Heaven, Hell, Sin, Salvation, Jesus, and the Kitchen Sink

March 28, 2010

Because our faith as Christians is such a personal thing for each of us, (we don’t call it a personal relationship with God through Christ without reason!) I tend to stay away from grinding through Christian doctrines and specific theological concepts on this blog unless they directly impact the spiritual reconciliation of GLBTQ people. This is the only reason why I ventured into sharing my personal faith conviction on hell and eternal punishment in the first place, because I know how many Christian GLBTQ people there are who fear that living into the wholeness of who they know they are will end in the ultimate price of eternal damnation.

And so I responded to such fear by saying No. No, (I do not believe) God will not condemn you because being who you are and loving who you love is not a sin. No, because the concept of suffering eternal punishment at the hands of an unconditionally loving God of mercy and grace is unfathomable (to me). No, because God’s will and purpose is that all would come to Him and (I believe) the will and purpose of God will never be left unsatisfied in the end.

In the past few days there have been some incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking comments that have followed my post and a whole lot of questions raised I could never begin to answer, not only because the answers I’ve come to for myself would be a grueling task to attempt to communicate to others but also because I don’t pretend to have everything figured out. I don’t expect I ever will. What I can tell you is that some of the questions raised are the very questions I’m already grappling with and will continue to grapple with throughout my life. I will also tell you that some of the questions make me really uncomfortable because I want things to fit and make sense and sometimes they just don’t, because embedded in every area of faith is the mystery of God, and the presence of such mystery means there will always exist irresolvable tensions that each of us either need to find a way to live with or to settle in the best way we can for ourselves and in a way that speaks most true for us and our understanding of God. As history and the present have proven the process will lead many of us to arrive at very different places and I hope that can be okay for us.

With that said, over the next week I’m going to try and give what answer I can to the questions that have been raised in reaction to my last post, namely

• If there is no judgment (or hell), then why did Jesus come?
• Where does the concept of sin fit in when there is no final penalty for those who live a life of sin?
• If there is no consequence or judgment then what is the purpose of right and wrong? Why defend the helpless and vulnerable? Why do good?
• How do we weigh the limitless love, grace and mercy of God in light of the holiness, justice, and righteousness of God?
• Would it not be a violation of free will for God to include those who have deliberately chosen by their will to refuse or reject God?
• Can heaven really include brutal tyrants who are directly responsible for the death of thousands if not millions of people and those who for their own greed have robbed the poor when Jesus represented a God who stood up for the poor and oppressed and defended the persecuted? How could it ever be right and just for those who have mocked God and caused immeasurable harm to God’s own, to stand side by side with those who have suffered at their hands?

And this is where I jokingly say, and then on Tuesday….

Like I said, these are BIG questions and understandable ones given my previous post. Since I’m the one who opened the door to them, then I’ll do my best to give a thoughtful response to what’s been asked but even as I do, how I answer is limited and directed by what I have come to personally believe and whatever I say in any post is left to the 2.6 of you who actually read what I’ve written to examine in the light of the Spirit and in your understanding of God’s Word. What is true, hold on to so that it might increase your faith. What you judge as foolishness, toss to the wind as so much chaff. All I would ask is that you be generous in trusting my intention is simply and always to share my faith and not to change what anyone believes…unless you believe that God doesn’t love you or that you’re not worthwhile. If that’s the case then all bets are off!

Posted in Faith, Theology