Are Christians in Hell part of the Church?

[RCCDefender]

Linus, remember, you are protestant and we are Catholics, so our view is different from yours. Catholics believe in mortal and venial sins. This is biblical.

The CCC says:

1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgement that refers his life to Christ: either entrance to the blessedness of heaven - through a purification or immediately, - or immediate and everlasting damnation.

And actually Purgatory is a biblical teaching.

 

[hurst]

linus:

No one is in Hell yet.

According to the teaching of the Church Jesus founded, a soul in mortal sin descends immediately to hell after the death of the body.

Now, since the last resurrection has not taken place yet, then you can say that there are no bodies in hell yet.

Otherwise, you are expecting us to accord ourselves with your definition of “Hell”

linus:

No one GOES to Hell because he/she sinned. People will go to Hell because they refused to BELIEVE in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Given that you refuse to believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ in the Holy Catholic Church, it is clear that you might be condemned by your own words.

linus:

God had His judgment day on sin 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world as a* substitutionary sin-sacrifice*. Those were your and my sins that were poured upon Him. He died in your and my stead. He took our judgment upon Himself so that if and when we put out faith in Him we are not judged but have eternal life.
This is the basic Gospel message (read John 3:14-18).

No it isn’t. It is your Protestant interpretation of the Gospel, and it is misleading. You and your kind have taken it upon yourselves to replace the role of the Church in interpreting Holy Scripture. Even among the thousands of Protestant denominations, there is disagreement and separation within itself.

linus:

Hell will be filled with unbelievers, even those baptized. Heaven will be filled with men and women who sinned but BELIEVED God’s message concerning His Son.

This is closer to being accurate, but hidden underneath is often the false notion that to “believe” does not require any works in this life. That usually happens because Protestants in general don’t seem to be able to differentiate between works of the law of Moses and works of grace.

My fellow Catholics, the truth of the matter is that if we believe, then we must prove it by avoiding sin and doing good to our neighbor, living the life of grace in faith, even in this life. Basic Protestant theology cannot accept this part of “believe”, even though there is plenty of scripture to support it. They will construe the Scriptures as saying we cannot “earn” heaven. But they are wrong in their thinking because they misinterpret scripture and reject Jesus in His Church. Again, they are the ones who “don’t believe” - especially if they still reject it after becoming intimately familiar with it.

Keep in mind the irony that they focus on various New Testament Scriptures to repudiate the authority and interpretation of the very Church that gave us those scriptures.

hurst

 

[linus]

RCCDefender:

Linus, remember, you are protestant and we are Catholics, so our view is different from yours.

This has never really been a Catholic vs. Protestant identity issue. Going all the way back to the Garden of Eden the real issue for ALL mankind has been: “WHO will you believe?”

When Satan tempted Eve he asked, “Indeed, has God said…” (Gen. 3:1)? He challenged the Word of God.

Since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden their posterity has faced the same situation: To believe the Creator or the creature. To believe the Word of the Creator and LIVE (forever), or believe the word of the creature and die the “second death.”

God’s Blessings,
L.

 

[mlchance]

tuopaolo:

…but does she also include Christians in Hell?

There are no Christians in Hell.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[Prometheum_x]

linus:

This has never really been a Catholic vs. Protestant identity issue. Going all the way back to the Garden of Eden the real issue for ALL mankind has been: “WHO will you believe?”

When Satan tempted Eve he asked, “Indeed, has God said…” (Gen. 3:1)? He challenged the Word of God.

Since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden their posterity has faced the same situation: To believe the Creator or the creature. To believe the Word of the Creator and LIVE (forever), or believe the word of the creature and die the “second death.”

God’s Blessings,
L.

We also do that when we reject those God has sent to us to deliver his message.

“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Luke 10:16

I shall listen to the Church of the Apostles, for she is sent by Christ. You are free to reject her and her teachings if you please.

 

[linus]

Prometheum_x:

We also do that when we reject those God has sent to us to deliver his message.

“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Luke 10:16
.

Yes, this was addressed to the Apostles who took the Word of God, the word of the cross, to the world; and their message, based on Biblical revelation, was no different than Christ’s or the Father’s who sent Him:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, HAS ETERNAL LIFE, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).

But then, of course, alongside the word of the cross still remains that ancient, old question by the creature: "Indeed, has God said…? (Gen. 3:1).

You’re right, God has given us the freedom to choose who/what we believe - but the consequences of one’s belief are eternal. Because of the cross of Christ the consequences of sin need not be eternal, but who/what we believe are. God has ordained it.

Blessings,
L.

 

[Donna_P]

There are no Christians in Hell. To be a Christian, you must believe in Christ and all He stands for. If you believe in Christ and all He stands for then you wouldn’t be in Hell. You would have followed HIm and even if you had sinned you would have know His saving Grace and by His Grace and your contrition - you’d at least be in Purgatory.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Considering the question as a matter of definitions, the Church is the Body of Christ. Hell is a removal from the presence of God, and thus of Christ. How can Christ be present in the one place where he is specifically not present? So my answer would be, there are no members of the Church in Hell.

I do think it’s confusing when we talk about being part of the Church, because we mean different things by the phrase when applied to humans still on earth, mainly because our decision to accept or reject God is not yet finalized by our death.

 

[Matt16_18]

tuopaolo:

Does the Church Militant include baptized Catholics who are in mortal sin? I thought the answer was Yes; I thought that if a Catholic commits a mortal sin, he still is a member of the Church. And if the answer is Yes, then how come baptized Catholics who are in mortal sin count as members of the Church in this life, but not in the after life? This is the part I’m having trouble understanding

It depends on the mortal sin. Some mortal sins (heresy, schism, and apostasy) entail the loss of membership in Christ’s church. Other mortal sins leave the person still united to the church in faith and hope, but not charity.

Three Sacraments leave an indelible mark on the soul, Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders. A person condemned to Hell would still have these marks on their soul. They would not, however, be members of the Body of Christ (the Catholic Church is the Body of Christ).