Heresy on hell, yes or no?

[po18guy]

We are corrected on this earth or we are not corrected at all. In purgatory, those of us who have been judged worthy of heaven (made worthy is more accurate) will be cleansed from all attachment to sin. We may have venial sins that need purging. We may tend toward sin, even if we have not actually sinned. Look up the definition of concupiscence, as it explains everything bad in our nature; all of the evil we do, even though we still choose to do wrong. It is only via God’s grace that we overcome our fallen state of being. It is very deep theology and, if you ponder it, far more profound that then increasingly simplified “bible Christian” take on salvation.

An eternal reward cannot be that easy - but on the other hand, how can we merit it? Doing good works and having faith for a few short years does not equal eternal happiness - the reward greatly outweighs the cost. God’s grace stands in the gap, or else none of us would get to heaven.

He wants us to be with Him - but there are conditions placed upon us, or heaven would look much like hell!

 

[Inquiry]

This is where a lot of people run into issues, yes. I can tell you what helped me see it more clearly.

First, CS Lewis in the Screwtape Letters and the Great Divorce does a great job of depicting why people would refuse Heaven and choose Hell.

Second, I’ve met people who will hope for the worst because it will mean they can hold it over others and people who will repeatedly hurt themselves trying to get some kind of Pyrrhic victory.

But the thing that really made it click for me was taking it out of the theoretical. I thought back to my attitudes the times I mortally sinned. I thought back to the excuses I made and the times where it was utterly clear to me that what I was about to do was not what God wanted and I tried to shut Him out so I could do what I wanted instead…Remorse would come later, sure, but in those moments I truly rejected Him.

Sure I had no reason to think that eternal fire was seconds away, but that’s not actually important. Hell isn’t the fire. Hell is the separation from God, and I chose that. And honestly, I don’t know that I would have chosen differently if I knew the decision was final.

So yes, I know people can choose Hell because I’ve made that choice before. I pray I never make it again.

 

[sevenswords]

Concupiscence, is a word I looked up when i was praying the daily 15 prayers of saint Brigid, I understood it to mean lusts.
I believe our lusts are the thorns we bare in the soul, our lusts are blessings as we win our salvation in battling them. It is a case of God taking good from the bad, if we must sin, he will use it for good.
I like deep theology and do ponder it often, thanks… the interior castle is a great source.

 

[sevenswords]

all sin is a breaking of the first commandment, we have Mary and the body of Christ for help, but outside of that how are they to know right from wrong, My wife does a lot of work in the pro life movement and she meets people all the time who just don’t understand that abortion is taking a life. they think it is a womans choice and it has no effect on their lives if they do abort a baby… you see they are blind and don’t claim to see… you and I if we sin knowing what we are doing that is the greater sin if you ask me.
it’s a thing we could ponder for a while i’m sure so maybe I need to contemplate a bit more.
thanks for the chat i enjoyed it.

 

[sevenswords]

Yes but many don’t see their actions as sin. Jesus said It is because you say you see you are guilty?

 

[stpurl]

Many don’t want to accept their actions as sin, which is not the same as truly ‘not seeing it’ as sinful. A person who has never been taught Christianity, doesn’t have the internet, or books, or teachers, whose culture had never been exposed to Christianity, might engage for example in fornication and not see it as sinful. But one can literally count on one hand the cultures in the world today which are in that situation. The majority of people in the world today have been exposed to Christian teachings, have been taught right from wrong, have access to the Church, or to teachers, pastors, family, and to words and to the internet where the truth is found, and they CHOOSE to think sin is ‘not sin’.

It’s called rationalizing. “I really love this guy/girl, and if we were married we’d have sex, and sex is so wonderful, and it’s such a gift, and why can’t we have these gifts? We aren’t HURTING anybody, we’re just in love, what’s wrong with love, this isn’t sinful, it would be sinful to deny ourselves the opportunity to fully be with each other”. . .blah blah blah. You really think that this means, “See, they don’t truly think it’s sinful?” Ha. This is the same kind of behavior one uses to do anything wrong. First minimize it, second, give a good reason why YOU should be able to do it, third make it seem a positively GOOD thing, i.e., ‘I don’t think it’s wrong’. Shouldn’t we be intellectually honest --people don’t ‘not see something as sinful’, they just try to ‘rationalize it as NOT being sinful.’ And that’s completely different.

 

[Dan_Defender]

‘And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.’ - Rev 20:12-15

 

[EndTimes]

I wanted to know why my view is considered heresy when I feel scripture supports it?

Heresy? Is a bit over the top…

It may only reflect a not very strong level of Faith… Or not.

I’m sure God won’t send you to Hell for Praying for anyone.

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