Thursday, 08 July 2010
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How Do I Know I'm Not Going to Hell?
I've been thinking about Hell a lot recently. I'm not quite sure why, but the idea of hell scares the crap out of me. Yes I am a Christian, and yes I believe in God, but I often find myself wondering whether or not I'm going to hell.From kindergarten through sixth grade, I went to a Christian school where we had a separate class called Bible. It was pretty intense, and I know a lot of scriptures by heart; I can recite all the books of the Bible in less than thirty seconds. In seventh grade, though, I started public school, and, since ninth grade, I've gone to a private school that -- to me -- seems to have no really devoted Christians and little to no moralistic values. I mean the kids at my school are absolutely ludicrous. Everyone either drinks or does drugs, and no one is a virgin anymore. It's actually kind of sad.
I pride myself in being a very open person but not impressionable. However, the past few days, I've been thinking about hell and thinking about myself and what if I'm not enough. There are so many versions of protestants out there. Some say that, to get to heaven, all you have to do is believe that Jesus came down and died on the cross to pay for our sins. Others say that there is no way to know if you will go to heaven -- you just have to hope and pray that you are apart of the elect. Then there are some that say that you don't know if you are the elect or not, but, if you do many good deeds, you can somehow be assured or guaranteed that you will be apart of the elect.
That's the only thing I dislike about this: that there are so many versions. Which version is the true version? How can I know if I'm going to heaven or not? When I think about the afterlife, it's so hard for my brain to wrap around the concept of forever. If I go to hell, that means that I will be there forever. The pain will never stop; I will always be screaming, and no matter what it will never end. Really think about it. It's so hard for the brain to wrap around such a horrible unending situation. We grow up saying things like "till death do us part," or "until the end of time," but there is no end! The afterlife is forever!
I'm just really stressed out about this, and I don't want to be stuck in hell for all of eternity. I love God, and I believe that He is the only savior, but how can I assure myself that I'm going to heaven? Any ideas? Any scripture to help me out?
Is there any way we can be reassured we are going to Heaven? Are there any passages from scripture that shed light on this subject? What words of encouragement can you give to those who fear Hell and love God?
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About the Author
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- From: NiShaCoRnEr@xanga
- Name: NiSha
- About Me: I just can't wrap my mind around it, But it's so beautiful. To think that I was created for a certain purpose. That everyone was created for a certain purpose. And thinking that I just feel small So very small....
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Comments (55)
♫Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.♫
And that is all it takes, trust and obey Christ. The Holy Spirit will lead you in to repentance and will keep you trusting in Jesus.
Good works are a "fruit" of salvation, not work towards it, they show that you are saved if you are lead to do them joyfully. And if you are only seeing bad fruit then it is a sign that you are not in Christ. Doing good works trying to earn your way is the way of some other religions, but not of Christianity. If you are trusting in your works to save you then you will be lost.
You can know!!! I used to struggle with this, and I don't any more!:
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not 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.
If you have repented of your sins and asked Christ to be your Savior, you ARE saved! That is God's desire for everyone human being. A saved person is headed for heaven, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
If you believe in Jesus as your Savior, there is NO CHANCE you're going to Hell; you are definitely and without doubt saved. When you're confused by the things people add to Christianity, look to the Bible.
2 Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I
know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard
what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Jesus is able to keep what you have given Him (yourself) in Him until the day you die and join Him in heaven.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
Did you know that God's Spirit is constantly testifying about Christians being God's children? You can know without any doubt. If you know Christ, there is no question, and you don't even have to be stuck with fear. Ask God to show you His Spirit within you that never, ever stops saying that you belong to Christ.
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
You could never be good enough, but that doesn't matter. It's about Jesus being good, not you. Once you know Him, He will help you to grow, but that's not how you get to heaven. You get to heaven because He paid the price, and if you know Him, you don't have to feel guilty or condemned ever again.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because
fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect
in love.
God's desire is for you to be completely free from any fear of Hell so that you can rest in His warm, tender, perfect love for you and become all the wonderful things He has in store for your life!
Believe the Gospel is true (1Cor 15:1-4)
Truly believe you are His child and reach out to Him as your Father (Rom 8:9, 15-16)
Do not deliberately sin once you know the truth (Heb 10:26-27)
Let His grace manifest through you (1Pet 4:10-11, Eph 2:10)
Be a living example (Gal 5:22-23)
Read your Bible for instructions on how to live: do not wearing men's clothing (Deuteronomy 22:5) and keep your hair long (1 Cor. 11:15-16) and sooooo much more!
I truly believe that as long as you are a good person you'll go to Heaven. That's it. But that's just me.
@Pickwick12@xanga - I was going to tell you to go to the bible for your answers, but Pickwick beat me to it!
The answer I hate when I have these crises is "Being concerned means you are heading the right direction", or something to that effect. But do know that actively being concerned is health, and seeking to know that you are in God's kingdom is a life-long process.
The Bible is clear that all that is necessary for salvation is faith (belief, trust, loyalty) in Christ. If you're looking for assurance, though, Jesus said "by your fruits you shall know them" - You might be saved even if you aren't trying to obey God, but the only way to know for sure that you are saved is if your faith has resulted in the Holy Spirit making you progressively more holy.
