Love of God or Fear of Hell?

[durndurn14]

When people avoid sinning, are they doing it as an act of sacrifice or out of fear that if they don’t do it, they will go to hell? If it’s the latter, then aren’t they doing it out of their own personal interest instead of trying to be better?

 

[Hastrman]

When people avoid sinning, are they doing it as an act of sacrifice or out of fear that if they don’t do it, they will go to hell? If it’s the latter, then aren’t they doing it out of their own personal interest instead of trying to be better?

Yes, but the teaching of the Church is that attrition (fear of punishment) is sufficient for absolution through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Almost nodoby does anything based on pure logic; most of the “trying to be better” is really trying to feel better. Often, better than others.

 

[CapIV]

Repenting for fear of Hell is an imperfect contrition.

 

[davidv]

I think a paraphrase of a Fr. John Corapi quote nicely summaries a appropriate attitude in this case.

Avoiding sin because of the fear of hell isn’t the best reason, but it is a good place to start.

 

[Hastrman]

Repenting for fear of Hell is an imperfect contrition.

Yes, that’s why Anointing of the Sick includes Confession–because imperfect contrition is sufficient under the Sacrament.

 

[joseph_virgen]

as a youngster i ate all manner of foods. as a grew i learned to distinguish between want and need. such is with sin.

ultimately i know God’s mercy is greater than the sum of my shortcomings, and one of those shortcomings is my fear of hell.

 

[strngrnrth]

I think fear of Hell is inseparable from love of God. If you didn’t have God, you’d have Hell. That’s what Hell is.

 

[JRKH]

When people avoid sinning, are they doing it as an act of sacrifice or out of fear that if they don’t do it, they will go to hell? If it’s the latter, then aren’t they doing it out of their own personal interest instead of trying to be better?

Much depends on the person’s character and depth of faith.
I don’t believe that anyone really avoids sin as a sacrifice. If one avoids sin it is either out of fear, or it is out of Love.
If one loves God then avoiding sin is an act of love toward Him. It is a natural act toward someone we love.

It is, of course, possible for one to believe in God but not love Him. For these people, it is the love of self that drives them, even if they don’t realize it. Avoiding sin is the way to avoid eternal damnation and thus is a self serving action. Fear drives them to “hedge their bets”.

The closer one comes to God; the closer we come to seeing Him and Loving Him the less need there is for a place of damnation. Seperation from Him is sufficient damnation in itself.

Peace
James

 

[mdgspencer]

According to the traditional spiritual theology of Catholicism, people begin at the level of children spiritually. In fact Saint Paul spoke of this several times, commenting once that the people he was writing were spiritual children and he had to feed them milk instead of solid food. Others go on to what has been considered spiritual adulthood. (Few reach the spiritual maturity of saints.) That means that people have different levels of spiritual maturity. Many live in spiritual childhood. For such people fear of the results of sin may be a normal way of saving themselves from spiritual destruction. Others more mature act often or usually out of love of God. Both motivations are good because since both can lead to salvation, though love of God is a better motivation, for those who have reached that way of living, which only is possible through the grace of God. We should all strive for such spiritual maturity–but all the same, some are spiritual children.
My favorite book providing this theology is the 2 volume “The Three Ages of the Interior Life,” by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (Dominican spiritual theologian who in fact was one of Pope John Paul II’s teachers in Rome in the 1940s).