not appreciate
a precious gift you sacrificially gave to them?

 “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”   2 Corinthians 9:15

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                   September 27, 2016

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage” “Musings - A Victorious Life”  “Musings - The Torah and New Testament”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com

Note 1. - The natural extension of contrasting “Eternal Conscious Torment” with “God is Love” results in justifying “universalism.”  Simply stated, it means that since God is Love, He will find a way for all His creation to make it to heaven – justifying “many ways”.

Note 2.  - Nahum 1:2-3  “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.  The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies.  The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.”   NIV