I had a Christian friend tell me tonight that the best definition of a Christian was someone who sincerely believed that he was absolutely wrong about his faith in Jesus.
I said (and I quote) "What the fuck?!?!"
He said, "Yeah, a true Christian is someone who loves his fellow man enough to sincerely hope that he is wrong about his faith because if he is wrong, then everyone he knows who doesn't know and accept Jesus gets a pass, but if he is right, then everyone he knows who doesn't know and accept Jesus goes to hell to burn forever. Therefore, if a Christian is true to the concept of 'love' (willingness to lay your life down for a friend), he sincerely hopes he is wrong about the Gospel, and everyone just dies, or gets to the next level on their own merit and the concept of 'hell' is rendered moot."
Is this true? Can love actually transcend the bullshit?
Please don't flame this one - I really want to know if love can possibly be this selfless and powerful.
-Joe
As a Born again Christian, I believe that a true believer prays that God will make a way for all people, not because they feel sorry for them, but because they truly love them with the love that God has placed in their hearts. It is like hoping that you are wrong, but actually it is believing God at any cost, knowing in your heart that God ia the Almighty.
True believers believe the Scriptures, and if we understand it completely and correctly, the idea of Hell is real and eternal. I believe we can pray, and even hope that we might have it understood wrongly, not that the scriptures are wrong, just our understanding of them.
We can pray that, however, in order to do as God has commanded we must believe there is a fire, and that we must warn everyone. If the Holy Spirit reveals with new clarity that we have understood it incorrectly, there will most certainly be something more to it than "we just die and that is the end," or "there really is no Hell, and everyonr gets a pass."
I have personally thought a lot about this, and my love for humanity, and life causes me to pray that there is something missing in our understanding. I will continue to follow my faith in the scriptures the way I understand them until God reveals with more clarity that there is really something else in the plan. Even a second chance after death would be nice. I believe God is a God of second chances, but AI also believe He is just and righteous in all of His plans.
Hope I have been clear enough for you to understand.
It is a pretty clear presentation of part of the 'gospel' message and a pretty clear presentation of your views on the matter. Thank you.
It still begs the question though: Are there any Christians out there who understand agape love (the willingness to lay ones life on the line for another) enough to hope, at great personal sacrifice, that Christian teachings about Heaven and Hell are wrong.
-Joe
I think that agape love would be expressed more in praying for those who are not believers, for their salvation, than for us to hope that the teachings are wreong. We believe what we believe is true. As believers, we also would be willing to step out of the box to express the truth to people around us. That brings on wrath, even the USA now days.
I know that I will love those who are not believers enough to stand strong in the faith, as Ephesions says when it addresses the Armor of God. Willingness to stand strong is an expression of great love. To hope that what we believe is wrong is not good enough to be agape love.
God loves us and receives us as we are, but His love for us is so awesome that He will not leave us in the condition we are in. God loves us, not because of who we are, butr because of who He is.