toldailytopic: For those unsaved. If it turns out you were wrong and you face God in

[Nick M]

what if you are not saved?

You will be judged on your works, and cast in the lake of fire with The Horn and silent hunter.

:loser:

 

[chickenman]

I was a good person and did my best to make the world a better place. I think that should be what matters in judging someone, not whether or not they believed a particular religion. If God really wants to send me to eternal hellfire for holding a different belief about what happens after death -- something none of us know -- then I'd rather go to hell anyway than worship someone like Him.

To what standard should "I was a good person" be compared? And what if someone has a lousy version of what the world being "a better place" should be? Like, say, the one who believes the world would be a better place without black people and Jews.

How should God make a determination if you were truly a "good person" and if your version of the world being a "better place" is acceptable?

Thanks,
Randy

 

[Persephone66]

For those unsaved. If it turns out you were wrong and you face God in judgment what will be your defense?

Well I'll be damned, you're real. You owe me a big apology.

So when God asks... you lived your life wanting to be apart from me.... why?

How will you answer?

I'm sorry, I'm a good and decent person, I care not to be associated with the likes of you.

 

[Quincy]

You'd just hope God is a relativist and judged you by the times you lived in, the life you lived and whether or not that life lead you find reason to believe in whatever religious text turns out to be right. In my view, I'd imagine God either will A) Be reasonable and understand that the power of suggestion doesn't work on everyone, especially 2000 years after it last appeared or B) Not care and leave you to your fate. I'm far more willing to take the gamble on God being reasonable and not dogmatic based one person's interpretation a particular holy text.

 

[Sherman]

All three of you have the wrong idea as to what God is looking for. It's no wonder that you are confused and have a ill impression of God.

God merely wants you.... to want to BE with Him. He wants to fellowship with you, He wants you to choose Him over the alternative.

I've been thinking about this post all afternoon. It really sticks with you. I choose it as my SPOTD :first:.

 

[Quasar1011]

Well I'll be damned, you're real. You owe me a big apology.

John 3:18
"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."

I'm sorry, I'm a good and decent person, I care not to be associated with the likes of you.

Mark 10:18
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone."

Romans 3:23
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

 

[Rusha]

My defense ... I was not convinced that you were real and existed.

 

[Town Heretic]

On the upside, you'll have nearly all the best lawyers on your side of it. lain:

Of course it could be like one of my first trials, years ago, when I said to the opposing counsel, "You're in trouble, Mack. I've got the law on my side of it."

And he said, "True enough. But I've got the judge."

He did too...

 

[Psalmist]

On the upside, you'll have nearly all the best lawyers on your side of it. lain:

Of course it could be like one of my first trials, years ago, when I said to the opposing counsel, "You're in trouble, Mack. I've got the law on my side of it."

And he said, "True enough. But I've got the judge."

He did too...

If you don't mind kind sir, I would like to use your post the next time I talk about the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment.​

 

[godrulz]

What God are we talking about? I mean, some are more understanding or lenient than others.

Assuming it's the God believed in by evangelical Christians, there's simply no defense you can bother with and it'd be pointless to even try.

Romans 1 agrees with you. You will be without excuse for suppressing plain truth about God.

The only God is Yahweh. He is loving, merciful, holy, just.

There is one way to heaven (Jn. 3:16; Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12), but many ways to hell (narrow vs broad way).

If the greatest commandment is to love God and others with our whole being, the greatest sin is not to do so (faith vs unbelief determines eternal destiny).

There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.

 

[godrulz]

Simply that I tried my best to lead a good life and not cause any harm . . . .

Which is something some believers in God can't say!

This is a works based mentality that underestimates God's holy standard of perfection and overestimates our goodness and efforts.

The only correct answer is the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, not our filthy rags self-righteousness.

Romans 1-5 will answer the problem.

