If Jesus died to forgive us, then why is there a Hell?

Almost forgot!

Neologist!

Amen Sister!

Ah, but God says you are for me or against me. So, are you for or against?

Do you believe in the resurrection? Dang, it's like pulling teeth to get a clear, concise answer.

And even with just a quick reading of the New Testament it quickly becomes evident that Jesus talks more about hell than He does heaven.

When one really begins to read and study the Bible it becomes clear that God is not any different from the Old Testament to the New Testament. And even though the Bible is really sixty-six individual books, written on three continents, in three different languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years, by more that 40 authors (who came from many walks of life), it remains one unified book from beginning to end without contradiction.

.18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Ah, but God says you are for me or against me.

So many words. OY!

OK, Frank! Here's what I have to say:

You don't accept the bible as truth so I will start you of with allegory based on the first few chapters of Genesis. Adam and Eve were perfect; they had free will and they sinned. You don't have to believe it except for the sake of argument.

The punishment for their sin was death. Also, since they were no longer perfect, they could not pass on perfection to their offspring. You might ask why didn't God zap them on the spot and start over? Good question. He had the power. He had the right. But what would have been the consequences?

First, you and I would not have been born. That's pretty important to me and my family, Frank. I can only guess it is important to you as well.
Second, there would have been no answer to Satan's implied accusations that God did not have the right to set standards for humans and that no creature would serve God except out of self interest.

I truly believe that Satan figured he had God in an impossible situation - that God would either have to forgive Adam and Eve or abandon his purpose for mankind to live forever peacefully on earth. If He forgave Adam and Eve, that would make him a liar, since He told them they would die. It would also call into question his quality of justice. I mean, how do you react when folks break the law and get away with it? If he zapped Adam and Eve immediately, He would be forced to abandon both his purpose and their future unborn offspring. So much for the God , Jehovah, whose name means 'He who causes to become.'

But God did not have to execute the death penalty immediately for, in case you haven't noticed, the seventh creative day had not yet ended and Adam and Eve, having now lost their perfection, began their physical decline toward death on that very solar day. You've heard the expression 'dead man walking', haven't you Frank?

Now as the result of all this, every human born since the Edenic rebellion has been under the sentence of death, because of being unable to escape sin. "For the wages sin pays is death. . . " Remember?

Pharaoh was under the sentence of death.
Moses was under the sentence of death.
Every Jew was under the sentence of death.
Every Canaanite was under the sentence of death.
Every Greek
Every Egyptian
Every Roman
Every Christian
Every Pagan
Every Muslim
My ancestors
Your ancestors
Me, You
Everybody.

Not fair, you say? You would have preferred not to have been born? What if I told you that all those who never knew God have been promised a resurrection in which they will be given a fair chance to live the life that Adam and Eve lost?

Will it matter how they died?
If they burned to death?
If they died by the sword?
If they died peacefully in their sleep?

And after they have lived a few hundred years will they curse God for the pain they suffered or thank God for the life they have been given?

You see Frank, It does no good to compete with you in a good god bad god match. All the misery of human history can be traced back to Satan and his recruitment of Adam and Eve. Of course, the misery has been helped along by power hungry priests and politicians. But don't blame God.

If you can't stand this heat, Frank, I don't know what to suggest. I'd hate to see you check out of the kitchen just before the banquet is served.

Mesquite,

I have no problem with the challenge, if it was done in the manner you say. I have the problem with the verbal attacks and the double standard.

I am not afraid of any challenge when it comes to God. The Bible proves His existence and His forgiving loving ways.

Spurious challenge, Frank. The entire life course of Jesus (if you believe what is written) shows God's true personality.

He is, as you may remember from your meditative reading, a perfect representative and representation of his Father.

The gospel writers have said that what they have written is but a small fraction of his works.

Show us where I am wrong in my answer to your challenge and we'll go from there.

I guess what really throws me is that signature ... if you believe the Bible, that is? What's up with that?