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BOOK REVIEW: Four Views on Hell 2nd edition

...r eternal punishment. But fellow pro-ECT essayist Walls squashes this analogy: “There is profound disanalogy in the parable that undermines the central point he wants to establish. This resides in the fact that we do not have the power to do anything to God that is remotely analogous to the harm the character in the parable inflicts on helpless creatures ranging from grasshoppers to human infants. Indeed, God is so far above us in power, glory, and moral perfection that we are utterly incapable of harming him.”1 Burk even ventures that ECT “will ultimately become a source of joy and praise for the saints as they witness the infinite goodness and jus...

Are There Levels of Sin?

..."All sins are equal." "Sin is sin." "All sin is the same in God's eyes." You may have heard these phrases said before (you may even have said them before!). But is all sin really equal? I do, and don't, think so. Let me clarify: All sin is equal in the sense that all illegal activities are crimes; but even crimes have degrees of severity and punishment, and it would seem to me that the New Testament also supports this concept in regards to sin. Lets look at a few examples: If you can blaspheme the Holy Spirit and never be forgiven (Matt 12:31), then it's a sin definitely not on par with others. If being sexually immoral is seen as something to shun more...

An Examination of Conditional Immortality (Part One)

...e sent as punishment. If you are interested in how we got the word “hell” in our English language, and more importantly, into our Bibles, I highly recommend that you read this study: The Real Hell. A Case for Conditional Immortality (aka Annihilationism) We are often taught that our souls, human souls, are inherently immortal. But where does this idea come from, because it’s never actually stated in Scripture that this is so. This is an Hellenistic philosophical assumption brought into the text (mainly from Plato’s influence) which can taint our interpretations. If we look at 1 Timothy 6:16 we can see that it is God alone who is immortal: It is he...

Why do bad things happen to 'good' people?

...- like a punishment, even if you were born like that! Jesus simply responds that it was no ones fault, but it was so that "God’s works might be revealed in him" (v.3). This man's blindness was not a divine punishment, but rather just something that happens and something which can be turned around for the glory of God - a sentiment that is echoed in Paul's writing to the church in Rome: "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God..." (Rom 8:28). Whatever is happening or has happened, if you love God, then he is actively working to turn all things for good. Later in the Gospels we find that there were others who had a similar questi...

Lent Day 34: Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures: Lecture XXIII

...ose under punishment”, wouldn’t he rescind the punishment? But instead of offering up a crown, they “offer up Christ sacrificed for our sins, propitiating our merciful God for them as well as for ourselves”. Prayers on behalf of the dead may seem strange to Protestant ears, though there are some potential passages of Scripture about this in the New Testament, albeit debated, such as 2 Tim 1:16-18 which seems to imply Onesiphorus was dead, yet Paul prays on his behalf (plus the strange reference to baptism of the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:29). Prayers for the dead was not an uncommon practice in the early centuries of the Church, though I’m not entirely...

What are the Seraphim, and was the devil one of them?

...plain the punishment God gives the serpent: to crawl on its belly and eat dust. Snakes already do that, so why would that be something unusual and a punishment for it? This “eating/licking the dust” that snakes now do is referenced again in Isaiah 65:25 and Micah 7:17 as part of their natural state it seems. Is it possible that this is an allusion to Satan — a potentially fiery-snake-like being — getting cast out of Heaven to the Earth, and now he had to “crawl” around here instead of the heavenly realms? There’s a few places which hint at the devil being on earth and that this is his kingdom and realm now, rather than anywhere else. Jesus...