 

[Yazichestvo]

I've thought about this question a bit, and I am also a bit confused as to which deity we are talking about. My reasons for rejecting Christianity are different from my reasons for rejecting Judaism. Regardless, I can imagine what I would probably stand accused of. I would say that I only worshiped as man has worshiped for practically forever, for thousands if not tens of thousands of years. I could simply not believe that an all powerful all-good deity intent on saving mankind could have been so unable to stifle the diverse array of long-lived pre-Abrahamic traditions. Polytheism shows up independently from Hawaii to the Levant itself. Abrahamic monotheism, on the other hand, shows up in one geographical location (the Levant), and in one era. You can see how I must have thought it an anomaly, or deviation from the practices of the world. Also, what was with that amazing storm that immediately answered my first ritual? Most of the people who believe in Christ believe in Christ for less proof than that.

This is a works based mentality that underestimates God's holy standard of perfection and overestimates our goodness and efforts.

The only correct answer is the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, not our filthy rags self-righteousness.

Romans 1-5 will answer the problem.

I never really got this. "Works", or doing good things is one of the ways a human being manifests or shows their goodness. If you are good to others in your thoughts and in your actions, what is this other, intangible, nameless form of morality that only Christ can provide? You claim God puts this goodness into people, but is there any real way of distinguishing this Christ-given goodness from the basic morality that anyone can have?

 

[Ktoyou]

All three of you have the wrong idea as to what God is looking for. It's no wonder that you are confused and have a ill impression of God.

God merely wants you.... to want to BE with Him. He wants to fellowship with you, He wants you to choose Him over the alternative.

Your belief in Him, His death on the cross, and His paying the penalty for your sins is done on faith. You may have very little belief in the actual events or the exact manner in which it all occurred. Yet if you put your faith in Him in that you truly desire to be with Him as opposed to the alternative then God will handle the rest.

One might say... God I'm really struggling to believe what is written in your word but I want to put my faith in you because that's where I want to spend eternity, with You! In other words....

For the sake of argument, suppose someone does believe, truly believe, yet never thought it necessarily to read scripture, what do you think about this?

I see more confusion and doubt when some go off into strange ideas because they think too much, and yet, have little faith.

 

[Skavau]

You will be judged on your works, and cast in the lake of fire with The Horn and silent hunter.

So the judgement is nothing more than a show trial for the unsaved.

 

[rocketman]

So the judgement is nothing more than a show trial for the unsaved.

Depends on what judgement you speak of, for the believer judgement to eternal life, for the unbeliever judgement to eternal condemnation. The freewill choice for either rests upon you.

 

[Skavau]

Depends on what judgement you speak of, for the believer judgement to eternal life, for the unbeliever judgement to eternal condemnation. The freewill choice for either rests upon you.

But all unsaved are destined to eternal condemnation and all believers to eternal life. There is no point evaluating their actions when you've already decided the outcome.

 

[rocketman]

But all unsaved are destined to eternal condemnation and all believers to eternal life. There is no point evaluating their actions when you've already decided the outcome.

True, a show trial it may be. Do you not fear the judgement? even a little?

Rev. 20:12 I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev. 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works.
Rev. 20:14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Rev. 20:15 If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.

sounds unpleasant to me...

 

[Skavau]

True, a show trial it may be. Do you not fear the judgement? even a little?

No more than I fear the potential wrath of Islam for my 'crime' of non-belief. Why would I distinguish? I believe in neither Islam or Christianity.

Rev. 20:12 I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev. 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works.
Rev. 20:14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Rev. 20:15 If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.

sounds unpleasant to me...

It sounds profoundly wicked to me as well. A God that would engage in such sadism purely for the 'crime' of not believing in him is a God not worth worshiping.

 

[Hilston]

It sounds profoundly wicked to me as well.

How have you determined what is wicked and what is good? Do you view goodness and wickedness as absolute, or culturally defined, or independently established from one individual to the next?

A God that would engage in such sadism purely for the 'crime' of not believing in him is a God not worth worshiping.

Have you done the cost-benefit analysis, or is this merely an emotional response?

Hilston

 

[Hilston]

But all unsaved are destined to eternal condemnation and all believers to eternal life. There is no point evaluating their actions when you've already decided the outcome.

How did you establish that "there is no point"?

Hilston