I think having faith is all it takes. You're worrying, but just give up that worry and have faith instead.
With all due respect and not wanting to pick any fights, I can't help thinking that if you had or have a child and you tell this child that there is an infinite reward and an infinite punishment, yet you see that child in mortal fear of not knowing how to avoid the punishment, you've failed as a parent. Can you imagine being a parent and putting your child through this kind of torment? It's awful, plus it's intimidation. God is suppose to want you to love him from your own free will, yet if you don't, eternal punishment. How could you ever be sure you love this God, or were just trying to avoid hell. And how could you possibly love someone who give you this reprehensible alternative in the first place?
There is no hell, so don't worry about it. Live your life and be a good person, because it's the right thing to do.
Thank you guys soo much for these amazing answers.
In truth, I guess these are already things that I knew before, I just wanted to make sure that what I believed was correct.You know?Perhaps it's complicated to explain, but reading these answers really confirmed what I had thought and I feel more sure now.Thank you.Two verses I find very helpful on this are:
Philippians 3:8b-9: "I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes
from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the
righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
So our hope on that day is that we will be found with a righteousness/goodness that is not ours - it's someone else's - Christ's. So that shows clearly how irrelevant trying to get into heaven is when it's not simply trusting in Christ, because it's not your righteousness that you'll have on that day, anyway.
Romans 10:13: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Romans 10:13 lists how you will get into heaven - everyone who calls, genuinely, on Jesus will go to heaven. So, according to Romans 10:13, it's not like heaven is hard to get into!
I know I'm not going to hell, mostly because it's a silly idea.
What I see here is your fear that, because your classmates are imperfect, you are afraid of Hell. You must look at yourself and judge your own heart.
Also, I don't believe the Bible communicates a Hell like most Christendom interprets it. Study the scriptures, let the truth come to you. Don't rely on what other people tell you is true.
John 10:28--30 I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish.....'
@Pickwick12@xanga - Excellent reply.
FRANK
do you believe that God is love??? his love doesn't change before/after death. if you want to be with him, he would never turn you away. his love is never ending and unfailing... as is his mercy and grace.
Not to cause fight or disagreement here or anything, I see a lot of people here are seriously being deceived that there is no hell, or they are not going to hell, better snap out of it. ASAP!! the bible clearly states, no one can come to the father except through me (Jesus Christ)
After death we will be judged, what I see is people taking God's mercies for granted, God is not a man that you should compare hi8m to earthly parents, don't get it twisted. This is the same God, who wiped out the whole world, in Noah's time, This is the same God who sent his own people to exile during the time and periods of Nebuchadnesser.. but at the same time, he's nature is always to have mercy, and this mercy, expires at death.
You will go to hell if you don't accept Christ. That's just it, because if you don't accept Christ, then the devil has jurisdiction over you, you declare this jurisdiction null and void, the minute you accept Christ. But once you die, and you haven't accepted the grace and salvation of God, then the devil has hold on you, and you will go with him to hell, there's nothing God can do about it, cos you refused to accept his mercies.
What the devil is doing nowadays is to convince you guys in the lies you believe in, and clearly it's working.
This is the blunt and honest truth. Check your bible and read your bible well.
Being good enough will never... read me well.. NEVER get you into heaven. cos put simply.. you are absolutely not good enough for God.
For all have fallen short of the glory of God.
Enough said.
If the question is, am I assured of salvation, meaning guaranteed, then we don't know. You will not know until the moment that you die and you receive your particular judgment from God. Like Paul, we are being saved and we hope, in fear and trembling, for our salvation.
@Da__Vinci@xanga - Good answer! Why would any god who loves us commit us to eternal damnation for say, calling him by a different name? That's not love. My mom still loves me if I call her by her first name, or if I call her mom, or anything. Why wouldn't God? As for atheists, why wouldn't God love them especially because they're lost and alone (always assuming there is a god)?
@GrowinWild - good response. "no one gets to the Father but through Me the Son..."
Hell does not exist. This stress is doing nothing but preventing you from enjoying the one short life that you are lucky enough to have. So stop stressing, go out into the world, and live however you see fit.
@Covergirl_For_Sanity_Fair@xanga - I like to think that if the christian god
exists after all, they'd be proud of me for using the critical thinking
that he/she/it gave me.
I am also a Christian who went to a private high school. My parents thought that by sending me there, I would be around well-behaved kids with morals...HA. They sure wasted $20,000. If anything, private schools are worse in that department.
Anyway, concerning your post. I too am sometimes afraid of going to hell. When people ask me if I'm afraid of dying, I have to explain to them that no, I'm not, but what I'm afraid of is what's going to happen to me after that. Because the fact is, there is no for sure way a person can know whether or not they are going to heaven. You can quote this verse and that verse and say to yourself "Phew, I apply to that, so I'm saved" but realistically...do you actually know that's true? No. You don't know what God is going to say to you once you're dead. How could you? It hasn't happened yet. The only thing we can do is try our best in our daily lives, hope, and trust in God's love :)
@SexyGamerGirl@xanga - nope "I am the way the truth and the life no one comes through the father except through me" (John 14:6)
just "being good" will not get you to heaven sorry.....
Your not going to hell! Your going to Gre'Thor like the rest of the bad Klingon warriors!
if you want to go to hell, go to mexico.