Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: bnr-fos!bnr-public!davem@watmath.waterloo.edu (Dave Mielke) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Finality of Hell (was Re: Predestination and judgement) Message-ID: Date: 19 Jul 89 06:19:24 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada Lines: 28 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article bnr-fos!bnr-public!hwt@watmath.waterloo.edu (Henry Troup) writes: >To me, this seems to fall into the category of 'with men this is >impossible; but with God all things are possible'. 'They which >would' cannot pass; unless they accept God, and repent. > >I believe that God's infinite mercy does not permit the commital to >Hell to be final. Only the continual, minute-by-minute and day-by-day >rejection of God keeps the damned in Hell. (That's the hell of it, >and I'm not joking.) This position would hold true if the mercy of God extended into hell. The Scriptures teach that hell is the eternal banishment from the presence of God and they also teach that the ability to believe in Him is a gift from Him. James 1:17 tells us "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.". Since one who is in hell is unable to receive any further gifts from God, He will never find himself able to summon up the ability to have faith in God even though he is suffering from the wrath of God. The Scriptures teach that there is no such thing as a second oportunity for divine forgiveness. Hebrews 6:6 tells us "If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put {him} to an open shame.". Dave Mielke, 613-726-0014 856 Grenon Avenue Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2B 6G3