What happens if you don't accept Jesus as your savior?
For those who don't accept Jesus as their personal Savior, life won't change much. They'll go on in their ignorance of what life can be like with Christ as their Savior. When they pass away.... they will not have an eternal life of love and beauty. They'll go on in their ignorance of what life can be like to have a Savior to talk to or a Holy Spirit to guide them.
I saw a movie a long long long time ago. It depicted hell as living just on the other side of a magnificent river.... just out of reach of Christ and just out of reach of all the happiness of Heaven. The burning of Hell was their burning desire to be there.... to have joy and happiness. The Bible describes something much more horrible.... burning for eternity.... but even if it's just not being in Heaven.... that burning need of being happy for not just a short lifetime but for eternity would be hell.
Christians not only enjoy the promise of eternal Heaven.... they have the Holy Spirit and Prayer. I think, no I'll restate that, I know that there are times ahead when having that promise and having the Holy Spirit as a comforter can be the only good think in life [and death] that makes some things tolerable.
It's not just the promise of Heaven that sustains. I mean even the best children would get exhausted waiting for Christmas. It's the promise and the signs of the promise coming true that sustain smiles.
It was the meek and mild Christ that brought hell into the equation in big way in the new testament. Use of coercion? Fear? You tell me. How could it not be?
When a father corrects his son.... does he use coercion or fear or even a spanking? My father use to tell us what reward we would enjoy. I was also told what the consequences would be if I misbehaved. Sometimes the consequences seemed to be worth it..... other times the consequences were just not worth it. Look at
Matthew 7:9-11.
Matthew 7:9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
It seems to me that some people forget that Christians are adopted into the family of God. Being family has it's perks even here on earth.
To suffer eternal torment in hell for not accepting the supposed Christ; quite a penalty wouldn't you say? And if you research past history of Christianity, I believe you will find 'fear' integral to the message.
The Old Testament taught through fear. Look at
Leviticus 20:9
Leviticus 20:9 “‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.
How many teens would make it to their twenties these days if it weren't for forgiveness. Jesus said with Salvation, your sins are forgiven. So.... in turn, someone who had cursed his parents broke the law. The Jews would have put that person to death.... Jesus offered forgiveness and eternal life.....
The way I see it....The fear was set in the Old Testament, by the Father. It was forgiven by the Son. The Son goes in and talks on our behalf. Consequences sure.... but not the loss of eternal life.
Many Religions unfortunately provide the justification for violence based on their faith. While Islam is decidedly more prone to this, Christianity has been used in the past to murder millions, and is still prone to violent interpretations even today. The Abrahamic religions have been violent, bloodthirsty religions for the whole of their existence. Try Jainism, if you want a religion that has no violent underpinnings.
Yep.... the history of the world is full of violence.... but, as far as I can see, only Christianity offers forgiveness.
